WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.620 Good morning. If anyone doesn't know me, my name is Eric. I'm the youth guy here at Watermark. 00:00:07.400 --> 00:00:12.460 I love working here. I love being a part of this church family, and I'm very excited to get to 00:00:12.460 --> 00:00:18.980 share with you guys from God's Word today. If you noticed, we're in Romans 6 today, which means 00:00:18.980 --> 00:00:23.219 we're jumping in into the middle of a letter that we've been going through for a couple months, 00:00:23.260 --> 00:00:27.440 and I thought, based on the context, it could be helpful to do a little recap of where we've been 00:00:27.440 --> 00:00:32.780 so far so that we can see how this fits into the whole. So Romans is written by this guy named Paul 00:00:32.780 --> 00:00:38.039 to the church that was at Rome, and he starts out the letter by telling a story of two different types 00:00:38.039 --> 00:00:42.799 of people, and really he says each one of us is one or the other of these two types of people. 00:00:43.500 --> 00:00:49.719 There's one type of person who goes out there. He says, forget about God. I don't need him. I don't 00:00:49.719 --> 00:00:53.520 believe that he's even real. I'm going to do what I want. I'm going to live how I want, and I'm going 00:00:53.520 --> 00:00:59.280 to find my salvation through being a liberated person. That's one type of person. The other type 00:00:59.280 --> 00:01:04.159 of person says, I believe that there is a God, and here is the list of rules that God has given us to 00:01:04.159 --> 00:01:11.240 follow, and I'm going to follow those rules so perfectly that God cannot help but accept me 00:01:11.240 --> 00:01:18.520 because I am such a good person. So we've got this person who tries to find liberation from God, 00:01:18.519 --> 00:01:25.340 and this person who tries to obediently earn God's favor, and Paul paints pictures of these two people, 00:01:25.599 --> 00:01:30.399 and he says, regardless of which one you are, because every one of us is one or the other, 00:01:30.459 --> 00:01:38.319 or some combo of the two. He says, everyone has fallen short. He says, God has a standard, 00:01:38.659 --> 00:01:43.879 and no matter how hard we try, we can't reach that standard, and we all have a problem. 00:01:43.879 --> 00:01:51.399 Every single one of us. No matter how hard we try, no matter how obedient we are, we've fallen short 00:01:51.399 --> 00:01:57.119 of God's standard, and because of that, he says, we're under God's wrath, not a good place to be. 00:01:59.619 --> 00:02:04.219 But he says, there's a solution to this problem that God has given us himself. He came to the earth 00:02:04.219 --> 00:02:11.960 as a man, as Jesus. He came and lived this perfect life that none of us could live. He died a death 00:02:11.960 --> 00:02:20.040 that we deserve, but that he didn't, and he traded places with us. He took his perfection, and he offers 00:02:20.040 --> 00:02:27.300 it to us. He offers us what Paul calls the righteousness of God. Paul says, because we were 00:02:27.300 --> 00:02:34.460 messed up, we had broken our relationship with God, and in a legal sense, we were guilty before God, 00:02:34.500 --> 00:02:40.100 and deserving of a punishment. And he says, through Jesus, we're able to have a new right relationship 00:02:40.099 --> 00:02:46.579 with God, and a new right legal status before God. A word that he sort of combines those ideas 00:02:46.579 --> 00:02:52.519 in one word, righteousness. And he says, this righteousness isn't something we earn by trying 00:02:52.519 --> 00:02:58.319 harder, and being better, and doing more. It's a gift that's offered to us by Jesus because of what 00:02:58.319 --> 00:03:04.479 he's done. And this letter is written to Christians, so he's operating off the assumption that once you 00:03:04.479 --> 00:03:09.579 get that, you're moving forward. Now, if you've trusted in this, you're living life as a Christian. 00:03:10.620 --> 00:03:17.359 But what does it mean to live life as a Christian? And so he starts to get into examples from the past 00:03:17.359 --> 00:03:22.959 of people who lived lives trusting in God. He talks about Abraham, and how Abraham had this faith, and 00:03:22.959 --> 00:03:28.919 how it was Abraham's faith that saved him, this trust in God that saved him, not the obedience that he had. 00:03:28.919 --> 00:03:34.839 And he starts explaining how amazing it is to live life as a Christian. And he gets to the end of Romans 00:03:34.839 --> 00:03:41.199 chapter 5, and he has this sentence that he says. He says about God's grace. He says, where our sin 00:03:41.199 --> 00:03:47.500 increased, God's grace abounded all the more. The more sin that we had, the more God forgives us. 00:03:48.739 --> 00:03:53.819 And he's saying, it's so amazing, God, so incredible, that it's not about us. It's not about what we've done. 00:03:53.879 --> 00:03:58.899 It's about what Jesus has done. And what Jesus has done is so powerful, so amazing, that it's not 00:03:58.900 --> 00:04:03.700 just like, oh, you're good, we'll forgive a little bit. You're not so good, we'll forgive a little bit, 00:04:03.719 --> 00:04:08.340 and you can earn the rest. No, he says, the more sin we have, the more God forgives us, the more 00:04:08.340 --> 00:04:15.700 amazing that forgiveness is. And when we get to the passage where we are today, he says, now I know 00:04:15.700 --> 00:04:20.500 some of you are thinking something based on what I just said. And I need to correct a potential 00:04:20.500 --> 00:04:27.259 misunderstanding before we move forward. And that potential misunderstanding is, people look at this, 00:04:27.259 --> 00:04:33.300 and they say, hmm, the more I sin, the more God forgives. The more I sin, the more God gets to 00:04:33.300 --> 00:04:41.500 show off his grace. So I should just sin as much as possible so that God can forgive me and show off 00:04:41.500 --> 00:04:50.139 how amazing he is for forgiving me. And Paul is going to, in today's passage, address this wrong idea 00:04:50.139 --> 00:04:58.300 and show us that the fact that we've been forgiven, if that's true of us, means that we should be living 00:04:58.300 --> 00:05:06.560 radically transformed lives today. So let's jump into Romans chapter 6. The first thing I want us to see 00:05:06.560 --> 00:05:12.360 is that the fact that we've been forgiven by God is not a license for us to sin just so we can get 00:05:12.360 --> 00:05:17.899 forgiven. He starts out in Romans chapter 6. He says, what shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin 00:05:17.899 --> 00:05:23.739 that grace may abound? Basically, the more we sin, the more God forgives. So let's just keep sinning. 00:05:23.979 --> 00:05:28.859 Let's rack up this list of things that God can forgive. And then God gets to show how amazing he is 00:05:28.859 --> 00:05:34.579 by forgiving it all. And it's this perfect, convenient solution because God gets to show off how amazing 00:05:34.579 --> 00:05:42.099 he is. I get to live the life that I want. Everyone wins, right? Paul says, no, not at all. 00:05:42.100 --> 00:05:52.379 He says, when Jesus forgives us, yes, he forgives us from our guilt for our sin, but he says something 00:05:52.379 --> 00:05:59.640 bigger, something deeper is taking place there. He says, throughout our lives, we're born and we live 00:05:59.640 --> 00:06:08.500 as slaves to sin. It traps us. It holds us under its power. We might think we're free, but really we're not. 00:06:08.500 --> 00:06:17.660 We have to follow it. And he says, when Jesus comes in, when Jesus forgives us, 00:06:18.139 --> 00:06:24.120 it transforms everything. It's not just that we're forgiven for the guilt of our sins, but we're 00:06:24.120 --> 00:06:30.819 freed from its power over us. There's a transformation that takes place. And he says, this transformation 00:06:30.819 --> 00:06:38.420 is so great that if we view this forgiveness we get from Jesus as a license to sin as much as we 00:06:38.420 --> 00:06:45.540 want and stack up that list of things for God to forgive, it either means that we haven't really 00:06:45.540 --> 00:06:51.379 understood this transformation that took place in us, or we're lying to ourselves about the fact 00:06:51.379 --> 00:07:00.700 that the transformation has taken place. I'll say that again. He says, if we see our forgiveness as a 00:07:00.700 --> 00:07:06.220 license to sin, as an excuse to just stack up a list of things that we can do wrong so that God can 00:07:06.220 --> 00:07:13.700 forgive us even more, either we don't understand the change that has happened inside of us, 00:07:13.700 --> 00:07:17.680 or we're lying to ourselves saying that we've been changed. 00:07:19.680 --> 00:07:22.660 He says, we have a new nature. We've been changed. 00:07:24.300 --> 00:07:30.800 There's a commentator. He said, sin forgiven is hated. Sin unforgiven is cherished. And that's exactly 00:07:30.800 --> 00:07:35.579 what Paul is showing us here. That if we've been forgiven for our sin, we see how it's trapped us 00:07:35.579 --> 00:07:43.639 before. We see the price that Jesus had to pay to forgive us. We see the hurt and the heartache and 00:07:43.639 --> 00:07:49.280 the brokenness that comes into our world because of our sin. And we hate it. 00:07:53.360 --> 00:07:58.860 When we've been forgiven for that, we can't hold on to it anymore. We can't long for it and cherish it. 00:07:58.860 --> 00:08:03.780 If we still long for sin to be our primary mode of operation after we've been forgiven, 00:08:04.300 --> 00:08:10.920 he's saying it's a good reason to question whether you've actually been forgiven. Because there's a 00:08:10.920 --> 00:08:16.720 change in our nature. The thing that used to give us power, the thing that used to sustain us, 00:08:17.180 --> 00:08:23.740 it can't sustain us anymore. I think a good picture is a baby. You have a mom, she's pregnant. 00:08:24.280 --> 00:08:28.560 The baby's hooked up to the umbilical cord. The baby's getting all the nutrients from the mom. 00:08:29.460 --> 00:08:32.899 And then the mom gives birth. And there's a change in that baby's nature. 00:08:33.659 --> 00:08:39.379 It goes from unborn baby to born baby. And in that change in nature, there's a way, 00:08:39.840 --> 00:08:44.580 a change in the way that it gets its nutrients. Now, instead of being hooked up to the umbilical cord, 00:08:45.019 --> 00:08:51.379 it breathes on its own. And it eats and drinks on its own. Yeah, it still needs the mother to sustain 00:08:51.379 --> 00:08:56.600 it, giving it milk and stuff. But it can't get that sustenance from the umbilical cord anymore 00:08:56.600 --> 00:09:02.740 because it's been a change in its nature. And if this baby, after being born, tries to hold on to 00:09:02.740 --> 00:09:06.240 getting all of its nutrients through the umbilical cord, it's going to die. 00:09:07.840 --> 00:09:14.399 Because the umbilical cord can't sustain a real live baby. He's saying the same way, 00:09:14.620 --> 00:09:19.180 in our old life, we were slaves to sin. We were hooked up to sin. We got all of our power 00:09:19.179 --> 00:09:26.819 from sin in our lives. Whether that's pride, thinking of ourselves very highly. Whether that's 00:09:26.819 --> 00:09:32.620 ambition and just becoming the best that we can be. Whether that's greed, stockpiling as much as 00:09:32.620 --> 00:09:38.919 we can. He says these are the things we hooked up to to get our power. But when we become Christians, 00:09:39.419 --> 00:09:45.459 if we become Christians, that changes our nature. That changes the source of where we get our power. 00:09:45.460 --> 00:09:50.139 And if we try and hook up to the old source that we got our power from, that sustained us 00:09:50.139 --> 00:09:55.800 after we become Christians, we're going to starve ourselves to death spiritually. 00:09:58.840 --> 00:10:05.720 So he says we have to live this radically different life because of this change in our nature that's 00:10:05.720 --> 00:10:09.940 happened. It's not just that we shouldn't think this way. Not just that we shouldn't use our 00:10:09.940 --> 00:10:14.879 forgiveness as an excuse to sin. But he says because of the change in our nature, if we've authentically 00:10:14.879 --> 00:10:22.100 been changed, our new nature is such that we can't use our forgiveness as an excuse to continue in sin. 00:10:23.139 --> 00:10:29.360 Because we've been changed. Because the things that we think can sustain us from our old life 00:10:29.360 --> 00:10:32.519 can't sustain us in our new nature, in our new life anymore. 00:10:34.720 --> 00:10:40.779 The second thing I want us to see today is that a transformation, this transformation that's happened, 00:10:40.779 --> 00:10:47.500 means that we're now alive to Christ and dead to sin. That's the change that's happened in our lives 00:10:47.500 --> 00:10:54.139 if we are Christians. That we're alive to Christ and we're dead to sin. And Paul is giving us 00:10:54.139 --> 00:10:59.039 an action plan for living as Christians. So if we want to understand this action plan for living as 00:10:59.039 --> 00:11:05.019 Christians, we have to understand this fact. We're alive to Christ, we're dead to sin. 00:11:05.019 --> 00:11:10.720 And what this word alive to Christ, dead to sin, it's not just that when we become Christians, 00:11:11.159 --> 00:11:16.679 everything inside of us from before magically disappears and the slate is totally different. 00:11:16.879 --> 00:11:22.819 We don't have any experiences from life to grow on anymore. It's more of a picture of a regime change. 00:11:23.399 --> 00:11:30.699 We're living life under a different regime. I think a good picture of this is found in the NBA. 00:11:30.700 --> 00:11:38.860 Okay. Anyone follow the NBA? A couple people? Anyone heard of LeBron James? A handful more people? Yeah? 00:11:39.280 --> 00:11:45.800 So in 2003, there was this high school kid named LeBron James. He was an amazing basketball player. 00:11:46.140 --> 00:11:50.640 Everyone looked at him and they said, this kid has potential to be the next Michael Jordan. 00:11:50.639 --> 00:11:57.699 And the draft was coming and hype and hysteria was everywhere about this kid, LeBron James. 00:11:57.980 --> 00:12:04.360 And the first pick in the draft, the Cleveland Cavaliers draft LeBron James to be on their team. 00:12:04.419 --> 00:12:10.319 And he comes and he tears it up. He spent seven seasons playing with the Cavs. 00:12:11.860 --> 00:12:16.740 He's setting levels of statistics that are unheard of. 00:12:16.740 --> 00:12:23.060 And after seven years with the team, he gets frustrated because the team hasn't been surrounding him with other good players. 00:12:23.480 --> 00:12:27.320 And his contract ends. And he becomes a free agent in the summer of 2010. 00:12:28.500 --> 00:12:33.840 He goes out on the free agent market and he decides to sign with a team called the Miami Heat. 00:12:34.980 --> 00:12:38.659 Because he has friends who play on the Heat who are really good basketball players. 00:12:39.120 --> 00:12:42.039 And he says, if I go play with the Heat, I can play with my friends. 00:12:42.039 --> 00:12:46.699 And I think we have a much better chance of winning the championship than I ever had in Cleveland. 00:12:47.539 --> 00:12:48.980 So he changes regimes. 00:12:49.120 --> 00:12:55.159 He goes from being alive to the Cavs, dead to the Heat, to being dead to the Cavs, alive to the Heat. 00:12:57.059 --> 00:12:58.120 Now here's the thing. 00:12:59.019 --> 00:13:04.839 The Cavs, that fall, let's play out this hypothetical scenario in our minds. 00:13:05.500 --> 00:13:09.980 The Cavs coach calls up LeBron and says, hey, why aren't you at training camp right now? 00:13:10.300 --> 00:13:12.220 Training camp started. You're supposed to be here. 00:13:13.960 --> 00:13:16.539 Now LeBron has a couple options of what he can do right now. 00:13:16.620 --> 00:13:20.800 He can say, you're right. I should be at training camp right now. 00:13:20.840 --> 00:13:22.039 I need to come and listen to you. 00:13:22.600 --> 00:13:25.360 And he could pack up his bags, fly over to Cavs training camp, 00:13:25.620 --> 00:13:30.480 and spend time with the Cavs practicing, working out, training with the team. 00:13:32.019 --> 00:13:33.960 But we all know that would be stupid of him to do. 00:13:34.800 --> 00:13:37.539 Because his identity has been changed. He's under a new regime. 00:13:37.539 --> 00:13:43.939 If he goes and he listens to the Cavs coach, he's listening to someone who actually has no more real control over him. 00:13:44.519 --> 00:13:50.360 If he goes and listens to the Cavs coach, he reinforces this idea that what's no longer true of him is still true of him. 00:13:50.360 --> 00:13:58.680 And if he listens to the Cavs coach, he's missing out on an opportunity to live life in his new identity by going to the Heat training camp. 00:13:58.679 --> 00:14:05.739 He has the option still to listen to his old coach. 00:14:05.859 --> 00:14:09.139 He has the option to live life as if he's still under the old regime. 00:14:09.299 --> 00:14:11.439 But he doesn't have to. He's free from their power. 00:14:12.919 --> 00:14:18.339 He has a new identity found under the fact that he's living under a new regime. 00:14:18.340 --> 00:14:22.920 And it's a similar story with us. 00:14:23.620 --> 00:14:30.200 When we become Christians, we go from being alive to sin, dead to God, to dead to sin, alive to God. 00:14:30.780 --> 00:14:32.200 We switch regimes. 00:14:33.460 --> 00:14:36.080 It doesn't mean that we all of a sudden stop being tempted, 00:14:36.220 --> 00:14:39.899 all of a sudden never have any temptation to do anything wrong ever again, 00:14:40.019 --> 00:14:42.920 and live these amazing, empowered lives. 00:14:42.919 --> 00:14:49.399 It doesn't mean that our past and everything we've done no longer affects us, 00:14:49.779 --> 00:14:52.799 but it means that we're living life under a new regime. 00:14:54.399 --> 00:14:57.099 Sin can still call us up, to use the analogy. 00:14:58.779 --> 00:15:00.259 Ask us to come along with it. 00:15:03.339 --> 00:15:06.299 But it actually has no real control over us anymore. 00:15:06.719 --> 00:15:07.919 We don't have to listen. 00:15:07.919 --> 00:15:13.379 And just like it would be stupid for LeBron to go to the Cavs training camp 00:15:13.379 --> 00:15:14.899 after becoming a member of the Heat, 00:15:15.079 --> 00:15:17.860 because it reinforces a false identity, 00:15:18.679 --> 00:15:20.979 when sin calls us up and says, 00:15:21.079 --> 00:15:27.000 hey, why don't you change the numbers in the accounting 00:15:27.000 --> 00:15:29.959 so that you can take a little extra home this weekend? 00:15:31.860 --> 00:15:35.360 When sin says, why don't you disobey your parents 00:15:35.360 --> 00:15:39.220 and play video games instead of cleaning your bedroom? 00:15:41.399 --> 00:15:43.139 We have the option to listen to it, 00:15:43.960 --> 00:15:45.500 but it would be stupid of us to, 00:15:45.620 --> 00:15:47.220 because it reinforces this idea 00:15:47.220 --> 00:15:50.519 that our identity is different than what it truly is. 00:15:51.440 --> 00:15:53.580 And it robs us of this opportunity 00:15:53.580 --> 00:15:56.759 to live life under our new, true identity. 00:15:58.740 --> 00:16:00.620 It's actually in here, when it says, 00:16:00.620 --> 00:16:03.700 a new life, in verse 4, 00:16:03.700 --> 00:16:05.980 that phrase, a new life, 00:16:06.560 --> 00:16:08.780 a better translation of it is, 00:16:08.980 --> 00:16:10.460 I think what you have in your bulletins, 00:16:10.620 --> 00:16:11.420 newness of life, 00:16:11.480 --> 00:16:14.940 or a new life which actually is life. 00:16:15.340 --> 00:16:17.000 The option that we have here isn't, 00:16:17.300 --> 00:16:19.840 we're going from being alive to being alive differently. 00:16:21.720 --> 00:16:23.340 What's this change that's happening is, 00:16:23.620 --> 00:16:25.680 before we were living a parody of life. 00:16:26.759 --> 00:16:28.580 We were living something that claimed to be life 00:16:28.580 --> 00:16:29.640 and claimed to give life, 00:16:29.640 --> 00:16:30.480 but it wasn't. 00:16:31.940 --> 00:16:32.820 It was all a lie. 00:16:33.700 --> 00:16:34.640 It was a facade, 00:16:35.040 --> 00:16:37.300 put up to make everything look pretty. 00:16:39.860 --> 00:16:41.240 But if we've become Christians, 00:16:41.360 --> 00:16:43.080 we've been set free from that facade. 00:16:43.600 --> 00:16:45.500 We've been set free from that parody 00:16:45.500 --> 00:16:49.440 and called to live a life that is truly life. 00:16:51.480 --> 00:16:52.340 So like I said, 00:16:52.460 --> 00:16:54.020 what does this look like in our real lives? 00:16:54.300 --> 00:16:55.320 Yeah, we'll still be tempted. 00:16:57.180 --> 00:16:58.940 Sin doesn't want to give up that easily. 00:16:58.940 --> 00:17:01.220 It's had control for far too long. 00:17:02.900 --> 00:17:03.900 But when we're tempted, 00:17:04.019 --> 00:17:05.160 we don't have to give in. 00:17:06.000 --> 00:17:07.200 We don't have to listen. 00:17:09.559 --> 00:17:12.299 We have the power to fight temptation when it comes. 00:17:13.740 --> 00:17:14.740 And even more, 00:17:15.680 --> 00:17:18.100 this new life means that when we fail, 00:17:18.600 --> 00:17:20.539 when we do listen to our old master, 00:17:20.539 --> 00:17:23.700 we actually have the power to carry on. 00:17:24.700 --> 00:17:25.460 Here's what I mean. 00:17:25.940 --> 00:17:26.299 Before, 00:17:26.639 --> 00:17:27.559 when we're alive to sin, 00:17:28.059 --> 00:17:29.319 everything that we do 00:17:29.319 --> 00:17:31.139 is based on our own power. 00:17:32.639 --> 00:17:33.740 How good can I be? 00:17:33.819 --> 00:17:35.500 How much can I do to get to God? 00:17:35.559 --> 00:17:35.879 Or, 00:17:36.099 --> 00:17:37.319 how liberated can I be? 00:17:37.920 --> 00:17:39.700 How much can I do to just be free? 00:17:40.700 --> 00:17:41.279 Either way, 00:17:41.379 --> 00:17:42.680 it's all dependent on us 00:17:42.680 --> 00:17:43.460 and what we do. 00:17:44.360 --> 00:17:45.259 And when we fail, 00:17:45.319 --> 00:17:46.039 we are crushed. 00:17:48.600 --> 00:17:49.759 If we're trying to be 00:17:49.759 --> 00:17:50.819 that good person 00:17:50.819 --> 00:17:51.900 who earns God's favor 00:17:51.900 --> 00:17:53.600 and we mess up, 00:17:54.500 --> 00:17:55.779 what does that lead to? 00:17:55.880 --> 00:17:56.340 Oh no, 00:17:56.480 --> 00:17:57.240 I'm so sorry. 00:17:57.380 --> 00:17:58.759 I don't know if God can ever forgive me. 00:17:58.860 --> 00:18:00.100 I can never be okay again. 00:18:01.039 --> 00:18:01.940 We're crushed. 00:18:03.600 --> 00:18:05.360 But when we have this new life, 00:18:05.360 --> 00:18:07.079 when we have this transfer 00:18:07.079 --> 00:18:09.299 from being under sin's regime 00:18:09.299 --> 00:18:10.740 to being under God's regime, 00:18:10.740 --> 00:18:13.799 there's this recognition 00:18:13.799 --> 00:18:15.200 that we can never do it ourselves 00:18:15.200 --> 00:18:16.180 and that's the point. 00:18:16.940 --> 00:18:17.819 The point is, 00:18:17.940 --> 00:18:18.579 we're messed up. 00:18:18.720 --> 00:18:19.319 We need Jesus. 00:18:19.920 --> 00:18:20.839 And because of that, 00:18:20.960 --> 00:18:22.099 when we're under this new regime, 00:18:22.180 --> 00:18:22.819 when we fail, 00:18:23.880 --> 00:18:24.759 it still holds true. 00:18:24.819 --> 00:18:25.400 We're messed up. 00:18:25.480 --> 00:18:26.039 We need Jesus. 00:18:26.400 --> 00:18:27.620 That's what gives us the strength 00:18:27.620 --> 00:18:29.240 to carry on when we mess up. 00:18:31.400 --> 00:18:31.839 So, 00:18:32.059 --> 00:18:33.420 on a practical level, 00:18:33.420 --> 00:18:34.819 say we're in the office this week. 00:18:35.400 --> 00:18:36.220 Someone comes to you, 00:18:36.259 --> 00:18:36.480 they say, 00:18:36.640 --> 00:18:37.720 let's change some numbers here, 00:18:38.059 --> 00:18:39.420 make millions more for the company, 00:18:39.420 --> 00:18:41.240 you take a little extra commission home. 00:18:43.440 --> 00:18:44.539 It's a real temptation. 00:18:47.259 --> 00:18:49.380 You have the option to go along with it. 00:18:51.960 --> 00:18:53.000 But you don't have to 00:18:53.000 --> 00:18:54.779 because you've been set free 00:18:54.779 --> 00:18:56.480 from the power of sin in your life. 00:18:59.200 --> 00:19:00.140 Or if you're a kid, 00:19:01.400 --> 00:19:02.740 your parents tell you, 00:19:02.820 --> 00:19:03.680 go do your homework. 00:19:05.160 --> 00:19:06.259 There's lots of options 00:19:06.259 --> 00:19:07.420 for what you can do at this point. 00:19:07.420 --> 00:19:09.000 You can throw a fit 00:19:09.000 --> 00:19:10.060 and say, 00:19:10.160 --> 00:19:11.060 no, I'm not going to do it. 00:19:11.740 --> 00:19:13.160 You can go play video games. 00:19:13.800 --> 00:19:14.860 You can go watch a movie. 00:19:15.880 --> 00:19:16.860 You can go online 00:19:16.860 --> 00:19:18.580 and search up Tumblr accounts 00:19:18.580 --> 00:19:19.800 and look at Tumblr user pizza 00:19:19.800 --> 00:19:22.180 and post stuff from their account 00:19:22.180 --> 00:19:23.320 to yours and tag it. 00:19:25.340 --> 00:19:26.340 But you don't have to. 00:19:26.860 --> 00:19:28.539 You're free from that power 00:19:28.539 --> 00:19:29.300 that's telling you 00:19:29.300 --> 00:19:30.759 sin and disobedience 00:19:30.759 --> 00:19:32.960 is what gives you strength in life. 00:19:32.960 --> 00:19:39.380 And it's this new life. 00:19:39.559 --> 00:19:40.720 It's this true life. 00:19:41.840 --> 00:19:42.759 It's a life 00:19:42.759 --> 00:19:45.140 that's not a parody anymore. 00:19:45.920 --> 00:19:47.559 It's authentic life 00:19:47.559 --> 00:19:48.860 that we have in Jesus. 00:19:49.120 --> 00:19:50.039 And it calls us 00:19:50.039 --> 00:19:51.519 to live radically different. 00:19:53.059 --> 00:19:53.880 The third thing 00:19:53.880 --> 00:19:54.700 I want us to see today 00:19:54.700 --> 00:19:55.579 is in verse 11. 00:19:56.519 --> 00:19:57.039 Paul says, 00:19:57.039 --> 00:19:58.059 So you also 00:19:58.059 --> 00:19:59.859 must consider yourselves 00:19:59.859 --> 00:20:00.559 dead to sin 00:20:00.559 --> 00:20:01.579 and alive to God 00:20:01.579 --> 00:20:02.899 in Christ Jesus. 00:20:05.539 --> 00:20:06.339 And the reason 00:20:06.339 --> 00:20:07.659 we must consider ourselves 00:20:07.659 --> 00:20:08.420 dead to sin 00:20:08.420 --> 00:20:09.180 and alive to God 00:20:09.180 --> 00:20:09.839 in Christ Jesus 00:20:09.839 --> 00:20:10.480 is because 00:20:10.480 --> 00:20:11.639 if we are Christians, 00:20:11.899 --> 00:20:12.619 this is something 00:20:12.619 --> 00:20:13.399 that is already 00:20:13.399 --> 00:20:14.559 a reality for us. 00:20:15.299 --> 00:20:16.539 I know that might sound confusing. 00:20:16.960 --> 00:20:18.019 I'll explain what I mean. 00:20:18.720 --> 00:20:19.379 There's this 00:20:19.379 --> 00:20:20.639 New Testament scholar 00:20:20.639 --> 00:20:21.519 named N.T. Wright 00:20:21.519 --> 00:20:22.259 and he has a quote 00:20:22.259 --> 00:20:22.879 on this verse. 00:20:22.960 --> 00:20:23.359 He says, 00:20:23.359 --> 00:20:24.919 this verse could sound 00:20:24.919 --> 00:20:26.059 as though it's an opinion 00:20:26.059 --> 00:20:27.679 that might yet be false. 00:20:27.839 --> 00:20:29.099 So consider yourselves 00:20:29.099 --> 00:20:29.599 dead to sin 00:20:29.599 --> 00:20:30.240 and alive to God. 00:20:30.419 --> 00:20:31.039 Might be true, 00:20:31.119 --> 00:20:31.599 might be false, 00:20:31.619 --> 00:20:32.659 but if you reinforce it 00:20:32.659 --> 00:20:33.579 with positive thinking, 00:20:33.919 --> 00:20:35.000 think it through hard enough, 00:20:35.019 --> 00:20:35.859 you can convince yourself 00:20:35.859 --> 00:20:37.019 that this is the fact 00:20:37.019 --> 00:20:38.679 and this is the truth 00:20:38.679 --> 00:20:40.379 and you can live in that truth. 00:20:41.019 --> 00:20:41.799 Go positive thinking. 00:20:43.819 --> 00:20:45.099 It looks like 00:20:45.099 --> 00:20:45.939 that could be the case, 00:20:46.039 --> 00:20:47.339 but what N.T. Wright says is 00:20:47.339 --> 00:20:49.559 Paul intends it emphatically, 00:20:50.399 --> 00:20:51.299 this fact that we're 00:20:51.299 --> 00:20:52.000 dead to sin 00:20:52.000 --> 00:20:52.779 and alive to God 00:20:52.779 --> 00:20:53.219 in Jesus. 00:20:53.359 --> 00:20:54.899 He intends it emphatically 00:20:54.899 --> 00:20:55.819 as something that's 00:20:55.819 --> 00:20:57.059 necessarily true 00:20:57.059 --> 00:20:58.399 of all those in Christ. 00:20:59.919 --> 00:21:00.899 Paul's not telling us 00:21:00.899 --> 00:21:01.859 to consider this 00:21:01.859 --> 00:21:03.459 because it might be true, 00:21:03.500 --> 00:21:04.139 it might be false. 00:21:04.259 --> 00:21:05.339 We need to convince ourselves 00:21:05.339 --> 00:21:06.099 that it is true. 00:21:07.000 --> 00:21:08.179 He says consider it 00:21:08.179 --> 00:21:10.139 because it's already true. 00:21:11.339 --> 00:21:12.779 Why do we need to consider it 00:21:12.779 --> 00:21:13.579 if it's already true? 00:21:13.740 --> 00:21:14.619 N.T. Wright continues, 00:21:15.279 --> 00:21:16.379 it needs considering 00:21:16.379 --> 00:21:17.419 because it's not 00:21:17.419 --> 00:21:18.379 an obvious truth. 00:21:19.519 --> 00:21:20.779 But once the sum 00:21:20.779 --> 00:21:21.679 has been reckoned up, 00:21:21.679 --> 00:21:22.879 it will appear to be 00:21:22.880 --> 00:21:23.920 clearly the case. 00:21:25.840 --> 00:21:26.700 The fact is, 00:21:26.780 --> 00:21:27.440 if we are Christians, 00:21:27.580 --> 00:21:28.540 we are dead to sin. 00:21:28.640 --> 00:21:29.700 We are alive to God 00:21:29.700 --> 00:21:30.380 in Christ Jesus. 00:21:32.820 --> 00:21:33.860 But that's not something 00:21:33.860 --> 00:21:34.560 that's staring us 00:21:34.560 --> 00:21:35.400 in the face every day. 00:21:36.460 --> 00:21:37.200 What's staring us 00:21:37.200 --> 00:21:37.880 in the face every day? 00:21:38.080 --> 00:21:38.480 Temptation. 00:21:39.840 --> 00:21:40.840 A broken world. 00:21:41.680 --> 00:21:42.700 The knowledge that we 00:21:42.700 --> 00:21:44.060 ourselves are broken people. 00:21:44.059 --> 00:21:47.179 the fact that we're 00:21:47.179 --> 00:21:47.980 under a new regime, 00:21:48.079 --> 00:21:48.799 the fact that we've 00:21:48.799 --> 00:21:49.679 had this change 00:21:49.679 --> 00:21:50.700 is not something 00:21:50.700 --> 00:21:51.960 that is blatantly obvious 00:21:51.960 --> 00:21:52.859 to us staring us 00:21:52.859 --> 00:21:53.339 in the face. 00:21:54.919 --> 00:21:55.799 But that doesn't mean 00:21:55.799 --> 00:21:56.299 it's not true. 00:21:58.220 --> 00:21:59.039 And so we need 00:21:59.039 --> 00:22:00.639 to constantly remind ourselves 00:22:00.639 --> 00:22:01.279 of the truth 00:22:01.279 --> 00:22:02.139 of this fact 00:22:02.139 --> 00:22:03.279 because if we don't 00:22:03.279 --> 00:22:04.859 constantly remind ourselves, 00:22:05.099 --> 00:22:06.899 we're going to forget it. 00:22:07.720 --> 00:22:08.460 There's a pastor 00:22:08.460 --> 00:22:08.899 in the States 00:22:08.899 --> 00:22:09.599 named Bill Johnson. 00:22:09.720 --> 00:22:09.980 He says, 00:22:09.980 --> 00:22:10.799 we can't afford 00:22:10.799 --> 00:22:11.400 to have thoughts 00:22:11.400 --> 00:22:11.880 in our heads 00:22:11.880 --> 00:22:12.680 about ourselves 00:22:12.680 --> 00:22:13.839 that are in conflict 00:22:13.839 --> 00:22:14.579 with what God 00:22:14.579 --> 00:22:15.420 thinks about us. 00:22:17.839 --> 00:22:19.039 God has given us 00:22:19.039 --> 00:22:19.900 this glorious, 00:22:20.220 --> 00:22:20.700 amazing, 00:22:20.980 --> 00:22:21.799 powerful truth 00:22:21.799 --> 00:22:22.480 in our lives. 00:22:24.180 --> 00:22:25.680 We are dead to sin. 00:22:27.279 --> 00:22:28.180 We're free 00:22:28.180 --> 00:22:29.039 from its regime. 00:22:30.319 --> 00:22:31.940 We are alive to God 00:22:31.940 --> 00:22:32.940 in Jesus Christ. 00:22:34.880 --> 00:22:35.839 It's not a matter 00:22:35.839 --> 00:22:36.299 of opinion. 00:22:36.559 --> 00:22:37.420 It's a fact. 00:22:39.980 --> 00:22:40.620 But we still have 00:22:40.620 --> 00:22:41.079 the option 00:22:41.079 --> 00:22:42.339 to forget about it 00:22:42.339 --> 00:22:43.400 and live as if it's not true. 00:22:45.640 --> 00:22:47.000 But this is a powerful, 00:22:47.319 --> 00:22:48.980 life-changing truth. 00:22:52.039 --> 00:22:53.620 And if we decide 00:22:53.620 --> 00:22:54.839 to believe something 00:22:54.839 --> 00:22:55.700 about ourselves 00:22:55.700 --> 00:22:56.880 and our identity now 00:22:56.880 --> 00:22:57.839 that's different 00:22:57.839 --> 00:22:59.279 than what God 00:22:59.279 --> 00:23:00.220 actually says 00:23:00.220 --> 00:23:00.980 is true about us, 00:23:01.059 --> 00:23:01.960 we're going to rob 00:23:01.960 --> 00:23:02.380 ourselves 00:23:02.380 --> 00:23:03.640 of immense joy. 00:23:04.920 --> 00:23:05.740 We're going to rob 00:23:05.740 --> 00:23:06.180 ourselves 00:23:06.180 --> 00:23:06.880 of life 00:23:06.880 --> 00:23:08.539 that is truly life. 00:23:08.539 --> 00:23:10.039 we're going to rob 00:23:10.039 --> 00:23:10.379 ourselves 00:23:10.379 --> 00:23:11.059 of freedom. 00:23:13.799 --> 00:23:15.000 Our Christian lives 00:23:15.000 --> 00:23:16.379 will be marked 00:23:16.379 --> 00:23:17.899 by tragedy, 00:23:18.299 --> 00:23:20.779 by a failure 00:23:20.779 --> 00:23:21.500 to live up 00:23:21.500 --> 00:23:22.420 to who God 00:23:22.420 --> 00:23:23.259 wants us to be. 00:23:24.539 --> 00:23:25.259 And that's why 00:23:25.259 --> 00:23:25.980 Paul tells us 00:23:25.980 --> 00:23:27.319 consider this 00:23:27.319 --> 00:23:27.920 to be true. 00:23:29.099 --> 00:23:29.339 You know, 00:23:29.359 --> 00:23:29.819 if you look through 00:23:29.819 --> 00:23:30.460 the entire book 00:23:30.460 --> 00:23:30.899 of Romans, 00:23:31.220 --> 00:23:32.119 this right here, 00:23:32.399 --> 00:23:33.159 he spent five 00:23:33.159 --> 00:23:33.980 and a half chapters 00:23:33.980 --> 00:23:35.299 explaining to us 00:23:35.299 --> 00:23:36.440 who we were before, 00:23:36.559 --> 00:23:37.240 what God has done 00:23:37.240 --> 00:23:37.559 for us. 00:23:37.700 --> 00:23:38.440 And right here 00:23:38.440 --> 00:23:39.120 in verse 11 00:23:39.120 --> 00:23:39.940 of chapter 6 00:23:39.940 --> 00:23:41.319 is the first time 00:23:41.319 --> 00:23:42.059 in the entire book 00:23:42.059 --> 00:23:42.400 of Romans 00:23:42.400 --> 00:23:43.160 that Paul actually 00:23:43.160 --> 00:23:43.839 gives us a command. 00:23:46.279 --> 00:23:47.259 He's not saying, 00:23:47.559 --> 00:23:48.339 think about this 00:23:48.339 --> 00:23:49.319 as a way of earning 00:23:49.319 --> 00:23:50.420 God's forgiveness, 00:23:50.559 --> 00:23:51.180 as a way of earning 00:23:51.180 --> 00:23:51.880 God's acceptance. 00:23:54.099 --> 00:23:54.700 He's saying, 00:23:55.000 --> 00:23:55.819 look at what God 00:23:55.819 --> 00:23:56.519 has already done 00:23:56.519 --> 00:23:56.880 for you. 00:23:58.039 --> 00:23:59.160 Look how he saved us 00:23:59.160 --> 00:24:00.400 when we were so messed up. 00:24:01.339 --> 00:24:02.900 Look how he forgave us 00:24:02.900 --> 00:24:04.519 when we had turned away 00:24:04.519 --> 00:24:04.900 from him 00:24:04.900 --> 00:24:06.400 for so long. 00:24:08.580 --> 00:24:09.480 Look at what 00:24:09.480 --> 00:24:10.280 he went through 00:24:10.280 --> 00:24:11.180 to purchase 00:24:11.180 --> 00:24:12.040 our salvation. 00:24:14.820 --> 00:24:16.160 And only after 00:24:16.160 --> 00:24:17.000 you've seen that, 00:24:17.100 --> 00:24:17.759 only after you've 00:24:17.759 --> 00:24:18.720 understood that, 00:24:19.400 --> 00:24:21.100 can we properly 00:24:21.100 --> 00:24:21.600 respond. 00:24:23.040 --> 00:24:24.080 And the first step 00:24:24.080 --> 00:24:24.660 to responding 00:24:24.660 --> 00:24:25.840 is taking what's 00:24:25.840 --> 00:24:26.500 true of us 00:24:26.500 --> 00:24:27.780 and believing 00:24:27.780 --> 00:24:29.220 that it's true of us 00:24:29.220 --> 00:24:30.340 in our lives. 00:24:30.339 --> 00:24:33.819 and what happens 00:24:33.819 --> 00:24:34.459 in our lives 00:24:34.459 --> 00:24:35.779 when we begin 00:24:35.779 --> 00:24:36.939 to properly consider 00:24:36.939 --> 00:24:38.759 what's true 00:24:38.759 --> 00:24:39.319 of us already? 00:24:39.599 --> 00:24:40.379 Let's jump back 00:24:40.379 --> 00:24:41.000 to verse 4. 00:24:41.220 --> 00:24:41.459 He says, 00:24:41.559 --> 00:24:42.039 we were buried 00:24:42.039 --> 00:24:42.779 therefore with him 00:24:42.779 --> 00:24:43.919 by baptism into death 00:24:43.919 --> 00:24:44.839 in order that 00:24:44.839 --> 00:24:45.559 just as Christ 00:24:45.559 --> 00:24:46.480 was raised from the dead 00:24:46.480 --> 00:24:47.220 by the glory 00:24:47.220 --> 00:24:47.720 of the Father, 00:24:48.019 --> 00:24:49.459 we too might walk 00:24:49.459 --> 00:24:50.579 in newness of life. 00:24:51.159 --> 00:24:52.179 He says we get to walk 00:24:52.179 --> 00:24:53.659 in newness of life. 00:24:53.980 --> 00:24:54.279 Now, 00:24:54.539 --> 00:24:56.259 I do a lot of walking. 00:24:56.639 --> 00:24:57.019 I don't know 00:24:57.019 --> 00:24:57.679 about the rest of you. 00:24:57.980 --> 00:24:58.720 I've done a lot 00:24:58.720 --> 00:24:59.700 of walking in my life. 00:25:00.180 --> 00:25:00.819 I've done a couple 00:25:00.819 --> 00:25:01.960 hundred K hikes. 00:25:02.500 --> 00:25:03.480 It is long. 00:25:03.660 --> 00:25:04.420 It is exhausting. 00:25:05.299 --> 00:25:05.920 And when I think 00:25:05.920 --> 00:25:06.960 about a metaphor 00:25:06.960 --> 00:25:08.539 for my Christian life, 00:25:09.440 --> 00:25:10.319 walking in newness 00:25:10.319 --> 00:25:11.579 of life is not 00:25:11.579 --> 00:25:13.059 my ideal phrase. 00:25:14.200 --> 00:25:15.160 For a lot of reasons. 00:25:15.259 --> 00:25:15.620 Number one, 00:25:15.680 --> 00:25:16.380 walking is slow. 00:25:16.480 --> 00:25:17.519 I want fast progress 00:25:17.519 --> 00:25:18.380 in my Christian life 00:25:18.380 --> 00:25:19.240 and walking is slow. 00:25:19.500 --> 00:25:20.299 You spend hours 00:25:20.299 --> 00:25:21.259 and hours and hours 00:25:21.259 --> 00:25:22.279 and you look back 00:25:22.279 --> 00:25:22.680 and you're like, 00:25:22.740 --> 00:25:23.500 that's the same mountain 00:25:23.500 --> 00:25:24.759 I could see five hours ago. 00:25:25.319 --> 00:25:26.900 It's frustratingly slow. 00:25:26.900 --> 00:25:28.900 Also, 00:25:29.620 --> 00:25:30.640 it's hard. 00:25:31.800 --> 00:25:32.000 Yeah, 00:25:32.040 --> 00:25:32.580 it can be easy 00:25:32.580 --> 00:25:33.360 when you start out 00:25:33.360 --> 00:25:34.920 but then you get hills 00:25:34.920 --> 00:25:36.000 and you're carrying 00:25:36.000 --> 00:25:36.840 heavy bags 00:25:36.840 --> 00:25:37.600 and you think, 00:25:37.740 --> 00:25:38.540 why can't I just be 00:25:38.540 --> 00:25:39.320 sitting in a car 00:25:39.320 --> 00:25:40.800 with the air conditioning on, 00:25:41.120 --> 00:25:42.460 cranking out my favorite tunes, 00:25:42.820 --> 00:25:43.200 relaxing. 00:25:43.680 --> 00:25:43.840 No, 00:25:43.940 --> 00:25:44.460 I'm walking. 00:25:45.420 --> 00:25:46.440 I'm still walking. 00:25:47.720 --> 00:25:48.440 I want a break 00:25:48.440 --> 00:25:49.060 from walking 00:25:49.060 --> 00:25:50.700 because it's hard. 00:25:51.860 --> 00:25:52.920 It can be painful. 00:25:53.380 --> 00:25:54.180 You can get sore muscles, 00:25:54.360 --> 00:25:55.140 you can get blisters 00:25:55.140 --> 00:25:55.960 and when you have 00:25:55.960 --> 00:25:56.900 a destination to get to, 00:25:57.060 --> 00:25:58.300 you can't just stop. 00:25:59.360 --> 00:26:00.180 You have to get 00:26:00.180 --> 00:26:00.880 to your destination. 00:26:01.060 --> 00:26:01.860 You have to walk 00:26:01.860 --> 00:26:02.860 through the pain. 00:26:04.180 --> 00:26:04.880 Why would I want 00:26:04.880 --> 00:26:05.440 to do that? 00:26:07.480 --> 00:26:08.600 It's monotonous. 00:26:09.720 --> 00:26:10.360 You get out 00:26:10.360 --> 00:26:11.160 on hiking trails 00:26:11.160 --> 00:26:14.700 and it's quiet 00:26:14.700 --> 00:26:16.580 and there is 00:26:16.580 --> 00:26:17.280 nothing happening 00:26:17.280 --> 00:26:19.420 and even if you're 00:26:19.420 --> 00:26:20.160 hiking with friends, 00:26:20.280 --> 00:26:20.740 you can talk 00:26:20.740 --> 00:26:21.540 for a couple hours 00:26:21.540 --> 00:26:22.520 but after a while, 00:26:22.860 --> 00:26:23.520 the conversation 00:26:23.519 --> 00:26:24.240 sort of dies 00:26:24.240 --> 00:26:26.859 and you're just walking 00:26:26.859 --> 00:26:30.379 and it is so monotonous. 00:26:31.039 --> 00:26:31.740 I don't want 00:26:31.740 --> 00:26:32.400 my Christian life 00:26:32.400 --> 00:26:32.779 to be marked 00:26:32.779 --> 00:26:33.519 by monotony. 00:26:34.779 --> 00:26:35.940 I want excitement 00:26:35.940 --> 00:26:39.240 and it's just, 00:26:39.379 --> 00:26:40.259 walking is inefficient 00:26:40.259 --> 00:26:42.160 especially in Hong Kong. 00:26:42.500 --> 00:26:43.240 You walk 00:26:43.240 --> 00:26:44.000 and you're like, 00:26:44.079 --> 00:26:44.200 oh, 00:26:44.259 --> 00:26:45.220 I'm crossing a road here 00:26:45.220 --> 00:26:45.819 and then you walk 00:26:45.819 --> 00:26:46.700 for three more hours 00:26:46.700 --> 00:26:47.039 and you're like, 00:26:47.079 --> 00:26:47.980 I'm crossing another road. 00:26:48.059 --> 00:26:48.500 That would have been 00:26:48.500 --> 00:26:49.839 a five minute cab ride. 00:26:49.839 --> 00:26:53.220 so inefficient. 00:26:54.500 --> 00:26:55.319 When I think about 00:26:55.319 --> 00:26:55.740 a metaphor 00:26:55.740 --> 00:26:56.539 that I want to mark 00:26:56.539 --> 00:26:57.379 my Christian life, 00:26:57.699 --> 00:26:58.199 I think 00:26:58.199 --> 00:27:00.599 riding a yacht 00:27:00.599 --> 00:27:01.619 in newness of life. 00:27:03.579 --> 00:27:04.779 Get to my destination, 00:27:05.299 --> 00:27:06.419 lounge out in the sun, 00:27:07.259 --> 00:27:07.980 jump in the water, 00:27:08.379 --> 00:27:09.319 it does all the work, 00:27:09.419 --> 00:27:10.399 I just am along 00:27:10.399 --> 00:27:11.019 for the ride, 00:27:11.159 --> 00:27:11.720 having fun 00:27:11.720 --> 00:27:12.399 with my friends 00:27:12.399 --> 00:27:13.119 as it's happening 00:27:13.119 --> 00:27:16.179 or riding a Ferrari 00:27:16.179 --> 00:27:17.099 in newness of life. 00:27:17.519 --> 00:27:18.739 How fun would that be? 00:27:19.639 --> 00:27:19.959 Right? 00:27:21.399 --> 00:27:22.119 As long as I'm 00:27:22.119 --> 00:27:22.819 in the driver's seat. 00:27:24.659 --> 00:27:25.359 But that's not 00:27:25.359 --> 00:27:25.739 the picture 00:27:25.739 --> 00:27:26.419 that God gives us. 00:27:26.439 --> 00:27:26.739 He says, 00:27:27.059 --> 00:27:27.599 we're walking 00:27:27.599 --> 00:27:29.239 in newness of life. 00:27:30.419 --> 00:27:31.539 And there was one commentary 00:27:31.539 --> 00:27:32.679 I looked at this week. 00:27:33.319 --> 00:27:34.339 They said this phrase 00:27:34.339 --> 00:27:35.959 that we too might walk 00:27:35.959 --> 00:27:37.359 in newness of life. 00:27:37.719 --> 00:27:38.279 Paul thought 00:27:38.279 --> 00:27:39.379 that it was a good metaphor 00:27:39.379 --> 00:27:41.199 for the steady, 00:27:42.159 --> 00:27:43.039 unspectacular 00:27:43.039 --> 00:27:43.500 progress 00:27:43.500 --> 00:27:44.759 that should characterize 00:27:44.759 --> 00:27:45.839 the Christian life. 00:27:47.379 --> 00:27:48.619 As I thought about that, 00:27:48.920 --> 00:27:49.859 it terrified me 00:27:49.859 --> 00:27:50.539 how true 00:27:50.539 --> 00:27:51.079 that is 00:27:51.079 --> 00:27:51.940 of my Christian life. 00:27:54.859 --> 00:27:55.339 Steady, 00:27:56.279 --> 00:27:57.819 unspectacular progress. 00:28:00.019 --> 00:28:01.000 If I'm being honest, 00:28:01.079 --> 00:28:01.839 I want God 00:28:01.839 --> 00:28:02.220 to work 00:28:02.220 --> 00:28:03.639 in spectacular ways 00:28:03.639 --> 00:28:04.700 in my life. 00:28:06.480 --> 00:28:07.319 I want God 00:28:07.319 --> 00:28:07.819 to do big, 00:28:07.899 --> 00:28:08.480 amazing things 00:28:08.480 --> 00:28:08.920 and have these 00:28:08.920 --> 00:28:09.940 huge changes overnight 00:28:09.940 --> 00:28:11.079 that all of a sudden 00:28:11.079 --> 00:28:12.000 one day I was, 00:28:12.299 --> 00:28:12.899 oh, miserable, 00:28:13.039 --> 00:28:14.000 what's life all about 00:28:14.000 --> 00:28:14.559 and the next day, 00:28:14.619 --> 00:28:15.200 like, yeah, 00:28:15.659 --> 00:28:16.859 and never look back. 00:28:18.279 --> 00:28:19.319 That's what I want 00:28:19.319 --> 00:28:20.480 in my Christian life. 00:28:22.099 --> 00:28:22.899 That's not 00:28:22.899 --> 00:28:23.539 how God 00:28:23.539 --> 00:28:24.359 typically works. 00:28:26.319 --> 00:28:27.519 It's unspectacular. 00:28:28.700 --> 00:28:29.599 Most of the time, 00:28:29.659 --> 00:28:30.379 I don't even see 00:28:30.379 --> 00:28:30.879 the changes 00:28:30.879 --> 00:28:31.379 that's happening. 00:28:32.379 --> 00:28:33.359 But it's steady. 00:28:34.420 --> 00:28:35.079 It's there. 00:28:36.259 --> 00:28:37.079 If I look back 00:28:37.079 --> 00:28:37.480 to yesterday, 00:28:37.579 --> 00:28:38.299 I probably can't see 00:28:38.299 --> 00:28:38.779 much difference 00:28:38.779 --> 00:28:39.139 from today. 00:28:39.140 --> 00:28:40.040 but if I look back 00:28:40.040 --> 00:28:41.040 two years ago, 00:28:41.620 --> 00:28:42.520 even two months ago, 00:28:42.720 --> 00:28:43.540 I can see 00:28:43.540 --> 00:28:45.280 that I've made progress. 00:28:45.420 --> 00:28:46.120 I've gone somewhere. 00:28:47.400 --> 00:28:48.140 I think this is something 00:28:48.140 --> 00:28:48.759 that's characteristic 00:28:48.759 --> 00:28:49.800 of each of us. 00:28:50.300 --> 00:28:50.520 I mean, 00:28:50.840 --> 00:28:51.800 even as much 00:28:51.800 --> 00:28:52.360 as I want it 00:28:52.360 --> 00:28:53.060 in my life, 00:28:53.259 --> 00:28:54.220 I want it in the lives 00:28:54.220 --> 00:28:54.800 of the teenagers 00:28:54.800 --> 00:28:55.580 that I work with. 00:28:56.259 --> 00:28:56.620 Right? 00:28:56.680 --> 00:28:57.380 I want kids 00:28:57.380 --> 00:28:58.020 to sit in church 00:28:58.020 --> 00:28:58.580 and pay attention 00:28:58.580 --> 00:28:59.100 and not talk 00:28:59.100 --> 00:28:59.640 to their friends. 00:28:59.640 --> 00:29:03.160 I want the kids 00:29:03.160 --> 00:29:04.120 to be passionate 00:29:04.120 --> 00:29:04.660 about reading 00:29:04.660 --> 00:29:05.180 their Bibles. 00:29:05.720 --> 00:29:06.280 I want the kids 00:29:06.280 --> 00:29:06.800 to sit in church 00:29:06.800 --> 00:29:07.440 and not be playing 00:29:07.440 --> 00:29:08.040 on their phones. 00:29:08.880 --> 00:29:09.460 I want the kids 00:29:09.460 --> 00:29:09.980 to be excited 00:29:09.980 --> 00:29:10.540 about telling 00:29:10.540 --> 00:29:10.900 their friends 00:29:10.900 --> 00:29:11.420 about Jesus. 00:29:12.360 --> 00:29:13.380 And even if the kids 00:29:13.380 --> 00:29:14.900 today aren't that 00:29:14.900 --> 00:29:15.480 excited about it, 00:29:15.540 --> 00:29:16.100 tomorrow I want them 00:29:16.100 --> 00:29:16.540 to wake up 00:29:16.540 --> 00:29:17.580 and have that excitement. 00:29:19.380 --> 00:29:20.020 But really, 00:29:20.240 --> 00:29:21.300 God works the same way 00:29:21.300 --> 00:29:21.960 in their lives 00:29:21.960 --> 00:29:23.020 as he does in mine. 00:29:24.180 --> 00:29:24.540 Steady, 00:29:25.560 --> 00:29:26.960 unspectacular progress. 00:29:26.960 --> 00:29:29.640 from day to day, 00:29:29.900 --> 00:29:32.299 I don't see much progress 00:29:32.299 --> 00:29:32.980 in a lot of them. 00:29:33.940 --> 00:29:34.860 But as I look back 00:29:34.860 --> 00:29:35.299 over the years, 00:29:35.360 --> 00:29:36.700 I can see God working 00:29:36.700 --> 00:29:37.720 in a lot of their lives. 00:29:39.319 --> 00:29:39.940 And I think 00:29:39.940 --> 00:29:40.700 that's the case 00:29:40.700 --> 00:29:41.340 for a lot of us, 00:29:41.380 --> 00:29:42.240 that God doesn't just 00:29:42.240 --> 00:29:43.519 give us these shortcuts, 00:29:44.480 --> 00:29:46.059 but he's working 00:29:46.059 --> 00:29:46.600 in our lives 00:29:46.600 --> 00:29:48.640 because we're alive 00:29:48.640 --> 00:29:48.940 in him. 00:29:49.039 --> 00:29:49.700 We're dead to sin. 00:29:52.480 --> 00:29:53.100 And so, 00:29:53.200 --> 00:29:53.900 I want to leave us 00:29:53.900 --> 00:29:54.519 with some questions 00:29:54.519 --> 00:29:55.480 as we finish up today. 00:29:56.960 --> 00:29:58.420 Some reflection thoughts 00:29:58.420 --> 00:29:59.980 on this passage. 00:30:01.319 --> 00:30:02.039 First up, 00:30:03.059 --> 00:30:04.819 and this is foundational 00:30:04.819 --> 00:30:05.900 to all the other questions 00:30:05.900 --> 00:30:06.460 that I have, 00:30:07.740 --> 00:30:08.880 am I still relying 00:30:08.880 --> 00:30:10.380 on myself for salvation 00:30:10.380 --> 00:30:11.319 rather than on Jesus? 00:30:13.220 --> 00:30:14.420 Because the Bible says 00:30:14.420 --> 00:30:15.880 this new life in Christ 00:30:15.880 --> 00:30:16.940 is a gift that we get 00:30:16.940 --> 00:30:17.319 from God. 00:30:17.420 --> 00:30:17.960 It's not something 00:30:17.960 --> 00:30:18.860 that we earn on our own. 00:30:19.440 --> 00:30:20.660 And if we're still relying 00:30:20.660 --> 00:30:21.420 on ourselves, 00:30:21.920 --> 00:30:23.559 then the stuff 00:30:23.559 --> 00:30:24.559 I've been talking about today, 00:30:24.660 --> 00:30:25.340 the stuff about being 00:30:25.340 --> 00:30:26.200 under a new regime, 00:30:26.200 --> 00:30:27.880 it's not true of us yet. 00:30:29.080 --> 00:30:30.660 And before we can live life 00:30:30.660 --> 00:30:31.580 under this new regime, 00:30:31.580 --> 00:30:32.420 we have to see 00:30:32.420 --> 00:30:34.340 that we can't save ourselves. 00:30:34.580 --> 00:30:35.720 We can't fix ourselves. 00:30:35.880 --> 00:30:37.039 We need Jesus 00:30:37.039 --> 00:30:38.840 to save us. 00:30:39.900 --> 00:30:40.740 So the first thing 00:30:40.740 --> 00:30:41.559 I want to ask us is, 00:30:41.660 --> 00:30:43.100 are we still relying 00:30:43.100 --> 00:30:43.799 on ourselves 00:30:43.799 --> 00:30:44.920 for salvation, 00:30:44.920 --> 00:30:46.059 or have we actually 00:30:46.059 --> 00:30:47.059 trusted in Jesus 00:30:47.059 --> 00:30:48.299 for that salvation 00:30:48.299 --> 00:30:48.960 that we need? 00:30:51.600 --> 00:30:52.000 Secondly, 00:30:52.100 --> 00:30:53.019 if we are Christians, 00:30:53.019 --> 00:30:55.240 are we using the fact 00:30:55.240 --> 00:30:56.279 that we're saved 00:30:56.279 --> 00:30:57.379 by faith, 00:30:57.480 --> 00:30:58.079 not works, 00:30:58.400 --> 00:30:59.420 and the fact 00:30:59.420 --> 00:31:00.500 that God forgives us 00:31:00.500 --> 00:31:01.519 for whatever we do wrong 00:31:01.519 --> 00:31:03.660 as an excuse to sin? 00:31:10.859 --> 00:31:11.759 Are we using 00:31:11.759 --> 00:31:12.400 God's forgiveness 00:31:12.400 --> 00:31:13.339 as an excuse 00:31:13.339 --> 00:31:14.859 to continue in sin 00:31:14.859 --> 00:31:15.559 in our lives? 00:31:15.559 --> 00:31:20.220 And if so, 00:31:20.279 --> 00:31:20.899 is it because 00:31:20.899 --> 00:31:22.119 we don't properly 00:31:22.119 --> 00:31:23.220 understand the change 00:31:23.220 --> 00:31:24.379 that's taken place in us? 00:31:25.619 --> 00:31:26.399 Or is it because 00:31:26.399 --> 00:31:27.480 we're lying to ourselves 00:31:27.480 --> 00:31:28.279 about the fact 00:31:28.279 --> 00:31:28.819 that a change 00:31:28.819 --> 00:31:29.500 has actually happened? 00:31:38.579 --> 00:31:39.379 Third question, 00:31:39.740 --> 00:31:40.480 what does it mean 00:31:40.480 --> 00:31:41.240 in our lives 00:31:41.240 --> 00:31:43.000 that we're dead to sin 00:31:43.000 --> 00:31:44.420 and alive to Jesus? 00:31:46.220 --> 00:31:47.079 Where are the areas 00:31:47.079 --> 00:31:47.680 in our lives 00:31:47.680 --> 00:31:48.299 that we see 00:31:48.299 --> 00:31:49.519 the biggest impact 00:31:49.519 --> 00:31:49.980 of this? 00:31:50.920 --> 00:31:51.859 Is it at work 00:31:51.859 --> 00:31:53.119 where we no longer 00:31:53.119 --> 00:31:53.819 feel the pressure 00:31:53.819 --> 00:31:54.440 to go along 00:31:54.440 --> 00:31:54.920 with the boss 00:31:54.920 --> 00:31:55.500 when he tells us 00:31:55.500 --> 00:31:56.299 to do something wrong 00:31:56.299 --> 00:31:57.920 because we're free 00:31:57.920 --> 00:31:58.400 from needing 00:31:58.400 --> 00:31:59.200 to prove ourselves 00:31:59.200 --> 00:31:59.740 in that way? 00:32:01.839 --> 00:32:02.740 Is it at school 00:32:02.740 --> 00:32:03.480 where we no longer 00:32:03.480 --> 00:32:04.119 feel the need 00:32:04.119 --> 00:32:04.660 to go along 00:32:04.660 --> 00:32:05.299 with peer pressure 00:32:05.299 --> 00:32:06.160 because what other 00:32:06.160 --> 00:32:06.859 people think of us 00:32:06.859 --> 00:32:07.640 doesn't define us, 00:32:07.680 --> 00:32:08.579 what God thinks of us 00:32:08.579 --> 00:32:09.240 defines us? 00:32:10.640 --> 00:32:11.559 Is it at home 00:32:11.559 --> 00:32:12.160 where we're free 00:32:12.160 --> 00:32:13.160 from finding our identity 00:32:13.160 --> 00:32:13.960 and how successful 00:32:13.960 --> 00:32:14.660 our kids are? 00:32:15.900 --> 00:32:16.920 Where are the areas 00:32:16.920 --> 00:32:17.580 of our lives 00:32:17.580 --> 00:32:19.540 where we see 00:32:19.540 --> 00:32:20.640 the biggest impact 00:32:20.640 --> 00:32:21.980 of this regime change 00:32:21.980 --> 00:32:22.700 in our lives? 00:32:31.180 --> 00:32:32.140 What are the areas 00:32:32.140 --> 00:32:32.820 in our lives 00:32:32.820 --> 00:32:33.960 where sin 00:32:33.960 --> 00:32:34.620 and temptation 00:32:34.620 --> 00:32:35.860 keep calling us up 00:32:35.860 --> 00:32:37.500 and asking us 00:32:37.500 --> 00:32:38.100 to come back 00:32:38.100 --> 00:32:38.840 under their power? 00:32:38.840 --> 00:32:38.900 What are the areas 00:32:38.900 --> 00:32:40.840 in our lives 00:32:40.839 --> 00:32:43.119 each of us 00:32:43.119 --> 00:32:43.799 has areas 00:32:43.799 --> 00:32:44.799 that we're more 00:32:44.799 --> 00:32:45.519 susceptible to 00:32:45.519 --> 00:32:46.139 than others? 00:32:47.099 --> 00:32:48.059 What are those areas 00:32:48.059 --> 00:32:48.759 in our lives 00:32:48.759 --> 00:32:50.740 where we keep 00:32:50.740 --> 00:32:51.599 hearing that temptation, 00:32:51.759 --> 00:32:52.319 where we keep 00:32:52.319 --> 00:32:53.119 getting calls, 00:32:53.240 --> 00:32:53.799 come back, 00:32:53.859 --> 00:32:54.519 come back, 00:32:54.639 --> 00:32:55.059 come back, 00:32:55.099 --> 00:32:55.699 I miss you? 00:32:59.779 --> 00:33:00.679 And when they come, 00:33:00.759 --> 00:33:01.319 how are we fighting 00:33:01.319 --> 00:33:01.879 against them? 00:33:01.880 --> 00:33:11.060 And finally, 00:33:11.200 --> 00:33:12.180 am I considering 00:33:12.180 --> 00:33:12.800 myself 00:33:12.800 --> 00:33:14.040 dead to sin 00:33:14.040 --> 00:33:15.540 and alive to God 00:33:15.540 --> 00:33:16.260 in Christ Jesus? 00:33:19.620 --> 00:33:20.520 Is this command 00:33:20.520 --> 00:33:21.100 that Paul gives 00:33:21.100 --> 00:33:21.740 something that I'm 00:33:21.740 --> 00:33:22.660 following and obeying 00:33:22.660 --> 00:33:23.300 in my life? 00:33:25.380 --> 00:33:26.180 If not, 00:33:26.280 --> 00:33:26.880 why not? 00:33:28.560 --> 00:33:29.340 And if so, 00:33:29.380 --> 00:33:30.040 how do you see 00:33:30.039 --> 00:33:31.480 that changing you? 00:33:32.500 --> 00:33:33.139 Maybe you can't 00:33:33.139 --> 00:33:33.599 see a difference 00:33:33.599 --> 00:33:34.099 from yesterday 00:33:34.099 --> 00:33:34.659 to today, 00:33:35.000 --> 00:33:36.200 but if it's something 00:33:36.200 --> 00:33:36.839 that's been going on 00:33:36.839 --> 00:33:37.700 for any length of time, 00:33:37.779 --> 00:33:38.480 how do you see 00:33:38.480 --> 00:33:39.519 a transition 00:33:39.519 --> 00:33:40.519 over that period 00:33:40.519 --> 00:33:40.899 of time? 00:33:47.279 --> 00:33:47.700 You know, 00:33:47.720 --> 00:33:48.319 as we're here today, 00:33:48.379 --> 00:33:49.019 the good news is 00:33:49.019 --> 00:33:49.839 that each of us 00:33:49.839 --> 00:33:50.700 here, 00:33:50.960 --> 00:33:52.279 we're not saved 00:33:52.279 --> 00:33:53.379 by what we do. 00:33:53.720 --> 00:33:54.599 We're not saved 00:33:54.599 --> 00:33:55.480 by our ability 00:33:55.480 --> 00:33:56.779 to live as great Christians. 00:33:57.859 --> 00:33:59.159 Our obedience to God 00:33:59.160 --> 00:34:00.200 after we become Christians 00:34:00.200 --> 00:34:00.980 doesn't save us 00:34:00.980 --> 00:34:02.100 any more than 00:34:02.100 --> 00:34:03.180 our obedience to God 00:34:03.180 --> 00:34:03.800 could save us 00:34:03.800 --> 00:34:04.720 before we were Christians. 00:34:06.380 --> 00:34:06.820 Ultimately, 00:34:06.960 --> 00:34:07.900 us becoming Christians, 00:34:08.139 --> 00:34:09.079 us living as Christians, 00:34:09.240 --> 00:34:10.079 it's all dependent 00:34:10.079 --> 00:34:10.559 on Jesus. 00:34:10.720 --> 00:34:11.480 It's all dependent 00:34:11.480 --> 00:34:12.200 on God's grace, 00:34:12.320 --> 00:34:12.860 all dependent 00:34:12.860 --> 00:34:14.000 on God's forgiveness. 00:34:16.940 --> 00:34:17.920 How good or bad 00:34:17.920 --> 00:34:18.500 we are at living 00:34:18.500 --> 00:34:19.380 out our Christian lives 00:34:19.380 --> 00:34:20.900 doesn't change the fact 00:34:20.900 --> 00:34:21.579 of whether we're saved 00:34:21.579 --> 00:34:21.900 or not. 00:34:21.980 --> 00:34:22.559 It doesn't change 00:34:22.559 --> 00:34:23.099 the fact of whether 00:34:23.099 --> 00:34:24.019 God loves us or not. 00:34:24.019 --> 00:34:28.000 But what we see here 00:34:28.000 --> 00:34:29.019 is there's this life, 00:34:29.340 --> 00:34:30.139 there's this power, 00:34:30.519 --> 00:34:31.320 there's this joy 00:34:31.320 --> 00:34:32.699 that's available to us 00:34:32.699 --> 00:34:33.759 because of the fact 00:34:33.759 --> 00:34:34.519 that we're Christians. 00:34:37.980 --> 00:34:39.079 And if we choose 00:34:39.079 --> 00:34:39.639 to live 00:34:39.639 --> 00:34:40.900 as if what's true 00:34:40.900 --> 00:34:41.320 of us 00:34:41.320 --> 00:34:42.059 isn't true, 00:34:43.179 --> 00:34:43.960 and if we choose 00:34:43.960 --> 00:34:44.539 to live as if 00:34:44.539 --> 00:34:45.259 what's not true 00:34:45.259 --> 00:34:46.139 of us is true, 00:34:46.820 --> 00:34:48.559 we're robbing 00:34:48.559 --> 00:34:49.500 ourselves of that joy. 00:34:50.300 --> 00:34:51.059 We're robbing 00:34:51.059 --> 00:34:52.079 ourselves of that power. 00:34:52.079 --> 00:34:54.000 We're robbing 00:34:54.000 --> 00:34:54.599 ourselves of the 00:34:54.599 --> 00:34:55.719 opportunity to live 00:34:55.719 --> 00:34:56.719 in the life 00:34:56.719 --> 00:34:58.699 that is truly life. 00:35:01.980 --> 00:35:03.079 So let's consider 00:35:03.079 --> 00:35:04.679 ourselves dead to sin. 00:35:05.539 --> 00:35:06.699 Not because it's 00:35:06.699 --> 00:35:07.860 this lie that we need 00:35:07.860 --> 00:35:08.519 to trick ourselves 00:35:08.519 --> 00:35:09.400 into believing it's true, 00:35:09.460 --> 00:35:10.619 but because if we're 00:35:10.619 --> 00:35:10.940 Christians, 00:35:11.079 --> 00:35:12.619 it's already true of us. 00:35:13.420 --> 00:35:14.279 And let's consider 00:35:14.279 --> 00:35:15.500 ourselves alive 00:35:15.500 --> 00:35:16.059 to God 00:35:16.059 --> 00:35:17.500 in Christ Jesus. 00:35:20.920 --> 00:35:22.039 Because that is 00:35:22.039 --> 00:35:23.420 the amazing promise 00:35:23.420 --> 00:35:24.460 that God gives us, 00:35:24.500 --> 00:35:25.079 that if we have 00:35:25.079 --> 00:35:25.820 trusted in him, 00:35:26.059 --> 00:35:26.759 that these things 00:35:26.759 --> 00:35:28.000 are true of us already 00:35:28.000 --> 00:35:29.400 and have the ability 00:35:29.400 --> 00:35:30.340 to impact the way 00:35:30.340 --> 00:35:31.199 that we live our lives 00:35:31.199 --> 00:35:31.599 today. 00:35:32.960 --> 00:35:33.519 Let's pray. 00:35:37.480 --> 00:35:38.400 Father, we thank you 00:35:38.400 --> 00:35:38.980 for the gospel. 00:35:40.039 --> 00:35:40.800 We thank you 00:35:40.800 --> 00:35:41.460 for the fact 00:35:41.460 --> 00:35:42.779 that there's nothing 00:35:42.779 --> 00:35:43.599 that we can do 00:35:43.599 --> 00:35:45.639 to earn your love, 00:35:45.719 --> 00:35:46.420 but because of that, 00:35:46.500 --> 00:35:46.860 there's nothing 00:35:46.860 --> 00:35:47.759 that we have to do 00:35:47.759 --> 00:35:48.480 to earn your love. 00:35:48.480 --> 00:35:51.760 thank you for Jesus, 00:35:52.019 --> 00:35:53.019 the perfect sacrifice 00:35:53.019 --> 00:35:53.699 who came 00:35:53.699 --> 00:35:55.019 and did for us 00:35:55.019 --> 00:35:55.760 what we could not 00:35:55.760 --> 00:35:56.760 do for ourselves. 00:35:58.059 --> 00:35:58.760 For the fact 00:35:58.760 --> 00:35:59.619 that he set us free, 00:35:59.719 --> 00:36:00.559 that he gave us life 00:36:00.559 --> 00:36:01.539 under a new regime, 00:36:01.900 --> 00:36:02.820 a regime that is 00:36:02.820 --> 00:36:04.380 powerful and life-giving 00:36:04.380 --> 00:36:05.320 and joy-giving, 00:36:05.860 --> 00:36:08.019 a regime that's 00:36:08.019 --> 00:36:08.840 run by you. 00:36:10.760 --> 00:36:11.380 God, I pray that 00:36:11.380 --> 00:36:12.019 as we go throughout 00:36:12.019 --> 00:36:12.740 our weeks this week, 00:36:12.860 --> 00:36:13.320 that we would, 00:36:13.440 --> 00:36:14.539 that we would consider 00:36:14.539 --> 00:36:15.900 ourselves dead to sin 00:36:15.900 --> 00:36:16.820 and alive to God 00:36:16.820 --> 00:36:18.400 in Christ Jesus, 00:36:18.800 --> 00:36:20.700 that we would take 00:36:20.700 --> 00:36:21.260 these truths 00:36:21.260 --> 00:36:21.920 and we would apply 00:36:21.920 --> 00:36:22.620 them to our lives 00:36:22.620 --> 00:36:23.280 and we would see 00:36:23.280 --> 00:36:24.780 how you transform us 00:36:24.780 --> 00:36:25.480 as we do that, 00:36:26.519 --> 00:36:27.059 and that we wouldn't 00:36:27.059 --> 00:36:27.700 trick ourselves 00:36:27.700 --> 00:36:28.740 into just waiting 00:36:28.740 --> 00:36:29.940 for spectacular things 00:36:29.940 --> 00:36:30.300 from you, 00:36:30.360 --> 00:36:31.240 but that we would see 00:36:31.240 --> 00:36:33.100 signs of this steady, 00:36:33.240 --> 00:36:34.420 unspectacular progress 00:36:34.420 --> 00:36:35.519 as we walk with you. 00:36:37.019 --> 00:36:38.039 Thank you for your love, 00:36:39.100 --> 00:36:39.960 and in Jesus' name, 00:36:40.220 --> 00:36:40.420 amen.