WEBVTT 00:00:00.580 --> 00:00:07.459 So delighted to be together this morning. I'm so happy we can be here and worship as we do every week. 00:00:08.620 --> 00:00:19.179 We've been in a series looking at this amazing, explosive letter to the Galatians that Paul wrote long ago, 00:00:19.260 --> 00:00:23.859 and we're finding again and again and again how relevant this letter is for us today. 00:00:23.859 --> 00:00:30.300 Especially this week, we are talking about the topic, the focus, the idea of freedom. 00:00:32.000 --> 00:00:34.879 And freedom is not something that I have to convince you is important. 00:00:35.019 --> 00:00:37.780 Everybody in our society values freedom. 00:00:38.359 --> 00:00:40.140 We all agree that freedom is important. 00:00:40.960 --> 00:00:46.640 Where things begin to go awry is when we try to figure out what does freedom mean? 00:00:47.579 --> 00:00:48.820 How do you define it? 00:00:49.460 --> 00:00:53.219 And then how do we go about actually securing freedom? 00:00:53.219 --> 00:00:55.399 What measures should we take? 00:00:56.960 --> 00:01:02.239 You know, when we think about freedom, we all automatically have to ask all kinds of questions. 00:01:02.399 --> 00:01:04.379 What does human freedom look like? 00:01:04.980 --> 00:01:07.780 You know, is human freedom life without limits? 00:01:08.959 --> 00:01:13.259 Is it life where I can do whatever I want, be whomever I want? 00:01:14.319 --> 00:01:17.659 Or is freedom life with the right limits? 00:01:19.200 --> 00:01:20.759 How do we define freedom? 00:01:20.760 --> 00:01:25.719 What happens when my freedom impinges upon your freedom? 00:01:26.500 --> 00:01:26.740 Right? 00:01:26.800 --> 00:01:28.700 Because we can't just think about individual freedom. 00:01:28.800 --> 00:01:31.320 We have to think about what that looks like in society. 00:01:31.439 --> 00:01:35.740 And what happens when our freedoms crash against one another. 00:01:36.280 --> 00:01:41.820 In 1941, Franklin Delano Roosevelt famously declared four fundamental freedoms 00:01:41.819 --> 00:01:46.959 that he said people everywhere in the world should be able to enjoy. 00:01:46.959 --> 00:01:48.739 The freedom of speech. 00:01:49.339 --> 00:01:50.299 Freedom of worship. 00:01:50.899 --> 00:01:52.019 Freedom from want. 00:01:52.559 --> 00:01:53.780 Freedom from fear. 00:01:53.939 --> 00:01:57.339 These are freedoms that he said everyone should have. 00:01:57.500 --> 00:01:58.919 Everyone should enjoy. 00:01:58.920 --> 00:02:04.320 Obviously, this is right before the U.S. gets involved in World War II. 00:02:04.320 --> 00:02:10.319 And innumerable lives are lost and massive cost to secure these freedoms. 00:02:10.719 --> 00:02:16.659 Because the belief was these freedoms are worth whatever the cost. 00:02:16.659 --> 00:02:21.539 And at this point in Paul's letter, we see something similar happening. 00:02:21.759 --> 00:02:26.599 As important as those freedoms that Roosevelt articulated are, 00:02:26.919 --> 00:02:30.400 there is a kind of freedom that is even more important and more fundamental. 00:02:30.639 --> 00:02:35.079 And Paul is essentially saying, whatever it costs, it's worth it. 00:02:35.639 --> 00:02:38.019 Because this is the most important kind of freedom there is. 00:02:38.120 --> 00:02:40.060 And it's the freedom that comes through the gospel. 00:02:40.060 --> 00:02:44.400 And so what we're going to do is look at chapter 5, the first 15 verses, 00:02:44.699 --> 00:02:47.800 and we're going to see that the gospel gives us this freedom. 00:02:48.039 --> 00:02:49.699 It frees us from something. 00:02:50.159 --> 00:02:52.659 But it also frees us for something. 00:02:52.819 --> 00:02:56.900 There's a purpose to the freedom that we gain in Jesus Christ. 00:02:57.000 --> 00:02:58.560 So we're going to look at what it frees us from. 00:02:58.699 --> 00:03:01.039 And then we're going to look at what it frees us for. 00:03:01.140 --> 00:03:01.900 So let's pray together. 00:03:03.879 --> 00:03:05.480 Lord, we thank you for your word. 00:03:05.620 --> 00:03:09.340 And we thank you that every week we can come and join together. 00:03:09.340 --> 00:03:11.719 And we're invited to sit under your word. 00:03:12.400 --> 00:03:16.759 Rather than scrutinizing it, we pray that your word would scrutinize us. 00:03:17.740 --> 00:03:20.240 Lord, rather than trying to see what your word would reveal, 00:03:20.379 --> 00:03:22.840 we pray that your word would reveal us. 00:03:23.400 --> 00:03:24.860 That it would expose our hearts. 00:03:25.360 --> 00:03:29.020 That it would remind us once again why we are so desperately in need of your grace. 00:03:29.759 --> 00:03:32.060 We pray this in the name of your son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. 00:03:32.240 --> 00:03:32.539 Amen. 00:03:33.759 --> 00:03:36.659 So first of all, the gospel frees us from something. 00:03:36.659 --> 00:03:38.659 Verses 1 through 12. 00:03:39.340 --> 00:03:47.460 These verses essentially tell us that the gospel sets us free from a life that is defined by two things. 00:03:48.259 --> 00:03:52.800 Number one, the gospel sets us free from a life that is defined by guilt. 00:03:54.219 --> 00:03:54.819 Guilt. 00:03:54.819 --> 00:03:58.959 When I think about guilt, I think about the fourth grade. 00:04:00.019 --> 00:04:04.719 And I think about a particular time in the fourth grade where there were a bunch of kids. 00:04:04.819 --> 00:04:07.620 They were kind of the cool kids in my class and kind of in the school. 00:04:08.359 --> 00:04:11.079 And they did something really horrible. 00:04:11.219 --> 00:04:12.859 They were really picking on this other kid. 00:04:13.799 --> 00:04:15.840 And I could have intervened. 00:04:16.039 --> 00:04:17.699 I could have maybe put a stop to it. 00:04:17.699 --> 00:04:18.839 But I didn't. 00:04:19.779 --> 00:04:24.199 And instead what I did was I joined in this bad thing that they were doing. 00:04:25.000 --> 00:04:32.259 And obviously the reason that I did that was because I wanted those kids to accept me and include me. 00:04:32.319 --> 00:04:36.659 And I thought if I did that, they would then include me in their group and I could be one of them. 00:04:36.939 --> 00:04:38.360 And that was in the fourth grade. 00:04:38.519 --> 00:04:39.699 And this is over 30 years. 00:04:39.699 --> 00:04:41.399 This was well over 30 years ago. 00:04:42.139 --> 00:04:45.680 And a long time ago, it still haunts me. 00:04:46.839 --> 00:04:49.139 I still wake up at 3 o'clock in the morning. 00:04:49.779 --> 00:04:50.759 Every now and then. 00:04:52.879 --> 00:04:55.719 Clammy, sweaty, thinking about that. 00:04:56.500 --> 00:04:58.560 And wishing that I had made a different choice. 00:04:59.279 --> 00:05:01.139 Wishing that I had been the kid that intervened. 00:05:01.779 --> 00:05:02.899 And this haunts me. 00:05:03.360 --> 00:05:08.079 And I know that probably for many of you, there are similar kinds of things in your life. 00:05:08.079 --> 00:05:14.259 No offense, but most of us have lived long enough to have those experiences where they haunt you. 00:05:14.659 --> 00:05:15.740 And it could be big things. 00:05:15.839 --> 00:05:17.060 It could be people that you've hurt. 00:05:17.419 --> 00:05:18.240 Damage that you've done. 00:05:18.279 --> 00:05:19.560 It could be broken relationships. 00:05:19.899 --> 00:05:22.159 It could be ways that you know you wronged or deceived. 00:05:23.079 --> 00:05:24.399 Or it could be little things. 00:05:24.639 --> 00:05:28.839 Some people are haunted by the memory that they forgot to send a thank you card. 00:05:29.599 --> 00:05:30.319 For that thing. 00:05:30.539 --> 00:05:32.699 The wedding gift from 15 years ago. 00:05:33.039 --> 00:05:34.539 I never sent the thank you. 00:05:34.540 --> 00:05:38.879 But whatever it is, I think that we're all kind of haunted by guilt. 00:05:39.000 --> 00:05:40.560 There's this nagging sense of guilt. 00:05:41.560 --> 00:05:47.140 And what the Bible would say about that is that in fact the reason that we're haunted by guilt is because we are in fact guilty. 00:05:48.320 --> 00:05:48.700 Right? 00:05:48.760 --> 00:05:50.820 That's the kind of painful truth of the gospel. 00:05:51.000 --> 00:05:53.379 It doesn't say, oh, don't worry about it. 00:05:53.620 --> 00:05:54.720 It's not that big a deal. 00:05:55.200 --> 00:05:57.240 It says, oh, it's actually worse than you think. 00:05:57.240 --> 00:06:08.040 And the gospel, you know, scripture says that first of all, we all have personal sin of which we are guilty right now. 00:06:08.120 --> 00:06:08.300 Right? 00:06:08.500 --> 00:06:14.160 That we are people who were created by God for his good purposes. 00:06:14.540 --> 00:06:16.199 For his divine purposes. 00:06:16.980 --> 00:06:19.139 And yet it says that we've rejected God. 00:06:19.259 --> 00:06:23.420 We've rejected his purposes in favor of ourselves and our agendas. 00:06:23.420 --> 00:06:29.180 We've sort of set ourselves up as a kind of, you know, substitute gods. 00:06:30.420 --> 00:06:35.140 And because we've done that, because we're denying God in the world that he made, we are guilty. 00:06:35.199 --> 00:06:36.740 And it says that we're born guilty. 00:06:36.879 --> 00:06:39.180 You know, we're born as children of the rebellion. 00:06:39.759 --> 00:06:41.439 We're not born as the good guys. 00:06:41.580 --> 00:06:43.080 We're born as the bad guys. 00:06:43.079 --> 00:06:51.180 And then moreover, beyond personal sin, there's this reality in our world of systemic sin. 00:06:53.000 --> 00:06:53.939 Systemic sin, right? 00:06:54.099 --> 00:07:04.839 So if you're familiar with St. Augustine and you read City of God, his masterful work, comparing the city of man, the city of human beings, and then the city of God. 00:07:04.839 --> 00:07:15.019 What you see is that he is, at many points throughout that work, drawing the connection between personal sin and personal corruption and systemic sin. 00:07:15.099 --> 00:07:23.139 The way that sin gets worked into and wired into the institutions and practices and policies and procedures that we create. 00:07:23.239 --> 00:07:28.459 And he says, you know, corruption in our hearts leads to corrupt institutions and corrupt practices. 00:07:28.459 --> 00:07:39.099 So when we look at the reality that we looked at a few weeks ago, realities like racism, and we talk about the fact that we can be here and now ideologically opposed to racism, 00:07:39.680 --> 00:07:53.199 and yet still every day tacitly benefiting from racist policies that have long, long ago been outlawed, and yet they continue to impact our world. 00:07:53.199 --> 00:08:01.120 When we talk about things like that, we're talking about systemic sin that flows from a heart that is corrupted by the sin of racism, right? 00:08:01.159 --> 00:08:01.819 Racial preference. 00:08:02.060 --> 00:08:14.480 We look at realities like environmental degradation and exploitation, and that's a systemic sin that flows out of a heart that is corrupted by greed and apathy, right? 00:08:14.480 --> 00:08:24.540 You look at systemic sin like sex trafficking, and that's rooted in a heart that is corrupted by lust and greed, right? 00:08:24.580 --> 00:08:31.439 These are systemic realities that exist, and so it's important to recognize this because in my experience, 00:08:31.740 --> 00:08:38.580 people on the theologically conservative end of the spectrum are happy to focus on personal sin. 00:08:38.580 --> 00:08:44.080 But they very much minimize the reality of systemic sin, right? 00:08:44.160 --> 00:08:54.500 And on the other side, people on the kind of theological left are very happy to talk about systemic sin, but they minimize personal sin. 00:08:55.240 --> 00:08:59.940 And what the Bible says, the reality we need to wrestle with is they're both real, and we are guilty of all of it. 00:09:00.680 --> 00:09:03.500 We participate and live within all of it. 00:09:03.500 --> 00:09:06.059 And so we need to recognize that. 00:09:06.120 --> 00:09:07.740 The gospel says that we're guilty of both. 00:09:07.860 --> 00:09:08.940 We stand condemned. 00:09:09.940 --> 00:09:13.200 Now, that's the first thing the gospel frees us from, which we'll get to in a minute, 00:09:13.279 --> 00:09:17.840 but there's another thing that we need freedom from, and that is what you might call the religion of achievement. 00:09:19.299 --> 00:09:21.759 The religion of achievement, verses 6 through 12. 00:09:22.299 --> 00:09:28.399 When Paul is talking about circumcision, it's hard for us to connect with the meaning of circumcision in their culture, 00:09:28.399 --> 00:09:33.579 but it was essentially, one of the commentaries says, this represented a religion of achievement. 00:09:33.959 --> 00:09:40.259 It's a religion based on the idea that I, through my good works, through these external symbols of righteousness, 00:09:40.740 --> 00:09:45.500 can achieve blessing, can earn salvation. 00:09:46.279 --> 00:09:50.639 And you can apply that way of thinking to any religion of achievement. 00:09:50.860 --> 00:09:54.439 Most religions in the world are religions of achievement. 00:09:54.440 --> 00:10:02.420 You know, you work to achieve moral excellence, or divine blessing, or transcendental bliss. 00:10:02.940 --> 00:10:06.060 You know, whether it's adopting a set of principles and living by them, 00:10:06.380 --> 00:10:08.700 whether it's wearing a certain kind of clothing, 00:10:09.260 --> 00:10:12.860 whether it's adopting a set of practices like transcendental meditation, 00:10:13.240 --> 00:10:15.800 you devote yourself to the work and you earn the blessing. 00:10:15.799 --> 00:10:25.539 But the thing that we need to recognize is, even secular, non-religious people live under the religion of achievement, 00:10:25.679 --> 00:10:28.659 what you might call the iron law of achievement. 00:10:29.079 --> 00:10:30.199 You know, there are all kinds. 00:10:30.259 --> 00:10:32.199 I mean, just think about the society that we live in. 00:10:32.719 --> 00:10:38.079 There are all kinds of ways that our culture tells us 00:10:38.079 --> 00:10:41.740 that we are only as good as our resumes. 00:10:41.740 --> 00:10:42.340 Right? 00:10:43.600 --> 00:10:49.320 That we are only worth what our accomplishments would say we are worth. 00:10:50.220 --> 00:10:52.159 You know, and there are a lot of people in this city 00:10:52.159 --> 00:10:56.320 who are gutting it out in PhD programs who probably shouldn't be there. 00:10:57.259 --> 00:10:59.320 Who are gutting it out in jobs they hate 00:10:59.320 --> 00:11:01.639 because they're trying to prove their worth. 00:11:02.700 --> 00:11:03.879 They're trying to matter. 00:11:03.879 --> 00:11:10.679 And they're appealing to the standard of this religion of achievement that is pervasive. 00:11:10.939 --> 00:11:11.139 Right? 00:11:11.460 --> 00:11:14.360 And in our culture, it's not okay to just be average. 00:11:15.340 --> 00:11:16.860 We have to be the best. 00:11:17.500 --> 00:11:18.799 We have to be amazing. 00:11:19.580 --> 00:11:19.779 Right? 00:11:19.820 --> 00:11:21.439 We have to be extraordinary. 00:11:21.960 --> 00:11:23.000 Top of the heap. 00:11:23.419 --> 00:11:26.840 And, you know, one of the weird things about being in your 40s 00:11:26.840 --> 00:11:29.560 is that you've reached a point in life 00:11:29.560 --> 00:11:32.340 where you had all of these things that you planned to achieve 00:11:32.340 --> 00:11:33.920 that you thought were going to give you worth 00:11:33.920 --> 00:11:35.000 and you were going to be somebody. 00:11:35.660 --> 00:11:37.320 And you're at a point in life where you realize 00:11:37.320 --> 00:11:38.840 that that's probably not going to happen. 00:11:39.220 --> 00:11:42.019 And you start to kind of close doors on all those things 00:11:42.019 --> 00:11:43.620 that you were planning to do one day. 00:11:43.700 --> 00:11:47.420 And every door that closes feels like a blow to your self-worth. 00:11:48.120 --> 00:11:50.519 I'm not going to be quite the somebody I thought I was going to be. 00:11:51.480 --> 00:11:52.400 It's painful. 00:11:52.660 --> 00:11:52.820 Right? 00:11:52.820 --> 00:11:54.660 This is why turning 40 is hard. 00:11:54.780 --> 00:11:57.400 It's why this decade is so painful for people. 00:11:57.960 --> 00:12:01.260 So we have these two realities, guilt and achievement. 00:12:01.520 --> 00:12:03.500 We have this need to atone for guilt. 00:12:03.800 --> 00:12:05.980 We have this need to prove our worth. 00:12:06.120 --> 00:12:07.260 And they're pervasive. 00:12:08.140 --> 00:12:09.200 And they haunt us. 00:12:09.300 --> 00:12:11.280 And as Paul would say, they enslave us. 00:12:12.400 --> 00:12:14.720 You know, being enslaved means you can't say no to it. 00:12:15.800 --> 00:12:17.420 And, you know, you try to say no to the guilt. 00:12:17.500 --> 00:12:19.780 You try to say no to that sense that you need to prove yourself. 00:12:19.780 --> 00:12:22.040 But it just comes right back and says, uh-uh. 00:12:22.820 --> 00:12:23.720 You belong to me. 00:12:24.720 --> 00:12:25.080 Right? 00:12:25.280 --> 00:12:27.660 So now look at what Paul says in verse 15. 00:12:27.760 --> 00:12:29.140 As if that was bad enough. 00:12:30.040 --> 00:12:30.260 Right? 00:12:30.360 --> 00:12:32.700 That was the kind of bad news. 00:12:32.760 --> 00:12:33.820 This is the really bad news. 00:12:33.900 --> 00:12:35.260 Here's what happens in verse 15. 00:12:35.620 --> 00:12:38.260 He says, but if you bite and devour one another, 00:12:38.720 --> 00:12:41.080 watch out that you are not consumed by one another. 00:12:41.160 --> 00:12:42.600 Now, what in the world is he talking about? 00:12:42.600 --> 00:12:49.620 What happens when you have a world full of people who are driven by the need to atone for their guilt? 00:12:50.500 --> 00:12:53.980 They're haunted by guilt and driven by the desire to prove their worth. 00:12:54.700 --> 00:12:59.120 And what happens when you have a society full of people who are driven that way and they don't have God? 00:12:59.220 --> 00:13:00.779 They only have one another. 00:13:00.779 --> 00:13:05.079 Well, what happens is you begin to compare yourself to everybody around you. 00:13:05.139 --> 00:13:10.620 The only way you know whether you're atoning, the only way you know, the only standard you have for achievement 00:13:10.620 --> 00:13:13.779 is how you're doing relative to everybody around you. 00:13:14.179 --> 00:13:19.319 And so what ends up happening is you begin to, you know, you begin to realize that if I can tear this person down 00:13:19.319 --> 00:13:22.860 and build myself up, I can feel better about myself. 00:13:23.519 --> 00:13:23.720 Right? 00:13:23.720 --> 00:13:27.120 My achievements only matter if they're better than your achievements. 00:13:28.139 --> 00:13:28.300 Right? 00:13:28.379 --> 00:13:32.500 And so, you know, you have a group of people who aren't married and they hang out on the weekends 00:13:32.500 --> 00:13:33.860 and then one person gets married. 00:13:34.560 --> 00:13:35.399 And what happens? 00:13:36.180 --> 00:13:36.420 Right? 00:13:37.399 --> 00:13:42.040 Or you have a bunch of people who are colleagues in a workplace and then one person gets promoted. 00:13:42.580 --> 00:13:42.820 Right? 00:13:42.820 --> 00:13:47.759 And there's that kind of a weird emotional war that sets in where you're kind of happy for the person 00:13:47.759 --> 00:13:48.779 but you kind of hate them. 00:13:49.259 --> 00:13:49.480 You know? 00:13:49.840 --> 00:13:51.080 And you kind of resent them. 00:13:51.360 --> 00:13:51.540 Right? 00:13:51.660 --> 00:13:51.960 Why? 00:13:51.960 --> 00:13:52.040 Why? 00:13:53.259 --> 00:13:56.800 It's all about this comparison that is happening all the time. 00:13:56.900 --> 00:13:57.080 Right? 00:13:57.259 --> 00:13:58.560 There's this great image. 00:13:58.620 --> 00:14:01.639 I don't know if you're familiar with the children's book, Hope for the Flowers. 00:14:02.400 --> 00:14:03.320 Have you ever seen this book? 00:14:04.200 --> 00:14:07.120 Hope for the Flowers is fascinating because it's about caterpillars. 00:14:07.700 --> 00:14:12.000 And it's about, there's this, the main character comes along one day when he's a young caterpillar 00:14:12.000 --> 00:14:15.120 and he sees this gigantic caterpillar pillar. 00:14:15.820 --> 00:14:19.840 It's like literally a tower of caterpillars going up into the clouds. 00:14:19.840 --> 00:14:24.660 And all of these caterpillars at the bottom are so excited to get started and they're all having to, 00:14:24.780 --> 00:14:25.960 trying to climb up the pillar. 00:14:26.480 --> 00:14:27.259 And nobody knows. 00:14:27.320 --> 00:14:31.139 You can't see what's at the top of the pillar but all, they all agree it has to be amazing 00:14:31.139 --> 00:14:32.660 because all of these people are climbing. 00:14:32.860 --> 00:14:33.720 All these caterpillars. 00:14:33.800 --> 00:14:33.899 Right? 00:14:33.960 --> 00:14:35.000 So it has to be worth it. 00:14:35.379 --> 00:14:38.360 And so, but the trick is, it's a caterpillar pillar. 00:14:38.360 --> 00:14:45.139 So, you have to climb on top of and bite and devour other caterpillars in order to climb. 00:14:45.200 --> 00:14:46.240 It's the only way to go up. 00:14:46.800 --> 00:14:50.440 And so, this caterpillar begins to climb and he climbs and he climbs and he climbs. 00:14:50.800 --> 00:14:56.460 And he bites and devours and steps on and squashes all of these other caterpillars. 00:14:56.519 --> 00:14:58.539 And the more he does it, the better he gets at it. 00:14:58.539 --> 00:15:03.360 And he climbs higher and he climbs higher and he climbs higher. 00:15:03.759 --> 00:15:06.559 And of course, when the main character finally gets to the top, 00:15:06.659 --> 00:15:09.279 there's only just a few caterpillars hanging on for dear life. 00:15:09.360 --> 00:15:10.879 And he realizes there's nothing up there. 00:15:11.939 --> 00:15:13.819 And he's over the clouds at this point. 00:15:13.839 --> 00:15:14.480 He's over the mist. 00:15:14.480 --> 00:15:19.719 And then he looks out and he sees for miles around all of these other pillars. 00:15:20.860 --> 00:15:22.899 All of these other caterpillar towers. 00:15:22.899 --> 00:15:27.860 And all these other caterpillars getting to the top and looking around and seeing each other. 00:15:28.720 --> 00:15:30.179 And he realizes there's nothing up there. 00:15:31.419 --> 00:15:34.959 And, you know, it shows, you know, no matter what pillar we're trying to climb, 00:15:35.199 --> 00:15:36.779 you know, whether it's academic achievement, 00:15:37.019 --> 00:15:39.759 whether it's financial success and building a business, 00:15:39.899 --> 00:15:42.720 whether it's making a difference and having an impact in the world, 00:15:43.059 --> 00:15:44.799 you know, there's nothing at the top. 00:15:46.319 --> 00:15:47.679 There's nothing up there. 00:15:48.740 --> 00:15:50.079 It's the Tower of Babel. 00:15:50.139 --> 00:15:51.539 It just reaches into the sky. 00:15:51.539 --> 00:15:55.379 And stands there, you know, this caterpillar pillar. 00:15:55.699 --> 00:15:56.299 It's meaningless. 00:15:57.379 --> 00:16:01.079 You know, Jim Carrey in his 2016 Golden Globe speech. 00:16:01.399 --> 00:16:02.219 It's really great. 00:16:02.799 --> 00:16:06.939 He gets up and he introduces himself. 00:16:07.079 --> 00:16:07.379 He says, 00:16:08.459 --> 00:16:12.279 I am two-time Golden Globe award winner Jim Carrey. 00:16:12.759 --> 00:16:13.919 And everybody laughs. 00:16:14.019 --> 00:16:14.539 And he says, 00:16:14.899 --> 00:16:16.219 And when I go to sleep at night, 00:16:17.379 --> 00:16:19.579 I'm not just some regular guy going to sleep. 00:16:19.580 --> 00:16:24.420 I'm two-time Golden Globe award winner Jim Carrey 00:16:24.420 --> 00:16:27.100 getting some well-deserved shut-eye. 00:16:28.300 --> 00:16:29.060 And he says, 00:16:29.120 --> 00:16:30.100 And when I dream dreams, 00:16:30.139 --> 00:16:31.639 I don't just dream regular dreams. 00:16:32.840 --> 00:16:33.720 No, sir. 00:16:33.720 --> 00:16:40.019 I dream about being three-time Golden Globe award winner Jim Carrey. 00:16:41.360 --> 00:16:42.860 Because then I will be enough. 00:16:45.040 --> 00:16:46.519 And it will finally be true. 00:16:46.519 --> 00:16:50.720 And I can stop this terrible search 00:16:50.720 --> 00:16:54.220 for that which I know will never fulfill me. 00:16:55.279 --> 00:16:59.259 And it's this moment where the audience is laughing 00:16:59.259 --> 00:17:03.500 and yet you realize that they're also starting to get 00:17:03.500 --> 00:17:05.480 what he's actually saying. 00:17:05.480 --> 00:17:07.259 Because then he says, 00:17:07.579 --> 00:17:10.920 But these awards are really important. 00:17:11.140 --> 00:17:12.279 And everybody kind of knows 00:17:12.279 --> 00:17:15.500 that he's actually just said the opposite, right? 00:17:15.759 --> 00:17:17.480 And it's this brilliant moment, you know, 00:17:17.539 --> 00:17:20.420 where it kind of exposes these towers 00:17:20.420 --> 00:17:21.599 for what they really are. 00:17:22.039 --> 00:17:23.700 And so what the Bible is telling us is 00:17:23.700 --> 00:17:26.019 if we live our lives trying to atone for sin 00:17:26.019 --> 00:17:27.319 and prove our worth, 00:17:27.539 --> 00:17:28.920 we're never going to arrive. 00:17:30.160 --> 00:17:31.660 You know, it'll never be enough. 00:17:31.759 --> 00:17:33.180 There'll never be a point in your life, 00:17:33.180 --> 00:17:34.460 not when you're 40, 50, 60, 00:17:34.519 --> 00:17:34.900 when you say, 00:17:35.039 --> 00:17:36.320 I'm finally here, 00:17:36.539 --> 00:17:37.299 it's finally enough, 00:17:37.539 --> 00:17:38.660 I finally can stop. 00:17:38.960 --> 00:17:39.759 You'll never arrive. 00:17:39.799 --> 00:17:40.680 It will never come. 00:17:43.360 --> 00:17:46.200 And we can end up doing an enormous amount of damage 00:17:46.200 --> 00:17:47.960 to the people that matter to us, 00:17:48.720 --> 00:17:50.620 to the world around us, 00:17:50.740 --> 00:17:52.900 if all we do is climb. 00:17:53.860 --> 00:17:56.039 And so this is why Paul is so emphatic. 00:17:56.140 --> 00:17:57.299 You can't miss verse 12. 00:17:59.240 --> 00:18:01.060 I wish those who unsettle you 00:18:01.060 --> 00:18:02.420 would emasculate themselves. 00:18:02.420 --> 00:18:03.680 I mean, this is Paul. 00:18:03.779 --> 00:18:06.840 There's no way to kind of do exegetical gymnastics 00:18:06.840 --> 00:18:08.800 around what Paul is saying. 00:18:08.960 --> 00:18:10.060 I mean, you know, 00:18:10.100 --> 00:18:12.060 this is why we dismiss the kids, right? 00:18:12.460 --> 00:18:14.000 I mean, Paul is literally saying, 00:18:14.480 --> 00:18:16.500 you think that you're awesome 00:18:16.500 --> 00:18:18.460 because you cut your foreskin off. 00:18:19.019 --> 00:18:21.100 Why not just go all the way? 00:18:22.019 --> 00:18:23.140 That's what he's saying. 00:18:23.700 --> 00:18:26.279 And he's being sarcastic and he's angry 00:18:26.279 --> 00:18:27.960 because he recognizes 00:18:27.960 --> 00:18:30.279 the enormous damage 00:18:30.279 --> 00:18:31.700 that can be done to the human heart 00:18:31.700 --> 00:18:33.379 and to human society 00:18:33.379 --> 00:18:34.799 when this is how we live. 00:18:34.799 --> 00:18:35.359 And he says, 00:18:35.440 --> 00:18:37.599 who would in their right mind encourage that? 00:18:37.779 --> 00:18:38.779 You must be insane. 00:18:40.240 --> 00:18:40.500 You know, 00:18:40.539 --> 00:18:41.839 why don't you emasculate yourself? 00:18:41.839 --> 00:18:45.000 And he's saying that 00:18:45.000 --> 00:18:45.939 because he realizes 00:18:45.939 --> 00:18:47.500 that the gospel offers something 00:18:47.500 --> 00:18:49.139 so infinitely better. 00:18:49.259 --> 00:18:51.019 It's the good news of God's forgiveness 00:18:51.019 --> 00:18:52.839 that comes through grace. 00:18:52.939 --> 00:18:54.059 It's the realization 00:18:54.059 --> 00:18:55.799 that sin is far too deep 00:18:55.799 --> 00:18:57.139 and far too vast 00:18:57.139 --> 00:18:59.019 for us to ever be able to deal with 00:18:59.019 --> 00:18:59.699 on our own. 00:19:00.659 --> 00:19:01.859 Even if we could fix 00:19:01.859 --> 00:19:03.839 all of the systemic sin 00:19:03.839 --> 00:19:05.079 and brokenness in the world, 00:19:05.259 --> 00:19:07.059 there's still the reality of personal sin 00:19:07.059 --> 00:19:08.379 that we can never deal with. 00:19:08.380 --> 00:19:11.600 And so the gospel says 00:19:11.600 --> 00:19:12.360 that the only one 00:19:12.360 --> 00:19:14.160 who can actually deal with sin 00:19:14.160 --> 00:19:15.080 once and for all 00:19:15.080 --> 00:19:15.940 is Jesus Christ 00:19:15.940 --> 00:19:17.760 through his death on the cross. 00:19:17.880 --> 00:19:17.980 You know, 00:19:18.040 --> 00:19:19.940 Jesus pays for our sin, 00:19:20.060 --> 00:19:21.500 but it's not just about forgiveness. 00:19:21.680 --> 00:19:22.960 It's also about adoption. 00:19:23.140 --> 00:19:24.780 The other major theme in Galatians 00:19:24.780 --> 00:19:27.160 where God actually adopts 00:19:27.160 --> 00:19:28.760 people into his family 00:19:28.760 --> 00:19:30.480 and pronounces upon them 00:19:30.480 --> 00:19:32.100 the status of sonship. 00:19:33.560 --> 00:19:35.060 For men and women, 00:19:35.220 --> 00:19:36.160 this means gaining 00:19:36.160 --> 00:19:37.960 the place of greatest prominence 00:19:37.960 --> 00:19:39.540 and honor in God's kingdom. 00:19:40.540 --> 00:19:41.259 So freedom, 00:19:41.440 --> 00:19:42.220 true freedom, 00:19:42.340 --> 00:19:43.440 as scripture defines it, 00:19:43.680 --> 00:19:44.259 is knowing that 00:19:44.259 --> 00:19:46.140 no matter what your life looks like, 00:19:46.200 --> 00:19:48.160 no matter what your resume looks like, 00:19:48.580 --> 00:19:50.279 you belong to God 00:19:50.279 --> 00:19:52.200 and your future is secure. 00:19:52.680 --> 00:19:53.560 That's freedom. 00:19:54.680 --> 00:19:57.440 Freedom from this inescapable drive 00:19:57.440 --> 00:19:59.400 to atone and achieve. 00:20:01.620 --> 00:20:03.200 That's what freedom looks like. 00:20:03.840 --> 00:20:05.820 Freedom also has a purpose behind it. 00:20:05.819 --> 00:20:07.179 There's a reason that God 00:20:07.179 --> 00:20:08.399 has accomplished this. 00:20:08.980 --> 00:20:11.200 I want to spend just a few minutes 00:20:11.200 --> 00:20:11.819 looking at this. 00:20:11.960 --> 00:20:13.000 We won't need as long. 00:20:13.259 --> 00:20:15.299 It's just verses 13, 14, and 15. 00:20:16.200 --> 00:20:17.819 The writer Susan Ertz, 00:20:17.879 --> 00:20:18.659 I love this quote. 00:20:18.740 --> 00:20:20.799 I saw it on a wall years ago. 00:20:20.939 --> 00:20:21.319 She says, 00:20:21.859 --> 00:20:23.700 millions long for immortality 00:20:23.700 --> 00:20:24.639 who don't know what to do 00:20:24.639 --> 00:20:25.200 with themselves 00:20:25.200 --> 00:20:26.599 on a rainy Sunday afternoon. 00:20:27.599 --> 00:20:28.359 And I love that 00:20:28.359 --> 00:20:29.619 because I feel like you could apply 00:20:29.619 --> 00:20:30.960 the same thing to freedom. 00:20:31.460 --> 00:20:31.599 You know, 00:20:31.779 --> 00:20:33.480 millions long for freedom, 00:20:33.700 --> 00:20:34.619 fight for freedom, 00:20:34.619 --> 00:20:35.659 talk about freedom 00:20:35.659 --> 00:20:36.500 who have no idea 00:20:36.500 --> 00:20:37.239 what to do with freedom, 00:20:37.679 --> 00:20:38.939 who have no idea 00:20:38.939 --> 00:20:39.759 what freedom is for. 00:20:41.079 --> 00:20:41.639 You know, 00:20:41.679 --> 00:20:43.099 the Bible has a very nuanced 00:20:43.099 --> 00:20:44.419 understanding of freedom. 00:20:45.139 --> 00:20:46.259 The Bible recognizes 00:20:46.259 --> 00:20:47.859 that many kinds of freedom, 00:20:48.079 --> 00:20:49.059 what we would call freedom, 00:20:49.139 --> 00:20:50.239 actually cause harm. 00:20:51.279 --> 00:20:51.679 Right? 00:20:51.680 --> 00:20:53.140 So you're free to disregard 00:20:53.140 --> 00:20:54.519 all of the traffic laws. 00:20:55.500 --> 00:20:56.779 You're technically free 00:20:56.779 --> 00:20:57.560 to go do that. 00:20:57.840 --> 00:20:58.900 But very quickly, 00:20:59.060 --> 00:21:00.240 your freedom is going to crash 00:21:00.240 --> 00:21:01.100 into literally 00:21:01.100 --> 00:21:02.080 other people's freedom. 00:21:02.779 --> 00:21:03.220 Right? 00:21:03.299 --> 00:21:04.000 And you're probably 00:21:04.000 --> 00:21:04.880 going to cause damage. 00:21:05.759 --> 00:21:07.299 You're free to go eat 00:21:07.299 --> 00:21:08.700 and drink as much as you want. 00:21:08.820 --> 00:21:10.299 There's no regulation on that. 00:21:10.460 --> 00:21:11.240 There's no law 00:21:11.240 --> 00:21:12.360 against you just eating 00:21:12.360 --> 00:21:13.279 whatever you want, 00:21:13.620 --> 00:21:15.039 drinking as much as you want. 00:21:15.660 --> 00:21:16.539 Go indulge. 00:21:16.620 --> 00:21:17.180 Be free. 00:21:17.180 --> 00:21:19.200 But very soon, 00:21:19.440 --> 00:21:22.019 you're either going to die 00:21:22.019 --> 00:21:26.320 or you're going to get in a car 00:21:26.320 --> 00:21:27.500 and kill somebody else 00:21:27.500 --> 00:21:30.200 or you're going to become 00:21:30.200 --> 00:21:31.880 enslaved to those things. 00:21:32.580 --> 00:21:33.519 And this is where the Bible 00:21:33.519 --> 00:21:34.400 is so fascinating 00:21:34.400 --> 00:21:35.620 because it has this 00:21:35.620 --> 00:21:36.180 tremendous insight 00:21:36.740 --> 00:21:39.060 that unbridled license 00:21:39.060 --> 00:21:40.840 for human beings 00:21:40.840 --> 00:21:41.799 often is a road 00:21:41.799 --> 00:21:42.779 right back into slavery. 00:21:44.240 --> 00:21:44.980 I'm free. 00:21:45.060 --> 00:21:45.299 I'm free. 00:21:45.380 --> 00:21:45.759 I'm free. 00:21:45.759 --> 00:21:46.819 And then I need, 00:21:46.920 --> 00:21:47.240 I need, 00:21:47.319 --> 00:21:47.680 I need. 00:21:47.759 --> 00:21:48.279 And then all of a sudden 00:21:48.279 --> 00:21:48.980 you're a slave again. 00:21:49.160 --> 00:21:50.099 And this is what Paul's saying. 00:21:50.200 --> 00:21:51.660 You were set free to be free. 00:21:51.759 --> 00:21:52.740 Why go back into slavery? 00:21:52.799 --> 00:21:53.480 Of any kind. 00:21:55.079 --> 00:21:56.259 So many kinds of freedom 00:21:56.259 --> 00:21:57.779 actually lead into slavery. 00:21:58.180 --> 00:21:58.339 You know, 00:21:58.379 --> 00:21:59.759 you're free to romantically pursue 00:22:00.319 --> 00:22:01.579 whomever you want. 00:22:02.619 --> 00:22:03.859 But if you do that again 00:22:03.859 --> 00:22:04.299 and again 00:22:04.299 --> 00:22:04.720 and again 00:22:04.720 --> 00:22:05.140 and again 00:22:05.140 --> 00:22:06.599 and pursue and hook up 00:22:06.599 --> 00:22:07.379 and pursue and hook up, 00:22:07.420 --> 00:22:07.819 you're going to leave 00:22:07.819 --> 00:22:08.640 a wake of destruction. 00:22:12.140 --> 00:22:13.299 On the one hand, 00:22:14.240 --> 00:22:15.599 the gospel gives us freedom. 00:22:16.480 --> 00:22:17.240 But on the other hand, 00:22:17.319 --> 00:22:18.359 the gospel gives us freedom 00:22:18.359 --> 00:22:20.079 for a specific purpose. 00:22:20.200 --> 00:22:21.240 Galatians 5.13, 00:22:21.619 --> 00:22:22.339 For you were called 00:22:22.339 --> 00:22:23.379 to freedom, brothers. 00:22:23.759 --> 00:22:25.379 Only do not use your freedom 00:22:25.379 --> 00:22:26.339 as an opportunity 00:22:26.339 --> 00:22:27.220 for the flesh, 00:22:27.420 --> 00:22:28.740 but through love 00:22:28.740 --> 00:22:29.900 serve one another. 00:22:30.180 --> 00:22:31.039 This is why 00:22:31.039 --> 00:22:32.019 the gospel frees us, 00:22:32.059 --> 00:22:33.400 so that we can love 00:22:33.400 --> 00:22:34.759 and serve 00:22:34.759 --> 00:22:35.740 one another. 00:22:35.879 --> 00:22:36.720 That's the purpose 00:22:36.720 --> 00:22:37.619 of Christian freedom. 00:22:39.299 --> 00:22:40.839 And because the gospel 00:22:40.839 --> 00:22:41.960 sets us free, 00:22:42.200 --> 00:22:42.440 right, 00:22:42.440 --> 00:22:43.319 it sets us free 00:22:43.319 --> 00:22:45.200 from atonement, 00:22:45.299 --> 00:22:45.960 it sets us free 00:22:45.960 --> 00:22:47.359 from achievement, 00:22:47.839 --> 00:22:49.859 it actually sets us free 00:22:49.859 --> 00:22:51.419 to really and truly 00:22:51.419 --> 00:22:52.539 love and serve other people. 00:22:53.639 --> 00:22:54.759 Because my sense is 00:22:54.759 --> 00:22:56.019 that it's very easy 00:22:56.019 --> 00:22:57.759 to do good in the world 00:22:57.759 --> 00:22:59.000 as a way of trying 00:22:59.000 --> 00:22:59.460 to atone, 00:22:59.919 --> 00:23:01.659 or to do good in the world 00:23:01.659 --> 00:23:02.500 as a way to try 00:23:02.500 --> 00:23:03.319 to prove our worth. 00:23:03.659 --> 00:23:04.279 My sense is 00:23:04.279 --> 00:23:06.019 that the social justice world 00:23:06.019 --> 00:23:07.279 is full of people 00:23:07.279 --> 00:23:08.399 who are trying to atone 00:23:08.399 --> 00:23:08.960 for their sin 00:23:08.960 --> 00:23:09.880 and who are trying 00:23:09.880 --> 00:23:10.720 to prove their worth. 00:23:11.160 --> 00:23:12.079 And that's not what 00:23:12.079 --> 00:23:13.180 Christian freedom is about. 00:23:13.299 --> 00:23:14.360 Christian freedom actually says 00:23:14.360 --> 00:23:15.440 those things have been 00:23:15.440 --> 00:23:16.500 dealt with in your life. 00:23:16.900 --> 00:23:18.000 So now you can serve 00:23:18.000 --> 00:23:19.200 in a way that's not about you. 00:23:19.759 --> 00:23:20.740 It's actually about 00:23:20.740 --> 00:23:21.519 the person that you're 00:23:21.519 --> 00:23:22.259 loving and serving. 00:23:22.360 --> 00:23:23.500 It's actually about God. 00:23:24.579 --> 00:23:25.420 So this is the way 00:23:25.420 --> 00:23:26.720 the gospel sets us free. 00:23:27.600 --> 00:23:29.480 And when we do this, 00:23:29.579 --> 00:23:29.900 when we, 00:23:29.940 --> 00:23:31.480 when we out of that freedom 00:23:31.480 --> 00:23:32.539 give our lives 00:23:32.539 --> 00:23:33.640 to serving other people, 00:23:34.160 --> 00:23:35.900 we're doing what God 00:23:35.900 --> 00:23:36.880 made us to do. 00:23:36.880 --> 00:23:40.020 And this is the weird 00:23:40.020 --> 00:23:41.540 reality of freedom 00:23:41.540 --> 00:23:43.000 is that God sets us free 00:23:43.000 --> 00:23:44.020 and then we give ourselves 00:23:44.020 --> 00:23:44.860 to doing what God 00:23:44.860 --> 00:23:45.620 made us to do 00:23:45.620 --> 00:23:46.420 and then we become 00:23:46.420 --> 00:23:46.880 more human. 00:23:48.420 --> 00:23:49.140 So it's a, 00:23:49.140 --> 00:23:49.800 it's a freedom 00:23:49.800 --> 00:23:50.820 that humanizes 00:23:50.820 --> 00:23:52.540 rather than dehumanizes, 00:23:52.660 --> 00:23:53.240 which is what a lot 00:23:53.240 --> 00:23:53.880 of the other kinds 00:23:53.880 --> 00:23:55.600 of freedom actually do. 00:23:56.100 --> 00:23:57.340 And this is actually 00:23:57.340 --> 00:23:58.600 what the world needs. 00:23:58.720 --> 00:23:59.920 The world right now 00:23:59.920 --> 00:24:02.020 needs men and women 00:24:02.020 --> 00:24:03.360 who have been freed 00:24:03.360 --> 00:24:04.320 from guilt, 00:24:04.840 --> 00:24:06.340 freed from the iron law 00:24:06.339 --> 00:24:06.959 of achievement, 00:24:07.279 --> 00:24:08.819 who are giving themselves 00:24:08.819 --> 00:24:11.699 fully in every sphere 00:24:11.699 --> 00:24:12.500 of society, 00:24:12.720 --> 00:24:13.859 in every career, 00:24:14.159 --> 00:24:15.359 in every workplace, 00:24:15.639 --> 00:24:16.679 in every corner 00:24:16.679 --> 00:24:17.399 of the planet. 00:24:17.659 --> 00:24:18.839 People who are wholly 00:24:18.839 --> 00:24:19.740 giving themselves 00:24:19.740 --> 00:24:21.859 to the love and service 00:24:21.859 --> 00:24:22.379 of God 00:24:22.379 --> 00:24:23.419 and our neighbors. 00:24:23.959 --> 00:24:25.039 This is what the world needs. 00:24:25.119 --> 00:24:25.899 This is what will knit 00:24:25.899 --> 00:24:26.759 the social fabric 00:24:26.759 --> 00:24:27.419 back together. 00:24:27.899 --> 00:24:28.959 And this is really 00:24:28.959 --> 00:24:29.919 what true freedom 00:24:29.919 --> 00:24:30.399 looks like. 00:24:30.399 --> 00:24:31.259 The freedom to give 00:24:31.259 --> 00:24:32.019 yourself away 00:24:32.019 --> 00:24:33.459 and in doing so 00:24:33.459 --> 00:24:34.720 to gain yourself. 00:24:34.919 --> 00:24:35.859 This is what Jesus said. 00:24:36.339 --> 00:24:36.919 And to become 00:24:36.919 --> 00:24:37.720 more truly human. 00:24:38.720 --> 00:24:39.679 So when it comes 00:24:39.679 --> 00:24:40.439 to your guilt, 00:24:41.079 --> 00:24:42.000 when it comes 00:24:42.000 --> 00:24:42.519 to the guilt 00:24:42.519 --> 00:24:43.859 that you feel right now, 00:24:45.059 --> 00:24:47.059 the guilt that haunts you, 00:24:47.279 --> 00:24:48.139 whatever you wake up 00:24:48.139 --> 00:24:48.639 at three o'clock 00:24:48.639 --> 00:24:48.980 in the morning 00:24:48.980 --> 00:24:49.659 thinking about, 00:24:50.500 --> 00:24:52.539 don't give in 00:24:52.539 --> 00:24:53.119 to the temptation 00:24:53.119 --> 00:24:54.079 to say, 00:24:54.339 --> 00:24:55.000 oh, it doesn't matter. 00:24:55.579 --> 00:24:56.519 Oh, it's not a big deal. 00:24:57.039 --> 00:24:57.679 Oh, I was just 00:24:57.679 --> 00:24:58.319 in fourth grade. 00:24:58.319 --> 00:25:01.039 That approach 00:25:01.039 --> 00:25:02.899 actually backfires. 00:25:03.779 --> 00:25:04.439 Because what will 00:25:04.439 --> 00:25:05.059 end up happening 00:25:05.059 --> 00:25:07.019 is you won't actually 00:25:07.019 --> 00:25:07.799 deal with your guilt 00:25:07.799 --> 00:25:08.599 and it will continue 00:25:08.599 --> 00:25:09.339 to haunt you. 00:25:10.619 --> 00:25:11.480 So don't give in 00:25:11.480 --> 00:25:12.179 to that temptation. 00:25:12.579 --> 00:25:12.939 Instead, 00:25:14.019 --> 00:25:14.419 Christians, 00:25:14.559 --> 00:25:15.539 when we feel that guilt, 00:25:15.639 --> 00:25:16.139 we admit, 00:25:16.359 --> 00:25:16.899 you know what, Lord, 00:25:16.980 --> 00:25:17.899 it's a lot worse 00:25:17.899 --> 00:25:18.779 even than I know. 00:25:19.019 --> 00:25:20.079 The things that I wake up 00:25:20.079 --> 00:25:20.679 thinking about 00:25:20.679 --> 00:25:21.960 are probably paltry 00:25:21.960 --> 00:25:22.639 compared to the things 00:25:22.639 --> 00:25:23.599 that I should be thinking about. 00:25:23.819 --> 00:25:24.559 It's a lot worse 00:25:24.559 --> 00:25:25.039 than I know. 00:25:25.039 --> 00:25:25.960 We admit 00:25:25.960 --> 00:25:27.559 and we confess that to God 00:25:27.559 --> 00:25:29.460 and then we repent. 00:25:29.599 --> 00:25:29.819 We say, 00:25:29.879 --> 00:25:31.259 God, I want to be a new person 00:25:31.259 --> 00:25:32.420 and then we ask God 00:25:32.420 --> 00:25:33.220 to forgive us 00:25:33.220 --> 00:25:34.000 and then, 00:25:34.059 --> 00:25:34.659 and here's the key, 00:25:34.779 --> 00:25:35.779 we actually believe 00:25:35.779 --> 00:25:36.960 that God forgives us. 00:25:38.019 --> 00:25:38.879 And then, 00:25:39.159 --> 00:25:39.619 guess what? 00:25:40.079 --> 00:25:41.079 Stop feeling guilty. 00:25:41.940 --> 00:25:43.139 Like right now. 00:25:44.019 --> 00:25:44.779 The thank you card 00:25:44.779 --> 00:25:45.440 you didn't send, 00:25:45.539 --> 00:25:46.019 the breakup 00:25:46.019 --> 00:25:46.799 that went horribly, 00:25:47.000 --> 00:25:47.379 the person, 00:25:47.639 --> 00:25:48.319 all of that, 00:25:48.379 --> 00:25:49.240 if you've confessed 00:25:49.240 --> 00:25:49.799 and repented, 00:25:50.200 --> 00:25:51.859 stop feeling guilty. 00:25:52.259 --> 00:25:53.000 Stop it right now. 00:25:53.440 --> 00:25:54.099 No more guilt. 00:25:54.099 --> 00:25:55.439 Because here's the thing, 00:25:56.119 --> 00:25:57.299 I don't want to make you feel guilty, 00:25:57.899 --> 00:26:00.659 but if you continue feeling guilty, 00:26:00.839 --> 00:26:01.939 you're denying the cross. 00:26:03.480 --> 00:26:04.839 You're saying the cross didn't matter. 00:26:05.779 --> 00:26:06.879 So if the cross is the cross 00:26:06.879 --> 00:26:07.779 and it actually happened, 00:26:08.839 --> 00:26:09.779 no more guilt. 00:26:10.159 --> 00:26:11.000 It's no longer allowed. 00:26:12.339 --> 00:26:13.359 With achievement, 00:26:14.139 --> 00:26:16.579 your value is not on what you achieve 00:26:16.579 --> 00:26:17.779 but on what Jesus Christ 00:26:17.779 --> 00:26:19.779 has achieved for you. 00:26:20.939 --> 00:26:22.699 Worth comes from the reality 00:26:22.700 --> 00:26:25.140 that God saw you 00:26:25.140 --> 00:26:26.480 and God realized 00:26:26.480 --> 00:26:27.900 that you were worth so much 00:26:27.900 --> 00:26:28.600 that he was willing 00:26:28.600 --> 00:26:29.860 to give whatever it takes 00:26:29.860 --> 00:26:31.360 to gain you. 00:26:31.500 --> 00:26:32.039 And that's where 00:26:32.039 --> 00:26:32.880 your worth comes from. 00:26:33.039 --> 00:26:34.680 So here's what that looks like. 00:26:35.420 --> 00:26:36.120 Work hard. 00:26:37.440 --> 00:26:38.080 Be ambitious. 00:26:39.360 --> 00:26:40.420 Try to get promoted. 00:26:40.640 --> 00:26:41.960 Try to do the best you can. 00:26:42.299 --> 00:26:44.039 Try to succeed. 00:26:44.279 --> 00:26:45.460 Try to grow professionally. 00:26:45.880 --> 00:26:47.600 Take every opportunity you can 00:26:47.600 --> 00:26:49.480 to pursue that path 00:26:49.480 --> 00:26:50.440 that God has put you on. 00:26:50.440 --> 00:26:51.559 Whatever that looks like. 00:26:51.960 --> 00:26:53.279 Whatever calling you're pursuing. 00:26:53.400 --> 00:26:54.259 Whatever that vocation is, 00:26:54.600 --> 00:26:56.320 throw yourself fully into it. 00:26:57.500 --> 00:26:58.539 Be ambitious. 00:26:59.320 --> 00:26:59.759 Right? 00:27:00.740 --> 00:27:02.299 But don't do it because you think 00:27:02.299 --> 00:27:03.240 it makes you more worthy. 00:27:04.980 --> 00:27:05.920 Do it because 00:27:05.920 --> 00:27:08.799 it absolutely delights God 00:27:08.799 --> 00:27:10.580 to see you doing 00:27:10.580 --> 00:27:11.420 what he made you to do. 00:27:12.279 --> 00:27:13.480 It delights him. 00:27:13.480 --> 00:27:17.700 That butterfly story 00:27:17.700 --> 00:27:19.240 or the caterpillar story, 00:27:19.319 --> 00:27:20.839 at the end of the caterpillar story, 00:27:22.180 --> 00:27:24.620 this caterpillar has spent 00:27:24.620 --> 00:27:25.860 years of his life climbing 00:27:25.860 --> 00:27:27.000 and by the end, 00:27:27.099 --> 00:27:27.680 he's hardened 00:27:27.680 --> 00:27:30.120 and he barely talks to anybody 00:27:30.120 --> 00:27:32.160 and he's kind of calcified 00:27:32.160 --> 00:27:32.799 in his heart. 00:27:33.579 --> 00:27:34.480 And all of a sudden, 00:27:34.579 --> 00:27:36.259 he sees a childhood friend of his 00:27:36.259 --> 00:27:39.019 and she floats up on the wind 00:27:39.019 --> 00:27:40.819 next to the pillar 00:27:40.819 --> 00:27:42.599 and she's gone through 00:27:42.599 --> 00:27:43.139 a transformation 00:27:43.139 --> 00:27:44.679 and she's become a butterfly. 00:27:45.720 --> 00:27:46.399 And in a moment, 00:27:46.500 --> 00:27:47.679 he realizes that she 00:27:47.679 --> 00:27:49.000 can effortlessly 00:27:49.000 --> 00:27:50.480 go far higher 00:27:50.480 --> 00:27:51.879 than he ever will be able to 00:27:51.879 --> 00:27:53.500 after a lifetime of climbing. 00:27:54.980 --> 00:27:57.399 And it's such a beautiful picture 00:27:57.399 --> 00:27:58.399 of what Paul says 00:27:58.399 --> 00:27:59.559 in verse 15. 00:27:59.700 --> 00:27:59.980 He says, 00:28:00.259 --> 00:28:00.679 or I'm sorry, 00:28:00.740 --> 00:28:01.359 in verse 5, 00:28:01.439 --> 00:28:01.759 he says, 00:28:02.099 --> 00:28:03.059 for through the Spirit, 00:28:03.379 --> 00:28:04.279 by faith, 00:28:04.779 --> 00:28:06.960 we ourselves eagerly wait 00:28:06.960 --> 00:28:08.439 for the hope of righteousness. 00:28:08.440 --> 00:28:08.680 Righteousness. 00:28:09.799 --> 00:28:10.980 Righteousness is not something 00:28:10.980 --> 00:28:11.960 that we can earn 00:28:11.960 --> 00:28:12.600 or achieve 00:28:12.600 --> 00:28:14.360 or climb our way into. 00:28:14.820 --> 00:28:15.400 It is something 00:28:15.400 --> 00:28:16.500 that we wait for. 00:28:16.700 --> 00:28:17.360 It's a gift 00:28:17.360 --> 00:28:17.960 that we're given 00:28:17.960 --> 00:28:18.920 through Jesus Christ. 00:28:19.400 --> 00:28:20.640 And so what this is telling us 00:28:20.640 --> 00:28:21.220 is the gospel 00:28:21.220 --> 00:28:23.259 is not behavior modification 00:28:23.259 --> 00:28:24.440 and the gospel 00:28:24.440 --> 00:28:26.240 is not moral reformation. 00:28:26.460 --> 00:28:26.980 The gospel 00:28:26.980 --> 00:28:28.259 is spiritual transformation. 00:28:29.880 --> 00:28:31.960 God is working in us 00:28:31.960 --> 00:28:32.900 and one day 00:28:32.900 --> 00:28:34.380 we will be transformed 00:28:34.380 --> 00:28:35.620 and one day 00:28:35.620 --> 00:28:36.480 righteousness 00:28:36.480 --> 00:28:38.680 will come as easily to us 00:28:38.680 --> 00:28:40.440 as flight does to a butterfly. 00:28:41.099 --> 00:28:42.500 It will simply be natural. 00:28:43.440 --> 00:28:44.299 So until then, 00:28:44.400 --> 00:28:46.599 let us throw ourselves 00:28:46.599 --> 00:28:48.079 into the work of the kingdom. 00:28:49.120 --> 00:28:52.599 Let us live as free women and men, 00:28:53.000 --> 00:28:53.839 free from guilt, 00:28:54.420 --> 00:28:55.240 free from achievement. 00:28:55.960 --> 00:28:57.839 Let us throw ourselves fully 00:28:57.839 --> 00:28:59.099 into every sphere, 00:28:59.519 --> 00:29:00.740 every corner of the city, 00:29:01.059 --> 00:29:02.339 every corner of the world. 00:29:02.920 --> 00:29:05.099 And let us give ourselves fully 00:29:05.099 --> 00:29:06.139 to the work of freedom, 00:29:06.839 --> 00:29:09.159 to ensuring that as many people 00:29:09.159 --> 00:29:09.740 as possible 00:29:09.740 --> 00:29:10.639 are set free 00:29:10.639 --> 00:29:12.139 to the good news of Jesus Christ. 00:29:12.859 --> 00:29:13.599 Let us pray. 00:29:13.599 --> 00:29:13.639 Let us pray. 00:29:13.640 --> 00:29:43.620 Thank you.