Hey, I've been asked by many of you to tell some Will stories, so can we do that?
Do we have to record this?
Yeah, turn off the stream.
And he...
Love you, buddy.
Love being your dad.
Open your Bibles to Colossians.
Chapter 2, I called an audible last night.
Matt and Sean affirmed it, that we'd move away from the mission mindfulness and just look at a message from our recent series from Colossians that will fuel our worship of Christ, both this morning and hopefully in everyday life.
And I hope it encourages you.
I hope it inspires you.
I hope it equips you.
And I hope you leave here feeling more treasured by Jesus than when we began.
I'll leave my glasses to read this.
Colossians 2, 6 to 15.
Could I have someone volunteer to do that?
Great.
Thank you.
Colossians 2, 6 to 15.
Therefore, as you receive Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him, and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.
For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him who is the head of all rule and authority.
In him also you were circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.
And you, who were dead in your trespasses, and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands.
This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.
He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame by triumphing over them in him.
Colossians 2, verses 6 to 15.
Thank you.
It's God's word.
Thanks be to God for his word.
Let's pray.
Lord, thank you for how you have already made your presence known to us through the reading of scripture, through the songs which point to and unite our hearts in Christ's beauty and sufficiency and glory.
Now we pray, Lord, by the work of your spirit, through the ministry of your word, through the weakness of my speech, Lord, draw out our faith, our affections, our minds, our attentions to him.
Lord, he is what we long for and desire.
Would you satisfy that longing?
In Jesus' name we pray.
And everyone said?
Amen.
We spent the summer of 2022 in a series we called The Core, Keeping Jesus at the Center.
And it was a series based on, expositionally based on one of Paul's smaller letters, the letter to the Colossians.
It's one of my favorite Pauline letters because of the punch it packs and the emphasis it brings to both the supremacy and sufficiency and beauty of Christ,
but also what I've been talking about like a broken record, our connection to him through faith and what we call union or communion with Christ.
In other words, Jesus is the core.
And Paul hammers that nail every line of his precious epistle.
The challenge of my life, maybe it's your life too, is to figure out how to live with a conscious awareness that Jesus is the core.
And this book has helped us focus on that.
So there was an illustration I used in the beginning of the series that I encouraged our church to use in conversations with neighbors
that they are building a relationship with when spiritual topics come to mind.
And you're at a place in that relationship where you can begin to invite and offer an alternative perspective, which this is a whole other series.
Friendship in the Bible is one of the themes in Proverbs.
That means it is an aspect of fearing the Lord and walking in wisdom, but it's an art.
It's not a science.
And yet, clearly, to be someone who fears God, you demonstrate in your friendships with people outside the covenant in Proverbs
and people inside the covenant in the Old Testament, wisdom.
So I've used this.
I've tested this.
It seems to pack a punch.
I'll try it with you.
And you can decide whether it helps you think about not only Jesus as the core,
but how do we live in a way consciously of that as we're loving our neighbors and reaching to them for Christ.
In 1879, the USS Jeanette was captained by Lieutenant George DeLong.
Any of you heard of him?
I think there's a special in National Geographic about him.
Lieutenant George DeLong was an Arctic explorer.
We could have invited him to Wendell this morning.
There was frost on our car and said, this is sort of like the Arctic.
And they set out on an expedition to sail to the North Pole,
seeking to reach it by ship via the Pacific Ocean and through the Bering Straits.
George DeLong.
George DeLong's entire expedition goal was to reach the North Pole by ship based on one particular map.
The map suggested there was a thermometric gateway that had been produced by a warm Pacific current
and that this gateway would open up at a particular time of year.
And what you would find at the North Pole was not a sea of ice,
but rather there was this fair weather passage that ships or ships could pass through to reach the North Pole.
Sadly, DeLong discovered, as did his crew, that the map was completely inaccurate.
There was no such passage.
There was no thermometric gateway.
DeLong was a recognized, celebrated, credentialed explorer.
And so this astonishing mistake in judgment is only, ironically, and compared with his credentials, all the more tragic.
Their ship, of course, became stranded in the ice.
Their expedition became a fight for survival.
Sadly, by the end, half of the crew perished, as did DeLong.
All because they weren't following a map that was accurate.
Friends, on phones and in our world and voices in our heads, there are all kinds of maps, competing maps that say this is where your life is found.
Follow this way.
Here is a life worth living.
Here is a path worth taking.
In the church of Jesus Christ today, were I to flip on YouTube or scan a podcast or even go to a Christian bookstore,
there would be a variety of maps saying this is the way, this is the path where true life is found.
In our culture, there are various and a variety of orientations that are held out saying this is the way you need to live.
Here is found true freedom.
This is what the path you need to take.
Here is your satisfaction.
Whether we realize it or not, and I put myself into this illustration, we are all following a map.
We are all making choices, small and significant, based on the map that says this is the way I want to live.
In fact, whether we realize it or not, the hope of the gospel is that you can bank eternity on Christ and the map he lays out.
But I am wondering, for myself and for you, when it comes to the everyday conscious choices we make, what is the map of your life?
What is the map you are trusting in?
What is the map that guided your choices to come to this retreat?
And what will be the map that you bring up, so to speak, on Monday as you begin a new week?
What is it that steers the orientation of your life?
What is it that steers the orientation of my life?
Colossians provides a unique map.
Four chapters.
And it is the way Jesus Christ has provided through which all of life makes sense.
This is the way to view the world.
When William, Bennett, Jacqueline, and Brittany took driving lessons at the TDA or whatever the name of the school,
TDA had a reputation, that's our driving school, that if you took their school,
they all but guaranteed you would pass the driver's test.
It's a pretty good deal.
I don't think they went so far as to say we'll refund you the money, but they had a reputation that their students never failed the driving test.
I shared this recently with my high school students, and they were like, are you being paid for this?
No, no, there's no reason I'm sharing this story with you.
I don't care what driving school you take.
Just don't hit me in the parking lot once you get your driver's license.
Most dangerous moment in my life is Friday afternoon at 2.35 as I'm pulling out, and high schoolers are going to their weekend.
They're like running me over.
But that's another story.
There's one particular part of the driver's test at the Taunton DMV where driver's testers priptically fail,
and that's, I believe, the three-point turn where you reach that part, and you say, stop the car.
Okay, I want you to park the car, bring it alongside the curb.
And I was in the car for one of those tests, and our student driver went through this ritual,
stops and adjusts the rearview mirror, puts his or her hand behind the headrest,
cocks the head, you know, and holds it for like two seconds, brings the head around,
now looks in the other rearview mirror, and then slowly but gradually makes the turn
and executes this flawless three-point turn.
Driver, evaluator, doesn't say anything.
Person finishes the test, pulls it into the parking lot, and with a big smile,
she says to, this was Bennett's test, you passed.
Then she said this, did you have Mr. Hillsdale as your driver instructor?
Well, yes, I did.
Do you know in 15 years of working for the RV, I have never failed one of his students?
And I said, well, why not?
I think you should fail more of these, these shuckalocks.
Do you see how they drive on Friday afternoon out of the high school parking lot?
They all follow the same steps when it comes to the three-point turn,
and they execute it flawlessly.
That's a good teacher.
Jesus is a good teacher.
Paul's a good teacher.
He's been sent by the ascended Lord as an apostle to give us more than driving skills,
but a map in four short chapters that covers the entire Christian life, our entire life.
And so it heeds us to give attention to it and to make efforts to bring it into everyday life.
I'm going to give you my closing comment now, not because I'm closing, but I'm giving you the verse.
I'm going to put my finger on the verse so you can hold me accountable,
because this, I believe, is the, if you will, the imperative of the passage.
It's one verse, and you're going to find it in verse 12, which was read so beautifully moments ago,
where Paul writes, speaking of what has happened to us when we put our trust in Christ.
Colossians, these were new believers.
Paul has never been to this church.
He is sending this letter to them to encourage their faith in Christ,
and he says this in verse 12,
having been buried with Christ in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith.
There it is.
Through faith in the powerful working of God who raised him from the dead.
We are called to walk with Christ through faith in the fullness of who he is.
We are called to walk with Christ through faith in him and the fullness of who he is.
That's Colossians.
That's the emphasis from beginning to end.
It's through faith that we walk with Christ, of course.
That's how someone becomes a Christian.
But no, it's through faith that we walk with him in this map that he's provided,
in the fullness of him.
Let's look at the passage.
I'll move through it efficiently.
Hopefully, this will leave you with a sense of how much you are treasured because of him,
but also what a privilege it is to live our life in Christ for him.
Verses 6 through 8,
To receive Christ is to be united with Christ every day.
Therefore, as you receive Christ Jesus, the Lord, so walk in him.
Verse 7,
Rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, there it is again,
just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
To receive Christ is to be united with Christ.
There we go.
I have more notes this morning than your vacuum cleaner has attachments,
so give me a second to figure out what I'm going to need.
There we go.
Ready to roll.
Paul is teaching in this passage the grammar of the gospel.
There's a grammar to the gospel.
That's what your English teacher or your mom or dad, if you were homeschooled,
or I don't think I learned English grammar until high school because I didn't listen for the first nine or ten years of my public school education.
There is a logic in writing, and there is an order that it follows,
and there is a grammar to make syntax and sentences stand up.
Well, there's a grammar in the gospel, too, and I often confuse it,
and that is that something is true and is said about us,
which is rooted in grace,
before we are then given a demand
to then apply or walk out what is true and said about us because of that grace.
So the gospel grammar is simply this.
The gospel gives you grace.
Amen?
God's riches at Christ's expense, as Jerry Bridges defined it for me 20 years ago
in his marvelous little book, Discipline of Grace.
But often with that grace that we receive unconditionally through faith in Christ,
righteousness in him, dwelt by the Spirit, adoption to his family,
and inheritance that Christ is one, but we receive and enjoy with him,
seated with him in spiritual places,
on and on and on, there are always demands of the gospel.
We call them commands of the gospel.
And we need to keep both, both distinct, but also together,
because they're not separated.
It's the grammar of the gospel.
And you can determine, not a trinity,
but you can determine if a preacher or a pastor or a YouTuber
or a podcaster or an influencer or whatever voice is out there,
are they separating the grammar of the gospel,
or are they keeping it together?
That usually means they're either drifting from Scripture
or they're centering their influencing.
So the grammar of the gospel that we see here
is that when we received Christ,
when we put our trust in Christ
in response to the simple message of the gospel news
that Christ Jesus, the Son of God,
perfect, holy, blameless,
willingly, joyfully offers himself on the cross
as our substitute, as our, if you will, Isaiah's servant,
the Lamb of God taking upon himself our sins,
its shame, its guilt, its condemnation,
the wrath it deserved.
When Jesus did that,
when he died on the cross,
shedding his blood,
giving his life for the forgiveness of sinners' sins,
and was raised again triumphantly,
which we celebrate in these songs,
that he died and rose and is now seated.
When we hear that news
and we are called to turn
from putting our trust in ourselves,
from putting our hope in what we have replaced God with
and repenting of those sins and idolatries
and by God's grace,
repent and through a change of mind and heart,
say, Lord, I believe you,
I surrender to you,
I commit myself to walk with you.
When we do that,
and we've put our trust in Christ,
Paul says we are rooted,
verse 6,
and built up in him.
Paul says we are established in him,
in the faith.
So we should be abounding in thanksgiving.
There are these weeds
at Crossway Church 282
called,
are they called trees of heaven, honey?
They're really like trees of death.
And I've been pulling them
out of the ground now for,
I don't know,
we've been in the building 10, 11 years.
They look,
I first realized they're not poison ivy,
I'm highly allergic,
poison ivy,
I'm sure you are.
So,
I did have permission then to pull them.
But then someone who actually
knows something about nature,
which I know very little,
said,
you know,
these are called trees of heaven
because they grow,
like,
almost like a tree
if you don't pull them.
And I smiled and said,
well,
I've been pulling them for 10 years.
I've been pulling them,
you know,
longer than you've been pulling
these trees of heaven.
I don't know what they're called,
but they don't stand a chance
with me around.
I've run the lawnmower over them.
I've sung as I whip them
with the weed whacker.
I mean,
I'm a tree of heaven exterminator.
She gets that smirk and says,
this is where you need to listen.
Oh.
Apparently,
without getting too much
into the weeds
on this illustration,
the roots of these weeds,
it's called a soft root.
And so,
when you yank them
from the top,
you know what I'm talking about?
They pull down
and they just expand out.
And so,
it's like rabbits.
They multiply.
You pull up the one
and the roots pull down.
They shoot out two shoots
and they've got a pretty,
pretty good survival instinct.
And I said,
oh,
that's why we get more of them.
And so,
she says,
here,
let me show you how to do this.
So,
she then pulls out
of her back pocket.
Not really.
She had it outside.
She pulls out this,
like,
four-foot pitchfork.
And she starts pitchforking
into the ground where,
you know,
mulch ground where
these weeds of heaven are.
And,
I mean,
she's going down
a good two feet.
And lo and behold,
I mean,
this is like that thing
in Stranger Things
that grows in the basin.
What's that called?
What's it called?
It's a plant,
right?
In Stranger Things.
I only watch one season.
Well,
whatever.
There's,
there's like this whole root network
of trees of heaven.
I mean,
the roots are thick.
And there's the little root
that I cut off at the half.
And you can almost see it moving
in that moment,
right?
I mean,
it's moving.
It's got a mind of its own.
It's mocking me.
I said,
ah,
you're an idiot.
You know,
you lose again.
And Rock takes that pitchfork
and she digs it down
and we grab that root
that's way down there
and we pull that sucker out.
And man,
the trees of heaven realize
they have met Galadriel.
You know,
she is,
she is wasting them.
I know I'm mixing,
but
if you're a Christian,
right?
someone has rooted you
in Christ.
Someone has established you.
Yes,
before you were a Christian,
the invitation was clear.
Come to me.
Repent of your sins.
Put your trust in Jesus.
But when you walk through that door
and you turn around
and look at the door
you walked through,
it now says,
you were rooted
and established in him.
And this is where
it really gets crazy.
Before the foundation
of the world was laid.
Hmm.
I came to school one day.
Someone knew I'd been
giving a sermon
and a fellow faculty member
or staff
or I don't think
it was a student
came up to me
and they were very excited
to share with me
what their sermon was about.
And so I,
or message,
they went to church
and I'm going to run into this.
I'm sure this is just
not working for me.
Do you know if I'm amazing?
But,
and I said,
what was it about?
And they said,
my pastor told me,
and I'm like hanging,
you know,
give it to me
that I'm the hero
of my story.
I'm looking around.
I didn't ask
what church they go to,
but I was,
who's the hero
of your story?
I'm thinking,
here she misspoke.
They're going to say Christ,
right?
You know,
God,
Yahweh,
something,
Elohim.
I was such a good message.
Three points,
simple,
and a closing song.
We're the hero
of our stories.
And because
I'm not
very subtle,
I basically said,
did he or she
preach from the Bible?
What passage
of scripture
was that?
You know,
and the person
like cited a scripture,
I said,
hmm.
I said,
I think we should
talk about that.
I mean,
I can't.
Homer,
bell's going to ring
and,
you know,
and don't listen
to my sermons,
but I later met
when I said,
I am not the hero
of my story.
Christ is the hero
of our stories,
right?
And this person agreed,
but that was the message
that day.
You're in control.
You need to take control.
You need to be
at the core
of change in your life.
You're at the core
of any future hope
you can have.
You need to get
busy.
You cannot reconcile
that
with when we receive
Christ
and walk in Christ,
we are rooted
and built up
in Him,
established in the faith
just as you were taught,
abounding in thanksgiving.
In other words,
Christian,
there are only two realities.
There are people
that are in Christ
this morning
according to the New Testament
and there are people
in Adam.
People in Christ
have been rooted
and established
in Him by grace
through faith
in the gospel.
And people in Adam,
as Paul says
in Ephesians 2,
verse 3,
are children of wrath.
They are dead
in their sins.
So the question
that Paul then
wants to ask them
as he moves forward
in the text is,
so why add
anything to Him?
Why add
anything to Him
that diminishes Him
or takes away from Him
or substitutes
with Him?
Christ plus this.
Christ is
the Christian life.
Let's look at
the next section.
See to it
that no one
takes you captive
by philosophy
and empty deceit
according to human
tradition,
according to the
elemental spirits
of the world
and not according
to Christ.
For in Christ
the whole fullness
of deity
dwells bodily
and you have been
filled in Him
who is the head
of all rule
and authority.
there seemed
to be what
Paul calls
a philosophy,
a worldview,
a way of thinking
that was capturing
the Colossians'
attention.
See the word
in verse 6
or verse 8,
captive.
That's when someone
who is walking
with Christ,
literally their attention
is kidnapped,
taken captive
by a teaching,
by a premise
or a promise
envisioned
with an orientation
that may feel
like a small change
but in its substance
is like that
tree of heaven.
It's got a deep root
that's going to lure
them away
from Christ.
I was a new believer
at Bucknell
struggling with
understanding grace
and faced with my own
slow growth
and sanctification.
I had enormous
issues.
I was a heavy drinker
in high school.
I was a libertine
in all my relationships
and here I am
a new Christian.
I know I've been
born again
but I'm really
struggling to walk
with Christ
and I met
some sincere
Christians one day
as I was
walking in Lewisburg
and
they
seemed like
I thought I was
radical.
That's why I called
myself that.
I'm a radical Christian.
I'm not just a Christian.
I'm radical.
Have you met me?
We're radicals.
They told me
in so many words
that my Bible
was corrupt.
That it was
full of teachings
and verses
that aren't
in the original text
and they invited me
to come into
their service
that Saturday evening.
We met on Saturday
evening so I said
why would I go to that?
Because I go to New Covenant
in Lewisburg
and we meet on Saturday
and he says
well because
your Bible
is false.
now I'm not
discerning
and I'm just
like it is?
Well what's wrong
with it?
And they began
to tell me things
that the Bible
says that are
not true
and things
that I need
to do
that their Bible
their scripture
says are the truth
and it really
I don't know why
it really
messed me up.
I began
to become
suspicious
and doubt
not only
like my scriptures
which that's deadly
but that then
the people
that I'm walking
with
they aren't really
true Christians
and my pastor
I loved Randy
he was such a gentle
soul
and he was so faithful
asked me out
Randy sometime
how the Lord
used him
and blessed him
as a faithful
pastor
extraordinary story
and it took
me captive
it was a momentary
interaction
but I was like
six months
in detox
over that
because now
and this is for
Google
it's for the internet
that's how old I am
I just was like
suspicious
that God first
and the scripture
second
and that there
was another way
there was another
voice
that I was
missing out
but Paul says
that we can
discover fullness
of spiritual life
in Christ
that's what he says
and then he tells
them
in him
verse 9
so that we would
we would not feel
the need to look
anywhere else
in him
the whole fullness
of deity
dwells bodily
and you have been
filled
in him
listen
I'm on my third
cup of coffee
I feel a little
empty
but spiritually
speaking
I am full
so I want to
grow into that
fullness
I want God
to open the eyes
of my heart
through his word
I want
I want there
to be prayers
praying
I want to pray
I want to
I want to know
the spiritual
life that I
seek
that is found
in Christ
for it is
Christ
who has been
has been made
head of all
rule and authority
and then
Paul goes
on to say
as if to say
from beginning
to end
from beginning
to end
not only in your
life but my
life but from
beginning to end
in the story
of creation
fall
redemption
and consummation
it's always
been about Christ
so when we make
it not about him
we've missed
the picture
all together
I used to think
the picture was
are you charismatic
or not
I remember
telling Wayne
Grudem that
Wayne
I'm having
trouble with
those
cessationists
they're driving
me crazy
and I'm in
pastor's college
I should have
been kicked
out of school
right away
since I struggle
without two
power but there
aren't two
categories of
Christian
we're in
Christ
please pray
for me
because I love
to categorize
Christians
and I'm always
in the categories
that's good
favorable
right
they voted
a certain way
or they didn't
they have
certain cultural
issues that
define them
or they're not
they root
for the Red Sox
praise God
you're a Yankees
fan
but I'm missing
the picture
altogether
for Christians
the picture
is we
are
filled
in
him
and then Paul
goes on to say
in verse 11
this is my
second point
I think
third point
my second point
was to be united
with Christ
to be filled
with Christ
to be united
with Christ
verse 11
12 is to
receive all the
benefits of his
death and
resurrection
to receive all
the benefits
verse 11
in him
you were also
circumcised
with a
circumcision
made
without hands
by putting off
the body
of the flesh
by the
circumcision
of Christ
verse 12
having been
buried with him
in baptism
in which you
were also
raised with him
through faith
in the powerful
working of God
who raised
Christ
from
the dead
you see that word
circumcision
Jesus was
circumcised
this was the law
at eight days
I believe
for a Jewish
boy
and
he suffered
right
in that act
of circumcision
the removal
of skin
and there was
blood
and it's a
foreshadowing
of the cross
that he
will
as our
Messiah
our representative
literally
have his
body
torn
from him
as he
bears the
sins of the
world
and shed
his blood
and experience
not only
spiritual
not only
physical agony
but
spiritual
agony
as he
becomes
the lamb
whose
death
satisfies
the judgment
of God
in him
it says
we
were
circumcised
in his
death
somehow
we
were
included
we're
distinct
from Christ
he's
unique
but
somehow
in the
mystery
of our
union
when he
died
as our
representative
wasn't
you
over there
somewhere
and him
we are
somehow
in the
mystery
of that
union
included
in that
I can't
figure that
out
but Paul
says it
repeatedly
in Romans
talks about
it again
in Ephesians
not only
that but
then it
says
having been
buried
with him
in baptism
he was
baptized
by
John
the
Baptist
and so
it
signifies
not only
that he
kept
the law
as our
representative
and fulfilled
the law
as our
perfect
representative
but that
he would
die
and in
him
we were
buried
with him
too
so that
when he
was raised
by faith
through the
powerful working
of God
we were
somehow
raised
with him
too
there is
in
Colossians
and other
passages
this
mystery
that to
be filled
with Christ
when we
trust in
him
is to
fellowship
with him
in a
profound
way
in other
words
before we
were in
Adam
and we
shared
nothing
with him
now we're
in Christ
and we
somehow
have shared
everything
with him
so that
our
fellowship
with him
may
be
full
you
were
delivered
from the
dominion
and reign
of sin
I was
delivered
not from
its presence
but from
its power
authority
and rule
over me
set free
to live
for the
Lord
when
he
was
and so
when my
conversion
occurred
it brings
kind of
full
circle
this
spiritual
reality
it says
as well
that we
are
forgiven
of our
sins
through
the
canceling
of our
record
of debt
and you
were dead
verse 13
in your
trespasses
and the
uncircumcision
of your
flesh
God
made
alive
together
with him
having
forgiven
us
all
our
tresses
by
canceling
the
record
of
debt
that
stood
against
us
with
its
legal
demands
this
he
set
aside
kneeling
to the
cross
I love
Matt
what you
do
in your
services
somehow
we have
to
benefit
from
your
example
I love
that you
take
time
to
assure
us
that our
sins
are
forgiven
because
most of
the
Christians
I'm
pastoring
and
myself
as well
do not
live in
the good
of that
assurance
they
live in
the good
or the
reality
of
I'm
a
sinner
I've
sinned
I'm
sinning
constantly
now
there's
truth
in
that
because
we're
broken
we're
fallen
but
there
needs
to be
space
and
places
to
rejoice
in
I'm
forgiven
I'm
free
somebody
say
hallelujah
because
I'm
in
Christ
I'm
in
Christ
I'm
free
from
guilt
I'm
free
from
shame
I've
been
delivered
from
my
past
not
its
influence
perhaps
but
certainly
the
charges
last
week
I'm
on my
high
school
reunion
I'm
the
only
Christian
on
the
call
they
think
I'm
a
wacko
they
still
like
me
I've
shared
gospel
with
all
of
them
some
of
them
more
than
once
they
still
think
I'm
a
crazy
man
but
when
I
have
the
opportunity
I
don't
because
at least
they have
heard the
gospel
to announce
to them
yeah I'm
a sinner
I've
done
I've done
things
I
shouldn't
have
done
and
you
know
some
of
those
things
some
of
you
participated
in
them
some
of
them
I did
them
to you
and my
past
is
but I'm
forgiven
there's
no shame
there's
no guilt
there's
no condemnation
I
think
a
majority
of
Christians
do
not
benefit
from
the
assurance
that
you
guys
provide
in
your
liturgy
that
when
you
declare
through
faith
in
Christ
we're
forgiven
we can
walk
differently
yeah there's
still growth
to do
there's
progressive
sanctification
but the
guilt
and the
debt
and the
shame
it's
gone
because
I'm
in
Christ
I have
a new
identity
I have
a new
identity
and so
do
we
it's
glorious
because
the
charges
against
me
and
against
you
were
nailed
and
we
can
choose
to
live
out
of
that
fullness
of
grace
and
then
he
talks
freedom
through
Christ
and I'll
end
with
this
that
he's
disarmed
the
rulers
and
authorities
those
spiritual
realities
that were
stacked
up
against
us
he
has
broken
them
he
has
defeated
them
he
has
brought
them
to
open
shame
these
forces
that
bind
people
in
their
guilt
and
shame
it's
amazing
what
Jesus
Christ
has
done
for
us
so
as we
conclude
at least
my portion
of this
tree
the question
that's
begging
to be
answered
by you
with the
help of
the
Holy
Spirit
is
what
fills
your
life
and
what
fills
mine
is
it
Christ
if
it
is
then
all
of
the
riches
of
his
grace
should
be
invading
our
life
so
that
we
with
him
would
grow
into
this
progressive
understanding
and not
be taken
captive
by the
maps
and
orientations
and
philosophies
that
would
rob
him
of
his
centrality
we've
been
given
the
map
and
it's
almost
just
too
audacious
to
believe
but
by
God's
grace
and
for
his
glory
Trinity
may
we
together
take
hold
of
this
map
that
leads
us
to
Christ
because
it does
lead us
somewhere
do you
know where
it leads
us
it
leads
us
to
Jesus
and
that's
why
God
brought
you
to
Trinity
yeah
it
was
fun
seeing
your
friend
get
mayonnaise
all over
them
yesterday
I
agree
but
even
better
oh
Lord
we
are
in
you
are
in
us
we
pray
open
the
eyes
of
our
heart
to
see
even
more
clearly
not
the
foggy
windshield
of
day
to
day
life
as
real
as
those
are
not
the
not
the
guilt
or
shame
of
the
past
or
present
but
the
new
creation
of
being
hidden
in
you
Colossians
3
of
being
filled
with
Christ
Colossians
2
of
having
the
hope
of
glory
Christ
in
us
that
we
would
see
him
Jesus
this
salvation
you have
provided
it's not
just
plentiful
it is
blessed
so we
thank you
for this
grace
Lord
we
abound
in
thanksgiving
for your
mercy
in light
of your
cross
and we
pray
Lord
we would
be
mission
mindful
as we
are with
others
this week
that this
awaits
them
help
us
help
us
Lord
to display
your
character
as well
as in
our
words
point
clearly
to the
hope
of our
salvation
we pray
this in
Jesus name
and everyone
said
amen