WEBVTT NOTE Podcast: Acts 29 Vancouver Episode: Staying-Free-II Publishing Date: 2022-07-03T06:00:44-07:00 Podcast URL: https://acts29.ca Episode URL: https://acts29.ca/staying-free-ii/ 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:01.120 has gained. 00:00:01.120 --> 00:00:04.120 And so we started on that last Sunday. 00:00:04.120 --> 00:00:05.520 And so we continue with that now. 00:00:05.520 --> 00:00:08.960 How is it that I can stay free after being set free? 00:00:08.960 --> 00:00:12.240 How is it that I can hold ground after gaining ground? 00:00:12.240 --> 00:00:15.460 Because sometimes staying free and holding ground 00:00:15.460 --> 00:00:19.840 is harder than getting free and gaining ground. 00:00:19.840 --> 00:00:22.800 And so I want to break that into three. 00:00:22.800 --> 00:00:28.160 One is transition. 00:00:28.160 --> 00:00:31.000 The other is truth. 00:00:31.000 --> 00:00:33.000 And then the last one is transaction. 00:00:36.840 --> 00:00:38.240 Transition, truth, and transaction. 00:00:38.240 --> 00:00:42.320 We'll just look at three ways, three surefire scriptural 00:00:42.320 --> 00:00:49.480 spirit-led ways that will allow us to stay free or hold ground 00:00:49.480 --> 00:00:50.320 that we have gained. 00:00:50.320 --> 00:00:53.680 Yeah, so let's start with transition. 00:00:53.680 --> 00:00:56.320 So here's how transition works, guys. 00:00:56.320 --> 00:01:00.360 Whenever you're, let's say you're free from fear. 00:01:00.360 --> 00:01:05.520 Once you're free from fear, how you transition 00:01:05.520 --> 00:01:11.520 is first you set yourself a goal that you want to work towards. 00:01:11.520 --> 00:01:13.520 So it doesn't matter what you're going through. 00:01:13.520 --> 00:01:16.160 Last time we spoke about how you're going to get through 00:01:17.160 --> 00:01:19.160 So it doesn't matter what you're going through. 00:01:19.160 --> 00:01:20.920 Last time we spoke about it, we said, 00:01:20.920 --> 00:01:22.400 write down some of the things you're 00:01:22.400 --> 00:01:23.600 struggling to stay free in. 00:01:23.600 --> 00:01:26.200 So let's assume that you are struggling 00:01:26.200 --> 00:01:29.760 to stay free in the area of fear. 00:01:29.760 --> 00:01:31.120 You've been prayed for. 00:01:31.120 --> 00:01:33.000 There are these days or moments when 00:01:33.000 --> 00:01:35.320 you feel freedom from fear. 00:01:35.320 --> 00:01:36.560 How do you stay free? 00:01:36.560 --> 00:01:37.960 Because that's so much harder. 00:01:37.960 --> 00:01:42.520 Or be it a condition like fear, or be it a sin like lust, 00:01:42.520 --> 00:01:44.440 or be it a habit like lying. 00:01:44.440 --> 00:01:46.720 It doesn't matter what it is. 00:01:46.720 --> 00:01:50.280 I must first, when it comes to transitioning, 00:01:50.280 --> 00:01:56.680 I must first know my condition that I've been set free from. 00:01:56.680 --> 00:02:03.120 And then I must then set a goal that I want to live in 00:02:03.120 --> 00:02:05.680 or that I want to inhabit. 00:02:05.680 --> 00:02:07.480 I want to inhabit. 00:02:07.480 --> 00:02:10.760 To stay free, I must set a goal I want to inhabit. 00:02:10.760 --> 00:02:11.920 Where do I want to live? 00:02:11.920 --> 00:02:13.760 What do I want to inhabit? 00:02:13.760 --> 00:02:18.320 If it's fear, then let's assume that my goal, 00:02:18.320 --> 00:02:20.120 let's say I'm a guy who's really afraid. 00:02:20.120 --> 00:02:21.160 I struggle with fear. 00:02:21.160 --> 00:02:23.760 And after a lot of prayer, a lot of reading of the word 00:02:23.760 --> 00:02:26.160 and understanding the truth, I've been set free from it. 00:02:26.160 --> 00:02:27.240 Now I set a goal. 00:02:27.240 --> 00:02:27.960 What's my goal? 00:02:27.960 --> 00:02:29.520 I want to inhabit this place. 00:02:29.520 --> 00:02:30.800 What place is that? 00:02:30.800 --> 00:02:35.760 I want to inhabit a place called recklessness. 00:02:35.760 --> 00:02:36.760 Let's say that's my goal. 00:02:36.760 --> 00:02:38.280 Yours may not be recklessness. 00:02:38.280 --> 00:02:39.800 Yours might be something else. 00:02:39.800 --> 00:02:41.440 But my goal, let's say, is I want 00:02:41.440 --> 00:02:42.720 to go from fear to recklessness. 00:02:42.720 --> 00:02:45.120 I must set a place I want to inhabit. 00:02:45.120 --> 00:02:46.480 That's the first step. 00:02:46.480 --> 00:02:49.280 Every transition must have a place you want to inhabit. 00:02:49.280 --> 00:02:51.320 If you don't have a place you want to inhabit, 00:02:51.320 --> 00:02:55.000 you're not working towards anything. 00:02:55.000 --> 00:02:57.200 So once you set a place that you want to inhabit, 00:02:57.200 --> 00:03:01.720 then you've got to have a middle place that you can park at 00:03:01.720 --> 00:03:02.560 before you go here. 00:03:02.560 --> 00:03:06.480 So let's assume that I am someone who has fear. 00:03:06.480 --> 00:03:08.640 What I want to do is come to a place of peace. 00:03:08.640 --> 00:03:12.440 And from that place of peace, go to a place of recklessness. 00:03:12.440 --> 00:03:15.360 Choose your transitional place. 00:03:15.360 --> 00:03:17.920 The scary thing is many of us choose a transitional place 00:03:17.920 --> 00:03:19.400 and we park there. 00:03:19.400 --> 00:03:23.360 When you park there, you're worse off. 00:03:23.360 --> 00:03:27.440 So if this is fear and that is recklessness, 00:03:27.440 --> 00:03:31.800 I must find a place in between that I can first come and catch 00:03:31.800 --> 00:03:33.960 my breath at. 00:03:33.960 --> 00:03:37.000 So let's say this place is called peace. 00:03:37.000 --> 00:03:37.880 I was afraid. 00:03:37.880 --> 00:03:39.160 Now I come to a place of peace. 00:03:39.160 --> 00:03:42.600 Now that I've gathered my strength 00:03:42.600 --> 00:03:44.920 and move on to the place called recklessness. 00:03:44.920 --> 00:03:46.520 Because very often what happens is 00:03:46.520 --> 00:03:51.280 we try to go from a 30-year habit to a one-day thing 00:03:51.280 --> 00:03:52.960 that we've been free from and we fail 00:03:52.960 --> 00:03:54.360 and it is so discouraging. 00:03:54.360 --> 00:03:58.240 Come to this place of peace, gain your strength, keep moving. 00:03:58.240 --> 00:04:01.560 If you stay here, you're worse off. 00:04:01.560 --> 00:04:06.560 I keep referring to that example in Genesis 00:04:06.560 --> 00:04:12.280 where Jacob was supposed to leave Laban's land 00:04:12.280 --> 00:04:15.120 and he was supposed to go to Padanaerum 00:04:15.120 --> 00:04:17.240 where his parents were. 00:04:17.240 --> 00:04:20.080 But he comes and camps in a middle place called Shechem. 00:04:20.080 --> 00:04:21.360 Shechem was supposed to be a place 00:04:21.360 --> 00:04:24.080 he was supposed to set up his tent for a night or two 00:04:24.080 --> 00:04:26.280 and then he was supposed to move on because God said, 00:04:26.280 --> 00:04:28.920 I'll take you all the way back to the land you came from. 00:04:28.920 --> 00:04:30.760 But he camps in Shechem. 00:04:30.760 --> 00:04:33.600 After camping in Shechem, he buys a plot of land. 00:04:33.600 --> 00:04:36.360 After he buys a plot of land, he builds an altar. 00:04:36.360 --> 00:04:38.400 He even calls upon the name of God. 00:04:38.400 --> 00:04:40.560 But it's pointless because in Shechem, 00:04:40.560 --> 00:04:42.040 his daughter gets raped, 00:04:42.040 --> 00:04:47.160 his sons go murder every male in Shechem 00:04:47.160 --> 00:04:50.200 and Jacob holds his nose and leaves Shechem saying to his sons, 00:04:50.200 --> 00:04:53.440 you have made me a stink in the nostrils of the people here. 00:04:53.440 --> 00:04:56.720 Any middle place that you settle in is worse 00:04:56.720 --> 00:04:59.240 than having left the place. 00:04:59.240 --> 00:05:03.320 It's better that you should have stayed there. 00:05:03.320 --> 00:05:06.280 Did you leave a place to come to a new place? 00:05:06.280 --> 00:05:10.640 If you don't camp there, go to the end that God called you to. 00:05:10.640 --> 00:05:13.200 If you don't come here and you settle in the middle, 00:05:13.200 --> 00:05:16.120 and I'm telling you, so many churches, so many institutions, 00:05:16.120 --> 00:05:17.880 so many men and women of God, 00:05:17.880 --> 00:05:21.040 so many of us camp in a middle place because we've come a long way. 00:05:21.040 --> 00:05:24.440 Hey, if you've come here, go all the way because you can't camp here. 00:05:24.440 --> 00:05:30.480 One of the things the kingdom does not allow is middle ground. 00:05:30.480 --> 00:05:32.240 I've come here, I know God said that, 00:05:32.240 --> 00:05:36.000 but this is where I'm going to settle because this is a safe place. 00:05:36.040 --> 00:05:41.720 No, a middle place is never a safe place. 00:05:41.720 --> 00:05:43.120 It's a dangerous place. 00:05:43.120 --> 00:05:49.320 You can build an altar to God and yet it won't protect you. 00:05:49.320 --> 00:05:53.600 So in transition, find a middle place where you gain your strength and move on. 00:05:53.600 --> 00:05:58.600 Any questions on that one? 00:05:58.600 --> 00:06:00.600 No? 00:06:00.600 --> 00:06:04.120 Can you give us an example of what would it look like to camp in a country 00:06:04.120 --> 00:06:07.120 that has been so traumatic to you? 00:06:07.120 --> 00:06:10.600 Yeah. So what would it look like to camp in a peace? 00:06:10.600 --> 00:06:13.720 So let's say every time I travel to a particular country, 00:06:13.720 --> 00:06:16.600 I feel tremendous fear because of some incident in the past 00:06:16.600 --> 00:06:19.520 that has so affected me, so traumatized me, 00:06:19.520 --> 00:06:22.320 that every time I go to the country, I feel a surge of fear. 00:06:22.320 --> 00:06:25.040 I'm talking about real situations that have happened in my life. 00:06:25.040 --> 00:06:28.480 And so now what happens is, I've overcome it now, 00:06:28.480 --> 00:06:33.240 but till about three years ago, every time I go to that nation, 00:06:33.240 --> 00:06:36.760 as I'm beginning to land in the nation, I begin to ask God 00:06:36.760 --> 00:06:39.640 to bring me to this place of peace quickly 00:06:39.640 --> 00:06:43.560 because I could not exert faith from a place of fear. 00:06:43.560 --> 00:06:47.160 So I would begin to think of different ways to come to that place of peace. 00:06:47.160 --> 00:06:50.000 The promise that God gave me before I left Vancouver saying, 00:06:50.000 --> 00:06:54.680 I'll take care of you, or scriptures that tell me about how he's going to watch over. 00:06:54.680 --> 00:06:56.280 Things that bring me to a place of peace. 00:06:56.320 --> 00:07:00.360 One of the first things one should do in fear is bring, come to a place of peace. 00:07:00.360 --> 00:07:03.400 This is exactly what Jesus did when the guys were scared, 00:07:03.400 --> 00:07:06.840 when he was not in the boat and he was walking on water and the winds came. 00:07:06.840 --> 00:07:07.920 What did he say first? 00:07:07.920 --> 00:07:11.240 He didn't tell the wind and the waves to die first. 00:07:11.240 --> 00:07:12.800 He said peace. 00:07:12.800 --> 00:07:17.480 He sent peace to their hearts before he calmed the waves. 00:07:17.480 --> 00:07:18.760 Very odd, eh? 00:07:18.760 --> 00:07:21.200 He should have calmed the waves. That's practical. 00:07:21.200 --> 00:07:22.640 But he doesn't calm the waves first. 00:07:22.680 --> 00:07:26.360 Mark chapter 6, he says peace to their hearts first. 00:07:26.360 --> 00:07:30.800 And after saying peace to their hearts, then he says to the waves, be still. 00:07:30.800 --> 00:07:37.240 One of the advantages we have is that he is the prince of peace. 00:07:37.240 --> 00:07:40.280 Shalom is his speciality. 00:07:40.280 --> 00:07:45.440 Willing to give it in oodles, in buckets. 00:07:45.440 --> 00:07:51.200 This is why Paul starts all his letters with grace and peace to you. 00:07:51.240 --> 00:07:55.040 Once that peace settles, now you are in a place where you can exert faith. 00:07:58.400 --> 00:08:00.360 And so I would go to this... 00:08:00.360 --> 00:08:04.160 And one of the things I try to practice is, father, when I'm afraid, 00:08:04.160 --> 00:08:05.800 can you bring me to a place... 00:08:05.800 --> 00:08:09.040 Can you bring me to peace in less than two minutes? 00:08:09.040 --> 00:08:10.560 Less than two minutes. 00:08:10.560 --> 00:08:12.880 Because I know someone who does it in 30 seconds. 00:08:12.880 --> 00:08:16.320 Doesn't matter how afraid he is, he comes to a place of peace in 30 seconds. 00:08:16.320 --> 00:08:19.680 I want to do it in two minutes. 00:08:19.720 --> 00:08:21.400 Where your heart is calm. 00:08:21.400 --> 00:08:23.360 Trusting that God will take care. 00:08:23.360 --> 00:08:28.440 Now from this place of peace, you can begin to exert faith and move towards recklessness. 00:08:28.440 --> 00:08:30.440 It's a practice, eh? 00:08:39.800 --> 00:08:42.680 No, I'm comparing peace to Shechem. 00:08:42.680 --> 00:08:48.240 If I decide that all I want is peace, I don't want to be reckless in the things of God. 00:08:48.280 --> 00:08:53.920 What happens is very often we settle for what God means to be a temporary place. 00:08:53.920 --> 00:08:56.760 He wants me to move from fear to reckless faith. 00:08:56.760 --> 00:09:00.000 But if I move from fear to peace, I get peace. 00:09:00.000 --> 00:09:03.520 But what about the reckless faith that brings about the mighty exploits of God? 00:09:03.520 --> 00:09:05.400 That is absent. 00:09:05.400 --> 00:09:10.000 So good places turn into Shechem when we refuse to go to the better place. 00:09:10.000 --> 00:09:14.360 Good places turn into Shechem when we refuse to go to better places. 00:09:14.360 --> 00:09:16.360 That are ordained by God. 00:09:18.240 --> 00:09:23.240 Yeah, I think one of the things you acquire when you get to peace is this. 00:09:23.240 --> 00:09:27.240 The assurance of God is what you get. 00:09:27.240 --> 00:09:31.240 In a place of peace, you get the assurance of God. 00:09:31.240 --> 00:09:35.240 Even if he doesn't step into your boat, you know his assurance. 00:09:35.240 --> 00:09:37.240 You marvel at him. 00:09:37.240 --> 00:09:40.240 You marvel that you're not panicking. 00:09:40.240 --> 00:09:41.240 You're not frustrated. 00:09:41.240 --> 00:09:43.240 You're not reacting like the world. 00:09:43.240 --> 00:09:46.240 People get frustrated with you that you're not reacting like the world. 00:09:46.240 --> 00:09:49.240 People get frustrated with you that you're not anxious enough. 00:09:49.240 --> 00:09:52.240 They're worried that you are not worried. 00:09:56.240 --> 00:09:58.240 Hey, sorry, go ahead. 00:09:58.240 --> 00:10:04.240 So it seems like it's almost like there's a certain amount of fear in you that you move from peace to peace. 00:10:04.240 --> 00:10:10.240 So then it becomes quicker and quicker to get out of here to peace. 00:10:10.240 --> 00:10:16.240 And sometimes you skip peace altogether because in that area you've conquered. 00:10:16.240 --> 00:10:19.240 It's a brilliant way to live and it displays who your God is. 00:10:19.240 --> 00:10:22.240 This is not how normal people live. 00:10:22.240 --> 00:10:27.240 People realize that, oh shucks, you belong to somebody else. 00:10:27.240 --> 00:10:34.240 One of the second ways we can transition is let's say you have a present condition, be it a sin or a habit. 00:10:34.240 --> 00:10:37.240 My present condition. 00:10:37.240 --> 00:10:48.240 And say people have prophesied on you and you know from the word and you know from what God wants that there is a future condition that you want to step into, that awaits you, that God is willing to take you into. 00:10:48.240 --> 00:10:52.240 In the middle then is this ugly word called discipline. 00:10:52.240 --> 00:10:55.240 Not God disciplining you. 00:10:55.240 --> 00:11:02.240 Discipline as in learning ways that will help you move from your present condition to your future condition. 00:11:02.240 --> 00:11:06.240 That also happens during times of transition. 00:11:06.240 --> 00:11:14.240 And we'll talk about some of the disciplines that we can learn that will really help. 00:11:14.240 --> 00:11:17.240 So for instance, let's go with fear again. 00:11:17.240 --> 00:11:31.240 If fear is my present condition or anxiety or worry which Jesus called the sin and I want to get to a place that is full of faith, some of the disciplines I'll have to learn is know the truth of the word. 00:11:31.240 --> 00:11:40.240 Psalm 56, when I'm afraid I'll put, Psalm 56, when I'm afraid I will trust in you my God in whom I praise. 00:11:40.240 --> 00:11:46.240 Psalm 91, I told you about a guy who read, God told him read Psalm 91 for six months. 00:11:46.240 --> 00:11:48.240 Six months. 00:11:48.240 --> 00:11:50.240 All he did was read Psalm 91. 00:11:50.240 --> 00:11:55.240 Every time he tried reading any other passage in the Bible his eyes would begin to blur. 00:11:55.240 --> 00:11:58.240 And God would say to him, hey, didn't I tell you to stick with Psalm 91? 00:11:58.240 --> 00:12:01.240 Psalm 91 for six months, you know what that does to you? 00:12:01.240 --> 00:12:09.240 Can you imagine what it'll do to you if you read Psalm 91 for 180 days? 00:12:09.240 --> 00:12:14.240 You'll be like a champion, man. 00:12:14.240 --> 00:12:18.240 And so what happens then is you begin to know the truth. 00:12:18.240 --> 00:12:24.240 Psalm 56, other Psalms, where you read the word, that's one of the disciplines. 00:12:24.240 --> 00:12:29.240 You stop imagining worst case scenarios if that's your problem. 00:12:29.240 --> 00:12:34.240 You stop imagining worst case scenarios because you always inhabit what you think. 00:12:34.240 --> 00:12:37.240 You always inhabit what you think. 00:12:37.240 --> 00:12:39.240 You always inhabit what you think. 00:12:39.240 --> 00:12:44.240 You inhabit what you think. 00:12:44.240 --> 00:12:46.240 These are disciplines. 00:12:46.240 --> 00:12:52.240 I remember giving a lady an elastic band to put on her wrist so that, and it's an old trick. 00:12:52.240 --> 00:12:57.240 Every time she would begin to go down a certain way of thinking she'd snap the elastic band 00:12:57.240 --> 00:13:04.240 to remind herself that she's going down that route again, beginning to imagine. 00:13:04.240 --> 00:13:09.240 I know you don't have to try the elastic band. 00:13:09.240 --> 00:13:13.240 All I'm trying to say is there's a way that we work with discipline to get to a place. 00:13:13.240 --> 00:13:18.240 Guys, the thing with transition is transition, hey, can I have some more volume? 00:13:18.240 --> 00:13:24.240 Transition moves you from trying to training. 00:13:24.240 --> 00:13:27.240 Transition moves you from trying to training. 00:13:27.240 --> 00:13:31.240 Christians try. Christians don't train. 00:13:31.240 --> 00:13:36.240 Christians try. But I try. No, train. 00:13:36.240 --> 00:13:42.240 Christians must understand that this is not about trying, this is about training. 00:13:42.240 --> 00:13:47.240 You train yourself to be kingdom-like and king-like. 00:13:47.240 --> 00:13:52.240 And training involves discipline. 00:13:52.240 --> 00:14:01.240 Where with training you first are diligent in the sense that you take into custody the things that you need to. 00:14:01.240 --> 00:14:05.240 Take into custody the things that you need to. 00:14:05.240 --> 00:14:15.240 This is my problem, oh God. I am taking into custody this problem and I'm going to make a decision about it. 00:14:15.240 --> 00:14:31.240 And then if that is diligence, discipline is putting the decision into practice. 00:14:31.240 --> 00:14:35.240 If diligence is taking into custody the things that I'm struggling with. 00:14:35.240 --> 00:14:38.240 Father, I've got to struggle in this area. I've got to struggle with pride. I've got to struggle with lust. 00:14:38.240 --> 00:14:44.240 I've got to struggle with lying. I've got to struggle with anger. I've got to struggle with taking offense because I'm proud. 00:14:44.240 --> 00:14:48.240 Father, in these areas, I'm going to pick one. Let's just start with pride. 00:14:48.240 --> 00:14:52.240 Where my anger and offense is the reason of my pride. 00:14:52.240 --> 00:14:59.240 So diligence is to take into custody the problem that I have and decide that from this day on, for the next little while, 00:14:59.240 --> 00:15:04.240 I'm going to chip away at it, chip away at it, chip away at it, until the Berlin Wall falls. 00:15:04.240 --> 00:15:08.240 And so that begins the process. 00:15:08.240 --> 00:15:10.240 The chipping away at it is the discipline part of it. 00:15:10.240 --> 00:15:15.240 Where I am now taking and putting into practice what I have decided on. 00:15:15.240 --> 00:15:17.240 This is what training looks like. 00:15:17.240 --> 00:15:21.240 The great thing is in the Christian context, training, you get help. 00:15:21.240 --> 00:15:27.240 You get Pavan to help. You get Sheldon to help. You get others to help you. 00:15:27.240 --> 00:15:35.240 Any questions? 00:15:36.240 --> 00:15:39.240 And it'll show, eh? That's the beautiful part of it. 00:15:39.240 --> 00:15:45.240 Anything you're trained for shows. 00:15:45.240 --> 00:15:50.240 Guys, we've got to abandon this idea that really, Christianity is all this hard work. 00:15:50.240 --> 00:15:55.240 I thought once Jesus comes into my life, everything changes. 00:15:55.240 --> 00:16:02.240 Your battle is against the mortal body you're in and against powerful forces, man. 00:16:02.240 --> 00:16:08.240 And so if this is not the Christianity you signed up for, then just wait for heaven. 00:16:08.240 --> 00:16:13.240 Eh, it'll be glorious there. But be miserable here on earth as a believer. 00:16:13.240 --> 00:16:18.240 Those are the choices we have. 00:16:18.240 --> 00:16:21.240 Hey, we only get this life to do this. 00:16:21.240 --> 00:16:26.240 I only have this life to train my thinking. 00:16:26.240 --> 00:16:29.240 I don't get a chance after this. 00:16:29.240 --> 00:16:32.240 This is the life where I get to think like Jesus. 00:16:32.240 --> 00:16:37.240 This is the life where I get to share in the interest, emotions, the common ways of Jesus. 00:16:37.240 --> 00:16:39.240 After this, I don't get a chance. 00:16:39.240 --> 00:16:43.240 Because my ticket to heaven is booked anyways. 00:16:43.240 --> 00:16:50.240 It's a challenge, man. Ticket. Any questions? 00:16:50.240 --> 00:16:57.240 Okay. Let's deal with the truth part of it. 00:16:57.240 --> 00:17:02.240 The first thing is, if you go to, for instance, Colossians 3, 4, 00:17:02.240 --> 00:17:19.240 you see that some of the sins that we so struggle with, sexual immorality, impurity, passions, evil desire, 00:17:19.240 --> 00:17:24.240 these are all mentioned in Colossians 3, 4, evil desire, 00:17:24.240 --> 00:17:27.240 covetousness, which Colossians 3, 4 says is like idolatry, 00:17:27.240 --> 00:17:31.240 because it places someone else at the center of your life. 00:17:31.240 --> 00:17:39.240 All these things that are mentioned in Colossians 3, 4, which is what most Christians, 99% of Christians, struggle with, 00:17:39.240 --> 00:17:50.240 all this, we have to come to the realization, are actually broken and dead. 00:17:50.240 --> 00:17:59.240 No longer able to enforce their claim on me. 00:17:59.240 --> 00:18:03.240 I can go under it, but they can't enforce their claim on me. 00:18:03.240 --> 00:18:06.240 We talked about this two weeks ago when we did Christ's life. 00:18:06.240 --> 00:18:12.240 But this is something that most of us do not believe, even though Paul says again and again, 00:18:12.240 --> 00:18:15.240 reckon yourself dead, reckon yourself dead, reckon yourself dead. 00:18:15.240 --> 00:18:20.240 We do not actually believe it because it's not our experiential living. 00:18:20.240 --> 00:18:25.240 But things don't become an experience till I actually believe the truth or something. 00:18:25.240 --> 00:18:30.240 You know, for years, guys who were sailors would not go past a certain point 00:18:30.240 --> 00:18:35.240 because they were scared that the earth was flat and they'd fall off the side of the earth. 00:18:35.240 --> 00:18:38.240 It was their reality. 00:18:38.240 --> 00:18:40.240 Their reality was the earth is flat. 00:18:40.240 --> 00:18:44.240 At some point, once I get to Surrey, there's no white rock. 00:18:44.240 --> 00:18:46.240 I'll just fall off the end of the earth. 00:18:46.240 --> 00:18:51.240 That was their thought. 00:18:51.240 --> 00:18:58.240 And so, till I come to understand something else, I'll never venture out beyond that. 00:18:58.240 --> 00:19:01.240 And one of the things I need to venture out at is that, hey, Jacob, 00:19:01.240 --> 00:19:11.240 sexual immorality, evil desires, wrong passions, impurity, covetousness, 00:19:11.240 --> 00:19:17.240 these are things that have been broken, like completely broken on Jesus's needs. 00:19:17.240 --> 00:19:25.240 And that, in a sense, they are dead because they do not have the ability to enforce their claim on you 00:19:25.240 --> 00:19:31.240 anymore like they do upon those that are not believers. 00:19:31.240 --> 00:19:34.240 They do not have the same ability. 00:19:34.240 --> 00:19:40.240 I don't know if we accept that, but the day you begin to realize that this is what Jesus says, 00:19:40.240 --> 00:19:49.240 it is the truth, you'll find that you take away their power. 00:19:49.240 --> 00:19:54.240 And the only way I can think like this is by continuously going back to the truth 00:19:54.240 --> 00:19:56.240 and saying this is the truth, I have to believe this. 00:19:56.240 --> 00:20:02.240 If I don't believe this, it is not my reality. 00:20:02.240 --> 00:20:04.240 Any questions on that one? 00:20:04.240 --> 00:20:06.240 These are very, very old truths, eh? 00:20:06.240 --> 00:20:13.240 It's just that it's not our experience, so it's not real. 00:20:13.240 --> 00:20:23.240 Porn has the same victims in the church as outside the church. Same. 00:20:23.240 --> 00:20:31.240 The only difference is the world does not have to hide it, we have to hide it. 00:20:31.240 --> 00:20:35.240 It's the same in the pulpit and the pew. It's no different. 00:20:35.240 --> 00:20:40.240 It's not like if you stand behind the pulpit, you suddenly get porn-free. 00:20:40.240 --> 00:20:43.240 It's the same. 00:20:43.240 --> 00:20:48.240 If we don't come to this, then we are the same as the world, eh? 00:20:48.240 --> 00:20:55.240 Any questions, guys? 00:20:55.240 --> 00:21:00.240 So even though I have a new nature, even though I have a new nature, 00:21:00.240 --> 00:21:06.240 because of Christ in me, 00:21:06.240 --> 00:21:13.240 I live in a mortal body, 00:21:13.240 --> 00:21:20.240 I live in a fallen world, 00:21:20.240 --> 00:21:29.240 I live in a fallen world, and my hereditary nature, 00:21:29.240 --> 00:21:36.240 that is the one that came from the first Adam, of sin, 00:21:36.240 --> 00:21:44.240 while it has no hold on me, 00:21:44.240 --> 00:21:56.240 is used by Satan to entice or tempt me. 00:21:56.240 --> 00:22:04.240 What does he do? He goes back and looks at James 1, verse 6-7, 00:22:04.240 --> 00:22:10.240 or thereabouts talks about it. 00:22:10.240 --> 00:22:16.240 I live in a mortal body, I live in a fallen world, 00:22:16.240 --> 00:22:23.240 my hereditary nature of sin, while it has no power over me, 00:22:23.240 --> 00:22:28.240 is still used by Satan to entice or tempt me. What does he do? 00:22:28.240 --> 00:22:33.240 He goes back to the evil longings, the evil desires that I used to have, 00:22:33.240 --> 00:22:37.240 and tries to use that to say, hey, can I hook Jacob again? 00:22:37.240 --> 00:22:41.240 That's what James 1 says. James says, God does not tempt. 00:22:41.240 --> 00:22:46.240 How does temptation then happen? That the evil longings and the desires that you have 00:22:46.240 --> 00:22:52.240 are used to entice you. When you are enticed and you now commit to it, 00:22:52.240 --> 00:22:58.240 you conceive sin, and sin, when it is fully mature, ends in death. 00:22:58.240 --> 00:23:04.240 That's what James 1 says. So one of the prayers I pray is, Father, 00:23:04.240 --> 00:23:10.240 I want to get to a place where I am purged of all the ways of life that I used to live in my former life, 00:23:10.240 --> 00:23:16.240 before I became a believer. I want to be free from them, so that there is nothing you can tempt me with. 00:23:16.240 --> 00:23:22.240 I mean, you can't tempt me with broccoli. You can't. 00:23:22.240 --> 00:23:28.240 You can try. Nothing to me. I am dead to broccoli, and broccoli is dead to me. 00:23:28.240 --> 00:23:34.240 It is like that. What if we get to a place where in a certain area, it no longer affects you? 00:23:34.240 --> 00:23:40.240 Never try the fried broccoli at Moxie's. 00:23:40.240 --> 00:23:45.240 Prashant and I had it once. It was terrible. Even Prashant didn't like it. 00:23:45.240 --> 00:23:51.240 That says something, eh? Because he's one of those slightly healthy guys. 00:23:51.240 --> 00:23:56.240 Moving on. 00:23:56.240 --> 00:24:01.240 Yeah. Yeah. 00:24:01.240 --> 00:24:07.240 So as long as I live in this world, the devil who is an active enemy, 00:24:07.240 --> 00:24:13.240 will try to use the corrupt sinful longings of my former life, of my old nature. 00:24:13.240 --> 00:24:19.240 It hovers around me like a dormant force. It hovers around me like a dormant force. 00:24:19.240 --> 00:24:24.240 It hovers around me like a dormant force. 00:24:24.240 --> 00:24:29.240 And the most operative word here is dormant force. 00:24:29.240 --> 00:24:34.240 And it is used as bait. 00:24:34.240 --> 00:24:39.240 It is used as bait. 00:24:39.240 --> 00:24:44.240 The dormant, sorry, the old longings and desires, old habits, old sinful traits. 00:24:45.240 --> 00:24:50.240 They use this bait. And it's fascinating when you escape the gravitational pull of it 00:24:50.240 --> 00:24:55.240 because you have begun to use the, we'll talk about how. 00:24:55.240 --> 00:25:00.240 It's fascinating when you escape the pull of it where it no longer works. 00:25:00.240 --> 00:25:05.240 You don't know what a defeat it is to the enemy when something that worked for generations with your father, 00:25:05.240 --> 00:25:10.240 with your grandfather, with your great grandfather, doesn't work with you. 00:25:10.240 --> 00:25:15.240 It doesn't just set you free. It sets another three generations free. 00:25:15.240 --> 00:25:21.240 Because the same bait cannot be offered to your children and your children's children. 00:25:21.240 --> 00:25:26.240 Because you think my kids will ever eat broccoli? 00:25:26.240 --> 00:25:31.240 I know the analogy may not be perfect, but 00:25:31.240 --> 00:25:36.240 that's how this works, guys. 00:25:41.240 --> 00:25:46.240 Any questions? 00:25:46.240 --> 00:25:51.240 These are truths we must not grasp. We must go over again and again and again. 00:25:51.240 --> 00:25:56.240 Because everything in the world screams against us. 00:25:56.240 --> 00:26:01.240 Everything in the world says, hey, you will struggle the rest of your life with sexual immorality, with impurity, 00:26:01.240 --> 00:26:06.240 with covetousness. You will struggle the rest of your life. 00:26:06.240 --> 00:26:11.240 See what happened to you the day before. You think you're going to escape the day after tomorrow. 00:26:11.240 --> 00:26:16.240 You're having one good day today because it's Sunday. 00:26:16.240 --> 00:26:21.240 That's how the world works. 00:26:21.240 --> 00:26:26.240 You find yourself being drawn to evil longings and desires from the past. 00:26:26.240 --> 00:26:31.240 And you think to yourself, there's no escape from this. 00:26:31.240 --> 00:26:36.240 This is the idea of renewing my mind 00:26:36.240 --> 00:26:41.240 with the help of the word so I begin to think differently. I assure you how you think is what you inhabit. 00:26:41.240 --> 00:26:46.240 So you've got to go over it again and again. 00:26:46.240 --> 00:26:51.240 That's the disciplined part. A prophetic word is so much easier. 00:26:51.240 --> 00:26:56.240 Any questions? 00:26:57.240 --> 00:27:02.240 So here's a question. I love this question. 00:27:02.240 --> 00:27:07.240 It's almost like there are two people. Have you stripped off the old man or the old woman? 00:27:07.240 --> 00:27:12.240 Have you stripped off the old man that you used to be? 00:27:16.240 --> 00:27:21.240 I'm not sure if you've ever been a woman. 00:27:21.240 --> 00:27:26.240 Together with the practices that he used to indulge in. 00:27:40.240 --> 00:27:45.240 So take a hardy strip of the old man. 00:27:45.240 --> 00:27:50.240 One of the most powerful weapons and the least used weapon that we have as Christians 00:27:50.240 --> 00:27:55.240 is our words. 00:27:55.240 --> 00:28:00.240 That's how we confess ourselves into faith. That is what saved us. 00:28:00.240 --> 00:28:05.240 But we don't use our words. I'll use words like, Father, I put off the old man today. 00:28:05.240 --> 00:28:10.240 There are still some things I'm struggling with. There's still struggling with pride, with lust, with lies. 00:28:10.240 --> 00:28:15.240 Give me some more. 00:28:15.240 --> 00:28:20.240 Fear, anger. Still struggling with this. Father, I put it off. I put off the old man. 00:28:20.240 --> 00:28:25.240 I've been wearing it. I wore it yesterday and I did really badly yesterday. 00:28:25.240 --> 00:28:30.240 This morning as I began I put off the old man. Is it scriptural? Yes. Colossians 3, verse 7-10, Ephesians 4, 22-24. 00:28:30.240 --> 00:28:35.240 Put off the old man. Put on the new man. Put on Christ. 00:28:35.240 --> 00:28:40.240 I'm not saying that Paul is it. Paul keeps saying it. Guys, as long as I'm alive, I'm going to keep saying this. 00:28:40.240 --> 00:28:45.240 It is good for you. 00:28:45.240 --> 00:28:50.240 My days of end are soon here. I won't be here with you. But till I'm here, I'm going to keep repeating these things. 00:28:50.240 --> 00:28:55.240 Because it is good for you. He says that. 00:28:55.240 --> 00:29:00.240 This morning as I'm driving, I'm saying the same thing. Father, I put off the old man. Yesterday I saw myself doing this and this and this. 00:29:00.240 --> 00:29:05.240 That's an old nature. It shouldn't be part of me. It does harm to people. 00:29:05.240 --> 00:29:10.240 So now let me put on the new... Let me put it off. Let me shrug it off. 00:29:10.240 --> 00:29:15.240 Words I have. Words display the intent of my heart. 00:29:15.240 --> 00:29:20.240 Sometimes even when words don't authentically reflect my heart as I begin to speak the words because I have the Spirit of God, 00:29:20.240 --> 00:29:25.240 Christ Himself living in me, my words begin to take on the strength that they need to. 00:29:25.240 --> 00:29:30.240 When you begin to speak words of life, you think that life won't affect your life? 00:29:30.240 --> 00:29:35.240 It's one of the most powerful things we have. 00:29:40.240 --> 00:29:45.240 I put off the old man, oh God. 00:29:45.240 --> 00:29:50.240 Putting on the new man is easy because you don't have to do anything. He's living inside you. All you're saying is, 00:29:50.240 --> 00:29:55.240 please wear whatever you want because I've taken off my jacket. 00:29:55.240 --> 00:30:00.240 Put on Christ. 00:30:00.240 --> 00:30:05.240 The Bible says in Ephesians 4.20-24, 00:30:05.240 --> 00:30:10.240 speaking fast without even drinking coffee 00:30:10.240 --> 00:30:15.240 reminded me that I had a coffee here. 00:30:15.240 --> 00:30:20.240 We'll talk about putting on the new man a little later. 00:30:20.240 --> 00:30:25.240 Any questions about this? 00:30:25.240 --> 00:30:30.240 So another way we do this is Romans 8.13, beautiful words, man. 00:30:30.240 --> 00:30:35.240 It says, by the Spirit 00:30:35.240 --> 00:30:40.240 I can put to death 00:30:40.240 --> 00:30:45.240 the corrupt longings 00:30:45.240 --> 00:30:50.240 or desires 00:30:50.240 --> 00:30:55.240 of my old nature. 00:30:55.240 --> 00:31:00.240 Beautifully. 00:31:00.240 --> 00:31:05.240 By the Spirit I can put to death 00:31:05.240 --> 00:31:10.240 the corrupt longings or desires of the old nature. By the Spirit. 00:31:10.240 --> 00:31:15.240 So, J.K. if that's true, how come it hasn't worked for me all these times? 00:31:15.240 --> 00:31:20.240 My question is, how many times have you actively 00:31:20.240 --> 00:31:25.240 gone down this road to deal with your situation? 00:31:25.240 --> 00:31:30.240 What do we do? We go pray, we repent, we sin, we pray, we repent. 00:31:30.240 --> 00:31:35.240 We're not understanding the way we think. 00:31:35.240 --> 00:31:40.240 What about letting the knowledge of the truth set us free? 00:31:40.240 --> 00:31:45.240 What about the discipline of letting truth become flesh? 00:31:45.240 --> 00:31:50.240 What about two hours going over this? 00:31:50.240 --> 00:31:55.240 Until you actually begin to believe it. 00:31:55.240 --> 00:32:00.240 By the Spirit, by the Holy Spirit 00:32:00.240 --> 00:32:05.240 that I have 00:32:05.240 --> 00:32:10.240 each of these words is so precious, a living bond 00:32:10.240 --> 00:32:15.240 a living bond 00:32:15.240 --> 00:32:20.240 with the ascending 00:32:20.240 --> 00:32:25.240 with the ascended Christ. 00:32:25.240 --> 00:32:30.240 Each of those words is super important. 00:32:30.240 --> 00:32:35.240 It's by the Holy Spirit. I have a living bond. I have a living bond. 00:32:35.240 --> 00:32:40.240 As in it's not a, Videsha is pregnant, Shikha is pregnant. They have a living bond with their baby. 00:32:40.240 --> 00:32:45.240 Something that's feeding that baby life. 00:32:45.240 --> 00:32:50.240 You've got to literally think of it like that. I don't know who's wound in who. 00:32:50.240 --> 00:32:55.240 I think it's both. It's me wound in Christ and Christ wound in me. 00:32:55.240 --> 00:33:00.240 I have a living bond with the ascended Christ, not even Jesus of Nazareth. 00:33:00.240 --> 00:33:05.240 This is the one who reigns, who controls the cosmos. 00:33:05.240 --> 00:33:10.240 There is nobody else but him. He is Lord Kiryos. I have a living bond with him. 00:33:10.240 --> 00:33:15.240 How is this bond established? The bond is established by the person, by the personal presence of God. 00:33:15.240 --> 00:33:20.240 By the personal presence of God. Who am I talking about? I'm talking about the Holy Spirit. 00:33:20.240 --> 00:33:25.240 Living where? Right now in us, in me. 00:33:25.240 --> 00:33:30.240 You think I can't put to death with that kind of power, a longing or a desire 00:33:30.240 --> 00:33:35.240 that I had 29 years ago that is being used as bait. You think I can't put that to death? 00:33:35.240 --> 00:33:40.240 If that can't be put to death, then who is this Christ? 00:33:40.240 --> 00:33:45.240 Even Jesus of Nazareth could put that to death. Leave alone the ascended Christ. 00:33:45.240 --> 00:33:50.240 It's a way of thinking, guys. 00:33:50.240 --> 00:33:55.240 This is not positive thinking. This is really difficult thinking. 00:33:55.240 --> 00:34:00.240 Positive thinking is easy. I'm happy, I'm happy, I'm happy, I'm happy. 00:34:00.240 --> 00:34:05.240 And you feel happy for two seconds and then you have to repeat it again. This is not that. This is renewing. 00:34:05.240 --> 00:34:10.240 When you did that, I thought you were in one of those churches where they wave their arms saying, 00:34:10.240 --> 00:34:15.240 preach on brother. Yeah, yeah, go ahead. 00:34:15.240 --> 00:34:20.240 But you have a question. Next time Diana does that, I'll say, thank you sister. 00:34:20.240 --> 00:34:25.240 Go ahead, Karen. 00:34:25.240 --> 00:34:30.240 That could be one way. 00:34:30.240 --> 00:34:35.240 That's a typical Pentecostal way. 00:34:35.240 --> 00:34:40.240 Sorry, I don't mean to dis Pentecostals. They're wonderful. 00:34:40.240 --> 00:34:45.240 I come from a Pentecostal background. 00:34:45.240 --> 00:34:50.240 One of the cool things that kids do when someone knocks on the door 00:34:50.240 --> 00:34:55.240 is they know you're not supposed to open the door to strangers. 00:34:55.240 --> 00:35:00.240 So they send their dad or a mom to open this door. So one of the cool tricks that I use 00:35:00.240 --> 00:35:05.240 is when temptation comes my way, I literally sink into Jesus and say, 00:35:05.240 --> 00:35:10.240 Jesus, you've got to face this. 00:35:10.240 --> 00:35:15.240 Watchman Nee talks about this. He talks about a story where sin comes to attack him and Watchman Nee says, 00:35:15.240 --> 00:35:20.240 Jesus, could you go meet it? 00:35:20.240 --> 00:35:25.240 Knocking on the door, when sin confronts Jesus, guess what? Jesus doesn't run. 00:35:25.240 --> 00:35:30.240 This might seem very impractical. It might just seem like a story, but just imagine every time temptation comes to you, 00:35:30.240 --> 00:35:35.240 when you begin to actually put in words, Jesus, this is an old temptation 00:35:35.240 --> 00:35:40.240 that has been used sometimes quite effectively against me. 00:35:40.240 --> 00:35:45.240 Today, I choose to sink back into you and I need you to help me 00:35:45.240 --> 00:35:50.240 meet this and overcome it. 00:35:50.240 --> 00:35:55.240 I'm not using scriptures now. I'm using the nature of God that I have realized from the scriptures. 00:35:55.240 --> 00:36:00.240 The escapes that I have realized from 2 Corinthians 12, which says with every temptation, 00:36:00.240 --> 00:36:05.240 God will provide a way of escape. One of the escapes is, Jesus, I'm just sinking into you. 00:36:05.240 --> 00:36:10.240 You deal with this. 00:36:10.240 --> 00:36:15.240 I am in you. You're my rock. You're my refuge. I go into this favorite hiding place of mine. 00:36:15.240 --> 00:36:20.240 And now Lord, in this place, it is very hard for things to get to me. 00:36:20.240 --> 00:36:25.240 It is exactly what kids do. Our problem is when temptation comes, 00:36:25.240 --> 00:36:30.240 there's sufficient pull in it to go and touch it or go and lick it 00:36:30.240 --> 00:36:35.240 or go and skirt around it or go and look through the keyhole at it 00:36:35.240 --> 00:36:40.240 or go and say, I have enough strength to overcome this. 00:36:40.240 --> 00:36:45.240 There's never a hiding behind or hiding in or finding refuge in or being safe here. 00:36:45.240 --> 00:36:50.240 This is a sure place. It cannot touch you. To touch you, it has to get through Jesus 00:36:50.240 --> 00:36:55.240 and Jesus beat it hollow. Use words, guys. Use words. 00:36:55.240 --> 00:37:00.240 Use words. Use words. Use words. Use words because the devil cannot hear your thoughts. 00:37:00.240 --> 00:37:05.240 Use words. There's much more involved here than just God and you. 00:37:05.240 --> 00:37:10.240 There is an active enemy. Use words. 00:37:10.240 --> 00:37:15.240 You can actually have sinless days. 00:37:15.240 --> 00:37:20.240 Forget sinless days. You can actually have sinless hours. Won't that be fun? 00:37:20.240 --> 00:37:25.240 My sinless hours, I don't mean I didn't think of something evil. 00:37:25.240 --> 00:37:30.240 No, I didn't think of anything ungodly. I didn't think of worry. I didn't think of anxiety. I didn't think of fear. 00:37:30.240 --> 00:37:35.240 I actually began to think like God. Oh shucks. 00:37:40.240 --> 00:37:45.240 But it only lasts for an hour. You got 60 minutes of it. Blessed are you because most of us don't. 00:37:50.240 --> 00:37:55.240 Any questions? 00:38:02.240 --> 00:38:07.240 Loud enough for you to hear. 00:38:07.240 --> 00:38:12.240 Father, I just... It'll get to a point where you don't need to speak loud because you know how to deal with it. 00:38:12.240 --> 00:38:17.240 But when I'm initially starting something, I just say, Father, I don't want to deal with this. 00:38:17.240 --> 00:38:22.240 This has tripped me up again and again. 00:38:22.240 --> 00:38:27.240 I just want to deliberately choose these words and say I'm sinking into you, Jesus. Spirit of God, you've got to help me with this. 00:38:27.240 --> 00:38:32.240 I want to overcome this. I don't want to make the same mistakes I've made for 20 years. 00:38:32.240 --> 00:38:37.240 It's literally like a child running into the safety of someone's arms and asking the dad or the mom to go and open the door because you refuse to open the door. 00:38:37.240 --> 00:38:42.240 You know who's knocking. It's not a friendly person. 00:38:47.240 --> 00:38:52.240 Another cool thing with having the Holy Spirit in you is you can draw your emotions. 00:38:52.240 --> 00:38:57.240 This is so cool, man. You can draw your emotions, your interests. 00:38:57.240 --> 00:39:02.240 Don't even use the word your. 00:39:02.240 --> 00:39:07.240 You can draw emotions, interests, attitudes. 00:39:07.240 --> 00:39:12.240 You can draw your emotions, your interests. 00:39:12.240 --> 00:39:17.240 Don't even use the word your. You can draw emotions, interests, attitudes. 00:39:17.240 --> 00:39:22.240 From Christ. 00:39:22.240 --> 00:39:27.240 Because I love this line. 00:39:27.240 --> 00:39:32.240 I didn't come up with it. Because his private life has become yours. 00:39:32.240 --> 00:39:37.240 Because his private life has become yours. 00:39:37.240 --> 00:39:42.240 I love it. 00:39:42.240 --> 00:39:47.240 God has a private life. This is his life. 00:39:47.240 --> 00:39:52.240 He's saying, hey, Jacob, I'm not giving you some kind of Christian life. 00:39:52.240 --> 00:39:57.240 I'm giving you my private life. By giving you my spirit, I'm holding nothing back. 00:39:57.240 --> 00:40:02.240 You weren't there when Jesus was around, so you don't know what it is to hang out with Jesus. 00:40:02.240 --> 00:40:07.240 I'm giving you something better. I'm giving you my own private personal life by the presence of my spirit. 00:40:07.240 --> 00:40:12.240 You can actually draw emotions, interests, and attitudes from who I am. 00:40:12.240 --> 00:40:17.240 Because I'm sharing my indissoluble private life with you. 00:40:17.240 --> 00:40:22.240 By using the power of the spirit and using scriptures, 00:40:22.240 --> 00:40:27.240 you can begin to change the attitude I have, change the thinking I have, change even my interests. 00:40:27.240 --> 00:40:32.240 There's this thing called I have died. 00:40:32.240 --> 00:40:37.240 It's past continuous. 00:40:37.240 --> 00:40:42.240 I have died. Past continuous. 00:40:42.240 --> 00:40:47.240 Not I had died. I have died. 00:40:47.240 --> 00:40:52.240 So the light 00:40:52.240 --> 00:40:57.240 So the life 00:40:57.240 --> 00:41:02.240 If I have died, the life that I presently have. Galatians 2.20 is basically what I'm rephrasing in many different ways. 00:41:02.240 --> 00:41:07.240 Galatians 2.20, I have been crucified with Christ. I no longer live the life that I live now. 00:41:07.240 --> 00:41:12.240 I live by faith in the son of God who laid down his life for me. 00:41:12.240 --> 00:41:17.240 I have died. The life that I presently have is indissoluble, undefeatable, 00:41:17.240 --> 00:41:22.240 unovercomeable life that Christ presently has in the presence of the Father. 00:41:22.240 --> 00:41:27.240 The same life that he at present has at the right hand of the Father is the absolute ditto life that I presently have. 00:41:27.240 --> 00:41:32.240 You think that life cannot overcome? 00:41:32.240 --> 00:41:37.240 You're frightening me with your enthusiastic response. 00:41:37.240 --> 00:41:42.240 Take it easy, guys. Please. 00:41:42.240 --> 00:41:47.240 Hey, don't think of your entire life right now and how you're going to deal with it. 00:41:47.240 --> 00:41:52.240 Think of the little things. 00:41:52.240 --> 00:41:57.240 Stephen King, how do you write so many horror novels? 00:41:57.240 --> 00:42:02.240 This is not the right person to use as an example in the Bible, but it's the line that he used. 00:42:02.240 --> 00:42:07.240 How do you write so many novels? How are you such a prolific writer? 00:42:08.240 --> 00:42:13.240 How do you write so much? Answer? Stunning. One word at a time. 00:42:13.240 --> 00:42:18.240 One word at a time. One word at a time. 00:42:18.240 --> 00:42:23.240 One word at a time. 00:42:23.240 --> 00:42:28.240 Beautiful. Any questions, guys? 00:42:31.240 --> 00:42:36.240 Okay. Let's go to transaction and then middle. 00:42:36.240 --> 00:42:41.240 Scary when you do teaching first. It feels like the church is over. 00:42:41.240 --> 00:42:46.240 I mean, the service is over. But don't worry. We'll prolong it. 00:42:46.240 --> 00:42:51.240 We don't want to disappoint our guests the first time. I promised them a three hour service. 00:42:51.240 --> 00:42:56.240 Sorry. 00:42:56.240 --> 00:43:01.240 Here's the transaction part. 00:43:01.240 --> 00:43:06.240 Okay. So you've got your former life or self. 00:43:13.240 --> 00:43:18.240 And in that are your evil desires and longings. 00:43:22.240 --> 00:43:27.240 And it's conformed to the patterns of the world. 00:43:27.240 --> 00:43:32.240 To the patterns of the world. All these are from scriptures. 00:43:32.240 --> 00:43:37.240 Patterns of the world. And Satan uses it to entice you. 00:43:43.240 --> 00:43:48.240 So that's your former life and self. 00:43:48.240 --> 00:43:53.240 And then there's a new life you are supposed to have now stepped into. 00:43:53.240 --> 00:43:58.240 It is not something that awaits you. It is something you actually possess. 00:43:58.240 --> 00:44:03.240 Again, you've got to get this right. The new life is not something that awaits you. 00:44:03.240 --> 00:44:08.240 One day in the sweet buy and buy, the church suffers from a disease called futurism where everything is postponed to heaven. 00:44:08.240 --> 00:44:13.240 This new life is supposed to be now. It is something I presently possess. 00:44:13.240 --> 00:44:18.240 And so we look at scriptures too. So if you want to look at scriptures for these, 00:44:18.240 --> 00:44:23.240 go to James chapter 1. 00:44:23.240 --> 00:44:28.240 These are scriptures for the former life. 00:44:28.240 --> 00:44:33.240 James chapter 1 verse 14. 00:44:33.240 --> 00:44:38.240 James 1 verse 14. Romans 12, 1 and 2. 00:44:38.240 --> 00:44:43.240 So James 1 verse 14. 00:44:48.240 --> 00:44:53.240 But let no one say when he is tempted, I'm being tempted by God. 00:44:53.240 --> 00:44:58.240 For God cannot be tempted with evil and he himself tempts no one. 00:44:58.240 --> 00:45:03.240 But each person is tempted when he is lured or enticed by his own desire. 00:45:03.240 --> 00:45:08.240 Then the desire when it is conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. 00:45:08.240 --> 00:45:13.240 Another version. Temptations come from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. 00:45:13.240 --> 00:45:20.240 us away. Another version, the temptation given to evil comes from us and only us. Another 00:45:20.740 --> 00:45:27.320 version, but your own evil longings tempt you, they lead you on and drag you away. So our 00:45:27.320 --> 00:45:33.020 former life, the evil desires of the former life, the evil longings of the former life. 00:45:33.020 --> 00:45:38.280 And then if you go to Romans 12, 1, you see how there are patterns that Paul is asking 00:45:38.280 --> 00:45:43.680 us to leave behind where he says, Romans 1, brothers and sisters, God has shown you his 00:45:43.680 --> 00:45:49.040 mercy so I'm asking you to offer up your bodies to him while you're still alive. Your bodies 00:45:49.040 --> 00:45:52.760 are a holy sacrifice that's pleasing to God. When you offer your bodies to God, you're 00:45:52.760 --> 00:45:57.280 worshipping him. Don't live any longer the way this world lives. Let your way of thinking 00:45:57.280 --> 00:46:01.280 be completely changed. If you go to the NIV, it says, do not conform to the pattern of 00:46:01.280 --> 00:46:05.440 this world. So there are patterns of the world that we conform to and this is what Satan 00:46:05.520 --> 00:46:12.520 uses to entice us. So here's a transaction that God wants us to engage in on a daily 00:46:13.520 --> 00:46:20.520 basis. Now let's look at the new life. Let's look at the new life. The new life, go to 00:46:23.120 --> 00:46:30.120 Ephesians, the new life you have is created in the likeness of God, in righteousness, 00:46:36.280 --> 00:46:43.280 and holiness. So let's pull Paul out. Paul, just come here. Okay, so had problems with 00:46:43.280 --> 00:46:50.280 drugs, had problems with drinking, has had a really sordid past. His mother and brother 00:46:54.800 --> 00:47:01.800 would bail him out time and time again, pray for him. He'd come back and say, I'm sorry, 00:47:02.480 --> 00:47:09.480 I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, 00:47:09.480 --> 00:47:16.480 I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, 00:47:19.080 --> 00:47:26.080 there is a former life, there's a former self that this person has. There is a pattern that 00:47:26.520 --> 00:47:33.520 he used to conform to, which was of the world. And then what happens is the enemy will still 00:47:34.520 --> 00:47:41.520 try to use it. But the moment he got born again, he has a new life. The old life is actually 00:47:41.520 --> 00:47:48.520 dead. We've got to reckon it dead. I have died. The old Paul has died, he no longer 00:47:48.520 --> 00:47:55.520 exists. This new life that he has is actually created in the likeness of Jesus Christ himself. 00:47:55.520 --> 00:48:02.520 I mean, I shouldn't stand next to him, I should look at him. This new life that he 00:48:03.640 --> 00:48:10.640 has is created, this new life that he has is created in the likeness of Jesus. In what? 00:48:14.640 --> 00:48:20.120 In righteousness and holiness. Meaning he's in absolute right standing with God. And in 00:48:20.440 --> 00:48:27.440 holiness, the same holiness that Christ has, this is the new life that he possesses. We 00:48:28.440 --> 00:48:34.600 don't think about it, we don't think this of ourselves. So can we look at someone and 00:48:34.600 --> 00:48:40.600 think that this is the truth about someone? That this person standing here who used to 00:48:40.600 --> 00:48:47.600 consume drugs, who used to get into fights, who had the cops chasing him, who did everything 00:48:48.080 --> 00:48:55.080 conceivable that we label as the world. That he can still be tempted with it. Why? Because 00:48:56.720 --> 00:49:02.960 he lives in a mortal body. Because he lives in this world. Because there's an active enemy 00:49:02.960 --> 00:49:08.340 called Satan that will try and entice him. But here is the power he has or here is the 00:49:08.340 --> 00:49:13.360 advantage he has that as we look at him, because we really don't see ourselves this way, as 00:49:13.360 --> 00:49:19.160 we look at him, here is someone who may have the same body but everything else about him 00:49:19.160 --> 00:49:26.160 in terms of his life is a new life made in the image of Jesus Christ in absolute righteousness 00:49:26.640 --> 00:49:33.640 and complete holiness. That is who he really is. He has a distinct advantage. He has a 00:49:34.280 --> 00:49:38.760 distinct advantage. It is just that we can see it about someone else when it's pointed 00:49:38.760 --> 00:49:45.760 out but for some strange reason it doesn't compute in my head that I am the same as him. 00:49:47.960 --> 00:49:54.960 This is a transaction God wants us to make. That listen guys, this is really who you are. 00:49:57.160 --> 00:50:01.520 This is how I think of you Jacob. You may think of yourself as trash. You may think 00:50:01.520 --> 00:50:07.000 of yourself scripturally as Jacob you worm. But I want to say something to you that this 00:50:07.040 --> 00:50:10.880 is how I think of you that you are actually, thanks man, just sit here because I might 00:50:10.880 --> 00:50:17.880 call you up again. You got an umbrella? No? Okay. Ephesians 4. It's raining outside. Ephesians 00:50:17.880 --> 00:50:24.880 4. Ephesians 4. Ephesians 4. Let me start from verse 17. You're not going to get him 00:50:24.880 --> 00:50:31.880 an umbrella right? Okay. Ephesians 4 17 onwards. So I tell you this. I tell you this. I tell 00:50:54.880 --> 00:50:59.160 you this. I tell you this. Guys, when Paul uses words like this, please understand this 00:50:59.160 --> 00:51:02.760 because he had the same struggle that you and I had. He had the same struggle with the 00:51:02.760 --> 00:51:07.080 congregations that he was dealing with. That's what he says. So I tell you this and insist 00:51:07.080 --> 00:51:12.040 on it in the Lord. That you must no longer live as the Gentiles do in the futility of 00:51:12.040 --> 00:51:15.760 their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life 00:51:15.760 --> 00:51:20.360 of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. 00:51:20.360 --> 00:51:25.400 Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge 00:51:25.400 --> 00:51:30.960 in every kind of impurity and they are full of greed. That however is not the way of life 00:51:30.960 --> 00:51:34.920 you learn or we are learning right now. When you heard about Christ and were taught in 00:51:34.920 --> 00:51:39.200 him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus, you were taught with regard to your 00:51:39.200 --> 00:51:43.640 former way of life to put off. This is that put off the old man thing. You were taught 00:51:43.640 --> 00:51:48.040 with regard to your former way of life to put off your old self which is being corrupted 00:51:48.040 --> 00:51:53.000 by its deceitful desires and to be made new in the attitude of your minds and to put on 00:51:53.000 --> 00:52:00.480 the new self created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. So what he has 00:52:00.480 --> 00:52:09.480 to do every morning is, Jesus I know my former life. I know what I was. I know the things 00:52:09.480 --> 00:52:16.000 I have done. And today as the enemy tries to come back at me with those same desires 00:52:16.040 --> 00:52:23.040 and temptations, I put off the old man. That old power will not live today. I put off the 00:52:23.160 --> 00:52:28.480 old man. And I put on the new man. And the new man, and I have to look at him because 00:52:28.480 --> 00:52:34.880 I really don't think of myself this way, the new man is created in the likeness of Jesus 00:52:34.880 --> 00:52:41.000 Christ and is absolutely righteous and holy. And the new man is completely saturated with 00:52:41.000 --> 00:52:46.000 the personal presence of God and the private life of Jesus through the power of the Holy 00:52:46.000 --> 00:52:51.520 Spirit with which Pawan can put to death any temptation that comes to a salient mind. Any 00:52:51.520 --> 00:52:56.760 temptation that comes to a salient mind, Pawan can put to death. This is his reality. Is 00:52:56.760 --> 00:53:03.760 it my reality? Is it your reality? That is the problem. Identify the things that are 00:53:04.160 --> 00:53:09.960 rising up as the old man in your life. What is it? Is it pride? Is it lust? Is it lies? 00:53:09.960 --> 00:53:15.840 Is it deceit? Is it anger? Is it fear? What is it? Identify it. Transition one. If you 00:53:15.840 --> 00:53:22.840 don't identify it, you don't know what to deal with. Identify the three or four. Because 00:53:24.200 --> 00:53:31.200 they've been in your life for the last 30, 40 years. You realize that? The great thing 00:53:34.000 --> 00:53:39.400 about discipline is once you discipline yourself, nothing is a struggle. You know, you can sit 00:53:39.400 --> 00:53:45.040 down. The building that I live in, the gym is right under. And so I drive past the gym. 00:53:45.040 --> 00:53:49.200 I don't go to the gym. I drive past the gym. And you'll find two different types stepping 00:53:49.200 --> 00:53:54.840 out of their car. Guys who have absolutely no training in the gym, but they've gone to 00:53:54.840 --> 00:53:58.200 the gym for two days. When they step out of the car, they walk like this. I don't know 00:53:58.200 --> 00:54:03.760 why they walk like this, Prashanth. And then there are these other guys who've gone to 00:54:03.760 --> 00:54:10.760 the gym so often that they walk normal, man. They walk normal. Why? Because they've disciplined 00:54:10.960 --> 00:54:16.040 themselves so much that they don't have to wear those vests that are incredible hulk 00:54:16.040 --> 00:54:23.040 vests that are so tight that Nick could wear them. And it would still be tight on them. 00:54:23.040 --> 00:54:26.600 Nick, I was watching you dancing again yesterday. 00:54:26.600 --> 00:54:29.520 I have never even seen the video. 00:54:29.760 --> 00:54:36.760 Hey, can I put that video on during the break? Yeah. I'll do anything for you. I'll be sending 00:54:37.920 --> 00:54:44.920 you that video to put on the break. It's a great video. I know brown men can't dance, 00:54:44.920 --> 00:54:55.920 but... No, I'm talking about Indians. Yeah. Yeah. But the great thing about discipline 00:54:56.920 --> 00:55:03.920 is that discipline gets you to a point where things become easy. It's just the beginning 00:55:03.920 --> 00:55:09.040 part that's hard, man. But the great thing about discipline is it gets you to a point 00:55:09.040 --> 00:55:16.040 where everything is easy. So, new life created in the likeness of God, in righteousness and 00:55:16.040 --> 00:55:23.040 holiness. That's one part of it. And then put on the mind of the... Put on the mind 00:55:23.040 --> 00:55:30.040 of the Spirit. Put on the mind of the Spirit. We'll just end with that. Put on the mind 00:55:30.040 --> 00:55:37.040 of the Spirit. We'll talk about how do we do that. And in between here is the... I'm 00:55:37.040 --> 00:55:40.600 just... End with that. Put on the mind of the Spirit. We'll talk about how do we do 00:55:40.600 --> 00:55:47.600 that. And in between here is where the transaction happens. We said we're talking about transaction. 00:55:51.600 --> 00:55:56.800 That's where it happens. How do you put on the mind of the Spirit? Let's go to this amazing 00:55:56.800 --> 00:56:03.800 passage in 2 Peter chapter 1 verse 3 to 7. 2 Peter... Hey, memorize this passage, eh? 00:56:07.720 --> 00:56:14.720 2 Peter chapter 1 verse 3 to 7. Crazy passage. This is how we put on the mind of the Spirit. 00:56:21.160 --> 00:56:25.280 You thought Paul was the only guy who could write well? Listen to what Peter says. I'm 00:56:25.280 --> 00:56:32.280 rooting for Peter today. 2 Peter chapter 1 verse 3 to 7. So, he's saying there's two 00:56:33.280 --> 00:56:40.280 things that'll help you guys. One is his divine power. His divine power, as in the Holy Spirit 00:56:44.800 --> 00:56:51.800 who's present in you. And the second thing he says is his divine word. So here's what 00:56:52.120 --> 00:56:59.120 he says. His divine power... Listen to this. This is like a key, man. His divine power 00:56:59.520 --> 00:57:04.520 has given us everything we need. Everything we need. Hey Jacob, you want to live a godly 00:57:04.520 --> 00:57:11.320 life? Well, my divine power, which is yours by the Holy Spirit, has given you everything 00:57:11.320 --> 00:57:18.320 you need for a godly life through your knowledge of Jesus who called you to his own splendor 00:57:19.440 --> 00:57:25.160 and excellence or glory and goodness. And then he says, I also want you to know that 00:57:25.160 --> 00:57:32.160 he has given you his great and precious promises, as in his divine word. So that through them, 00:57:32.480 --> 00:57:38.280 you may do what? You may participate in the nature of God, in the divine nature. That 00:57:38.280 --> 00:57:42.960 you get to participate in the divine nature of God. Hey, listen to that. He's saying, 00:57:42.960 --> 00:57:49.240 Anthony, you can for the rest of this week participate in my nature. Why? Because I've 00:57:49.240 --> 00:57:53.560 given you two things, Anthony. What are they? One, I've given you my divine power. What 00:57:53.600 --> 00:57:57.960 do you mean by that? I've given you my personal presence in the power of the Spirit. Two, 00:57:57.960 --> 00:58:03.120 I've given you my divine word. How? I've given you great and precious promises that are yes 00:58:03.120 --> 00:58:08.840 and amen in me. Why? So that you can partake in my divine nature and you can live a godly 00:58:08.840 --> 00:58:15.840 life. Will it happen in a day? It will begin in a day. What else will it help you do? It 00:58:15.840 --> 00:58:22.840 will help you escape the corruption of the world caused by evil desires. It will help 00:58:25.960 --> 00:58:31.040 you escape the corruptions and the lusts of the world and its evil desires. It will help 00:58:31.040 --> 00:58:36.600 you escape it. This is the verse that should tie into 2 Corinthians 12 where it says that 00:58:36.600 --> 00:58:43.600 with every temptation, God gives us a way of escape. So, what else will it help you do? 00:58:45.840 --> 00:58:52.840 So, Holy Scriptures and Holy Spirit. And then he says, and we won't talk about this today, 00:58:56.000 --> 00:59:02.120 but I love the way he says it. He says, okay, so guys, do this. Supplement the faith that 00:59:02.120 --> 00:59:09.120 you have with moral excellence. We won't talk about it today. Oh, goodness. So, that's what 00:59:09.120 --> 00:59:16.120 he begins with. He says, hey, I know you guys have faith, but can you add to your faith 00:59:19.680 --> 00:59:26.680 a generous provision of moral character? Can you be moral in your character? That's what 00:59:26.680 --> 00:59:33.680 excellence means, eh? And then could you add to that spiritual understanding or knowledge? 00:59:33.680 --> 00:59:40.680 And could you add to that self-control or alert discipline? Could you add to that steadfastness 00:59:40.680 --> 00:59:47.680 or passionate patience? Hey, the thing with self-control is if self-control is not passionately 00:59:50.680 --> 00:59:57.680 patient, it ain't self-control anymore. So, what is self-control? It's the way that you 00:59:58.680 --> 01:00:05.680 can control your own self-control. So, what is self-control? It's the way that you can 01:00:05.680 --> 01:00:12.680 control your own self-control. Self-control is if self-control is not passionately patient, 01:00:12.680 --> 01:00:17.680 it ain't self-control anymore. What happens with us Christians is we exert self-control 01:00:17.680 --> 01:00:22.680 for two minutes. I tried self-control, it didn't work. Self-control requires passionate 01:00:22.680 --> 01:00:25.440 patience. St 01:00:25.440 --> 01:00:32.440 eadfast self-control yields results. Un-steadfast self-control is like pointless. You might 01:00:32.440 --> 01:00:39.440 waste two minutes of your life. To steadfastness or passionate patience, add godliness or reverent 01:00:49.920 --> 01:00:56.920 wonder. And to that, add brotherly love or authentic friendship. And to that, add brotherly 01:01:02.440 --> 01:01:09.440 love. And to that, add just generous love for everyone. We won't discuss this today, 01:01:18.960 --> 01:01:23.280 but there's such secrets in here, man. So, you're saying, hey, I'm giving you my divine 01:01:23.280 --> 01:01:30.280 power and I'm giving you my divine word. Why? So that two things may happen. One, partake 01:01:31.280 --> 01:01:38.280 of my nature, escape corruption, escape lusts of the earth, escape lusts. So, here's what 01:01:45.080 --> 01:01:50.380 I want you to do. I know you guys have faith. To that faith, can you be morally excellent 01:01:50.380 --> 01:01:55.000 so that the world knows that, boy, you belong to someone else who's really good? And then 01:01:55.000 --> 01:02:02.000 to being morally excellent, can you add spiritual understanding or knowledge of me through the 01:02:03.000 --> 01:02:09.880 word? And then to that, just don't do it for one or two days. Can you add self-control 01:02:09.880 --> 01:02:14.280 or alert discipline? This is the hardest thing in the world, eh, to be this disciplined. 01:02:14.280 --> 01:02:18.300 And by the way, when you start alert discipline or self-control, can you do it for more than 01:02:18.300 --> 01:02:23.800 two days? Can you go steadfast with passionate patience for two months? Oh, by the way, while 01:02:23.840 --> 01:02:30.040 you're doing that, be godly, eh? And godly as in have reverence for the things of God. 01:02:30.040 --> 01:02:37.040 Be in awe and wonder of me, of my word, of worship, of each other. All that is good, 01:02:38.960 --> 01:02:43.280 but if you don't add authentic friendships with people to it, both with believers and 01:02:43.280 --> 01:02:47.880 unbelievers, it'll be a problem. And authentic friendship can really do well if you have 01:02:47.880 --> 01:02:53.880 generous love, because that at the end of the day is where everything begins. And if 01:02:53.880 --> 01:03:00.880 you do this, he says two things will happen. You'll be fruitful and effective. And if you 01:03:02.720 --> 01:03:09.720 don't do this, here's what will happen. You'll be blind, you'll be visionless, and you will 01:03:09.720 --> 01:03:16.720 there's one more thing, blind, visionless, and basically dull to sin or oblivious to 01:03:22.760 --> 01:03:29.760 sin. Any questions, guys? I thought we'll do this before, right at the beginning of 01:03:30.160 --> 01:03:37.160 the service, because this is not easy to track. Any questions? I'm not sure, because he's 01:03:46.880 --> 01:03:53.080 very specific about supplementing, as in he's saying, hey, can you guys go about this, each 01:03:53.080 --> 01:03:59.120 dimension fitting into the other and developing the other. So there is something to the order. 01:03:59.120 --> 01:04:05.320 So it's not, I don't think it's random. It's almost the idea of supplement or complement 01:04:05.320 --> 01:04:11.280 is this idea of can each dimension fit into the other, developing the other. So if this 01:04:11.280 --> 01:04:15.960 is not fitting into this, this won't develop. And then this has to fit into this so that 01:04:15.960 --> 01:04:21.880 the next one develops. And so my problem is I don't know whether to put love at the center 01:04:21.880 --> 01:04:27.220 and then build outwards or put faith at the center and build outwards. That we'll figure 01:04:27.220 --> 01:04:32.180 out over the next few Sundays. But each one of these is so precious. We got this, we got 01:04:32.180 --> 01:04:39.180 this. I know this is a lot in a little time, but you've got seven days to think about 01:04:42.700 --> 01:04:49.700 it. No hockey, no basketball, baseball is pointless. My dad will think about this. Any 01:04:49.700 --> 01:04:56.700 questions guys? No? Cool. So we'll take a break and then come back. You can go grab 01:05:06.940 --> 01:05:13.940 coffee and if necessary your children. But before we go, we'll just watch that video. 01:05:19.700 --> 01:05:26.700 All right, we'll pass on the video. Don't worry. If you want a private viewing, just 01:05:30.300 --> 01:05:33.300 approach me. It'll be five dollars a view.