WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.960 --> 00:00:05.480 Good morning, Saddleback. My favorite time of the year, the summertime. 2 00:00:05.519 --> 00:00:11.359 You guys all look pan, rested, ready for whatever. Take 3 00:00:11.359 --> 00:00:15.279 out your message notes. This summer we're doing two major 4 00:00:15.519 --> 00:00:19.679 series back to back. One of them is a case 5 00:00:19.760 --> 00:00:22.879 doing a series on Choose Joy. And this week on Tuesday, 6 00:00:23.239 --> 00:00:27.039 we literally had thousands of women involved in that in 7 00:00:27.079 --> 00:00:29.280 the morning and the evening. And how many of you 8 00:00:29.320 --> 00:00:33.200 were there at look at that. That's great and we 9 00:00:33.280 --> 00:00:35.920 had a great, great study and actually a couple thousand 10 00:00:35.920 --> 00:00:38.920 women watched online. Now, guys, you may say, well I 11 00:00:39.000 --> 00:00:41.079 need joy too, Well, I'll tell you here's how you 12 00:00:41.079 --> 00:00:45.119 can cheat and get into the women's study. Watch it online. 13 00:00:46.759 --> 00:00:50.280 That's what I did. I watched Kay teach on Choose 14 00:00:50.359 --> 00:00:52.799 Joy last Tuesday, and I was sitting there taking notes, going, man, 15 00:00:52.840 --> 00:00:56.840 I wish I had said that. And now now you 16 00:00:56.960 --> 00:00:58.960 understand my secret weapon where I get all my good 17 00:00:59.000 --> 00:01:02.960 material is actually or my wife. So ladies, you can 18 00:01:03.039 --> 00:01:07.400 join on Tuesdays Tuesday morning or Tuesday evening with thousands 19 00:01:07.439 --> 00:01:10.280 of other women here at Saddleback and study Choose Joy. 20 00:01:10.519 --> 00:01:13.560 And then on the weekend I'm doing a major series 21 00:01:13.640 --> 00:01:17.840 on the Invisible War. And what I told you in 22 00:01:17.920 --> 00:01:20.560 the first two sessions, is that the Bible teaches that 23 00:01:20.680 --> 00:01:23.200 you have three enemies that are trying to mess up 24 00:01:23.239 --> 00:01:26.400 your life. They want to defeat your family, They want 25 00:01:26.439 --> 00:01:29.359 to defeat your life, They want to steal your soul. 26 00:01:29.840 --> 00:01:32.480 They want to keep you from having joy and purpose 27 00:01:32.519 --> 00:01:35.400 and meaning here in life. And these three enemies come 28 00:01:35.400 --> 00:01:38.439 against you as kind of triple team and you know 29 00:01:38.680 --> 00:01:42.959 tag team wrestling or you know double team take down 30 00:01:43.040 --> 00:01:46.000 things like that. And the Bible calls these three enemies 31 00:01:46.000 --> 00:01:49.879 that you have the world, the flesh, and the devil. 32 00:01:50.640 --> 00:01:55.319 The world comes around you, Satan comes against you, and 33 00:01:55.359 --> 00:01:59.280 the battle with you is within you. And this summer 34 00:01:59.319 --> 00:02:01.879 we're going to go in detail into each of these 35 00:02:01.920 --> 00:02:04.120 three enemies, because if you don't know who the enemy is, 36 00:02:04.159 --> 00:02:06.280 you can never win the battle, and you're going to 37 00:02:06.319 --> 00:02:09.960 go through life defeated. Most of your life. Now we're 38 00:02:10.000 --> 00:02:13.159 beginning with your biggest enemy. And your biggest enemy is 39 00:02:13.199 --> 00:02:17.240 not Satan, it's not the world, it's you. You are 40 00:02:17.319 --> 00:02:20.719 your biggest problem. And as I said last week, I said, 41 00:02:20.759 --> 00:02:22.599 you know, when you want to run away from your problems, 42 00:02:22.599 --> 00:02:24.400 you want to go to Cancun. The problem is you 43 00:02:24.479 --> 00:02:29.479 take you with you, and all of that internal stuff 44 00:02:29.560 --> 00:02:33.000 is inside you. Now. What we looked at last week 45 00:02:33.039 --> 00:02:36.360 as we began studying the battle inside you, is that 46 00:02:36.479 --> 00:02:39.520 you really do have two natures. If you are a believer, 47 00:02:40.080 --> 00:02:43.400 you have your old nature. What's once to do, what's fun, 48 00:02:43.520 --> 00:02:47.319 what's once to do, what's convenient, not necessarily the right thing, 49 00:02:47.360 --> 00:02:49.479 the best thing, or even what's good for you. A 50 00:02:49.520 --> 00:02:51.479 lot of things you want to do are actually self 51 00:02:51.479 --> 00:02:54.639 destructive to you. And you know for a certain fact 52 00:02:54.800 --> 00:02:56.960 that there are things you know you would be good 53 00:02:56.960 --> 00:02:59.400 for you, be healthy for you, and you don't do them. 54 00:03:00.000 --> 00:03:01.520 I know that there are things that are bad for you, 55 00:03:01.560 --> 00:03:03.800 that are unhealthy for you, that mess up your life, 56 00:03:03.800 --> 00:03:06.960 and you still do them anyway. And last week we 57 00:03:07.000 --> 00:03:11.120 looked at this great Testimony of Romans, chapter seven, where 58 00:03:11.120 --> 00:03:13.479 Paul says, you know what, I can't figure myself out. 59 00:03:14.319 --> 00:03:19.840 All my best intentions aren't good enough. He says, I 60 00:03:19.879 --> 00:03:22.960 want to do the right thing, but I don't. And 61 00:03:23.000 --> 00:03:25.360 I don't want to do the wrong thing, but I do. 62 00:03:25.719 --> 00:03:28.400 And that is the story of you, and it is 63 00:03:28.439 --> 00:03:32.080 the story of me. You know far more than you're 64 00:03:32.120 --> 00:03:35.639 actually doing. If you were actually able to practice all 65 00:03:35.680 --> 00:03:38.800 the good things you know to do, you'd be a 66 00:03:38.840 --> 00:03:43.280 lot more successful in life. But it's not just knowing it, 67 00:03:43.280 --> 00:03:46.439 it's getting yourself to do it. And there's this battle 68 00:03:46.439 --> 00:03:50.120 because we have a natural resistance inside of us that 69 00:03:50.319 --> 00:03:54.719 wants to do what's easy, what's convenient, what's quick, rather 70 00:03:54.759 --> 00:03:58.639 than what's right and what's best. In fact, our entire 71 00:03:58.800 --> 00:04:02.840 nation is in a financial crisis because of this tendency 72 00:04:02.840 --> 00:04:07.280 of human nature to have an inability to delay gratification. 73 00:04:08.400 --> 00:04:09.919 We want it, and we want it now, whether we 74 00:04:09.919 --> 00:04:11.400 can afford it or not. So we go out and 75 00:04:11.439 --> 00:04:14.560 we charge it even though we can't ford it. And 76 00:04:14.599 --> 00:04:16.759 the government's been doing that for years, and now we 77 00:04:16.839 --> 00:04:21.360 have a financial crisis that teeters on the brink of 78 00:04:21.800 --> 00:04:26.040 collapse because all because the ability of buying things we 79 00:04:26.079 --> 00:04:28.199 don't need with money we don't have to impress people 80 00:04:28.199 --> 00:04:30.959 we don't like, and thinking we can have it all. 81 00:04:31.120 --> 00:04:32.720 Let me just tell you right now, you can't have 82 00:04:32.839 --> 00:04:36.040 it all. That is a myth that advertisers will tell 83 00:04:36.079 --> 00:04:39.120 you can't have it all. Life is about choices. You 84 00:04:39.199 --> 00:04:42.199 have to make choices in life and go, Okay, what's 85 00:04:42.240 --> 00:04:45.480 the best for me, what's right for me? What does 86 00:04:45.519 --> 00:04:49.839 God want for me, and so best intentions are not 87 00:04:49.959 --> 00:04:52.639 good enough. And the truth is the battle for you 88 00:04:52.720 --> 00:04:55.959 inside you. Much of your unhappiness, in fact, I would 89 00:04:55.959 --> 00:04:59.639 say it this way, most of your unhappiness in life, 90 00:05:00.160 --> 00:05:03.040 Most of your unhappiness in life is because you listen 91 00:05:03.120 --> 00:05:07.639 to you instead of God. And when you do that, 92 00:05:08.040 --> 00:05:12.199 you tell your self stuff all the time that isn't true. 93 00:05:12.480 --> 00:05:15.000 Just because you have a thought doesn't mean it's accurate, 94 00:05:15.040 --> 00:05:18.439 doesn't mean it's true, doesn't mean it's correct. A lot 95 00:05:18.439 --> 00:05:21.079 of things you think of are not right, they're not correct. 96 00:05:21.120 --> 00:05:23.600 A lot of things I think of aren't right, aren't correct. 97 00:05:23.639 --> 00:05:25.600 In fact, a lot of things I think are actually 98 00:05:25.720 --> 00:05:33.000 lying to myself. Rationalizing where we tell rational lies to ourself. Now, 99 00:05:33.240 --> 00:05:35.879 what I want us to do this weekend is look 100 00:05:35.920 --> 00:05:40.759 at how to overcome the six weapons of self destruction. 101 00:05:41.959 --> 00:05:46.120 Now you've heard of the weapons of mass destruction, but 102 00:05:46.199 --> 00:05:48.759 I want to talk to you about what the Bible 103 00:05:48.800 --> 00:05:52.800 teaches about the weapons of self destruction. There are things 104 00:05:52.839 --> 00:05:56.240 that you do to yourself all the time that dammage you, 105 00:05:56.319 --> 00:05:59.519 that hurts you, that cause you to self destruct, that 106 00:05:59.639 --> 00:06:07.959 cause you enormous stress, enormous pain, enormous unhappiness and unneeded 107 00:06:08.000 --> 00:06:11.519 pressure in your life. And then I'm going to show 108 00:06:11.560 --> 00:06:15.040 you from God's word in Romans chapter eight, how the 109 00:06:15.160 --> 00:06:17.879 Bible tells us that the spirit of God living within 110 00:06:17.959 --> 00:06:20.439 you can give you the antidote to every one of 111 00:06:20.480 --> 00:06:23.519 these weapons. Now, before we even get into the text, 112 00:06:23.560 --> 00:06:25.879 I want you to write these seven things down. It's 113 00:06:25.879 --> 00:06:27.519 not on your outline, so you're just gonna have to 114 00:06:27.519 --> 00:06:30.160 write it somewhere, scribble it over on the side. These 115 00:06:30.199 --> 00:06:33.920 are the seven weapons of self destruction. You can talk 116 00:06:33.959 --> 00:06:37.279 to any psychologist and they'll tell you that these are 117 00:06:37.319 --> 00:06:40.920 the seven things that mess up people's lives more than 118 00:06:40.959 --> 00:06:44.199 anything else. And we're going to look at the cure 119 00:06:44.519 --> 00:06:47.959 for these weapons of self destruction. The first weapon of 120 00:06:47.959 --> 00:06:54.839 self destruction is shame. Shame. You cannot be happy and 121 00:06:55.000 --> 00:06:58.759 feel ashamed at the same time. When you feel ashamed, 122 00:06:58.920 --> 00:07:01.879 when you feel guilty, when you feel regrets, that just 123 00:07:02.000 --> 00:07:04.720 robs all your happiness. God doesn't want you to walk 124 00:07:04.720 --> 00:07:08.199 around feeling guilty. God doesn't want you walking around feeling exhamed. 125 00:07:08.519 --> 00:07:11.000 God doesn't want you walking around with regrets. In fact, 126 00:07:11.000 --> 00:07:13.720 that's why I send Jesus on the cross to die 127 00:07:13.759 --> 00:07:17.800 for all of your sins, but shame is the first 128 00:07:18.000 --> 00:07:21.839 number one destroyer of happiness. The second weapon of self 129 00:07:21.879 --> 00:07:28.079 destruction is uncontrolled thoughts. If you don't learn how to 130 00:07:28.120 --> 00:07:33.360 control your thoughts, your thoughts will ruin your life because 131 00:07:33.399 --> 00:07:38.199 you say to stuff to yourself that causes unhappiness, causes grief, 132 00:07:38.240 --> 00:07:41.560 causes pressure. You must learn how to control your thoughts. 133 00:07:42.040 --> 00:07:48.560 The third weapon of self destruction is compulsions. Compulsions are 134 00:07:48.600 --> 00:07:52.560 those inner drives, inner desires. You can call them less 135 00:07:52.639 --> 00:07:55.240 you can call them habits, you can call them impulses, 136 00:07:55.519 --> 00:07:57.360 but they are those things in your life you feel like, 137 00:07:57.600 --> 00:08:00.480 I felt like I just had to do it, even 138 00:08:00.519 --> 00:08:02.399 though you knew it was wrong. I just had to 139 00:08:02.439 --> 00:08:05.800 do it. And those compulsions. You got to learn how 140 00:08:05.800 --> 00:08:08.240 to deal with those and how to fight that weapon 141 00:08:08.240 --> 00:08:11.759 of self destruction, because if you do things by your compulsions, 142 00:08:11.879 --> 00:08:14.920 you'll mess up your life. The fourth weapon of self 143 00:08:14.959 --> 00:08:21.079 destruction is fear, and fear is an enormous destroyer of happiness, 144 00:08:21.120 --> 00:08:24.759 of potential, of God's purpose for your life. It will 145 00:08:24.800 --> 00:08:27.759 limit your life. You got to learn how to master 146 00:08:28.079 --> 00:08:33.519 your fears. The fifth weapon of self destruction is hopelessness. 147 00:08:34.600 --> 00:08:39.200 Hopelessness keeps you from keeping on. When you start to 148 00:08:39.240 --> 00:08:42.559 feel hopeless about anything, you get discouraged and want to 149 00:08:42.600 --> 00:08:45.559 give up. If you feel hopeless about your marriage, if 150 00:08:45.600 --> 00:08:49.080 you feel hopeless about ever getting married, if you feel 151 00:08:49.080 --> 00:08:52.399 hopeless about your finances, or you feel hopeless about your health. 152 00:08:52.759 --> 00:08:57.600 Hopelessness is a self destructive weapon that you use on you, 153 00:08:58.440 --> 00:09:01.279 and when you turn it inward, it robs you of 154 00:09:01.279 --> 00:09:05.960 God's plan for your life. Number six. Bitterness is a 155 00:09:06.200 --> 00:09:12.960 huge weapon of self destruction because life is unfair and 156 00:09:13.000 --> 00:09:15.919 we don't all get the same thing, and life is 157 00:09:16.000 --> 00:09:20.559 broken and we're stuck, and some people get better than you, 158 00:09:20.639 --> 00:09:23.279 and you get jealous and you get envious, and some 159 00:09:23.320 --> 00:09:26.480 people hurt you. You can either get better or bitter, 160 00:09:27.320 --> 00:09:30.080 And bitterness is a cancer that will eat you alive 161 00:09:30.399 --> 00:09:32.720 and will It's a poison that will eat you on 162 00:09:32.759 --> 00:09:36.480 the inside. You never hurt other people with your bitterness 163 00:09:36.519 --> 00:09:40.000 like you hurt yourself. You always hurt you the most. 164 00:09:40.360 --> 00:09:44.080 It is a self destructive emotion. There is no value 165 00:09:44.240 --> 00:09:46.960 to bitterness in your life. There's no value to holding 166 00:09:47.000 --> 00:09:49.559 onto a grudge. All it does is make you miserable. 167 00:09:49.919 --> 00:09:54.200 And the seventh weapon of self destruction is insecurity. You 168 00:09:54.279 --> 00:09:57.000 gotta deal with this one because if you don't learn 169 00:09:57.039 --> 00:10:00.639 how to deal with insecurity in your life, it's going 170 00:10:00.720 --> 00:10:04.600 to cause you to do foolish things. When you're insecure 171 00:10:04.639 --> 00:10:07.200 and you're trying to show everybody else as you're very confident, 172 00:10:07.440 --> 00:10:12.759 you'll say stupid things, you'll do stupid things, you'll pose 173 00:10:13.840 --> 00:10:19.159 And the only people impressed by posers are other posers. Okay, 174 00:10:19.360 --> 00:10:22.759 everybody sees through it. The only people are impressed by 175 00:10:22.799 --> 00:10:27.399 fakes are other fakes. So you know, when you're insecure, 176 00:10:27.879 --> 00:10:31.519 you can't hide it. You have to deal with it. Now. 177 00:10:31.720 --> 00:10:36.000 The classic passage on dealing with these weapons of self 178 00:10:36.039 --> 00:10:40.960 destruction is Roman seven and Romans eight. If you miss 179 00:10:41.039 --> 00:10:44.120 the last two weeks, you need to run, not walk, 180 00:10:44.159 --> 00:10:46.600 out to the patio and buy the CDs from the 181 00:10:46.639 --> 00:10:48.720 last two weeks so you'll be caught up, or you 182 00:10:48.759 --> 00:10:55.480 need to watch them online on MP three's or on video. 183 00:10:55.600 --> 00:10:59.360 But Roman seven explains what these seven things do in 184 00:10:59.399 --> 00:11:03.799 your life, and Romans eight gives us the answer. Now. 185 00:11:03.879 --> 00:11:06.279 At the end of Romans seven, Paul says, this look 186 00:11:06.320 --> 00:11:09.320 up here on the screen. He's outlined the battle going 187 00:11:09.360 --> 00:11:12.200 on inside himself, and he says What a miserable person 188 00:11:12.279 --> 00:11:15.679 I am? Hecaes, I'm miserable. You know, as I said, 189 00:11:15.720 --> 00:11:17.519 all those things I want to do that I know 190 00:11:17.600 --> 00:11:19.559 are good, I end up not doing, and all those 191 00:11:19.600 --> 00:11:21.360 things that I don't want to do, I end up doing, 192 00:11:21.519 --> 00:11:24.440 and I'm really messing up my life. What a miserable 193 00:11:24.440 --> 00:11:28.039 person I am. I've tried everything and nothing helps. I mean, 194 00:11:28.120 --> 00:11:34.440 I've watched Oprah, I've been to Tony Robbins seminar, I've read 195 00:11:34.440 --> 00:11:37.039 a Doctor phil book. You know, I've done all these 196 00:11:37.080 --> 00:11:39.320 different things. He has. None of this stuff really works 197 00:11:39.360 --> 00:11:43.360 and getting me into shape? He says, who will free 198 00:11:43.440 --> 00:11:47.960 me from this life? Dominated by saying now, he doesn't 199 00:11:48.000 --> 00:11:50.840 say what will free me? Because the answer to you, 200 00:11:50.919 --> 00:11:54.799 the problem inside you, the mess ups in your life 201 00:11:54.840 --> 00:11:57.080 that you'd like to change. The answer is not a pill. 202 00:11:57.360 --> 00:11:59.679 It's not a program, it's not a book, it's not 203 00:11:59.720 --> 00:12:03.480 a it's not a seminar, it's not hypnosis. The answer 204 00:12:03.720 --> 00:12:08.279 is a person. It is Jesus Christ and his spirit 205 00:12:08.480 --> 00:12:13.559 inside you. And Romans eight is the answer to Romans seven, 206 00:12:13.960 --> 00:12:17.360 that the spirit of God inside you gives you the 207 00:12:17.440 --> 00:12:22.240 antidote to all seven of these negative emotions. Now what 208 00:12:22.360 --> 00:12:24.759 I want us to look at this weekend is how 209 00:12:24.799 --> 00:12:29.320 can I be free from me? How can I be 210 00:12:29.440 --> 00:12:32.840 set free from me? And the way we're gonna look 211 00:12:32.879 --> 00:12:36.600 at this is the truths of Romans eight. I have 212 00:12:36.720 --> 00:12:40.360 put them in a practical way of listing seven mental 213 00:12:40.519 --> 00:12:43.039 habits that you need to do that will help you 214 00:12:43.080 --> 00:12:47.000 apply the truth of Romans chapter eight. And so we're 215 00:12:47.000 --> 00:12:50.519 gonna look at these seven mental habits that explain the 216 00:12:50.559 --> 00:12:53.919 great truths of Romans eight. Romans eight is the greatest 217 00:12:54.000 --> 00:12:58.000 chapter in the Bible. In my opinion, it's the greatest chapter. 218 00:12:58.039 --> 00:13:02.320 They once stood to study of of Bible scholars and said, 219 00:13:02.360 --> 00:13:04.000 if you could only have one chapter of the Bible 220 00:13:04.039 --> 00:13:05.879 and on a desert island, which one would you take? 221 00:13:06.200 --> 00:13:09.200 And about ninety percent of them said I'd take Romans eight. 222 00:13:09.759 --> 00:13:13.000 So this is a very strong passage. You need to 223 00:13:13.000 --> 00:13:16.399 take a lot of notes today. Number one. The first 224 00:13:16.440 --> 00:13:21.879 step in being set free from me is this, I 225 00:13:21.960 --> 00:13:28.039 must remind myself daily what Jesus did for me. That's 226 00:13:28.039 --> 00:13:31.480 the starting point. I got to remind myself every day 227 00:13:32.159 --> 00:13:36.279 of what Jesus did for me. What is salvation? What 228 00:13:36.360 --> 00:13:38.279 are the benefits of it? You see, we have a 229 00:13:38.320 --> 00:13:40.320 lot of people who saved you don't act like it. 230 00:13:40.440 --> 00:13:42.399 They run around all the time filled with shame and 231 00:13:42.519 --> 00:13:46.000 uncontrolled thoughts and compulsions and fear and bitterness and insecurity. 232 00:13:46.360 --> 00:13:49.080 And they're believers, but they're not set free from me. 233 00:13:50.559 --> 00:13:53.320 And the first step is you've got to remind yourself 234 00:13:53.399 --> 00:13:56.279 what Jesus actually did for you. And this is how 235 00:13:56.279 --> 00:14:00.360 the Holy Spirit sets me free from shame. Let's look 236 00:14:00.399 --> 00:14:04.480 at these verses Romans eight one to four. First, he says, 237 00:14:04.759 --> 00:14:09.360 so now there is no condemnation for those who belong 238 00:14:09.600 --> 00:14:11.840 to Jesus Christ. And let me stop there before we 239 00:14:11.879 --> 00:14:16.440 go any further. No condemnation means God doesn't judge you 240 00:14:16.559 --> 00:14:19.759 for all the things you've done wrong, if you've trusted Christ, 241 00:14:19.840 --> 00:14:22.960 because Jesus took all that judgment on the cross. He 242 00:14:23.000 --> 00:14:26.320 doesn't have to judge you. Because Jesus was judged. He 243 00:14:26.360 --> 00:14:29.600 doesn't have to condemn you. Because Jesus took your condemnation, 244 00:14:30.159 --> 00:14:33.240 He took your wrap, he paid your penalty, he did 245 00:14:33.399 --> 00:14:37.559 your time for you. Now, the Bible says that if 246 00:14:37.600 --> 00:14:40.360 I'm a believer, I belong to Christ. Look at that verse. 247 00:14:41.600 --> 00:14:44.240 There is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ 248 00:14:44.360 --> 00:14:47.919 Jesus circle the phrase belong to Christ Jesus. This old 249 00:14:47.960 --> 00:14:51.519 passage is talking about people who've given their life to Jesus. 250 00:14:51.879 --> 00:14:54.159 This doesn't apply to you if you haven't made that 251 00:14:54.240 --> 00:14:57.720 decision yet. But if you've received Christ into your life, 252 00:14:57.759 --> 00:15:03.080 the Bible says you're under no condemnation. I means God 253 00:15:03.080 --> 00:15:06.039 doesn't get mad at you when you sin. Did you 254 00:15:06.080 --> 00:15:08.320 hear that God does not get mad at you when 255 00:15:08.320 --> 00:15:11.279 you sin if you belong to Jesus Christ, because he's 256 00:15:11.279 --> 00:15:15.200 already taken the payment. Now, notice it doesn't say that 257 00:15:15.320 --> 00:15:17.879 after I become a Christian, I won't sin, You're still 258 00:15:17.919 --> 00:15:20.720 gonna sin. It doesn't say I'm not gonna make mistakes. 259 00:15:20.759 --> 00:15:23.799 You're still gonna make mistakes. It doesn't say I'm not 260 00:15:23.879 --> 00:15:27.159 gonna fail and look stupid. You're gonna fail and look stupid. 261 00:15:27.519 --> 00:15:31.279 It just says you're under no condemnation. In other words, 262 00:15:31.440 --> 00:15:35.320 you don't have to walk around with shame. You don't 263 00:15:35.360 --> 00:15:38.519 have to walk around with guilt, because when Jesus Christ 264 00:15:38.559 --> 00:15:41.240 died on the cross, he not only paid for all 265 00:15:41.279 --> 00:15:44.559 of the sins you committed last week, last year, and 266 00:15:44.679 --> 00:15:47.320 your entire life he committed. He's already paid for the 267 00:15:47.360 --> 00:15:50.440 sins that you're gonna commit tomorrow, next week, and the 268 00:15:50.440 --> 00:15:54.799 rest of your life. They're already paid for. That's good news. 269 00:15:55.879 --> 00:16:01.000 That is good news. No condemnation means there is no 270 00:16:01.159 --> 00:16:05.360 reason for a Christian to walk around in shame because 271 00:16:05.399 --> 00:16:08.600 I stop and I remind myself Jesus paid for all 272 00:16:08.639 --> 00:16:11.240 of my sins. He already knew before I was born, 273 00:16:11.480 --> 00:16:14.120 every sin I was going to do, and he paid 274 00:16:14.120 --> 00:16:16.559 for it. Now, the next part of that verse says, 275 00:16:16.960 --> 00:16:20.720 for the power of the life giving spirit, that's the 276 00:16:20.759 --> 00:16:24.919 Holy Spirit. God's Spirit has freed you through Christ Jesus 277 00:16:25.080 --> 00:16:28.320 from the power of sin that leads to death. And 278 00:16:28.399 --> 00:16:31.039 what does that verse means? The second thing I remember 279 00:16:31.399 --> 00:16:33.759 is that because I'm a believer and I have Jesus, 280 00:16:34.039 --> 00:16:37.799 I have a new power in my life, greater than willpower. 281 00:16:38.840 --> 00:16:41.360 You see, before you became a Christian, the only thing 282 00:16:41.440 --> 00:16:44.399 you had to use against your bad habits was sheer willpower. 283 00:16:44.639 --> 00:16:48.360 And how long does that work? Now? Very long, he says, 284 00:16:48.399 --> 00:16:51.720 Now there's a new power in you. Unfortunately, a lot 285 00:16:51.759 --> 00:16:55.120 of Christians are still simply relying on willpower to change. 286 00:16:55.279 --> 00:16:58.519 They've never figured out how to connect into spiritual power, 287 00:16:59.039 --> 00:17:01.399 into the power of the Holy Spirit, into the power 288 00:17:01.440 --> 00:17:03.879 of Jesus inside you. He says, there's a new power 289 00:17:03.919 --> 00:17:06.799 in you. There's a new sheriff in town. And when 290 00:17:06.799 --> 00:17:08.759 you want to change things in your life, it's not 291 00:17:08.960 --> 00:17:10.960 just if it's to be, it's up to me. It's 292 00:17:11.000 --> 00:17:17.599 not just my own willpower. It is God's power in me. 293 00:17:17.920 --> 00:17:20.240 I have been given a power greater than willpower. We're 294 00:17:20.279 --> 00:17:22.799 going to look at this more in the next versus. 295 00:17:23.160 --> 00:17:27.000 Then the next thing. It says, the law of Moses 296 00:17:27.799 --> 00:17:33.400 could not save us because of our sinful nature. Now laws, 297 00:17:33.720 --> 00:17:37.680 keeping God's laws cannot save you. Guy says, well, I 298 00:17:37.720 --> 00:17:39.160 know I'm going to heaven. You say, how do you know? 299 00:17:39.200 --> 00:17:44.880 It's because I keep the Ten Commandments. I say, name them. 300 00:17:45.279 --> 00:17:48.440 You don't not only not keep the ten commandments. You 301 00:17:48.480 --> 00:17:51.000 couldn't even name all of them. If I ask you 302 00:17:51.039 --> 00:17:53.279 to stand up right now, you couldn't even How can 303 00:17:53.319 --> 00:17:55.119 you keep them if you don't even know them all? 304 00:17:56.319 --> 00:18:00.839 By the way, keeping laws never works, why, it says, 305 00:18:01.000 --> 00:18:05.279 because of our sinful nature. Laws simply work on outside behavior. 306 00:18:05.480 --> 00:18:09.519 They don't work on inside change. They don't change you 307 00:18:09.559 --> 00:18:11.799 on the inside. For instance, if I were to bring 308 00:18:11.920 --> 00:18:16.599 a pig out here, a big sow that had been 309 00:18:16.680 --> 00:18:19.880 rolling around in the mud and the dirt and eating garbage, 310 00:18:20.240 --> 00:18:22.839 and it stinks to high heaven, and say what is this? 311 00:18:22.920 --> 00:18:26.240 You'd say, it's a pig. Now, I take that pig 312 00:18:26.279 --> 00:18:29.079 backstage and I run it through a couple of car washes, 313 00:18:30.960 --> 00:18:34.119 and then I put it in a bathtub, and I 314 00:18:34.200 --> 00:18:38.200 have bath salts and perfumed soap SuDS, and I get 315 00:18:38.200 --> 00:18:41.240 it all cleaned up, and I brushed the you know, 316 00:18:41.279 --> 00:18:46.599 their teeth, the pig's teeth. And then I sprinkle some 317 00:18:46.640 --> 00:18:49.839 food food juice on it, you know, some corral number five, 318 00:18:49.960 --> 00:18:52.960 you know that would be appropriate for a pig. Okay, 319 00:18:53.319 --> 00:18:57.480 And I rub it down with oil of olet so 320 00:18:57.559 --> 00:19:02.079 its skin is just silky, silk soft. And then I 321 00:19:02.200 --> 00:19:04.519 tie a ribbon around its neck, and I put a 322 00:19:04.559 --> 00:19:09.160 bonnet on it. And I put some eyeshadow and fake 323 00:19:09.200 --> 00:19:12.680 eyelashes on this pig. And I put a dress on it. 324 00:19:12.759 --> 00:19:15.440 And then I put some lipstick on this pig. And 325 00:19:15.519 --> 00:19:17.480 I bring this pig out and I say, now, what 326 00:19:17.720 --> 00:19:23.640 is it? Still a pig? Okay? You may have spiffed 327 00:19:23.720 --> 00:19:28.440 up the outside, but the nature has remained unchanged. And 328 00:19:28.559 --> 00:19:32.200 this is what happens with self help programs is that 329 00:19:32.279 --> 00:19:35.559 we spiff up the outside and we my sheer will 330 00:19:35.640 --> 00:19:39.880 powers say I'm gonna take a bath, I'm gonna get 331 00:19:39.880 --> 00:19:43.119 on some new clothes, I'm gonna change my behavior, and 332 00:19:43.200 --> 00:19:46.839 all the outside looks different, but inside it's still the 333 00:19:46.920 --> 00:19:51.799 same nature. If you're gonna have radical change, transforming change 334 00:19:51.839 --> 00:19:54.880 in your life, it's got to change your nature, and 335 00:19:55.000 --> 00:19:58.599 only God can do that. No self help program can 336 00:19:58.680 --> 00:20:01.279 change your heart, which, by the way, is why I'm 337 00:20:01.279 --> 00:20:07.039 not a politician. I have zero faith in politics or 338 00:20:07.160 --> 00:20:12.400 laws to change human behavior. Why because it's just fixing 339 00:20:12.440 --> 00:20:15.440 the outside. You can pass a law that says nobody 340 00:20:15.480 --> 00:20:18.359 will be a bigot or a racist. Is that going 341 00:20:18.400 --> 00:20:23.240 to change anybody's heart. No, Only Jesus can change that heart. 342 00:20:23.359 --> 00:20:25.880 And I have seen people come to Christ and they 343 00:20:26.000 --> 00:20:29.640 change from a racist into a compassionate person, and from 344 00:20:29.720 --> 00:20:33.240 a bigot into a loving person. Only Jesus can change that. 345 00:20:33.880 --> 00:20:36.720 If I thought you could change human behavior by laws, 346 00:20:36.880 --> 00:20:40.559 I'd be a politician, but there's no track record that 347 00:20:40.640 --> 00:20:45.720 it actually changes people. Only God can change the inside, which, 348 00:20:45.759 --> 00:20:48.000 by the way, is why we don't spend so much 349 00:20:48.039 --> 00:20:51.359 time promoting all political laws. You know, there are some 350 00:20:51.480 --> 00:20:53.559 Christians who think they're going to make the world a 351 00:20:53.599 --> 00:20:56.920 better place just by creating a law. Will people just 352 00:20:57.000 --> 00:20:59.880 break it? I mean they want a law against this 353 00:21:00.279 --> 00:21:02.279 and a law against this sin, and the law against 354 00:21:02.279 --> 00:21:04.279 this sin, and the law against this sin and the 355 00:21:04.359 --> 00:21:08.839 law against this sin. And they think that's going to 356 00:21:08.960 --> 00:21:11.559 change people. No, people just going to break the law. 357 00:21:11.759 --> 00:21:15.839 You do. God has given all kinds of laws in 358 00:21:15.880 --> 00:21:19.559 his word, and you don't obey those, and you break 359 00:21:19.599 --> 00:21:22.039 them all the time. See. One of the things we 360 00:21:22.079 --> 00:21:25.160 know here at Saddleback is you don't expect somebody to 361 00:21:25.240 --> 00:21:28.720 act like a believer until he is one, because he 362 00:21:28.759 --> 00:21:32.480 doesn't have the power to change. He doesn't have the 363 00:21:32.519 --> 00:21:36.279 ability to change. So passing a law that says everybody 364 00:21:36.359 --> 00:21:38.759 is going to be moral or everybody's going to do this, 365 00:21:39.119 --> 00:21:42.400 that doesn't change. That's fit, that's cleaning up the pig. 366 00:21:43.920 --> 00:21:47.559 It doesn't change our nature. God put into effect notice here, 367 00:21:47.640 --> 00:21:50.720 so God knew that laws couldn't save us. But God 368 00:21:50.759 --> 00:21:54.680 put into effect a different plan to save us. He 369 00:21:54.759 --> 00:21:58.000 sent his own son in a human body like ours, 370 00:21:58.000 --> 00:22:02.640 except that ours are sinful. God destroyed sins control over 371 00:22:02.759 --> 00:22:06.079 us by giving his son as a sacrifice for our sins. 372 00:22:06.799 --> 00:22:09.359 In other words, he gave us the power to make 373 00:22:09.400 --> 00:22:12.279 those changes, to forgive us and the changes. And then 374 00:22:12.319 --> 00:22:16.039 it said he did this, Jesus died on the cross 375 00:22:16.279 --> 00:22:19.640 so that the requirement of the law would be fully 376 00:22:19.680 --> 00:22:24.839 accomplished for us. Circle the phrase for us. What is 377 00:22:24.880 --> 00:22:27.720 he saying there? That Jesus not only paid for all 378 00:22:27.759 --> 00:22:30.720 your sins, he did all the right things for you, 379 00:22:32.640 --> 00:22:35.119 those of us who no longer follow our sinful nature 380 00:22:35.119 --> 00:22:39.160 but instead follow the spirit. Now, if you really are 381 00:22:39.319 --> 00:22:42.599 serious about changing your life for the better, you got 382 00:22:42.640 --> 00:22:46.119 to start where God tells you to start. And God 383 00:22:46.160 --> 00:22:49.279 says you don't start with your behavior, your actions, and 384 00:22:49.319 --> 00:22:52.720 you don't start with your feelings your emotions. You start 385 00:22:53.039 --> 00:22:56.440 with your mind. The battle for you to be set 386 00:22:56.480 --> 00:23:01.039 free from me starts in changing your mind. Be renewed, 387 00:23:01.240 --> 00:23:05.200 be transformed by the renewing of your mind. The Bible 388 00:23:05.240 --> 00:23:10.200 teaches very clearly that the way we act is determined 389 00:23:10.240 --> 00:23:13.240 by the way we feel, and the way we feel 390 00:23:13.640 --> 00:23:17.160 is determined by the way we think. For instance, if 391 00:23:17.200 --> 00:23:22.599 I'm acting depressed, it's because I feel depressed. And if 392 00:23:22.640 --> 00:23:27.319 I'm feeling depressed. It's because I'm thinking depressed thoughts. And 393 00:23:27.400 --> 00:23:29.880 if I want to get over my depression, I don't 394 00:23:30.000 --> 00:23:35.880 force myself to change my behavior. That doesn't work. And 395 00:23:36.079 --> 00:23:40.200 I don't force myself to change my feelings. You can't 396 00:23:40.319 --> 00:23:45.000 change a feeling. You cannot force a feeling. A guy says, 397 00:23:45.200 --> 00:23:48.640 you know, I don't love my wife anymore. So I said, well, okay, 398 00:23:48.640 --> 00:23:50.000 what are you going to do about it? Well, I'm 399 00:23:50.039 --> 00:23:51.960 just going to force myself to feel that I love her. 400 00:23:52.000 --> 00:23:56.000 How will that work? It doesn't work. You can't force 401 00:23:56.039 --> 00:23:58.920