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Good morning. 
Pretty cool to preach preach in 

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this church for the first time. 
So let's go, let's do it. 

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Well I was wondering what was 
going to happen with Cole over 

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here like a like he just like 
walked over here in the middle 

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of that song with a bag of What 
are those? 

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Are they sour sour worms. 
Sour Patch Kids. 

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I was I was hoping that Joseph 
was going to be like the a 

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teacher and be like Cole. 
If you bring something in the 

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class you need to share with the
whole church. 

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Did he give you some Dirk? 
No, he didn't accept. 

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Okay, well, that's okay. 
Anyway, let's get to see all of 

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you. 
Welcome to 2023 right? 

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We We made it through 2022. 
So as Cole mentioned this 

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morning, we're starting a series
on the spiritual disciplines. 

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And if that's ounds like a 
really churchy word, you're not 

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familiar with it. 
When we say spiritual 

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disciplines, what we're talking 
about is basically we want to 

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build spiritual muscles in this 
church. 

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And the spiritual disciplines 
are like doing a spiritual work 

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out like working out our 
spirituality and basically 

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growing spiritual muscles. 
Exhorts the church throughout 

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the Epistles to discipline 
themselves in godliness. 

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No, I don't want thank you. 
Thank you. 

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I love being interrupted in that
way. 

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Thank you. 
Paul tells us to discipline 

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ourselves and godliness, not the
eating of sour worms. 

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And as a church, we fought we, 
as goal mentioned, we have five 

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ways in which we do that, five 
basically spiritual workouts, 

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that we do as a church to build 
ourselves up in the faith, we 

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practice the intake of 
scripture, the practice of 

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solitude in praying, the 
practice of Sabbath thing, and 

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resting in Jesus of self-denial 
and fasting. 

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And in also, in the practice of 
the seasons, orienting our 

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calendars around the spiritual 
practices. 

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And today, what we're going to 
be doing, we're going to be 

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doing is not necessarily 
starting just talking about 

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those spiritual disciplines in 
individually. 

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But we're going to get down to 
the foundation down to the 

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basement layer of the spiritual 
disciplines and see what's at 

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the bottom of them. 
And I believe that if we can get

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to the bottom of those, well, 
our experience in practicing, 

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the disciplines will, I believe 
be filled with joy, because 

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sometimes it's difficult, and a 
lot of times it's difficult, And

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so I want to do that with you 
this morning. 

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So in 2016 there was a newspaper
article that came out that sent 

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little Ripples and waves through
the health and wellness movement

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in America, they published a 
study showing that 70% of gym 

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memberships. 
Have no one showing up to the 

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gym. 
Which is crazy, right? 

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Seventy percent of people who 
have a gym membership never show

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up. 
Now I'm not interested in 

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painting old Jim's the same and 
I'm sure the one you go to is 

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better than this. 
So I'm not here to and you know,

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being a bigger guy that is out 
of shape. 

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I don't have an agenda here to 
shut down the health and 

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wellness industry. 
But this struck me, 70% of gym, 

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memberships are basically just 
donations. 

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Who have better odds going to 
Vegas playing Blackjack at 40% 

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of a chance of winning the go 
into a gym and getting in shape,

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something's up with it. 
Well it's just got me thinking 

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and I'm like I said, I'm not 
trying to discourage anyone from

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getting gym memberships. 
I need one right. 

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But there's a point here, really
a question. 

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What is going on that? 
So many people are buying 

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memberships but not showing up. 
And I think the answer is 

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simple. 
Change is hard, change is really

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freaking hard. 
It's really hard and apparently 

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changes somewhat rare room. 
And we all know this whether 

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it's gym, memberships a diet, 
whether it's reading through the

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Bible in the year, how many of 
you made it through the 2022? 

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Reading through the Bible in the
air plan. 

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I see a couple hands good for 
you guys. 

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You're rare. 
A lot of us started and didn't 

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make it. 
Our prayer life is our prayer 

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life. 
Did we pray as much as we 

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intended to in 2022? 
New, Year's resolutions, are 

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like this. 
We make commitments. 

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We want to make changes. 
We want to make improvements, 

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but we end up finding ourselves 
in the 70%. 

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Because change is hard. 
How do we end this? 

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So the question that keeps 
coming to my mind as I think 

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about this as they think about 
the disciplines is, how do we 

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escape the black cloud of the 
seventy percent and is it even 

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possible? 
Or is it just based on like 

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personality type, those who are 
naturally disciplined? 

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This is there really any Hope 
for Change. 

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Or to put it another way is 
practicing. 

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The discipline is just another 
way to feel like a failure. 

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Is it just another way to 
realize? 

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I didn't stick it out. 
What does that say about me as a

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person? 
Well, I have good news for you 

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this morning. 
I have good news. 

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God, I believe wants to fill you
with hope. 

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This morning. 
He wants you to know that your 

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efforts to grow as a Christian 
or not in vain. 

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He wants you to know. 
That you already are what you 

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aim to be in Jesus. 
You already are what you aim to 

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be in Jesus, that change has 
already occurred. 

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And you already are what you aim
to be in Jesus. 

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Look at your neighbor and tell 
them you already are. 

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When you aim to be in Jesus. 
Change is not just possible for 

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a Christian. 
It is absolutely certain and I 

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want us to see that in the text 
that we're going to be looking 

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at together this morning. 
So stand with me as I read. 

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Second Corinthians 5:16 down to 
6:1. 

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Paul writing here, says in verse
16 of second Corinthians chapter

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5. 
From now on therefore we regard 

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no one according to the flesh 
even though we once regarded 

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Christ, according to the flesh, 
we regard him. 

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Thus no longer. 
Therefore if anyone is in 

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Christ, he is a new creation. 
The old has passed away and 

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behold. 
The new has come all, this is 

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from God who through Christ 
reconciled us to himself and 

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gave us the ministry of 
reconciliation. 

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That is in Christ. 
God was reconciling the world to

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himself not counting their 
trespasses against them and 

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entrusting to us the message of 
reconciliation. 

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Therefore we are ambassadors for
Christ. 

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God, making his appeal through 
us. 

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We implore you on behalf of 
Christ be reconciled to God for 

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our sake, he made him to be sin 
who knew no sin. 

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So, that in him, we might become
the righteousness of God. 

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Working together with him. 
Then we appeal to you to not 

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receive the grace of God, in 
vain, you could be seated. 

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The word of the Lord. 
It is good and it is true. 

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I think everybody loves a good 
locker room speech. 

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Everyone loves a love. 
You go to YouTube, you could 

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type in locker room speech and 
you get these scenes and Locker,

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especially in football locker 
rooms or gets loud and Rowdy and

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got a coach there yelling. 
And you got, you got the 

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inspirational music behind you. 
We all love inspiration like 

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this. 
But I want you to know. 

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I want to make clear here that 
Paul does not give us a locker 

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room speech here. 
It is not just like a 

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motivational. 
You can do it speech. 

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It's not a believe in yourself 
kind of Passage. 

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It is also not a new law that 
you're just going to struggle to

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keep. 
It's not a get it together, 

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figure it out people, this 
passage is about two things, 

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it's telling us who Jesus is, 
and what a difference, he makes 

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in your life, what change? 
He brings into your life. 

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You see the difference between a
locker room, speech, and this 

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passage is at the focus is not 
so much on what you need to do. 

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But on what Christ has done and 
what he's doing in you because 

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he wants you to know you already
are what you aim to be in Jesus.

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So Paul Starts Here by helping 
In verse 16, to reorient our 

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thinking about ourselves, he 
wants us to know who we are 

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because you and I, if you're 
like me, I feel like a failure. 

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I feel like, I'm reminded of the
many things I intend to do, but 

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don't, but Paul wants us to 
reorient, our thinking about 

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ourselves and to reorient, our 
thinking about one another in 

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the church, he wants to speak to
you about your identity. 

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Who are you? 
What are you? 

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And he says there in verse 16, 
from now on therefore, we regard

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no one according to the flesh. 
We're not to understand 

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understand ourselves. 
We're not to know ourselves or 

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one another as just average 
basic humans. 

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We're not average basic people. 
Paul is saying, we don't regard 

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one, another as the normal 
person in the world, we're not 

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the 70%. 
In other words, we're not, we 

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are something different and I'm 
wonder and this question, I felt

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this. 
Do I really believe that? 

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I'm not just the average Joe Do 
I really believe that? 

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I am not just the normal 70 
percent and Paul here to help us

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with this. 
He uses Jesus as an example to 

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help us think through this uses 
Jesus there and verse 16. 

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He says even though we once 
regarded Christ, according to 

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the flesh he was just the son of
Mary, a carpenter who lived who 

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came from Nazareth. 
Just, he appeared in many ways 

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to just be a regular dude who 
also happen to really like the 

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Bible. 
But when he dies for sin and 

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raise us from the dead, we 
realize, oh, he's not just a 

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regular guy. 
He is not just a dude, from 

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Nazareth, he's the Lord, he's 
the Christ, he's God and do him 

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in his do worship. 
And so we don't just regard him 

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as a regular person. 
Paul is saying in a similar, but

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different way we should not be 
regarding one. 

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Another as just regular people, 
we shouldn't regard ourselves as

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a regular person in verse 17. 
He tells us how we should regard

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ourselves. 
Elves and how we should regard 

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one another. he says in verse 
17, therefore if you are in 

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Christ, Your what? 
A new creation. 

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You're Something Different. 
You aren't a normal average. 

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Joe you aren't just a regular 
person. 

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You aren't the 70%. 
That's not you. 

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You you have a different 
identity. 

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We're a new creation. 
Do the resurrection of Jesus. 

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His identity as God In the 
Flesh, was put on full display 

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and our Union to Christ by faith
allows us to share in the 

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miracle of his resurrection, 
which is being changed into a 

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new creature. 
His resurrection brings us the 

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ability to be a new creature. 
Experiencing the work of New 

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Creation in our hearts. 
And You know, that can just 

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sound like a bunch of religious 
nonsense if you leave it there, 

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you know, we put this, we put 
verse 17 on coffee cups. 

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We scribe it on our walls. 
You know, we memorize it and we 

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it becomes a slogan. 
Oh we're new creatures in Christ

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but what does that actually 
mean? 

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What does that actually mean? 
And because I think if we get 

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get to the bottom of this, it 
will really help us in 

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particular as we think about the
disciplines, Genesis 1 and 2 are

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amazing chapters in the Bible. 
God creates the whole world. 

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He declares a good, he creates 
Adam and Eve he declares them 

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very good and so we get this 
picture of a pure sinless. 

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And really kind of Utopia in 
Genesis 1 and 2. 

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It's it's flourishing and 
happiness and joy. 

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It's what we all would want. 
It's what we all long for 

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they're in, loving relationship 
with one another and their 

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loving relationship with God and
God walks with them in the cool 

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of the day. 
It's, it's beautiful. 

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It's what everyone wants. 
Creation was good and was all at

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peace and joy. 
But then when we come to chapter

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3 in Genesis, we see Adam and 
Eve fail they sin. 

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And as they sing God, banishes 
them from the garden. 

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He banishes them from his 
presence and all the flourishing

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goes away, sin and death rain. 
And the question at the bottom 

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of every book, when you get, 
when you go through the Old 

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Testament, from Genesis 3 on is 
Is there any hope that any of 

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this is going to change? 
Is there any hope that we could 

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get back to Genesis 1 and 2? 
Is there any hope that Genesis 3

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could be undone? 
Is it possible to get 

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flourishing life and peace and 
joy back? 

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Or we just destined to fail? 
And into that desperation into 

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that question comes. 
Jesus Paul makes explicit 

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reference to this earlier, in 
our passage, in verse 14, where 

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he says, who for our sake or 
their sake Christ, died and was 

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raised from the dead. 
He makes explicit reference to 

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Jesus being the second Adam in 
Romans 5, that added, that 

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Christ was just another atom 
coming to do what Adam couldnt 

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do, living the perfect life 
pleasing. 

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God living in peace with God. 
And with his people, he did what

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Adam couldn't do. 
And then he paid for our sin 

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dying and raising from the dead.
You see in Christ, God is 

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redoing Genesis 1 and 2. 
Jesus is the re-imagining, the 

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redoing, the new creation of 
Genesis 1 and 2. 

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Jesus was the new Adam and he 
did not sin and instead brings 

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life and flourishing. 
And here's my thought. 

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Here's my struggle with this. 
Okay, God's bringing New 

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Creation in Jesus. 
Flourishing, peace and joy. 

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That's great. 
But my life doesn't look like 

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it. 
And a lot of ways I struggled in

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the less and if I'm honest I'm 
just waiting for Genesis 3 to 

243
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come again. 
Just waiting for the shoe to 

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drop for Genesis 32 come again 
be banished from God's presence 

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and be out of luck. 
That's that, that's the struggle

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that I have. 
So what Paul does here then is 

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he wants to help us. 
He he wants to help us to see 

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that if you fail to read your 
Bible every year. 

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And that Genesis 3 is not coming
knocking at your door. 

250
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He wants you to understand that 
you are a new creature and it's 

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not just Genesis 1 and 2 over 
again. 

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It's an entirely New Creation. 
And so I Paul goes on and that 

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we do not have time to unpack 
everything that's here but Paul 

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goes on and he I'm just going to
pull out three things quickly, 

255
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three things that Paul uses to 
describe to us what being a new 

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creation means what it is and 
how it works. 

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He's going to show us that as 
new creatures were reconciled 

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that were righteous and that 
were fruitful. 

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So those are the three things 
he's going to show us here. 

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First, he shows us that were 
reconciled in verses 18 to 20. 

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He shows us that we are 
reconciled to God. 

262
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He says, all this is from God 
who through Christ reconciled us

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to himself were reconciled, he 
gave us the ministry of 

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reconciliation that he made us 
reconciled people. 

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You are not a failure. 
You are reconciled to God. 

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God is not angry at you, and 
your job is not to make him 

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happy with you. 
You are reconciled with him 

268
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through the work of Christ. 
Jesus through his life, his 

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death and his resurrection, made
peace between us and God, he 

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reconciled. 
What was broken in Genesis 

271
00:17:47,900 --> 00:17:51,400
chapter 3? 
Genesis 3 is the story of how 

272
00:17:51,400 --> 00:17:57,000
our relationship with God, went 
bad and in Jesus him stepping NG

273
00:17:57,000 --> 00:18:00,800
in. 
He makes it right in Christ. 

274
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You are reconciled to God. 
Being a new creature means that 

275
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you are perfectly reconciled 
with God. 

276
00:18:07,400 --> 00:18:10,000
You don't need to try to fix 
your relationship with God 

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Jesus. 
Did, you don't need to try to 

278
00:18:12,300 --> 00:18:14,700
maintain your relationship with 
God. 

279
00:18:14,900 --> 00:18:19,300
Jesus did and he does, you don't
need to improve your 

280
00:18:19,300 --> 00:18:23,900
relationship with God because 
it's already perfect in Christ. 

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00:18:24,000 --> 00:18:26,800
You already are what you aim to 
be in Jesus. 

282
00:18:29,200 --> 00:18:33,300
You cannot read enough of the 
Bible to make God more happy 

283
00:18:33,300 --> 00:18:36,900
with you than he currently is. 
You cannot pray. 

284
00:18:36,900 --> 00:18:41,100
More to God, to make him more 
happy with you than he already 

285
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is in Jesus. 
In other words you are already 

286
00:18:45,900 --> 00:18:50,400
what you want to be with God in 
Jesus your reconciled. 

287
00:18:50,700 --> 00:18:53,400
So when you fail to pray, as 
your should, or read your Bible,

288
00:18:53,400 --> 00:18:57,600
as you should practice the 
disciplines as you should, Do 

289
00:18:57,600 --> 00:18:59,300
you need to be reconciled with 
God? 

290
00:18:59,400 --> 00:19:02,000
Do you need to, you know, go to 
him and try to figure out a way 

291
00:19:02,000 --> 00:19:05,600
to make peace with them. 
The answer is no because Jesus 

292
00:19:05,600 --> 00:19:09,800
already has for you. 
In Jesus, you are permanently 

293
00:19:10,100 --> 00:19:13,400
perfectly and eternally at peace
with God. 

294
00:19:13,900 --> 00:19:17,900
He did it, it's done. 
You don't have to worry about 

295
00:19:17,900 --> 00:19:19,800
it. 
You can rest in him. 

296
00:19:20,400 --> 00:19:22,100
In fact it's not just something 
that's done. 

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00:19:22,300 --> 00:19:25,400
It's your identity. 
It's who you are. 

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00:19:25,400 --> 00:19:30,600
It defines you as a being. 
You are a new creature in a far 

299
00:19:30,600 --> 00:19:32,900
better place than Even Adam and 
Eve. 

300
00:19:32,900 --> 00:19:36,600
Were you see? 
Adam and Eve were at peace with 

301
00:19:36,600 --> 00:19:38,400
God in the garden in Genesis 1 
and 2. 

302
00:19:39,200 --> 00:19:42,800
The problem was was they were 
capable of being at odds with 

303
00:19:42,800 --> 00:19:45,900
God and the ended up being at 
odds with God in Genesis 3. 

304
00:19:46,400 --> 00:19:52,800
But what Jesus Does If he gives 
us a far better situation, he 

305
00:19:52,800 --> 00:19:55,900
comes in and he reconciles with 
God and us with God. 

306
00:19:55,900 --> 00:19:58,800
In a way that makes that 
reconciliation permanent. 

307
00:19:58,800 --> 00:20:03,500
We cannot be unreconciled with 
God, because our reconciliation 

308
00:20:03,500 --> 00:20:07,400
is not based upon us or our 
Behavior, our, our practice of 

309
00:20:07,400 --> 00:20:10,600
the disciplines are 
reconciliation, is rooted in the

310
00:20:10,600 --> 00:20:14,600
work of Jesus, which gives us a 
very secure Foundation, which 

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00:20:14,600 --> 00:20:17,800
means that when you tried to go 
practice the disciplines you 

312
00:20:17,800 --> 00:20:21,100
could do so without Fear God is 
not going to be upset with you. 

313
00:20:21,200 --> 00:20:23,100
If you don't do what you think 
you need to do with the 

314
00:20:23,108 --> 00:20:26,700
disciplines. 
You are rooted, you are a 

315
00:20:26,700 --> 00:20:29,400
reconciled person as a new 
creation creature. 

316
00:20:30,600 --> 00:20:33,200
You don't have to fear Genesis 3
happening to you again. 

317
00:20:34,600 --> 00:20:37,200
Second, you're not only 
reconciled but you're righteous 

318
00:20:37,200 --> 00:20:40,400
verse 21. 
You're not only reconciled, but 

319
00:20:40,400 --> 00:20:46,000
in verse 21 for our sake, he 
made him to be sin Christ to be 

320
00:20:46,000 --> 00:20:51,400
sin, your sin, and my sin. 
He made him to be sin who knew 

321
00:20:51,400 --> 00:20:54,800
no sin. 
So, that, in Christ, we might 

322
00:20:54,800 --> 00:21:00,100
become the righteousness of God.
You are righteous. 

323
00:21:00,700 --> 00:21:03,500
You're not just reconciled God. 
It's not just that. 

324
00:21:03,500 --> 00:21:08,000
God, you're at peace with God. 
You are righteous before him. 

325
00:21:08,000 --> 00:21:12,100
And that's your very identity. 
You are a righteous person. 

326
00:21:12,400 --> 00:21:16,600
You are not the 70%. 
You are righteous before him. 

327
00:21:17,600 --> 00:21:20,800
So many of us think that if we 
read more of the Bible that that

328
00:21:20,800 --> 00:21:24,900
will make us more righteous, you
cannot be more righteous than 

329
00:21:24,900 --> 00:21:29,400
what Jesus has made you. 
If we pray, more will be more 

330
00:21:29,400 --> 00:21:32,400
righteous if we practice more 
fasting, that'll make us more 

331
00:21:32,400 --> 00:21:36,100
righteous know you are righteous
in Christ. 

332
00:21:36,700 --> 00:21:39,300
You cannot add to it and you 
certainly cannot detract from 

333
00:21:39,300 --> 00:21:42,600
it. 
You are already righteous and 

334
00:21:42,600 --> 00:21:45,900
change has already come at. 
The question is not is chains 

335
00:21:45,900 --> 00:21:49,800
possible. 
The question, the reality is 

336
00:21:49,800 --> 00:21:53,500
change has already happened. 
It's already happened. 

337
00:21:53,500 --> 00:21:56,700
You aren't the old has gone. 
The new has come. 

338
00:21:56,900 --> 00:22:00,900
You are righteous. 
You have the very righteousness 

339
00:22:01,200 --> 00:22:04,100
of God, the righteousness of 
Jesus. 

340
00:22:04,500 --> 00:22:09,400
This is why this is why we just 
quoted in, in our confession, 

341
00:22:09,600 --> 00:22:12,600
that we have the Jesus robe of 
righteousness. 

342
00:22:13,300 --> 00:22:18,700
We wear his righteousness, where
his righteousness Adam and Eve 

343
00:22:18,700 --> 00:22:21,400
were righteous and they were 
without sending the garden. 

344
00:22:24,100 --> 00:22:26,500
But it was their own 
righteousness, which means that 

345
00:22:26,500 --> 00:22:29,700
it could be lost and it meant 
that it could be corrupted. 

346
00:22:32,100 --> 00:22:35,300
Note, here, we are given God's. 
Righteousness is what he says in

347
00:22:35,300 --> 00:22:41,300
verse 21, that we might become 
the righteousness of God. 

348
00:22:41,500 --> 00:22:43,700
We don't have our own 
righteousness, we have God's 

349
00:22:43,700 --> 00:22:46,300
righteousness. 
So what that means is, you can't

350
00:22:46,300 --> 00:22:49,900
mess it up. 
The change has happened and it's

351
00:22:49,900 --> 00:22:53,500
permanent its effective, and 
it's forever. 

352
00:22:56,600 --> 00:23:02,300
You cannot fail. 
You are already righteous, you 

353
00:23:02,300 --> 00:23:04,800
are already what you aim to be 
in. 

354
00:23:04,800 --> 00:23:07,700
Jesus. 
Look at your neighbor and remind

355
00:23:07,700 --> 00:23:12,500
them that you are already, what 
you aim to be in Jesus. 

356
00:23:22,600 --> 00:23:26,000
many of you are tired of failing
because you've tried discipline 

357
00:23:26,700 --> 00:23:31,300
and you've stopped You've tried 
to read the Bible, then stopped,

358
00:23:31,600 --> 00:23:35,100
you tried to pray and then quit.
You tried to stop a particular 

359
00:23:35,100 --> 00:23:38,000
sin and you failed. 
You've tried to improve your 

360
00:23:38,000 --> 00:23:41,400
marriage but failed, you've 
tried to find joy in Jesus and 

361
00:23:41,400 --> 00:23:46,500
just feel stuck. 
No, this you already possess 

362
00:23:46,500 --> 00:23:48,500
every good thing you have in 
Jesus. 

363
00:23:50,300 --> 00:23:52,100
You're reconciled Your 
Righteous. 

364
00:23:52,100 --> 00:23:56,900
You're already changed. 
You're guaranteed to succeed, 

365
00:23:57,300 --> 00:24:02,500
you're not your failure, your 
failures, do not define you, the

366
00:24:02,500 --> 00:24:05,400
righteousness of Jesus does, 
you're not your mistakes? 

367
00:24:05,400 --> 00:24:09,500
Your sins. 
Your Righteous and Jesus today, 

368
00:24:09,700 --> 00:24:13,600
right now, and in him, you are 
everything wants you want? 

369
00:24:13,600 --> 00:24:16,300
You are everything. 
God wants you to be already. 

370
00:24:19,100 --> 00:24:22,100
This means that when you strive 
to grow, you strive to be 

371
00:24:22,100 --> 00:24:24,300
disciplined. 
You can't fail. 

372
00:24:25,200 --> 00:24:28,200
And that's the gospel. 
That is the gospel. 

373
00:24:28,700 --> 00:24:31,900
The gospel is not just Jesus 
died for your sin and rose from 

374
00:24:31,900 --> 00:24:33,700
the dead so that you don't have 
to go to hell. 

375
00:24:34,100 --> 00:24:36,700
It's true. 
That's not all. 

376
00:24:37,300 --> 00:24:41,000
It's also that you have the 
righteousness of God and you 

377
00:24:41,000 --> 00:24:45,400
are, you're not just guaranteed 
future, change your changed, and

378
00:24:45,400 --> 00:24:48,000
that change is working itself 
out in your life right now. 

379
00:24:50,000 --> 00:24:52,700
He does not demand you to be 
righteous as if your efforts 

380
00:24:52,700 --> 00:24:56,000
are, what will get the job done?
He did it for you. 

381
00:24:56,500 --> 00:24:59,400
And all we, what we get to do as
Christians is living to that 

382
00:24:59,400 --> 00:25:03,600
reality. 
You don't know how many of you 

383
00:25:03,608 --> 00:25:07,800
have had friends like, like I 
think we've all seen this and 

384
00:25:07,800 --> 00:25:13,100
maybe I'd been this person but 
you have a friend who you like, 

385
00:25:13,200 --> 00:25:15,400
you love them, you appreciate 
them. 

386
00:25:16,300 --> 00:25:21,600
And that friend is not convinced
and so they try to convince you 

387
00:25:22,100 --> 00:25:24,700
to be their friend when you're 
already their friend and they 

388
00:25:24,800 --> 00:25:27,900
kind of act in exaggerated ways.
They're just kind of like, what 

389
00:25:27,900 --> 00:25:29,900
are you doing? 
I already like you. 

390
00:25:30,000 --> 00:25:34,300
You don't need to impress me. 
I think God might feel that way 

391
00:25:34,300 --> 00:25:36,700
about some of us some time, 
especially with the disciplines 

392
00:25:37,800 --> 00:25:40,900
We don't need to get do anything
to get him to like us. 

393
00:25:41,700 --> 00:25:44,600
We're already righteous. 
He already loves us, were 

394
00:25:44,600 --> 00:25:47,200
already reconciled. 
Our practice of the disciplines 

395
00:25:47,200 --> 00:25:50,100
is not to get his attempt 
positive attention. 

396
00:25:50,400 --> 00:25:55,000
We already have it. 
If you already have it, it's 

397
00:25:55,000 --> 00:25:58,200
already there. 
And much more. 

398
00:25:58,200 --> 00:26:00,700
It means that being being 
righteous. 

399
00:26:01,200 --> 00:26:03,000
Now, listen to this. 
For some of us, this is a real 

400
00:26:03,000 --> 00:26:07,900
struggle being righteous is the 
authentic version of us. 

401
00:26:08,900 --> 00:26:11,200
It's the authentic version of 
us. 

402
00:26:11,600 --> 00:26:14,500
I've heard some people say well 
I would pray more but that's 

403
00:26:14,500 --> 00:26:17,800
just not me. 
I mean, I would I would be a 

404
00:26:17,800 --> 00:26:20,300
fake version of myself. 
Like I'm putting on 

405
00:26:20,300 --> 00:26:23,200
spirituality. 
Nope. 

406
00:26:23,300 --> 00:26:26,800
The authentic version of you is 
a righteous person who prays the

407
00:26:26,800 --> 00:26:30,100
authentic version of you is the 
person who loves the god of, 

408
00:26:30,100 --> 00:26:31,400
with the word of God and stays 
in it. 

409
00:26:31,400 --> 00:26:34,500
The authentic version of you is 
the person who worships 

410
00:26:34,500 --> 00:26:40,300
passionately and and God is 
inviting you into that without 

411
00:26:40,300 --> 00:26:42,300
fear. 
Because you don't, you can't 

412
00:26:42,300 --> 00:26:46,400
fail and and it is your future 
that's who you are. 

413
00:26:47,700 --> 00:26:50,800
That's who you are and what you 
will be or people will think. 

414
00:26:50,900 --> 00:26:55,300
Well, I feel like a failure 
because I have really failed. 

415
00:26:56,400 --> 00:27:00,300
And so it just be inauthentic 
for me to come in and pretend 

416
00:27:00,300 --> 00:27:05,600
like I'm not a not a failure. 
Well again your failure doesn't 

417
00:27:05,600 --> 00:27:08,300
Define you the righteousness of 
Christ does. 

418
00:27:08,400 --> 00:27:12,100
So be authentic, you comes in to
spite, your failure and worship.

419
00:27:12,100 --> 00:27:16,600
Jesus and praise and reads the 
Bible, you don't practice the 

420
00:27:16,600 --> 00:27:20,500
disciplines to get better or to 
be a reflection of who you are. 

421
00:27:20,800 --> 00:27:25,100
The old self, we do it as a 
reflection of who we really are 

422
00:27:25,100 --> 00:27:28,700
in Jesus, which is Reconciled 
and righteous people. 

423
00:27:29,500 --> 00:27:32,800
You see? 
Genesis 3 is not coming again. 

424
00:27:33,900 --> 00:27:37,200
Because in Jesus Your Righteous 
and will be perfectly forever. 

425
00:27:37,900 --> 00:27:40,900
Adam, and Eve had the capability
of being unrighteous. 

426
00:27:41,300 --> 00:27:48,700
You do not in Christ, you are 
righteous end of story, it is 

427
00:27:48,700 --> 00:27:51,600
who you are. 
You are already, what you aim to

428
00:27:51,600 --> 00:27:55,000
be in. 
Jesus, the last thing then we 

429
00:27:55,000 --> 00:27:59,400
see here is that we are fruitful
and chapter 6 and verse 1. 

430
00:27:59,400 --> 00:28:05,200
He says, working together with 
him, then we appeal to you to 

431
00:28:05,200 --> 00:28:08,100
not receive the grace of God in 
vain. 

432
00:28:09,800 --> 00:28:13,100
In light of what Paul is just 
said, he tells the church to act

433
00:28:13,100 --> 00:28:18,600
to work together with God, he 
suggesting that we work with 

434
00:28:18,600 --> 00:28:21,700
God. 
So, what he's, what he's 

435
00:28:21,700 --> 00:28:25,000
envisioning here is that our 
identity, our identity, and 

436
00:28:25,000 --> 00:28:28,600
Jesus has reconciled and 
righteous people should produce 

437
00:28:28,600 --> 00:28:32,100
activity. 
Should produce effort should 

438
00:28:32,100 --> 00:28:35,100
produce effort, like, living out
the disciplines, like, fighting 

439
00:28:35,100 --> 00:28:39,400
against sin like striving to 
make our marriage. 

440
00:28:39,600 --> 00:28:44,400
Better, whatever it may be. 
Because being a new creature 

441
00:28:44,500 --> 00:28:47,700
does not produce lazy people. 
It just doesn't, it doesn't 

442
00:28:47,700 --> 00:28:50,200
produce people who sit back and 
say, well, I'm reconciled and 

443
00:28:50,200 --> 00:28:52,100
righteous, there's nothing for 
me to do it. 

444
00:28:52,100 --> 00:28:54,300
Produces people who then are 
free. 

445
00:28:55,300 --> 00:28:59,300
And happy to engage the work 
that God has called us to do. 

446
00:28:59,900 --> 00:29:02,100
Because we're not trying to earn
anything, but because we can 

447
00:29:02,100 --> 00:29:05,900
joyfully and freely live in. 
Do we already are in Jesus. 

448
00:29:06,900 --> 00:29:10,500
Freedom yields work and you all 
know that freedom yields work. 

449
00:29:11,100 --> 00:29:17,300
You all know this because well, 
My wife and I go on vacations 

450
00:29:17,300 --> 00:29:24,700
from time to time freed from the
restraints of our labor during 

451
00:29:24,700 --> 00:29:27,900
the week freed from the 
restraints of normal life. 

452
00:29:27,900 --> 00:29:31,500
Having to clean the house, we 
got a hotel room and the maid 

453
00:29:31,500 --> 00:29:34,900
can do it freed from having to 
make our own meals. 

454
00:29:35,300 --> 00:29:39,700
The restaurant can do it freed 
from keeping an agenda. 

455
00:29:39,800 --> 00:29:42,900
We get to set our own agenda, 
it's amazing. 

456
00:29:43,100 --> 00:29:45,600
And then what happens when you 
get home, From vacation after 

457
00:29:45,600 --> 00:29:48,600
all that freedom. 
I need a vacation from my 

458
00:29:48,600 --> 00:29:51,500
vacation, don't you all feel 
that way? 

459
00:29:51,600 --> 00:29:56,100
I need a couple days to recover 
from the work of vacationing 

460
00:29:57,000 --> 00:30:01,600
before I go back to work. 
It's a real thing because 

461
00:30:01,600 --> 00:30:06,500
Freedom makes you want to go out
and do things with your freedom,

462
00:30:07,200 --> 00:30:10,200
it breeds work. 
And that's what Paul's 

463
00:30:10,200 --> 00:30:12,500
envisioning here. 
The freedom you have is 

464
00:30:12,500 --> 00:30:16,300
reconciled and righteous people 
is going to make you want to do 

465
00:30:16,300 --> 00:30:18,700
things because now you do, 
You're not inhibited. 

466
00:30:18,700 --> 00:30:21,200
Now I'm not inhibited with, I 
can't fail and reading the 

467
00:30:21,200 --> 00:30:22,700
Bible, I'm not just going to 
read it through. 

468
00:30:22,700 --> 00:30:25,400
Once I'm gonna read through 
three times this year, that's 

469
00:30:25,400 --> 00:30:28,000
the idea that Paul has in mind 
here. 

470
00:30:30,200 --> 00:30:37,700
I got ahead of myself. 
This is the kind of thing that 

471
00:30:37,700 --> 00:30:41,100
happens in the Christian Life 
when Jesus makes you a new 

472
00:30:41,100 --> 00:30:44,400
creature. 
You don't use that new identity 

473
00:30:44,400 --> 00:30:46,500
tube out of life and stare at a 
screen all day. 

474
00:30:48,400 --> 00:30:51,900
It leads to work too, good work 
and context here that leads to 

475
00:30:51,900 --> 00:30:56,400
the ministry of reconciliation. 
Bringing New Creation to the 

476
00:30:56,400 --> 00:30:58,400
world around us and to others 
around us. 

477
00:30:59,000 --> 00:31:01,300
But for our purposes today it 
means working out the 

478
00:31:01,308 --> 00:31:03,700
disciplines. 
It means getting after it and 

479
00:31:03,700 --> 00:31:06,800
prayer and Bible reading 
fasting, the seasons and resting

480
00:31:06,800 --> 00:31:08,700
in Jesus's accomplishment for 
us. 

481
00:31:09,700 --> 00:31:13,100
Note here, he says that working 
together with him. 

482
00:31:13,100 --> 00:31:17,300
Our work won't be in vain. 
Look at that in verse verse 12, 

483
00:31:18,400 --> 00:31:21,600
not receive the grace of God in 
vain mean, meaning that your 

484
00:31:21,600 --> 00:31:26,700
efforts are going to be worth. 
All the work you're not wasting 

485
00:31:26,700 --> 00:31:30,000
your time. 
That's really good news because 

486
00:31:30,200 --> 00:31:33,300
that means, that means that if 
you intend to read through the 

487
00:31:33,300 --> 00:31:37,500
Bible this year and you make it 
to February, that there's good 

488
00:31:37,500 --> 00:31:40,900
fruit in that. 
And God is working through it 

489
00:31:40,900 --> 00:31:43,100
and he's using it and it's not a
waste of your time. 

490
00:31:43,300 --> 00:31:45,600
Well, I didn't make it through. 
I'm a fail. 

491
00:31:45,600 --> 00:31:48,400
You know you're righteous and 
your work is fruitful. 

492
00:31:48,400 --> 00:31:51,600
God is going to use it to bless 
you and serve you. 

493
00:31:51,600 --> 00:31:52,800
So I don't know if you're 
tending to read through the 

494
00:31:52,800 --> 00:31:55,300
Bible in the air, the through 
the year and this year. 

495
00:31:55,500 --> 00:31:59,400
But if you do, take that word of
Hope, don't fear failure. 

496
00:31:59,700 --> 00:32:01,600
Jumping. 
God will make your work. 

497
00:32:01,600 --> 00:32:03,900
Fruitful your work is already 
fruitful. 

498
00:32:03,900 --> 00:32:06,900
You are a fruitful person in 
Jesus. 

499
00:32:06,900 --> 00:32:09,100
It is part of your identity. 
It's part of the reality. 

500
00:32:09,200 --> 00:32:13,900
Be of being a new creation. 
Paul says, this another way a 

501
00:32:13,900 --> 00:32:17,300
couple chapters earlier in 
chapter 3 and verse 18, mm might

502
00:32:17,300 --> 00:32:20,300
be up on the screen if the if 
it's in the computer still back 

503
00:32:20,300 --> 00:32:23,700
there. 
He says this, he says we all 

504
00:32:23,700 --> 00:32:27,800
with unveiled face beholding, 
the glory of the Lord are being 

505
00:32:27,800 --> 00:32:31,800
transformed into the same image 
from one degree of Glory into 

506
00:32:31,800 --> 00:32:34,400
another. 
That as Christians, we look at 

507
00:32:34,400 --> 00:32:39,200
who we are in Jesus and God 
takes our little meager efforts 

508
00:32:39,700 --> 00:32:42,800
from one Glory. 
He to another and we grow. 

509
00:32:43,300 --> 00:32:46,200
And so we might not get through 
the Bible in a year this year. 

510
00:32:46,800 --> 00:32:50,000
That's just one Glory. 
There's Mo so many more to come.

511
00:32:50,700 --> 00:32:53,600
God is great. 
God is working through you to 

512
00:32:53,600 --> 00:32:59,100
make sure that you are fruitful,
you will realize and become the 

513
00:32:59,100 --> 00:33:02,400
righteousness that you already 
are in Jesus, it's coming. 

514
00:33:02,600 --> 00:33:05,400
It's certain, you cannot fail 
with it. 

515
00:33:08,000 --> 00:33:12,300
You don't make progress becoming
you don't make more progress 

516
00:33:12,500 --> 00:33:16,100
becoming more righteous. 
You don't make progress becoming

517
00:33:16,100 --> 00:33:20,200
more reconciled with him. 
You make progress, living into 

518
00:33:20,200 --> 00:33:27,500
your true self as a person who 
was already righteous You live 

519
00:33:27,500 --> 00:33:31,900
in to the reality of who you are
as a changed, person a righteous

520
00:33:31,900 --> 00:33:34,800
and fruitful person who's deeply
loved by God. 

521
00:33:36,200 --> 00:33:39,900
So as you can see here Paul 
doesn't just give us a I hope 

522
00:33:39,900 --> 00:33:43,000
it's not perceived as just a 
motivational speech. 

523
00:33:43,700 --> 00:33:47,900
He wants to reorient your vision
of who you are and how that 

524
00:33:47,900 --> 00:33:51,400
works out in your life. 
It's not just a TED Talk. 

525
00:33:52,800 --> 00:33:55,200
He helps us to see our true 
identity in Jesus and to live 

526
00:33:55,200 --> 00:33:59,300
out of it. 
In 2007, Georgia Tech. 

527
00:33:59,900 --> 00:34:02,800
They were an underdog football 
team at the time. 

528
00:34:03,700 --> 00:34:06,700
Not very good. 
They didn't have a team that on 

529
00:34:06,700 --> 00:34:10,600
paper, look, the best and they 
went to go play Notre Dame. 

530
00:34:11,900 --> 00:34:14,800
They were a team, Georgia Tech 
was team, just riddled with 

531
00:34:14,800 --> 00:34:18,000
injury and illness. 
And before they went into that 

532
00:34:18,000 --> 00:34:21,699
game, the the team chaplain, he 
got up and gave a speech. 

533
00:34:21,699 --> 00:34:24,300
He grabbed a big hammer, and if 
you watch this on YouTube, they 

534
00:34:24,300 --> 00:34:26,400
got like real inspirational 
music behind it. 

535
00:34:26,600 --> 00:34:29,600
He standing there with this big 
sledgehammer, and he's talking 

536
00:34:29,600 --> 00:34:31,500
to him. 
And he goes, we're gonna fight 

537
00:34:31,699 --> 00:34:36,800
until we can't fight no more. 
We're gonna lie down and we're 

538
00:34:36,800 --> 00:34:40,600
gonna bleed a while. 
Then we're gonna get up, and 

539
00:34:40,600 --> 00:34:43,800
we're gonna fight some more and 
the cheapest, and they go crazy,

540
00:34:43,800 --> 00:34:45,600
and they go out and they win the
game, right? 

541
00:34:46,600 --> 00:34:49,699
It's great. 
So it's a great locker room 

542
00:34:49,699 --> 00:34:51,300
speech. 
It's exciting. 

543
00:34:51,300 --> 00:34:54,699
It's motivating. 
Run through wall with a football

544
00:34:54,699 --> 00:34:56,800
helmet. 
Like it's great but it's not 

545
00:34:56,800 --> 00:34:59,500
gospel. 
It's not gospel. 

546
00:35:01,300 --> 00:35:03,000
Here's how Paul would say it to 
us. 

547
00:35:03,400 --> 00:35:07,100
We're going to fight until we 
can't fight no more but Jesus 

548
00:35:07,100 --> 00:35:11,100
was already beat down for us. 
He bled to death, then he got up

549
00:35:11,100 --> 00:35:13,500
from the dead and he fought to 
give us the victory that he 

550
00:35:13,500 --> 00:35:17,900
already won. 
You've already won so now just 

551
00:35:17,900 --> 00:35:22,400
go out and play like it just go 
out and play like it because 

552
00:35:22,400 --> 00:35:27,400
it's done. 
God wants you to know you 

553
00:35:27,400 --> 00:35:30,000
already are what you aim to be 
in Jesus. 

554
00:35:30,000 --> 00:35:33,300
So practice the disciplines with
the freedom and the joy. 

555
00:35:33,600 --> 00:35:36,700
That that truth gives you. 
Let's pray and ask him for help 

556
00:35:36,700 --> 00:35:40,700
to do that. 
God, we thank you for the hope 

557
00:35:40,800 --> 00:35:47,400
that we have in Jesus. 
Good night without it. 

558
00:35:51,300 --> 00:35:54,700
A world of Genesis threes would 
just be looming over our heads. 

559
00:35:56,700 --> 00:35:59,100
I just pray Lord that this year,
as we think about the 

560
00:35:59,100 --> 00:36:04,500
disciplines, as we strive to 
live for you that 20:23 would 

561
00:36:04,500 --> 00:36:07,900
just be a year of even greater 
glory than we could imagine. 

562
00:36:07,900 --> 00:36:11,300
As we behold your face together,
we pray and ask this in Jesus 

563
00:36:11,300 --> 00:36:12,400
name. 
Amen. 

564
00:35:56,700 --> 00:35:59,100
I just pray Lord that this year,
as we think about the 

565
00:35:59,100 --> 00:36:04,500
disciplines, as we strive to 
live for you that 20:23 would 

566
00:36:04,500 --> 00:36:07,900
just be a year of even greater 
glory than we could imagine. 

567
00:36:07,900 --> 00:36:11,300
As we behold your face together,
we pray and ask this in Jesus 

568
00:36:11,300 --> 00:36:12,400
name. 
Amen.