WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.540 I want to tell you today about the 10 words that will utterly transform your life. 00:00:08.480 --> 00:00:13.120 Grasp these words and friends, you can walk out those doors today a completely different person 00:00:13.120 --> 00:00:19.679 than the one that you came in here as. And if you're here today and you're new to the Bible, 00:00:19.839 --> 00:00:25.280 if you're new to church, then these 10 words are going to take you right to the heart of what it 00:00:25.280 --> 00:00:29.560 is to be a Christian. And they're going to take you right to the heart of this thing that Christians 00:00:29.559 --> 00:00:35.460 called the Gospel, which is just the summary of the good news about Jesus Christ. In fact, 00:00:35.560 --> 00:00:40.780 William Tyndale, this man who lived many, many years ago, who first translated the Bible from Latin 00:00:40.780 --> 00:00:45.899 into English, he said of this word when he was trying to translate it, the Gospel, he said, 00:00:45.899 --> 00:00:52.719 this is news that makes a person's heart sing, leap and dance for joy. And if you're here today and 00:00:52.719 --> 00:00:59.399 you're a Christian, then it is going to do our weary souls, the world of goods to put Romans A 00:00:59.399 --> 00:01:08.599 in the CD player and just play it on repeat. And these 10 words are a paraphrase of what you see 00:01:08.599 --> 00:01:13.299 in front of you at verse 1 of Romans chapter 8. So here's what I want to do. If you're a visual 00:01:13.299 --> 00:01:17.799 learner like me, maybe this helps. Hold your two hands out in front of you. 00:01:17.799 --> 00:01:27.780 And here are these 10 words. There's, and I know that's two words, but chill out, okay? There's, 00:01:29.099 --> 00:01:39.879 therefore, now, no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. That's our 10 words that will transform our 00:01:39.879 --> 00:01:45.179 lives. Now, maybe you're feeling underwhelmed. Maybe you're feeling confused as you hear that. 00:01:45.180 --> 00:01:53.300 But let me just show you how this works. Now, I'm a 90s kid. Grew up on the days of dial-up internet 00:01:53.300 --> 00:01:59.380 and of a young Leonardo DiCaprio making his way in Titanic, of CD players, of baggy jeans. It's 00:01:59.380 --> 00:02:04.000 funny seeing a whole new generation today trying to get into Oasis. And the old man in your head is 00:02:04.000 --> 00:02:10.480 saying, you weren't there, man. But 90s kid, what a magical decade to be alive. One of the biggest names 00:02:10.479 --> 00:02:17.079 in the 90s in the UK music scene during that time is this man called Robbie Williams. Robbie Williams 00:02:17.079 --> 00:02:24.879 leaves Take That. He goes solo and he does okay. In fact, he goes on to have as many number one albums 00:02:24.879 --> 00:02:32.079 in the UK as Elvis. He was one of the biggest names, not just in showbiz, but in culture back 00:02:32.080 --> 00:02:38.100 in the 90s. And in 1998, he releases a song called No Regrets. And some of you might remember this song. 00:02:38.180 --> 00:02:42.960 It's one of his biggest, actually. No Regrets. And here's the chorus. It went like this. No regrets, 00:02:43.460 --> 00:02:51.600 they don't work. No regrets, they only hurt. And all of a sudden, it becomes the done thing amongst my 00:02:51.599 --> 00:03:00.240 peers. To look back on your life and talk about it like you wouldn't change a single thing about it. 00:03:00.319 --> 00:03:04.819 And let me tell you, as a teenager, trying to figure out what life was all about, trying to find my way 00:03:04.819 --> 00:03:11.019 in the world, that kind of mindset appealed to my ego. And yet the thing is, as hard as I tried, 00:03:11.079 --> 00:03:19.359 I just could not square that circle. And it didn't add up as a teenager then. And let me tell you, 00:03:19.360 --> 00:03:25.180 as a near 40-year-old, having been a Christian for just over half of my life, it certainly doesn't 00:03:25.180 --> 00:03:31.140 add up now. Because what life teaches you, the more rings on the tree that you gather, 00:03:31.780 --> 00:03:39.520 is that regrets. I've got absolutely thousands of them. And those are just the ones that I can remember 00:03:39.520 --> 00:03:46.020 because of God's grace. I've got little ones. I've got big ones. I've got actions I can't undo. 00:03:46.020 --> 00:03:52.480 I've got people that I wasn't there for. I've got people that I used. I've got relationships that I 00:03:52.480 --> 00:03:58.340 strained. I've got dates that I missed. I've got words that I can't take back. I've got opportunities 00:03:58.340 --> 00:04:04.200 that I failed to take. I've got loved ones that I hurt. And I wonder if you two have what we would 00:04:04.200 --> 00:04:12.240 call in our day, in your life, some serious baggage. We are like, all too often in our lives, 00:04:12.240 --> 00:04:17.100 that bag that goes around the carousel at the airport that just is labelled fragile. 00:04:19.100 --> 00:04:27.060 And add to that the failings that we feel, that they aren't just against us and against others. 00:04:27.199 --> 00:04:31.600 Primarily, this passage would tell us that the condemnation here is against the God who made us 00:04:31.600 --> 00:04:39.780 in his image and who we are not right with because of our sin. And add to that the fact that the devil 00:04:39.779 --> 00:04:48.659 is the great grave digger who is dead set on digging up, raking up our mistakes and rubbing salt on those 00:04:48.659 --> 00:04:55.119 wounds. Something I learned this week that according to scholars, the word Satan comes from the Aramaic 00:04:55.119 --> 00:04:58.979 root meaning one who lies in ambush. 00:04:58.980 --> 00:05:08.780 And our guilt against the Holy God, plus the failings in our hearts, plus Satan's ambush, 00:05:09.100 --> 00:05:13.780 that is a three-pronged fork combo that can bring discouragement to our lives. 00:05:14.720 --> 00:05:21.939 And that's kind of where chapter 7 ends of Romans. Paul is saying to himself, if you look at verse 24, 00:05:21.939 --> 00:05:28.439 just before our verses today, Paul says, wretched man that I am. He feels this battle. And I take, 00:05:28.779 --> 00:05:32.500 you can bat this out if you want afterwards, that this is Paul talking about what he was like before 00:05:32.500 --> 00:05:36.740 he was a Christian, how he really tried, but he just couldn't square that circle. 00:05:39.259 --> 00:05:45.259 And all of this means that we can live our lives thinking to ourselves, what hope do we have? 00:05:45.259 --> 00:05:51.539 As Christians who take two steps forward, one step back, one step forward, two steps back, 00:05:51.620 --> 00:05:55.439 where we feel in so many ways that we make no progress in the Christian life. 00:05:57.180 --> 00:06:02.459 Romans chapter 8, what does God have to say to people who keep failing at Christianity? 00:06:04.219 --> 00:06:11.000 How does God offer help to those who so often falter, those who so often doubt? I think that's 00:06:11.000 --> 00:06:18.360 what this chapter is all about. And it's all about assurance. The chapter that begins saying, 00:06:18.480 --> 00:06:22.699 no condemnation ends, and we'll see this in a few weeks time by saying, no separation. 00:06:23.160 --> 00:06:29.560 This is all about not what you and I have done. This is all about what God has done, right? I always 00:06:29.560 --> 00:06:36.060 think Jesus would make the worst social media influencer ever. Because you would see him there, 00:06:36.120 --> 00:06:40.519 he would not be saying, be the best you, you can do it, just up your game, you can do it. No, 00:06:40.519 --> 00:06:44.939 no, no, no. You read him in the gospels, he's always saying to people, you can't do it. 00:06:45.659 --> 00:06:52.459 You can't do it. But that's why I've come. Because you can't do it, but look to me who can. 00:06:53.819 --> 00:06:59.379 This is all about what God has done out of his love for us to secure and deal with our past, 00:06:59.539 --> 00:07:04.219 our present, and our future. This is all about, no matter how you're feeling today, 00:07:04.220 --> 00:07:11.600 this is all about the God who's got you. The wonderful good news, verse 3, is that there 00:07:11.600 --> 00:07:18.120 is a way, if you see it, no matter how messed up you think your life is today, no matter how 00:07:18.120 --> 00:07:23.580 many mistakes you think you've made in the past, to have the almighty, holy God who knows 00:07:23.579 --> 00:07:33.560 it all, declare over you no condemnation. And that's a place, dear friends, where we can finally 00:07:33.560 --> 00:07:41.919 breathe. No condemnation is not a level that we progress to. Like our girls love brownies, 00:07:41.979 --> 00:07:44.299 they're really into brownies at the minute, they go home and they just do their badges, 00:07:44.419 --> 00:07:46.979 I want another badge, I want another badge, trying to be the best, right? 00:07:46.980 --> 00:07:53.640 No condemnation is not a level that we progress to, it's not a badge that we earn. No condemnation 00:07:53.640 --> 00:07:59.660 is a declaration from God over our lives, it's where we start, it's where we end, and it's 00:07:59.660 --> 00:08:07.360 where we stay in the Christian life. You know, I always say to people when they head out to 00:08:07.360 --> 00:08:14.100 explore Edinburgh, see if you ever get lost in our city, and you want to find your way back 00:08:14.100 --> 00:08:20.480 to the centre. Listen, just forget the bus app on your phone, forget Google Maps, forget 00:08:20.480 --> 00:08:25.420 asking a stranger in the street where you are. Sometimes the old ways are the best ways. 00:08:26.620 --> 00:08:33.940 How do you find your way back to the centre in our city? You just get your head up, and you 00:08:33.940 --> 00:08:39.740 look for the castle. You just get your head up, and you look for your castle, and you head 00:08:39.740 --> 00:08:47.100 for it. And dear friends, if we find ourselves, as it were, stuck in the Christian life, the 00:08:47.100 --> 00:08:53.740 call here is to lift your eyes and head for the castle that is Romans 8. We live in a world 00:08:53.740 --> 00:08:59.000 that's clamouring to find purpose, to find love, to find identity. And you listen to the 00:08:59.000 --> 00:09:03.879 world out there, and it says to us, doesn't it, follow your heart. Jesus comes along and 00:09:03.879 --> 00:09:08.399 he says, no, the problem is your heart. We live our lives in a world that says you've got 00:09:08.399 --> 00:09:12.159 to look inside of you to find the answer. And Jesus comes along, you read them in the 00:09:12.159 --> 00:09:16.939 scriptures, and he says, no, no, no, you need to look outside of you to me who's come to 00:09:16.939 --> 00:09:22.659 be your answer. Because this is all about not what we have done, this is all about what God 00:09:22.659 --> 00:09:27.720 has done to give us our identity. And you just need, all of us need to feel that today, that 00:09:27.720 --> 00:09:34.220 the initiative here is all his. Now in Romans chapter 8, and we'll see this as the weeks tick 00:09:34.220 --> 00:09:41.139 on, the key word in this chapter is the word spirit. 21 times Paul uses it in this chapter 00:09:41.139 --> 00:09:48.440 when he's talking about the Holy Spirit of God. The very presence of God, you'll see that 00:09:48.440 --> 00:09:55.279 from verses 9 to 11, sent to dwell, and notice that word, Paul uses it three times in that 00:09:55.279 --> 00:10:02.200 little section, to dwell in the very hearts of every single believer. It's one of the great 00:10:02.200 --> 00:10:08.180 themes of the Bible that God longs to dwell with his people. So when Jesus said that he 00:10:08.180 --> 00:10:16.660 would be with us always right until the end of the age, he really, really meant it. And 00:10:16.660 --> 00:10:22.400 the you that Paul uses there, and this is something I hadn't seen until this week really, the you 00:10:22.400 --> 00:10:29.640 that Paul uses there is not individual, it's plural. So this is not, if you like, about Christ 00:10:29.639 --> 00:10:37.899 in me, so much as it's about Christ in we, God through his Holy Spirit has bound us together. 00:10:38.939 --> 00:10:43.000 And we are one, we are a church family, we are invested in each other's lives, and that 00:10:43.000 --> 00:10:50.059 is a profoundly theological point. This is what God has done. Now what does the Spirit do? 00:10:50.100 --> 00:10:55.740 We've got two points today, you can take these home, put them in the bank. What does the Spirit 00:10:55.740 --> 00:11:03.779 do in our lives? Particularly at times when we feel really weak. He helps us to realize two things 00:11:03.779 --> 00:11:08.460 are true about our lives that we would not believe possible if it weren't written in Scripture. 00:11:09.220 --> 00:11:13.180 Here's the first one. He helps us remember that God's put us in a new place. 00:11:14.480 --> 00:11:19.360 And this is all wrapped up in that phrase, in Christ. Did you see that in verse one? 00:11:19.360 --> 00:11:26.460 In Christ. That is the key way that the New Testament talks about what it is to be a believer 00:11:26.460 --> 00:11:31.000 and a follower of Jesus. Now here's something radical I hadn't thought about again until this 00:11:31.000 --> 00:11:38.000 week. The key question to understanding ourselves as Christians is not to ask ourselves first and 00:11:38.000 --> 00:11:45.039 foremost, how are we? Because our feelings will fluctuate all the time. Our health will dip in and out. 00:11:45.039 --> 00:11:53.059 No, no, no. The primary question we need to ask ourselves is not how we are, it's where we are. 00:11:54.559 --> 00:12:03.319 We are in Christ. And take note of the preposition there. We are not beside Christ. Christ is not beside 00:12:03.319 --> 00:12:09.559 us like he's some kind of co-pilot or some kind of business partner who's out in a new venture with you. 00:12:09.559 --> 00:12:18.979 No, we are in Christ. And to be in Christ means that we are united to him. It's the language not of 00:12:18.979 --> 00:12:25.599 the wrestling ring. It's the language not of the boardroom. Actually, it's the language of the 00:12:25.599 --> 00:12:31.059 wedding day. Now you'll have heard those words, I'm sure, that the husband and wife declare to each 00:12:31.059 --> 00:12:38.719 other at the front on their wedding day. What do they say? All that I have, I share with you. 00:12:39.859 --> 00:12:50.199 And all that I am, I give to you. What's mine is yours, and what's yours is mine, as the two become one. 00:12:51.579 --> 00:12:58.759 You know, I remember when Alex and I got married. At that time of my life, Alex was what they call a 00:12:58.759 --> 00:13:04.819 saver. And I was at that point in my life, what they call a spender. How that worked out, not in 00:13:04.819 --> 00:13:11.519 Ferraris, don't freak out, okay. Alex made her lunch every day, and I bought my lunch every day. 00:13:12.279 --> 00:13:17.500 We had to work through that in marriage prep. And I vividly remember the week that we got married, 00:13:18.139 --> 00:13:23.439 going to my bank. And so little money did I have in my account. Actually, they just put it all in an 00:13:23.439 --> 00:13:27.919 envelope, and they said, do you want to do a bank transfer? I realized that was 20 quid, Scottish, 00:13:27.919 --> 00:13:32.360 living in England, not paying that. But they put it all in an envelope, and they said, if you just 00:13:32.360 --> 00:13:36.899 walk across there, you can go to her bank, and you can deposit it all in her bank. Put it all in an 00:13:36.899 --> 00:13:43.099 envelope, and just not a worry concern in the world, just walking across and putting it in her bank 00:13:43.099 --> 00:13:50.419 account, which of course was now our bank account. And let me tell you, I remember feeling in that 00:13:50.419 --> 00:13:56.539 moment that I have done a lot better out of this than Alex has. And I saw the figures. 00:13:56.539 --> 00:14:04.519 And being blown away, being really humbled, that she was willing to say, your debts are my debts, 00:14:04.799 --> 00:14:11.559 and my money is your money. That's what happens when two become one. That's what it is to be united 00:14:11.559 --> 00:14:17.240 to Christ, in a spiritual sense, in a more real sense. Do you see that language at verse three? 00:14:17.240 --> 00:14:24.299 God sent his son in the likeness of flesh. And do you see the language there? For sin. That's why Jesus 00:14:24.299 --> 00:14:31.379 came. It's what we've been singing about earlier. Jesus comes to earth as a human, and he takes our 00:14:31.379 --> 00:14:38.139 debt of sin. All of that shame, all of that guilt, all of the past, present, and future mistakes that we 00:14:38.139 --> 00:14:45.200 will make. And he says, I will pay for it. And he dies the death that we deserve to die on the cross. 00:14:45.200 --> 00:14:51.720 And as it were, he is saying, what's yours is mine. And his perfect life, again, do you see that 00:14:51.720 --> 00:14:58.900 language? What we were not able to do, we can buy the flesh we could not do. Jesus lives the perfect 00:14:58.900 --> 00:15:05.800 life. Jesus, the only human being to have lived in perfect harmony with God. The only human being 00:15:05.799 --> 00:15:11.579 to love God with all his heart, all his soul, all his mind, all his strength, the only human being to 00:15:11.579 --> 00:15:19.000 perfectly love his neighbor as himself. Jesus, the only human being who has fulfilled the law of God. 00:15:19.819 --> 00:15:24.279 And so when Paul writes there, the righteous requirement of the law, the one that you and I 00:15:24.279 --> 00:15:29.079 could not fill, what Jesus does is he dies on the cross. He says, what's mine is yours. 00:15:29.080 --> 00:15:40.800 And our lives are now bound to him. So our death, he absorbs for us. And get this, his resurrection 00:15:40.800 --> 00:15:49.060 life, he shares with us. And the spirit comes to make this a reality in our lives. And that means 00:15:49.060 --> 00:15:57.379 where he is, dear friends, where he is now at the right hand of God, we are there. Bound to him, united to 00:15:57.379 --> 00:16:05.679 him. Where we are, he is. Now I'm always jealous of those people, and I suspect there's many in this 00:16:05.679 --> 00:16:13.220 room right now who have got two passports. Yeah, what do we call them? We call them, we call them 00:16:13.220 --> 00:16:21.179 dual citizens. But the Bible says that in such a more real way than that, to be in Christ means that 00:16:21.179 --> 00:16:26.299 every Christian is a dual citizen. You've got to think about our lives like that, a dual citizen. 00:16:27.379 --> 00:16:32.860 We have our lives down here. We live them down here. And yet, in a more real sense, our lives are up 00:16:32.860 --> 00:16:38.759 there with Jesus, at the right hand of God. That means all of us, ever-faithed in Jesus, are always 00:16:38.759 --> 00:16:44.120 in two places at once. We're at Brunswick Evangelical Church right now. At the same time, we're at the 00:16:44.120 --> 00:16:50.279 right hand of God in Christ in the heavenly places. We do the big shop at Aldi during the week. We're 00:16:50.279 --> 00:16:56.500 scanning that middle aisle. In a real way, we are hidden with Christ on high. It's another day, 00:16:56.500 --> 00:17:02.620 another dollar at your workplace tomorrow as you sit at the office. Simultaneously, your life is 00:17:02.620 --> 00:17:08.339 right at the right hand of God in Jesus. And friends, I know for many of us right now, tomorrow 00:17:08.339 --> 00:17:13.160 is another day where you can't face getting out of bed. Life's too hard. It's too tough. 00:17:14.740 --> 00:17:21.099 And even then, and I wonder whether especially then, the Spirit of God would bring that knowledge 00:17:21.099 --> 00:17:28.219 that your life is hidden with Jesus on high. Do you see just how committed a king we have in Jesus? 00:17:29.939 --> 00:17:35.339 I would not believe this. It's too good to be true if it weren't the fact that God told me it 00:17:35.339 --> 00:17:41.279 in his word. Do you see how Jesus has written our story into his? 00:17:43.339 --> 00:17:47.319 Maybe you're here and deep down you have this gut feeling that God just tolerates you. 00:17:47.319 --> 00:17:51.000 You know, you might be saved. You might get that, but you just feel that God's, 00:17:51.000 --> 00:17:57.460 kind of jury's a little bit out still on you. Friends, we need to understand that in Christ, 00:17:57.779 --> 00:18:01.879 God loves us in the same way that he loves his son. 00:18:05.059 --> 00:18:09.019 The Spirit helps us to know that God has put us in a new place. 00:18:10.220 --> 00:18:16.559 And don't underestimate the spiritual attack that may come upon us to believe that that's true. 00:18:16.559 --> 00:18:19.720 Because if I were the devil, and I know that sounds really weird, 00:18:20.779 --> 00:18:28.139 but the one place I would keep you from is here, very closely, secondly followed by here. 00:18:29.319 --> 00:18:34.039 Because it's here, and it's here that we're reminded of what is true. 00:18:34.919 --> 00:18:39.679 It's almost as if God calls us in the Christian life not to live it so much through our eyes, 00:18:39.940 --> 00:18:41.980 but to live it through our ears. 00:18:41.980 --> 00:18:44.860 Because we believe what God has said is true, 00:18:44.960 --> 00:18:48.140 and the Spirit comes into our lives and helps us understand that that is true. 00:18:49.960 --> 00:18:52.839 God has put us in a new place. The Spirit helps us understand. 00:18:53.120 --> 00:18:56.140 And then secondly, he set us on a new course. 00:18:57.279 --> 00:19:00.860 And flowing from this new identity, do you see how Paul, from verse 5, 00:19:00.920 --> 00:19:04.019 he sets up this contrast? And just see it there if you've got it in front of you. 00:19:04.019 --> 00:19:12.319 He sets up this contrast between the battle that now rages in the hearts of every believer. 00:19:12.599 --> 00:19:16.200 Do you see it between the flesh and the Spirit? 00:19:17.500 --> 00:19:22.799 And what Paul's putting his finger on is the fact that there is now raging in our hearts a tug of war. 00:19:22.799 --> 00:19:28.019 The flesh and the Spirit are pulling us in different directions. 00:19:28.480 --> 00:19:32.299 Because formerly, when we didn't know Jesus, and I know this was true in my life, 00:19:32.500 --> 00:19:34.299 we were dominated by the flesh. 00:19:34.519 --> 00:19:36.480 We just wanted the things that we wanted. 00:19:37.180 --> 00:19:39.000 We didn't even realize we were doing it. 00:19:39.119 --> 00:19:44.740 Ours were natural, anti-God, us-at-the-center-of-the-universe instincts. 00:19:44.899 --> 00:19:47.980 In other words, we wanted the selfie, and we didn't want God in the picture. 00:19:47.980 --> 00:19:54.440 Verse 7, we were hostile to God. That's what that means. 00:19:57.059 --> 00:20:01.039 But the indwelling Spirit of God, as it were, friends, picture this. 00:20:01.140 --> 00:20:01.980 Again, visual learners. 00:20:02.539 --> 00:20:06.319 As it were, he picks up the other end of the rope in this great tug of war. 00:20:06.660 --> 00:20:12.079 And he pulls us hard in the other direction, towards Jesus. 00:20:13.319 --> 00:20:15.700 And we'll see this as the weeks tick on. 00:20:15.700 --> 00:20:18.980 What Paul is saying here is, go with the Spirit's pool. 00:20:20.100 --> 00:20:22.019 Don't go back to the old ways. 00:20:22.140 --> 00:20:23.900 Don't go back to the old us. 00:20:24.400 --> 00:20:27.460 Set our minds on the things that Jesus has called us to. 00:20:28.680 --> 00:20:29.680 Don't go back. 00:20:31.200 --> 00:20:36.220 You know, we were watching Shrek Forever After as a family last week. 00:20:37.640 --> 00:20:41.460 The one where they finally decided to call it a day on the franchise. 00:20:42.340 --> 00:20:43.319 Have you ever watched that? 00:20:43.319 --> 00:20:44.759 I don't imagine many of you have. 00:20:45.700 --> 00:20:48.380 The plot line is that Shrek has married Princess Fiona. 00:20:48.740 --> 00:20:53.360 But he daydreams about going back to the swamp. 00:20:53.960 --> 00:20:58.039 And about going back to the life that he used to have. 00:20:58.100 --> 00:21:01.900 And so strong a desire, is it, that he makes this deal with Rumpelstiltskin, 00:21:02.160 --> 00:21:07.100 who grants him this wish to go back and relive his former life. 00:21:07.099 --> 00:21:09.959 And he's there, the scene's there. 00:21:10.079 --> 00:21:12.439 He's just making snow angels in the mud. 00:21:12.519 --> 00:21:16.699 He's loving his former life before he realizes that he's been duped. 00:21:16.700 --> 00:21:20.400 And that's what sin does in our lives. 00:21:20.720 --> 00:21:22.640 It just offers us the bait and the switch. 00:21:23.240 --> 00:21:26.380 The devil's been doing it since Genesis 3, the bait and the switch. 00:21:26.779 --> 00:21:28.059 Do you see the language there? 00:21:28.700 --> 00:21:33.000 The stuff that we think promises us life, actually where does it lead? 00:21:33.080 --> 00:21:33.700 Do you see it? 00:21:33.700 --> 00:21:36.059 It leads to death. 00:21:36.740 --> 00:21:37.559 Verse 6. 00:21:38.860 --> 00:21:43.740 And Paul is saying, don't allow your minds to go back to the former things that used to dominate you. 00:21:44.059 --> 00:21:45.319 God's lifted you out of it. 00:21:45.400 --> 00:21:47.120 God has given you a new identity. 00:21:47.119 --> 00:21:49.519 Now, we're going to think on this more next week. 00:21:49.619 --> 00:21:54.199 But for now, feel the challenge that comes at us. 00:21:55.099 --> 00:21:57.359 I'm saying, what are we filling our minds with? 00:21:58.500 --> 00:22:00.939 What are we putting in front of our faces, as it were? 00:22:01.000 --> 00:22:02.459 What are we feeding our souls? 00:22:04.619 --> 00:22:06.699 You know, every night we have that battle with our kids. 00:22:07.279 --> 00:22:08.699 Do I have to eat the greens? 00:22:09.959 --> 00:22:11.119 Do I have to eat them? 00:22:11.219 --> 00:22:13.259 And they demand it at the stage where they're demanding the why. 00:22:13.399 --> 00:22:14.539 Why do we have to eat them? 00:22:14.559 --> 00:22:15.579 And of course, what is the answer? 00:22:15.579 --> 00:22:16.960 Not because they taste nice. 00:22:18.799 --> 00:22:20.059 Because it's good for your soul. 00:22:20.220 --> 00:22:21.079 It's good for your growth. 00:22:21.179 --> 00:22:22.179 It's good for your development. 00:22:22.299 --> 00:22:23.740 But that's a battle we have every night. 00:22:23.839 --> 00:22:25.779 Friends, don't think this won't be a battle as well. 00:22:26.199 --> 00:22:27.799 What are we putting in front of our minds? 00:22:29.439 --> 00:22:31.539 What are we filling our souls with? 00:22:31.659 --> 00:22:34.139 In our day that's drowning in distraction, 00:22:34.699 --> 00:22:38.319 here is the call to feed our minds with God's words. 00:22:38.919 --> 00:22:45.119 And see two great encouragements here as we engage in this spirit-inspired tug of war. 00:22:45.579 --> 00:22:48.419 First, at verse 6. 00:22:49.919 --> 00:22:53.839 To do so, to set your minds on the things of the spirit, 00:22:54.839 --> 00:22:57.559 is to set your mind on life and peace. 00:22:57.559 --> 00:23:06.460 And second, verse 11, that this same spirit who now indwells us. 00:23:07.399 --> 00:23:12.119 When our bodies age and decay, when we're at our final breath, 00:23:12.220 --> 00:23:15.980 this same spirit will give life to our mortal bodies. 00:23:15.980 --> 00:23:21.500 I find that such a precious, precious promise when I've been visiting people. 00:23:22.200 --> 00:23:24.039 And you can see that they're worried about the future. 00:23:24.180 --> 00:23:27.059 What does life look like now that I'm not as active? 00:23:27.180 --> 00:23:29.680 Now that I feel like I'm almost at the end of the race. 00:23:29.740 --> 00:23:31.720 And this verse is so incredibly encouraging. 00:23:31.720 --> 00:23:35.480 That the same spirit that gave life to Jesus' body 00:23:35.480 --> 00:23:40.519 is the same spirit that will give life to ours if our faith is in him. 00:23:40.519 --> 00:23:43.599 Now we need to wrap this up. 00:23:43.980 --> 00:23:47.000 But do come back over the next couple of weeks as we dig into this chapter more. 00:23:47.059 --> 00:23:49.339 But just as we close, let me just give you one little image 00:23:49.339 --> 00:23:52.920 to try and help us just solidify what this is all about. 00:23:53.819 --> 00:23:55.279 You know, I used to take our girls 00:23:55.279 --> 00:23:58.460 every week now and again 00:23:58.460 --> 00:24:01.660 to their swimming classes at the Commonwealth pool. 00:24:01.660 --> 00:24:04.920 And we'd always get there a little bit early 00:24:04.920 --> 00:24:08.840 because of bus times and school pickup times. 00:24:09.000 --> 00:24:10.500 And what we'd do is we'd just, for 10 minutes, 00:24:10.580 --> 00:24:12.779 we'd go to the viewing gallery at the Commonwealth pool. 00:24:14.279 --> 00:24:15.360 And just in before the kids, 00:24:15.440 --> 00:24:17.160 before they went down to get changed for the swimming lessons, 00:24:17.300 --> 00:24:19.700 just in before us were the Scottish diving team. 00:24:21.200 --> 00:24:23.500 And we used to watch them dive. 00:24:23.779 --> 00:24:25.660 And we used to try and mark them. 00:24:25.740 --> 00:24:27.120 Have you ever did that during the Olympics? 00:24:27.560 --> 00:24:29.000 You realise you actually don't have a clue 00:24:29.000 --> 00:24:30.300 about what a good dive is. 00:24:30.299 --> 00:24:33.319 But we'd watch all these people as they'd climb the stairs 00:24:33.319 --> 00:24:35.740 and there's some serious amount of steps to get to the top one. 00:24:35.819 --> 00:24:37.759 And we'd see them do their thing. 00:24:37.839 --> 00:24:39.259 We'd see them psych themselves up. 00:24:39.339 --> 00:24:40.220 We'd see them dive. 00:24:40.319 --> 00:24:41.419 We'd see them hit the water. 00:24:41.539 --> 00:24:42.759 We'd see them make the splash. 00:24:43.000 --> 00:24:45.019 And we'd see them emerge two seconds later. 00:24:45.220 --> 00:24:48.099 And every single one of them, without fail, 00:24:49.279 --> 00:24:50.440 looked to the side. 00:24:51.399 --> 00:24:54.200 And they looked to the judges who were sitting there. 00:24:55.019 --> 00:24:56.680 And the judges, some of them, 00:24:57.779 --> 00:24:58.720 would hold up seven. 00:24:58.720 --> 00:24:59.000 Sevens. 00:24:59.000 --> 00:25:00.579 Some of them would hold up fives. 00:25:00.700 --> 00:25:02.279 And one person even held up a three, 00:25:02.420 --> 00:25:04.339 which I thought was ridiculously brutal, 00:25:04.480 --> 00:25:05.579 since I'd given them a nine. 00:25:08.079 --> 00:25:09.940 But every single person getting up out of the water, 00:25:10.079 --> 00:25:11.620 looking to the side, looking to the judge, 00:25:11.660 --> 00:25:11.960 and saying, 00:25:12.079 --> 00:25:13.180 tell me I was good enough. 00:25:14.839 --> 00:25:16.000 Tell me I was worth it. 00:25:16.100 --> 00:25:17.299 Tell me I've made it. 00:25:19.839 --> 00:25:20.100 And friends, 00:25:20.120 --> 00:25:21.779 there are all sorts of places that we look to 00:25:21.779 --> 00:25:23.240 for that kind of love and assurance. 00:25:23.240 --> 00:25:26.839 But we know the feeling in our lives, don't we, 00:25:26.880 --> 00:25:28.720 of never quite measuring up. 00:25:30.099 --> 00:25:31.599 You know, this has been my week, honestly. 00:25:32.960 --> 00:25:34.839 Parent, average. 00:25:36.359 --> 00:25:37.779 Husband, selfish. 00:25:38.819 --> 00:25:40.140 Pastor, weak. 00:25:41.220 --> 00:25:42.579 Christian, pass marks. 00:25:42.980 --> 00:25:45.680 And that's a really heavy thing to be carrying around. 00:25:45.680 --> 00:25:46.820 And let me tell you, 00:25:46.860 --> 00:25:48.720 the devil has done everything this week, 00:25:48.920 --> 00:25:49.720 everything this week, 00:25:49.860 --> 00:25:51.400 to keep me from this passage. 00:25:52.620 --> 00:25:54.640 Because it's here we come to it, 00:25:54.799 --> 00:25:57.120 and we're reminded what God says of us. 00:25:57.220 --> 00:25:57.960 Friends, let me tell you, 00:25:58.000 --> 00:25:58.519 at the end of the day, 00:25:58.640 --> 00:26:00.640 his is the only commentary that counts. 00:26:01.480 --> 00:26:03.539 And I found it so helpful this week 00:26:03.539 --> 00:26:04.900 to take my ten fingers, 00:26:04.980 --> 00:26:05.740 and we're back there, 00:26:06.900 --> 00:26:08.880 especially at the times when I felt like 00:26:08.880 --> 00:26:10.039 there's dirt in my hands. 00:26:10.039 --> 00:26:12.539 To hold up those ten fingers 00:26:12.539 --> 00:26:14.019 and say those ten words together, 00:26:14.139 --> 00:26:15.639 find the life and the security 00:26:15.639 --> 00:26:17.299 and the assurance that's there, 00:26:17.740 --> 00:26:22.039 that there's therefore now no condemnation 00:26:22.039 --> 00:26:24.980 for those in Christ Jesus. 00:26:25.200 --> 00:26:27.200 And just to add to the wonderful symmetry of it, 00:26:27.960 --> 00:26:29.899 I've taken my two hands with those two points. 00:26:30.220 --> 00:26:31.200 What's true of me now 00:26:31.200 --> 00:26:32.960 is that he's put me in a new place, 00:26:33.480 --> 00:26:35.619 and he's set me on a new course. 00:26:36.059 --> 00:26:36.639 And do you know what? 00:26:36.640 --> 00:26:39.180 That truth is true on your best day. 00:26:40.580 --> 00:26:42.080 And if your faith is in Jesus, 00:26:42.180 --> 00:26:44.700 it's true just as much on your worst day. 00:26:45.860 --> 00:26:46.740 And so here today, 00:26:46.840 --> 00:26:47.920 God declare over you, 00:26:48.000 --> 00:26:49.040 if your faith is in Jesus, 00:26:49.120 --> 00:26:50.320 no matter how you're feeling, 00:26:51.020 --> 00:26:54.100 that there's therefore now no condemnation 00:26:54.100 --> 00:26:56.860 for those in Christ Jesus. 00:26:57.000 --> 00:26:57.480 Let's pray. 00:27:00.040 --> 00:27:00.980 And why don't we just, 00:27:01.340 --> 00:27:03.200 before we stand to sing again, 00:27:03.300 --> 00:27:05.320 let's just be quiet for just a moment. 00:27:06.640 --> 00:27:09.300 And I trust that the Spirit of God 00:27:09.300 --> 00:27:10.540 will be taking this word 00:27:10.540 --> 00:27:11.840 and applying it to our hearts 00:27:11.840 --> 00:27:13.300 in all sorts of different ways. 00:27:15.560 --> 00:27:18.259 But let's just pause for a moment 00:27:18.259 --> 00:27:18.960 and then I'll pray. 00:27:18.960 --> 00:27:19.060 Amen. 00:27:19.059 --> 00:27:34.740 And so Father, 00:27:34.799 --> 00:27:37.259 we just thank you for the fact 00:27:37.259 --> 00:27:40.519 that we could never find nor wish for 00:27:40.519 --> 00:27:44.500 a more committed Savior King than Jesus. 00:27:44.500 --> 00:27:46.720 And so Father, 00:27:46.779 --> 00:27:48.940 I pray that as we move 00:27:48.940 --> 00:27:50.319 to just a short time of communion, 00:27:50.740 --> 00:27:50.900 Lord, 00:27:50.940 --> 00:27:52.579 that you would help us understand 00:27:52.579 --> 00:27:53.920 even more sweetly, 00:27:53.980 --> 00:27:55.980 and maybe even for the first time today, 00:27:56.660 --> 00:27:58.460 what he has done for us 00:27:58.460 --> 00:28:00.980 and where he is 00:28:00.980 --> 00:28:03.259 and what he is doing right now 00:28:03.259 --> 00:28:04.119 at your right hand. 00:28:04.980 --> 00:28:06.720 And the fact that one day he will return 00:28:06.720 --> 00:28:07.960 and he will make all things new. 00:28:09.019 --> 00:28:09.420 Father, 00:28:09.500 --> 00:28:11.160 bring a sweet assurance of that 00:28:11.160 --> 00:28:12.279 by your Spirit we pray. 00:28:12.620 --> 00:28:13.580 In Jesus' name. 00:28:14.640 --> 00:28:15.000 Amen. 00:28:15.000 --> 00:28:15.140 Amen.