WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.500 So one of the greatest virtues you could almost say in our modern society is to 00:00:06.500 --> 00:00:13.960 be authentic. I'm sure you may have heard that word come up many times. And another 00:00:13.960 --> 00:00:20.519 way to say you're being authentic is to say you're being your true self, your 00:00:20.519 --> 00:00:28.640 true self. And hence there is much value today on finding out who you truly are. 00:00:28.640 --> 00:00:34.920 You know, a simple search in Google you'll find to be truly happy you must 00:00:34.920 --> 00:00:43.359 learn to be your true self. You see there's almost an idea that in finding 00:00:43.359 --> 00:00:50.679 your true self it'll give you freedom. Now this all comes back from different 00:00:50.679 --> 00:00:55.519 philosophers and from like the 1700s one of them being the man called Jean-Jacques 00:00:55.520 --> 00:01:01.800 Rousseau which is a very fun name to say. He said or he's famous for saying man 00:01:01.800 --> 00:01:07.879 is born free and in everywhere and everywhere he is in chains. It's this 00:01:07.879 --> 00:01:14.439 idea that when you're born you're not bound by anything you have unlimited 00:01:14.439 --> 00:01:20.400 potential and then as you get older you get more and more constrained by 00:01:20.400 --> 00:01:24.600 different things you get almost hidden by different things and your true self 00:01:24.599 --> 00:01:31.439 well it's hard to find. Your true self lights hidden in there and in chains 00:01:31.439 --> 00:01:38.280 and shackles. Hence we get personality tests loads of them like one of them 00:01:38.280 --> 00:01:42.079 being the Myers-Briggs one probably being the most famous and I was obsessed 00:01:42.079 --> 00:01:45.840 with it for ages to be honest. They are really ironic thing about these 00:01:45.840 --> 00:01:50.679 personality tests. They're there they're meant to show you what a unique and 00:01:50.680 --> 00:01:56.400 individual person you're meant to be but you can be unique in 16 different ways. 00:01:56.400 --> 00:02:06.480 It's really ironic be free to be one of 16 different types of people but is 00:02:06.480 --> 00:02:14.400 Rousseau right? Do we need to look within ourselves to find our true self and then 00:02:14.400 --> 00:02:22.960 live that out? Certainly what a lot of people would say today or is it that the 00:02:22.960 --> 00:02:31.080 or is that our true self the very cause of all our woes? Is our true self our 00:02:31.080 --> 00:02:39.400 real problem? Because our passage does three things it makes us look up. Paul is 00:02:39.400 --> 00:02:45.840 asking us to have a different mind a heavenly mind then he makes us look 00:02:45.840 --> 00:02:52.960 behind at what we were or inside even and shows us that our true self is 00:02:52.960 --> 00:03:00.280 covered in rags and this is our true problem and finally Paul turns us to 00:03:00.280 --> 00:03:08.319 show us that we have a new attire something we can be. So the first thing 00:03:08.319 --> 00:03:13.719 versus one to four heavenly thinking. Now I'm sure you've all heard the saying 00:03:13.719 --> 00:03:21.560 before that you could be so heavy a person being so heavily minded that 00:03:21.560 --> 00:03:26.719 they're of no earthly use. Now I haven't yet to meet this person who's so fable 00:03:26.719 --> 00:03:35.519 heavily minded that they're no earthly use. However I have met many people who 00:03:35.520 --> 00:03:42.080 are so heavily minded that they're of the most earthly use. One example is a 00:03:42.080 --> 00:03:47.640 lady from Sterling and my spiritual nanny when I was at university there 00:03:47.640 --> 00:03:54.480 years ago Fiona McAllister and to this day if there's ever a problem you could 00:03:54.480 --> 00:04:02.040 tell her and she'd bring it straight to prayer to God. She was so focused on who 00:04:02.039 --> 00:04:09.120 was above. She was so enamored with Jesus. She was so focused on where she was 00:04:09.120 --> 00:04:17.879 going that she was one of the most useful servants of God. Our passage then 00:04:17.879 --> 00:04:26.519 begins. If then, if then you've been raised with Christ set your hearts on 00:04:26.519 --> 00:04:32.639 things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on 00:04:32.639 --> 00:04:39.879 things above not on earthly things. In chapter 2 it explains that the 00:04:39.879 --> 00:04:45.000 Colossians were being taken captive by empty philosophers or worldviews. They 00:04:45.000 --> 00:04:51.639 were feeling the pressure of the culture around them to conform and to accept 00:04:51.639 --> 00:04:58.079 what these other worldviews had to say except what they believed was 00:04:58.079 --> 00:05:04.879 valuable or not. But here Paul is saying to value the things that are in 00:05:04.879 --> 00:05:12.599 heaven not what is on earth. To have different values, a different culture to 00:05:12.600 --> 00:05:22.040 the worlds. But why should we be different? Why should we be any different? It 00:05:22.040 --> 00:05:27.480 would be much easier to go with what's popular. It would make our lives much 00:05:27.480 --> 00:05:38.400 easier because as Paul says you have died. You have died which means we're no 00:05:38.399 --> 00:05:43.359 longer off this earth. Now maybe when someone has passed away you've heard the 00:05:43.359 --> 00:05:48.279 saying they're no longer off this world. There's an idea that the things that bound 00:05:48.279 --> 00:05:56.759 them to this earth they're all removed. But if, if you have been raised with 00:05:56.759 --> 00:06:06.679 Christ, if you believe in Jesus, if you're a Christian, you have died. You are no 00:06:06.680 --> 00:06:15.560 longer off the earth. In fact Paul goes on to say your life is hidden with Christ 00:06:15.560 --> 00:06:27.040 and God. Now this is an amazing line. As a Christian your very life is hidden in 00:06:27.040 --> 00:06:33.680 God. This idea you could almost say Jesus wraps around us. We're completely 00:06:33.680 --> 00:06:40.360 hidden in Him. We're wrapped up in God. In this very instance as you sit right 00:06:40.360 --> 00:06:50.000 there you're also united with Christ in God's very presence. That's how close we 00:06:50.000 --> 00:06:54.800 are. That's how united you are as a believer. There's no separation. There's 00:06:54.800 --> 00:07:02.960 no veil. There's no curtain. We are completely united. We are so wrapped up 00:07:02.959 --> 00:07:09.079 in Jesus that Paul says when Christ who is your life appears then you also will 00:07:09.079 --> 00:07:17.919 appear with Him in glory. That is whatever happens to Jesus happens to us too. 00:07:17.919 --> 00:07:24.120 It's like we had a great debt and we bet our lives on that of a gladiator. If the 00:07:24.120 --> 00:07:33.480 gladiator loses we lose. But if he wins, we win. If he is glorified we are 00:07:33.480 --> 00:07:39.759 glorified. Thus when Paul says when Christ who is your life appears then you 00:07:39.759 --> 00:07:49.000 also will appear with Him in glory. It doesn't almost seem fair does it? That we 00:07:49.000 --> 00:07:56.000 receive some of that glory and honor by simply being 00:07:56.000 --> 00:08:06.079 united to Him. But that's the truth in this. That's how united we are. If a 00:08:06.079 --> 00:08:15.040 husband succeeds, his wife succeeds. They're united. And the church is the 00:08:15.040 --> 00:08:21.160 bride of Christ. So if we're no longer of this earth, this is the premise, this 00:08:21.160 --> 00:08:24.760 whole argument. If you're raised, if you're with Christ, if you're no longer 00:08:24.760 --> 00:08:29.960 of this earth, this is how it sets up this whole passage of being heavily 00:08:29.960 --> 00:08:35.360 minded. This is how it begins the second half of Colossians, the practical side. 00:08:35.360 --> 00:08:42.639 If then, if you're no longer of this earth, if we're hidden in Jesus, 00:08:42.639 --> 00:08:54.319 unfolded in Him, we must as Paul says, put to death what is earthly and new. So we're 00:08:54.319 --> 00:09:00.879 to be heavily minded because we're no longer of this earth. We died. Our focus 00:09:00.879 --> 00:09:07.679 should be in heaven. So to put to death what is earthly and new. That's verses 00:09:07.679 --> 00:09:14.519 5 to 11. You put off the old self. If all before us is true, if all that what Paul 00:09:14.519 --> 00:09:20.719 said is true, and we're hidden with Jesus in God, I still think that's mad, 00:09:20.719 --> 00:09:27.159 hidden with Jesus in God. That seems too much. We're to put to death whatever is 00:09:27.159 --> 00:09:32.759 earthly in us. How can those who are united with Jesus in such a close way 00:09:32.759 --> 00:09:41.720 that we get His victories for ourselves were covered by Him, still live like 00:09:41.720 --> 00:09:51.200 we're not? Now to make this point more clear, what Paul does is he brings us 00:09:51.200 --> 00:09:57.879 back to our old self, our earthly self. He makes us look inward. He shows us that 00:09:57.879 --> 00:10:05.120 our true self, I'll keep doing this, true self has been broken by sin, and that sin 00:10:05.120 --> 00:10:10.879 shows itself in all these ways. Sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, 00:10:10.879 --> 00:10:18.960 coveness, anger, wrath, malice, slander, obscene talk from your mouth, and lying. 00:10:18.960 --> 00:10:29.080 He reminds us that that was the way we lived before we met Jesus, before we 00:10:29.080 --> 00:10:35.560 met Jesus. Imagine if you will, you had your wardrobe and it's filled with all 00:10:35.560 --> 00:10:42.440 your old clothes. Every one of them with its gersh colors, all the things that you 00:10:42.440 --> 00:10:48.680 thought were cool back in the day, you know leather, leather wristbands or wooded 00:10:48.680 --> 00:10:54.160 surfer beads or anything like that, maybe long hair with the dyed red at parts. 00:10:54.160 --> 00:10:59.920 I'm sure you'll remember all the fashion choices that you thought were, this make 00:10:59.920 --> 00:11:05.840 me look cool, and I'm sure you would never want anyone to put them back on you 00:11:05.840 --> 00:11:12.680 right now and walk through the town. I know I definitely wouldn't. What I thought 00:11:12.680 --> 00:11:18.040 was cool, what I thought was good, what I thought, yeah I'm looking like something. 00:11:18.040 --> 00:11:23.240 I turned back down and go, oh dear goodness, burn any evidence that I ever wore 00:11:23.240 --> 00:11:31.100 that. Oh I really had my hair like that. Oh I really thought I'd look cool. Never 00:11:31.100 --> 00:11:36.040 want to put that back on, because from this point of view I can see it for what 00:11:36.040 --> 00:11:45.680 it truly is. And that's just like the way we used to live. When we met Christ we 00:11:45.680 --> 00:11:52.840 can see the way we truly used to live and see it for what it really is. There's a 00:11:52.840 --> 00:11:59.040 Japanese saying that every person has three faces. The first you showed of the 00:11:59.039 --> 00:12:03.639 world, the second face you showed to your close friends and family, and the third 00:12:03.639 --> 00:12:09.839 face you never showed to anyone, and that is the truest reflection of who you are. 00:12:09.839 --> 00:12:15.879 Well if we honestly look at ourselves in the mirror, as the Japanese say our 00:12:15.879 --> 00:12:21.919 third face, or as our culture says, the true self, do we see a person who looks 00:12:21.919 --> 00:12:32.519 out for others ourselves? And if we are honest, even myself, we all say I look out 00:12:32.519 --> 00:12:38.759 for myself. I look out for myself even when I'm trying not to. Do we see someone 00:12:38.759 --> 00:12:44.019 who serves others or wants to be served? Do we want to put other other people's 00:12:44.019 --> 00:12:53.799 name ahead of us? Or even still do we want our names to go ahead? Can we go 00:12:53.799 --> 00:13:00.079 through that small list which Paul reminded us off and think I'm not 00:13:00.079 --> 00:13:08.879 like that? Or if we're really sincere, do we not see those things in our hearts? 00:13:08.879 --> 00:13:16.879 You see Paul takes us back and shows us the human condition, our true self has 00:13:16.879 --> 00:13:22.720 been so marred and so corrupted by sin that it's unrecognizable from the glory 00:13:22.720 --> 00:13:30.679 that God created humanity in. The absolute glory that God created humanity in. We've 00:13:30.679 --> 00:13:37.399 went so far from that, we're unrecognizable. It's the reason we 00:13:37.399 --> 00:13:46.240 had had Jesus pay for our sins to die to come to the cross. That our 00:13:46.240 --> 00:13:50.639 condition wasn't just a wee bit fallen, it wasn't just, well God, we bit of dirt in 00:13:50.639 --> 00:13:56.879 us, but our condition was we are so marred from our original creation that we 00:13:56.879 --> 00:14:04.399 needed God to save us. We needed to be saved. We need to be saved, but the cross 00:14:04.399 --> 00:14:12.679 is also the reason that we can now put those things behind us. The cross is the 00:14:12.679 --> 00:14:21.319 very thing that showed us I'm no longer off that. As Paul said, in these you too 00:14:21.319 --> 00:14:29.879 once walked. When you were living in them, but now you must put them all away. 00:14:29.879 --> 00:14:36.159 So put off the old self. Put off the old self. See them for what they truly are. 00:14:36.159 --> 00:14:43.080 See them for what they truly are. Old clothes you thought were good and cool, 00:14:43.080 --> 00:14:49.720 but really are the worst things that ever touch you. And whenever you see 00:14:49.720 --> 00:14:57.240 one of these things raise his head, snipe it, chop it down, kill it no matter how 00:14:57.240 --> 00:15:05.080 small, as an old preacher said, if you're not killing sin, sin is killing you. So 00:15:05.080 --> 00:15:09.480 we're to be heavily minded, not earthly minded, because we died, we're no 00:15:09.480 --> 00:15:15.120 longer off the earth. Secondly, we're to throw off our old self as we've been 00:15:15.120 --> 00:15:21.560 shown that it's disgusting, it's vile, it leads to death. Our old self, our true 00:15:21.559 --> 00:15:28.559 self, it's actually the chains that are holding us down. It's the things that are 00:15:28.559 --> 00:15:36.199 keeping us from being free. But after seeing what our true self is like and 00:15:36.199 --> 00:15:44.079 burning it, rejecting it, we're no longer left naked like who am I? What am I? 00:15:44.079 --> 00:15:49.559 Rather, we're furnished with a new identity. We're furnished with a new 00:15:49.559 --> 00:15:57.439 identity, and we're to put on the new self. Verses 12 to 17, we're to put on the 00:15:57.439 --> 00:16:05.079 new self. Now, when I was a boy growing up, I used to dress up as my dad all the 00:16:05.079 --> 00:16:12.119 time. Any opportunity I got dressed up like my dad. See, my dad was in the army, 00:16:12.119 --> 00:16:16.959 and this is Northern Ireland during the early 90s, so I saw the army every day. 00:16:16.960 --> 00:16:22.400 Went to visit my grandparents' army checkpoint. Fortresses of army 00:16:22.400 --> 00:16:28.720 barks is everywhere. So I idolized my dad. I thought, coolest thing ever. He had to 00:16:28.720 --> 00:16:33.519 go out in trips all the time, so I'm going to Chinook and lift off. My dad's 00:16:33.519 --> 00:16:40.120 awesome. So at any church party or any school party, I would take my dad's 00:16:40.120 --> 00:16:45.120 uniform, whatever I could fit in, which wasn't very much, and I would try to be 00:16:45.120 --> 00:16:53.759 like my dad by putting on his clothes. Here too, we are commanded to put on 00:16:53.759 --> 00:17:01.519 Christ. Paul now commands the Colossians to dress up like Christ by acting like 00:17:01.519 --> 00:17:08.440 him. I'm just going to go through some of the things that he says are things of 00:17:08.440 --> 00:17:16.400 Christ. These are things Christ had in his life and has still, and we're to 00:17:16.400 --> 00:17:21.360 copy him. We're to do something that's so counter-cultural. We're not going to be 00:17:21.360 --> 00:17:26.360 authentic. We're not going to be our true selves. We are going to copy someone. 00:17:26.360 --> 00:17:32.519 They're going to be the person that I want to become. The first being, 00:17:32.519 --> 00:17:39.200 compassion. Now, a more literal translation would be as the NASB puts it, 00:17:39.200 --> 00:17:46.519 put on a heart of compassion. This translation, it shows the the deepness 00:17:46.519 --> 00:17:51.160 of feeling that new believers, that believers are meant to have, especially 00:17:51.160 --> 00:17:57.279 in context to one another, to other believers. Think of Joseph being 00:17:57.279 --> 00:18:01.519 reunited with his family, or David and Jonathan's relationship with each other. 00:18:01.519 --> 00:18:10.920 We're to have compassion for each other. A kinship, kindness, obviously opposite to 00:18:10.920 --> 00:18:17.119 the anger section in in Rath and Malus found in verse 8. Now, the best example 00:18:17.119 --> 00:18:22.480 of this is found in, obviously, Jesus' parable of the good Samaritan. We are to 00:18:22.480 --> 00:18:30.920 be kind without seeking gain because our God has been kind to us. Humility, 00:18:30.920 --> 00:18:40.480 now true kindness can only come when one is truly humble. You can't give away if 00:18:40.480 --> 00:18:47.360 you're always thinking of getting something back. If you're not humble. 00:18:47.360 --> 00:18:53.759 Now, see as Lewis said it best, do not imagine that if you meet a really humble 00:18:53.759 --> 00:19:00.039 man, he will be what most people call humble. He will not be a sort of greasy 00:19:00.039 --> 00:19:06.079 smarmy person who is always telling you that, of course, he's nobody. Always love 00:19:06.079 --> 00:19:10.920 that one. Probably all you will think about him is that he seemed a cheerful 00:19:10.920 --> 00:19:15.879 intelligent chap who took a real interest in what you said to him. And if you do 00:19:15.879 --> 00:19:20.639 dislike him, it'll be because you feel a little envious of anyone who seems to 00:19:20.639 --> 00:19:26.240 enjoy life so easily. He will not be thinking about humility. He will not be 00:19:26.240 --> 00:19:32.640 thinking about himself at all. Humility, as a pastor in America said, is not 00:19:32.640 --> 00:19:41.799 thinking of yourself less, but thinking less about yourself. When you love someone, 00:19:41.799 --> 00:19:47.440 you're not thinking about how they think of you, you're only thinking about them. 00:19:47.440 --> 00:19:54.960 And when we consider Paul's words as those who have been chosen of God, holy 00:19:54.960 --> 00:20:01.840 and beloved, why are we even bothered by what other people think when that is how 00:20:01.840 --> 00:20:10.720 the God of all creation thinks of you? Gentleness and meekness. Now, this is 00:20:10.720 --> 00:20:15.120 actually a really confusing one for our day and age, I think anyway, because this 00:20:15.120 --> 00:20:22.960 does not mean weakness, but it's very similar to humility. Is your stance 00:20:22.960 --> 00:20:28.799 before the one above you? Recognizing who you must obey and submit to. For 00:20:28.799 --> 00:20:35.279 example, a meek soldier would be a good obedient soldier. The opposite of meekness 00:20:35.279 --> 00:20:43.200 would be a proud, assertive or presumptuous soldier. Now, meekness is, you 00:20:43.200 --> 00:20:47.360 could say, is loathed in our culture. Pride and assertiveness, you know, were 00:20:47.360 --> 00:20:51.880 taught to tell their children to be assertive. We're never told to tell their 00:20:51.880 --> 00:21:00.120 children to be meek. It even sounds weird hearing it out loud. But pride and 00:21:00.120 --> 00:21:04.600 assertiveness are elevated to the standard of virtues nowadays. 00:21:04.600 --> 00:21:11.640 Jelteness, meekness, well, they stand in really stark contrast and even opposition 00:21:11.640 --> 00:21:16.480 to our culture. It makes it very hard to live that way, but meekness and gentleness 00:21:16.480 --> 00:21:22.559 does not mean limp-rested. It often sounds that, you know, you meet someone, they give 00:21:22.559 --> 00:21:28.720 you a handshake like a fish. It doesn't mean anything like that. There's even a 00:21:28.720 --> 00:21:35.640 book my son was given, it's called the meek mouse, or the meek little mouse in 00:21:35.640 --> 00:21:40.960 the lion. And we think of a mouse as being meek, because it's weak. We associate 00:21:40.960 --> 00:21:49.960 meekness with weakness. But meekness rather means that you are unmoving to the 00:21:49.960 --> 00:21:55.840 higher commander, your good soldier. In the army, if a major or sergeant give a 00:21:55.840 --> 00:22:01.120 command, who should the private, the one at the bottom, obey? The major, because he 00:22:01.120 --> 00:22:07.680 outranks the sergeant. He knows who is to be meek before, who is to be, who is to 00:22:07.680 --> 00:22:13.600 move to and who to obey. Likewise, when God gives us a command, we're to ignore 00:22:13.600 --> 00:22:20.320 the world and obey God. We are to be meek before God. And this done in the right 00:22:20.320 --> 00:22:27.320 spirit, done with gentleness, can even look like arrogance before men. 00:22:27.320 --> 00:22:33.759 Just think of when we say there is only one way to God. That's a very arrogant 00:22:33.759 --> 00:22:40.160 statement in our world. But in believing it and being unmoving in it, we are being 00:22:40.160 --> 00:22:48.160 meek before God. Think of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego being thrown into the 00:22:48.160 --> 00:22:52.279 fiery furnace for not worshiping the King. Think of Daniel thrown to the lion's 00:22:52.279 --> 00:22:57.720 den. Think of Jesus when slandered and accused. When he was tempted to be caught 00:22:57.720 --> 00:23:04.360 out by the lawyers, Jesus stood his ground. Jesus held to God's law, but he 00:23:04.360 --> 00:23:10.920 was never arrogant or proud. Meekness is not actually cardus. It's courage. It's 00:23:10.920 --> 00:23:15.680 holding to your convictions to God's word because they were commanded to you by 00:23:15.680 --> 00:23:25.240 God. It's strength, more like a mountain, more like a mountain than a 00:23:25.240 --> 00:23:31.680 reed before the wind. Meekness is strength. Patience and long-suffering. Our Lord is 00:23:31.680 --> 00:23:35.120 patient and long-suffering with us. Christ's actions in this world with His 00:23:35.120 --> 00:23:42.079 disciples was patient and long-suffering. Christ is patient with us still. Think of 00:23:42.079 --> 00:23:46.160 how much we could turn back to the previous chapter and go, I'm still like 00:23:46.160 --> 00:23:50.519 that. How many years have I been a Christian? Have I still not put to death 00:23:50.519 --> 00:23:58.079 the same sin that keeps popping its head up? But Christ is patient. He's long 00:23:58.079 --> 00:24:04.639 suffering. He is still united to us. He still loves us. He still cares. He still 00:24:04.639 --> 00:24:13.359 wraps us. Likewise, Jesus was forgiving. Jesus said that we should forgive our 00:24:13.359 --> 00:24:22.559 brother who comes to us 70 times in a day over the same thing. That one's hard 00:24:22.559 --> 00:24:30.399 to live with. Children are in March. I'm sure that one comes out all the time. 00:24:30.399 --> 00:24:35.839 Forgive overdoing the same silly thing. Our serious thing. There's no limit to 00:24:35.839 --> 00:24:39.559 this. Sometimes we can put a limit on our forgiveness. Like, I'll forgive you of 00:24:39.559 --> 00:24:51.960 this, but not this. But it's forgiveness all the time. If we love Christ, we want to 00:24:51.960 --> 00:24:58.399 be like Him. If we're to emulate Him, if we're to put on Christ, we're to dress up 00:24:58.399 --> 00:25:07.839 like Jesus. We're to dress up like Jesus. When we do, the peace of Christ will dwell 00:25:07.839 --> 00:25:13.799 richly in our hearts. Compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, forgiveness, and 00:25:13.799 --> 00:25:20.439 patience bound together with love will mean we think of others first and not 00:25:20.439 --> 00:25:27.399 our own rights, not our dignity, and in that, we'll truly have the peace of Christ 00:25:27.399 --> 00:25:35.199 resting in our hearts. We'll truly be free of all the shackles that hold us to 00:25:35.200 --> 00:25:41.240 this earth when we're trying to be our true self. Lewis goes on to say that God 00:25:41.240 --> 00:25:47.120 is trying. I don't take this personally. This is Lewis talking about all of us, me 00:25:47.120 --> 00:25:52.440 included. He's trying, God is trying to get us to take off a lot of sick, silly, 00:25:52.440 --> 00:25:59.680 ugly, fancy dress that we're strutting about in like the little idiots we are 00:25:59.680 --> 00:26:05.920 rather than feel the relief of having for once got rid of all that silly 00:26:05.920 --> 00:26:10.560 nonsense about your own dignity which has made you restless and unhappy all 00:26:10.560 --> 00:26:13.560 your life. 00:26:17.480 --> 00:26:25.640 And getting rid of all of that, all of that nonsense will have peace because 00:26:25.640 --> 00:26:34.440 it's will be like Christ. And I would add, we would find happiness and 00:26:34.440 --> 00:26:43.960 contentment in our lives. So stop seeking after your true self. Rather, seek after 00:26:43.960 --> 00:26:53.440 your new self that is Christ Himself. If we realize that we die to this world 00:26:53.440 --> 00:27:00.840 with Christ, that we are no longer the earths, we are heavens, we are Christ's. 00:27:00.840 --> 00:27:08.039 We will see our old life the way we what we used to call our true self, see it for 00:27:08.039 --> 00:27:14.120 the very chains that bound us. That old self with every vice that we hated in 00:27:14.120 --> 00:27:22.240 ourselves must be cast off when we see it for what truly is. Then we can put on a 00:27:22.240 --> 00:27:29.799 new self, a real and genuine one as we copy Jesus. And in giving up who we 00:27:29.799 --> 00:27:35.599 are, we are finally free to become who God has always wanted us to be. 00:27:35.599 --> 00:27:43.120 A people who are patient, kind, humble, compassionate and forgiving. We would be a 00:27:43.120 --> 00:27:51.839 people who are truly free. So please, will you stop trying to find out who you are? 00:27:51.839 --> 00:28:00.839 And realize who you can be? Will you throw off your old self and instead copy 00:28:00.839 --> 00:28:11.119 Jesus? Amen, let's pray. Our Father in Heaven, it sounds like a simple task just 00:28:11.119 --> 00:28:19.159 to copy Jesus, to not have to reinvent ourselves or find out who we truly are 00:28:19.160 --> 00:28:26.480 or what we're truly like. The Father of the Taskus truly seems daunting before us. 00:28:26.480 --> 00:28:32.000 We pray that you would help us, help us remember these things and help us remember 00:28:32.000 --> 00:28:37.920 all the mercy and patience and kindness you have had on us because you love us 00:28:37.920 --> 00:28:46.920 so deeply and dearly. Help us remember that we are hid in you and that you will 00:28:46.920 --> 00:28:52.720 never leave us or forsake us. In Jesus' name, amen.