1
00:00:02,440 --> 00:00:04,800
Welcome to the Island's 
Christian Church podcast. 

2
00:00:04,880 --> 00:00:07,480
Subscribe to hear a new episode 
every week. 

3
00:00:07,840 --> 00:00:13,640
Thanks for joining us. 
As human beings, we are aware of

4
00:00:13,640 --> 00:00:15,520
ourselves. 
That's just a principle. 

5
00:00:15,720 --> 00:00:19,160
We are aware of ourselves, and 
there are no indications that 

6
00:00:19,520 --> 00:00:23,600
any of the animals that we know 
about are aware of themselves at

7
00:00:23,600 --> 00:00:26,000
all. 
Now it may seem far fetched to 

8
00:00:26,000 --> 00:00:29,640
you, but check this out. 
We may be the only creatures in 

9
00:00:29,720 --> 00:00:33,400
all of the universe that have 
self-awareness. 

10
00:00:34,440 --> 00:00:38,200
Like as big as the universe is, 
we may be the only creatures 

11
00:00:38,400 --> 00:00:42,120
that are aware that we exist. 
This is what scientists teach 

12
00:00:42,120 --> 00:00:44,000
and this is what scientists 
believe. 

13
00:00:45,560 --> 00:00:49,680
Now because we are self aware, 
this is one of the things that 

14
00:00:49,680 --> 00:00:53,800
happens to us. 
We run the risk of constantly 

15
00:00:53,800 --> 00:00:58,760
being in self-assessment mode, 
self-assessment mode. 

16
00:00:59,080 --> 00:01:02,360
Have you ever wondered what 
other people are thinking about 

17
00:01:02,360 --> 00:01:04,840
you? 
Have you ever wondered what 

18
00:01:05,040 --> 00:01:06,080
other people are thinking about 
you? 

19
00:01:06,160 --> 00:01:07,640
There was two people who said 
yes. 

20
00:01:08,360 --> 00:01:10,120
I just don't. 
I will stop now. 

21
00:01:10,120 --> 00:01:12,560
If it's only two of you. 
I'll go to lunch with them and 

22
00:01:12,560 --> 00:01:15,800
we'll do this sermon. 
Have you ever wondered what 

23
00:01:15,800 --> 00:01:18,320
people are thinking about you? 
OK, it's good. 

24
00:01:18,320 --> 00:01:19,400
All right. 
We're all now. 

25
00:01:19,480 --> 00:01:21,200
This is a sermon you can all use
then. 

26
00:01:21,200 --> 00:01:25,440
All right. 
There are no indications that 

27
00:01:25,440 --> 00:01:29,040
your dog does that. 
There is no indications that a 

28
00:01:29,040 --> 00:01:32,360
kangaroo does that. 
They probably don't. 

29
00:01:32,520 --> 00:01:36,120
At least there's no evidence to 
suggest they do. 

30
00:01:36,680 --> 00:01:40,720
But we do we we assess ourselves
because we're aware of 

31
00:01:40,720 --> 00:01:42,120
ourselves. 
How am I doing? 

32
00:01:42,320 --> 00:01:44,880
And we wonder what other people 
are thinking about us. 

33
00:01:45,440 --> 00:01:47,880
And here's the deal. 
These evaluations, whether 

34
00:01:47,880 --> 00:01:51,520
they're our own evaluations or 
the perceived evaluations of 

35
00:01:51,520 --> 00:01:54,280
others, they don't just stay in 
their in our heads. 

36
00:01:54,480 --> 00:01:59,080
Those evaluations shape our ego.
Now, what is ego? 

37
00:01:59,320 --> 00:02:01,200
This word ego, what does that 
mean? 

38
00:02:01,600 --> 00:02:06,240
Well, ego is simply your sense 
of worth and value, your ego. 

39
00:02:06,240 --> 00:02:08,560
Everybody has an ego. 
You have an ego. 

40
00:02:09,160 --> 00:02:13,400
It's your own sense of worth and
value yourself regard how 

41
00:02:13,400 --> 00:02:16,600
valuable, how worth, how much 
you think you're worth. 

42
00:02:17,360 --> 00:02:20,840
Our ego. 
Your ego is always asking for a 

43
00:02:20,840 --> 00:02:25,240
verdict, always, all the time. 
Your ego is asking questions 

44
00:02:25,240 --> 00:02:27,760
like this. 
How am I doing? 

45
00:02:28,440 --> 00:02:31,880
Do I like people? 
Do I matter? 

46
00:02:32,320 --> 00:02:37,120
A big one that almost all of 
your egos and my ego is asking. 

47
00:02:37,120 --> 00:02:40,040
And the world's ego is asking. 
Is this question right here? 

48
00:02:40,040 --> 00:02:43,360
You ready? 
Am IA good person? 

49
00:02:44,600 --> 00:02:47,480
Am IA good person. 
I will have people tell me 

50
00:02:47,480 --> 00:02:51,320
sometimes, Stephen, this person 
made me so mad I could drown 

51
00:02:51,320 --> 00:02:52,840
them. 
I know that doesn't make me a 

52
00:02:52,840 --> 00:02:55,000
good person. 
I'm like, yeah, you're right. 

53
00:02:55,000 --> 00:02:59,040
That would not make you a good 
person, but the fact that you're

54
00:02:59,040 --> 00:03:03,600
asking that question am IA good 
person, you're wondering if 

55
00:03:03,600 --> 00:03:05,760
you're a good person. 
Again, there's no evidence to 

56
00:03:05,760 --> 00:03:09,920
suggest that your dog or a 
kangaroo are asking those 

57
00:03:09,920 --> 00:03:13,040
questions. 
This is a uniquely human thing. 

58
00:03:13,640 --> 00:03:17,240
Now the Apostle Paul, we're 
going to be in the, the letter 

59
00:03:17,240 --> 00:03:20,040
to Corinthians chapter, the 1st 
letter, so first Corinthians, if

60
00:03:20,040 --> 00:03:22,520
you want to go there. 
The Apostle Paul in his first 

61
00:03:22,520 --> 00:03:26,320
letter to the Corinthians, he 
shows us a different way to live

62
00:03:26,320 --> 00:03:29,080
with our egos because we all 
have an ego. 

63
00:03:29,080 --> 00:03:31,720
We all have a sense of what 
we're worth and what we and how 

64
00:03:31,720 --> 00:03:35,040
much we, how valuable we are and
our be our egos always looking 

65
00:03:35,040 --> 00:03:36,520
for a verdict. 
How's it doing? 

66
00:03:36,520 --> 00:03:39,440
How are we doing? 
And Paul offers us a different 

67
00:03:39,440 --> 00:03:44,560
way to live, how we can be aware
of ourselves, but not always be 

68
00:03:44,560 --> 00:03:49,600
searching for a verdict from 
others or from ourselves and not

69
00:03:49,600 --> 00:03:52,720
let the verdict of others or 
ourselves determine our value. 

70
00:03:52,720 --> 00:03:54,960
Do you see the problem? 
Because we're always looking for

71
00:03:54,960 --> 00:03:58,720
a verdict, whether it's from 
ourselves or from others, We let

72
00:03:58,720 --> 00:04:01,760
their verdict or our own verdict
determine our value. 

73
00:04:01,760 --> 00:04:03,600
And Paul says there's a 
different way you can live with 

74
00:04:03,600 --> 00:04:05,840
your ego. 
Your ego can actually be 

75
00:04:05,840 --> 00:04:08,200
healthy. 
It can actually not be looking 

76
00:04:08,200 --> 00:04:10,920
for a verdict and not be defined
by those verdicts. 

77
00:04:11,040 --> 00:04:14,000
So First Corinthians chapter 3 
and what's happening in the 

78
00:04:14,000 --> 00:04:16,200
church there on the occasion of 
this particular part of the 

79
00:04:16,200 --> 00:04:19,200
letter is there's division in a 
church. 

80
00:04:20,040 --> 00:04:21,360
Does anyone find that 
surprising? 

81
00:04:22,160 --> 00:04:26,040
There's division in a church and
you will never believe what the 

82
00:04:26,040 --> 00:04:29,200
division is over. 
The conflict is over which 

83
00:04:29,240 --> 00:04:32,320
leader is the best. 
I mean, they're literally having

84
00:04:32,320 --> 00:04:36,240
the same argument. 
We have Jack or Tiger, Peyton or

85
00:04:37,760 --> 00:04:40,600
Eli. 
Eli, come on, you can't be 

86
00:04:40,600 --> 00:04:46,080
serious. 
Tom Brady, bro Dayton or Tom, 

87
00:04:46,080 --> 00:04:48,240
right? 
You know, Jack or Tiger, Like 

88
00:04:48,640 --> 00:04:52,320
the, the, the church is 
literally going who's the best 

89
00:04:52,520 --> 00:04:55,120
minister and preacher of the 
gospel? 

90
00:04:55,400 --> 00:04:58,360
And one group is saying it's 
Paul who happens to be writing 

91
00:04:58,360 --> 00:05:00,760
this letter. 
It's Paul, we're team Paul. 

92
00:05:00,880 --> 00:05:03,880
And then the other group is 
like, we're Team Apollos. 

93
00:05:04,360 --> 00:05:06,200
Now. 
They're not just simply arguing 

94
00:05:06,200 --> 00:05:08,120
about these leaders. 
Now, this is important. 

95
00:05:08,440 --> 00:05:11,440
These people are getting their 
sense of ego and their sense of 

96
00:05:11,440 --> 00:05:15,120
importance inside the church 
with who they align with. 

97
00:05:15,360 --> 00:05:18,520
They're like, hey, our guy 
Paulos is better than your guy 

98
00:05:18,520 --> 00:05:20,360
Paul. 
So we're the better Christians. 

99
00:05:20,360 --> 00:05:23,240
We're the better team. 
And no, no, no, our guy Paul's 

100
00:05:23,240 --> 00:05:25,640
the better guy. 
He was blinded on the road to 

101
00:05:25,640 --> 00:05:27,040
Damascus. 
Do you remember? 

102
00:05:27,240 --> 00:05:29,600
Our guy Paul's the better guy. 
So we're the better team. 

103
00:05:29,600 --> 00:05:31,680
We're the better group, right? 
And so it's not just they're 

104
00:05:31,680 --> 00:05:34,280
arguing who is the best that we 
might argue over Jack and Tiger 

105
00:05:34,440 --> 00:05:37,000
and throw out stats. 
They're getting their own sense 

106
00:05:37,000 --> 00:05:40,480
of worth and their own sense of 
value from their alignment. 

107
00:05:40,680 --> 00:05:43,880
In other words, the churches in 
the Christians in Corinth are 

108
00:05:43,880 --> 00:05:48,480
building coalitions around 
different leaders for their own 

109
00:05:48,480 --> 00:05:52,320
sense of value, their own sense 
of importance. 

110
00:05:52,680 --> 00:05:55,720
That is the human ego in action,
friend. 

111
00:05:56,320 --> 00:05:59,640
Anytime we try to leverage 
something or someone to make 

112
00:05:59,640 --> 00:06:04,120
ourselves feel better about 
ourselves, we're seeing the 

113
00:06:04,120 --> 00:06:06,920
human ego in its natural 
condition. 

114
00:06:07,640 --> 00:06:11,520
Anytime you're trying to feel 
better about yourself, that's 

115
00:06:11,520 --> 00:06:14,360
the ego, the natural ego at 
work. 

116
00:06:15,000 --> 00:06:17,880
So Paul offers a different way 
to live to these Christians. 

117
00:06:18,240 --> 00:06:19,840
So let's pick it up in chapter 
3. 

118
00:06:19,840 --> 00:06:21,320
We're going to start in verse 
21. 

119
00:06:21,880 --> 00:06:24,160
We're going to read all the way 
through chapter 4, verse seven. 

120
00:06:24,440 --> 00:06:30,720
OK, this is what it says. 
So then, no more boasting about 

121
00:06:30,720 --> 00:06:34,400
human leaders. 
All things are yours, whether 

122
00:06:34,400 --> 00:06:38,320
Paul or Paulus or Cephas. 
Cephas is most likely Peter, 

123
00:06:38,320 --> 00:06:40,800
another Christian. 
You know, Peter that wrote some 

124
00:06:40,800 --> 00:06:45,040
of the New Testament, or the 
world, or life or death or 

125
00:06:45,040 --> 00:06:49,160
present or future. 
All are yours and you are of 

126
00:06:49,160 --> 00:06:54,240
Christ, and Christ is of God. 
This then is how you ought to 

127
00:06:54,240 --> 00:06:58,600
regard us as servants of Christ 
and as those entrusted with the 

128
00:06:58,600 --> 00:07:02,040
mysteries God has revealed. 
Now it is required that those 

129
00:07:02,040 --> 00:07:04,240
who have been given a trust must
prove faithful. 

130
00:07:04,760 --> 00:07:08,240
I carry very I care very little 
if I'm judged by you. 

131
00:07:08,240 --> 00:07:10,320
This is important. 
I carry very little if I am 

132
00:07:10,320 --> 00:07:12,600
judged by you or by any human 
court. 

133
00:07:12,680 --> 00:07:16,640
Indeed, I do not even want judge
myself. 

134
00:07:17,200 --> 00:07:20,600
My conscience is clear, but that
does not make me innocent. 

135
00:07:20,880 --> 00:07:24,280
It is the Lord who judges me. 
Therefore, judge nothing before 

136
00:07:24,280 --> 00:07:26,640
the appointed time. 
Wait until the Lord comes. 

137
00:07:26,800 --> 00:07:29,400
He will bring to light what is 
hidden in darkness and will 

138
00:07:29,400 --> 00:07:33,600
expose the motives of the heart.
And that time each will receive 

139
00:07:33,600 --> 00:07:36,920
their praise from God. 
Now, brothers and sisters, I 

140
00:07:36,920 --> 00:07:40,280
have applied these things to 
myself and Apollos for your 

141
00:07:40,280 --> 00:07:42,840
benefit, so that you may learn 
from us the meaning of the 

142
00:07:42,840 --> 00:07:45,040
saying, Do not go beyond what is
written. 

143
00:07:45,320 --> 00:07:49,400
Then you will not be puffed up. 
Then you will not be puffed up 

144
00:07:49,640 --> 00:07:53,240
in being a follower of the one 
of one of us over against the 

145
00:07:53,240 --> 00:07:55,480
other. 
For who makes you different from

146
00:07:55,480 --> 00:07:58,040
anyone else? 
What do you have that you did 

147
00:07:58,040 --> 00:08:01,080
not receive? 
And if you did receive it, why 

148
00:08:01,080 --> 00:08:02,880
do you boast as though you did 
not? 

149
00:08:03,360 --> 00:08:05,520
So if you're a note taker this 
morning, I'm going to give you 

150
00:08:05,520 --> 00:08:07,760
the three ideas so you kind of 
know how we're doing on this 

151
00:08:07,760 --> 00:08:09,800
sermon. 
You ready #1? 

152
00:08:09,920 --> 00:08:12,520
We're going to talk about our 
ego and its natural state. 

153
00:08:13,040 --> 00:08:15,280
We all have an ego. 
It's all in its natural state. 

154
00:08:15,280 --> 00:08:18,080
We're going to talk about our 
ego and its natural state #2 

155
00:08:18,080 --> 00:08:21,080
We're going to talk about Paul's
surprising freedom. 

156
00:08:21,600 --> 00:08:25,040
Paul's surprising freedom. 
And then #3 we're going to talk 

157
00:08:25,040 --> 00:08:27,600
about the final verdict. 
The final verdict. 

158
00:08:27,600 --> 00:08:30,160
You guys got it. 
So first of all, our ego and its

159
00:08:30,160 --> 00:08:33,559
natural state. 
Paul uses an interesting word in

160
00:08:33,559 --> 00:08:37,679
verse 6 of chapter 4. 
He says basically in verse 6, if

161
00:08:37,679 --> 00:08:39,440
you have your Bibles, your 
phones, look at it again. 

162
00:08:39,600 --> 00:08:43,679
He says basically in verse 6, he
says, I have shared all of this 

163
00:08:43,679 --> 00:08:46,400
stuff I'm sharing with you. 
I've shared it with you so that 

164
00:08:46,400 --> 00:08:50,120
you will not be puffed up in 
being a follower of one of us 

165
00:08:50,240 --> 00:08:53,760
over another. 
Now there's the word puffed up. 

166
00:08:54,120 --> 00:08:58,640
The word puffed up is translated
to mean something like distended

167
00:08:58,800 --> 00:09:01,440
or expanded beyond a healthy 
condition. 

168
00:09:01,800 --> 00:09:05,960
We might use a word called 
swollen in our in our 

169
00:09:06,040 --> 00:09:09,000
vernacular, in our English 
language, Like if if your knee 

170
00:09:09,000 --> 00:09:12,040
gets injured, it is everybody 
say swollen, swollen. 

171
00:09:12,160 --> 00:09:14,280
And So what? 
Paul is using a word he says, 

172
00:09:14,280 --> 00:09:19,720
hey, I I've shared all this with
you so you would not be puffed 

173
00:09:19,720 --> 00:09:21,520
up. 
Well, what does he mean to you 

174
00:09:21,520 --> 00:09:23,960
would not be puffed up. 
What it was is the you like he's

175
00:09:23,960 --> 00:09:26,120
not talking about our bodies 
being puffed up. 

176
00:09:26,320 --> 00:09:28,680
So he's talking about something 
other than our bodies being 

177
00:09:28,680 --> 00:09:30,560
puffed up. 
Well, what is he talking about? 

178
00:09:30,560 --> 00:09:32,840
He's talking about our ego. 
Yeah. 

179
00:09:32,840 --> 00:09:35,160
Our ego, our sense of self, our 
sense of worth. 

180
00:09:35,160 --> 00:09:37,800
He's like, hey, I'm telling you 
all this stuff because I don't 

181
00:09:37,800 --> 00:09:40,760
want you guys to be puffed up in
your ego. 

182
00:09:40,920 --> 00:09:44,160
And I think this word is a 
perfect way to describe the 

183
00:09:44,160 --> 00:09:46,680
human ego in its natural 
condition because that's our 

184
00:09:46,680 --> 00:09:49,840
first point this morning. 
It's a perfect word because this

185
00:09:49,840 --> 00:09:54,800
word puffed up suggests 4 things
about the human ego, about the 

186
00:09:54,800 --> 00:09:56,520
natural condition of the human 
ego. 

187
00:09:56,640 --> 00:09:58,040
You ready to hear the four 
things? 

188
00:09:58,720 --> 00:10:04,520
Our ego, your ego in its natural
condition is empty, painful, 

189
00:10:04,800 --> 00:10:09,560
busy and fragile. 
It's empty, painful, busy and 

190
00:10:09,560 --> 00:10:12,320
fragile. 
So first of all, our egos are 

191
00:10:12,320 --> 00:10:14,720
empty, meaning because we're 
puffed up. 

192
00:10:14,720 --> 00:10:18,880
If you blow up a balloon and it 
gets really big, what's inside 

193
00:10:18,880 --> 00:10:22,480
the balloon air, right? 
That the balloon is empty, it's 

194
00:10:22,480 --> 00:10:25,240
distended. 
And so our egos, like a balloon 

195
00:10:25,240 --> 00:10:28,680
being blown up is has a lot of 
empty space in it, filled with 

196
00:10:28,680 --> 00:10:30,760
nothing. 
So this is what happens. 

197
00:10:30,920 --> 00:10:34,240
We as human beings find 
ourselves trying to build our 

198
00:10:34,240 --> 00:10:36,960
lives onto something. 
Now think about this again. 

199
00:10:36,960 --> 00:10:39,120
This is a uniquely human 
condition problem. 

200
00:10:39,120 --> 00:10:40,720
Kangaroos don't have this 
problem. 

201
00:10:40,920 --> 00:10:43,160
We try to build our lives on a 
career. 

202
00:10:43,560 --> 00:10:45,480
We try to build our lives on 
money. 

203
00:10:45,680 --> 00:10:48,160
We even try to build our lives 
on things like family. 

204
00:10:48,160 --> 00:10:51,200
Like if I have a good family, a 
healthy family, look at me, I'm 

205
00:10:51,200 --> 00:10:53,080
successful. 
Look at what I have. 

206
00:10:53,360 --> 00:10:55,760
We build our lives on anything. 
What are we trying to do when 

207
00:10:55,760 --> 00:10:58,600
we're building our lives on 
either money or on career or on 

208
00:10:58,600 --> 00:11:00,840
family or or whatever it is 
you're trying to build your life

209
00:11:00,840 --> 00:11:02,160
on? 
Maybe it's just leisure and 

210
00:11:02,160 --> 00:11:03,960
having a good time. 
Whatever it is you're trying to 

211
00:11:04,000 --> 00:11:07,320
build your life on, you're 
trying to feel that emptiness 

212
00:11:07,560 --> 00:11:10,680
that we all sense in ourselves, 
a sense of emptiness. 

213
00:11:11,000 --> 00:11:13,680
And if you build your life on 
anything other than God, here's 

214
00:11:13,680 --> 00:11:17,000
a rule, If you build your life 
on anything other than God, it's

215
00:11:17,000 --> 00:11:21,160
going to rattle around inside of
you because it doesn't fit into 

216
00:11:21,160 --> 00:11:25,320
that empty space that is our ego
in its natural condition. 

217
00:11:25,840 --> 00:11:28,960
It's going to rattle around 
inside of us. 

218
00:11:29,800 --> 00:11:33,560
And so our ego #1 is empty. 
The natural condition of our 

219
00:11:33,560 --> 00:11:38,440
human ego is empty #2 the 
natural condition of our ego is 

220
00:11:38,560 --> 00:11:41,360
it's painful. 
It's naturally painful. 

221
00:11:41,600 --> 00:11:45,800
You know, everyone right now 
can, can you just take your 

222
00:11:45,800 --> 00:11:47,600
right arm and just kind of move 
it around a little bit, Just 

223
00:11:47,600 --> 00:11:48,600
smooth your right arm a little 
bit. 

224
00:11:48,600 --> 00:11:51,400
Just come on, everybody do it. 
Everybody's shoulders working 

225
00:11:51,400 --> 00:11:52,520
pretty good. 
Some of you didn't do it. 

226
00:11:52,680 --> 00:11:54,240
This is an all skate. 
OK? 

227
00:11:54,240 --> 00:11:55,760
Very good. 
So is anybody. 

228
00:11:56,360 --> 00:11:57,960
So everybody's shoulder feeling 
pretty good. 

229
00:11:57,960 --> 00:11:59,080
Everybody's got a pretty good 
shoulder. 

230
00:11:59,080 --> 00:11:59,640
All right. 
No, no. 

231
00:11:59,680 --> 00:12:01,160
OK, good. 
All right, so here's the thing. 

232
00:12:01,160 --> 00:12:03,880
All right, hold on. 
Do you notice how who's had 

233
00:12:03,880 --> 00:12:07,200
shoulder pain before? 
Yeah, Shoulder pain ain't no 

234
00:12:07,200 --> 00:12:09,800
joke, right? 
Like shoulder pain will. 

235
00:12:10,720 --> 00:12:13,280
It will make you want to be 
completely still and don't talk 

236
00:12:13,280 --> 00:12:16,000
to anybody. 
So you notice, though, that if 

237
00:12:16,000 --> 00:12:19,520
your shoulder doesn't hurt, like
if it just works, you don't 

238
00:12:19,520 --> 00:12:21,840
think about it. 
Like nobody gets up during the 

239
00:12:21,840 --> 00:12:24,200
day and like they're doing thing
and they're like, oh, check this

240
00:12:24,200 --> 00:12:25,640
out. 
My shoulders are working good. 

241
00:12:26,000 --> 00:12:29,080
Unless they recently overcame a,
you know, an, you know, an 

242
00:12:29,080 --> 00:12:31,160
injury, you know, you don't walk
around during the day going, 

243
00:12:31,160 --> 00:12:33,640
Hey, look, my toes are just 
helping me keep my balance. 

244
00:12:33,640 --> 00:12:35,760
They're so perfect. 
Oh, look at my elbow. 

245
00:12:35,760 --> 00:12:38,400
Look at my my elbow's just doing
this thing, right? 

246
00:12:38,520 --> 00:12:41,040
They're not painful unless 
they're injured. 

247
00:12:42,440 --> 00:12:45,640
You with me, your shoulder, your
elbow, your knees and toes, 

248
00:12:45,920 --> 00:12:48,840
they're not painful unless 
they're injured. 

249
00:12:49,680 --> 00:12:51,960
And here's the thing about our 
egos. 

250
00:12:51,960 --> 00:12:57,800
In the natural state, our egos 
are oftentimes painful because 

251
00:12:57,800 --> 00:13:02,080
our egos are not healthy. 
They're not working right. 

252
00:13:03,160 --> 00:13:07,120
Your ego, and my ego is easily 
offended. 

253
00:13:09,760 --> 00:13:14,120
Nobody said Amen. 
Nobody likes to admit we're 

254
00:13:14,120 --> 00:13:17,080
easily offended. 
We're easily. 

255
00:13:17,080 --> 00:13:22,160
Our egos are easily offended. 
They're easily discouraged. 

256
00:13:22,800 --> 00:13:26,760
Somebody says something to you 
and you get easily discouraged. 

257
00:13:27,280 --> 00:13:31,160
When someone criticizes us, we 
immediately feel angry or sad or

258
00:13:31,160 --> 00:13:33,080
vengeful. 
Why? 

259
00:13:33,400 --> 00:13:36,600
Because our egos, in their 
natural state, are not working 

260
00:13:36,600 --> 00:13:38,400
right. 
And just like when an elbow is 

261
00:13:38,400 --> 00:13:41,960
not working right, it's painful,
when an ego is not working 

262
00:13:41,960 --> 00:13:47,200
right, it's painful. 
So our egos are empty. 

263
00:13:47,560 --> 00:13:50,200
They're painful. 
And thirdly, our egos are busy 

264
00:13:50,200 --> 00:13:51,720
in their natural state. 
They're busy. 

265
00:13:52,480 --> 00:13:55,360
Our egos are busy trying to make
up for the emptiness and the 

266
00:13:55,360 --> 00:13:57,920
pain that it feels. 
And what are we busy doing? 

267
00:13:58,080 --> 00:14:00,840
You know, the Paul says, I don't
want you to be puffed up. 

268
00:14:00,840 --> 00:14:03,840
Well, the you is the ego. 
Well, what is our ego busy 

269
00:14:03,840 --> 00:14:06,120
doing? 
It's so busy doing what? 

270
00:14:06,440 --> 00:14:12,200
Comparing ourselves to others, 
right? 

271
00:14:12,760 --> 00:14:16,520
We're so busy because of the 
pain, because of the emptiness. 

272
00:14:16,640 --> 00:14:20,400
We, we, we got to look at others
to see how we're doing. 

273
00:14:20,960 --> 00:14:23,640
And, and sometimes when we look 
at others, we think we're doing 

274
00:14:23,640 --> 00:14:26,480
better than others. 
OK, we look at some people and 

275
00:14:26,480 --> 00:14:28,320
we go, I'm doing better than 
that guy. 

276
00:14:28,320 --> 00:14:31,480
And then sometimes we look at 
others and we think, and that 

277
00:14:31,480 --> 00:14:33,760
guy's doing better than me. 
I'm not doing as good. 

278
00:14:34,400 --> 00:14:36,200
I feel, I feel worse about 
myself. 

279
00:14:36,200 --> 00:14:42,120
My, my ego's busy either way. 
Our egos are thinking about 

280
00:14:42,120 --> 00:14:47,000
ourselves a lot and comparing 
ourselves to others a lot. 

281
00:14:47,760 --> 00:14:50,480
You see, the believers in 
Corinth, we're not just puffed 

282
00:14:50,480 --> 00:14:52,440
up. 
They were puffed up about their 

283
00:14:52,440 --> 00:14:56,520
favorite church leader. 
It was comparison that led to 

284
00:14:56,520 --> 00:14:59,720
their being puffed up. 
Our egos in their natural state 

285
00:14:59,840 --> 00:15:03,760
are busy comparing something CS 
Lewis talks about with pride. 

286
00:15:03,760 --> 00:15:06,440
He says we don't have pride in 
being rich. 

287
00:15:06,600 --> 00:15:09,360
We have pride in being richer 
than our neighbor. 

288
00:15:12,400 --> 00:15:15,000
So at the basis of pride is 
comparison. 

289
00:15:15,720 --> 00:15:17,120
We don't have pride in our 
house. 

290
00:15:17,120 --> 00:15:20,720
We have pride in that our house 
is nicer than our neighbors. 

291
00:15:22,560 --> 00:15:25,160
And this is what this is the 
natural condition of the human 

292
00:15:25,160 --> 00:15:28,480
ego. 
It's busy, so it's empty, it's 

293
00:15:28,480 --> 00:15:29,920
painful. 
And because it's empty and 

294
00:15:29,920 --> 00:15:35,680
painful is busy, busy comparing.
And then lastly, our ego and 

295
00:15:35,680 --> 00:15:37,920
their natural condition is 
fragile. 

296
00:15:38,360 --> 00:15:42,000
It's fragile. 
Anything overinflated like a 

297
00:15:42,000 --> 00:15:43,840
balloon. 
If you blow a balloon up really 

298
00:15:43,840 --> 00:15:47,720
big and you tie it off, what 
might happen to that balloon 

299
00:15:47,720 --> 00:15:50,560
with just a little bit of a bump
or you drop what it's going to 

300
00:15:50,560 --> 00:15:53,040
pop? 
Our egos are the same way. 

301
00:15:53,160 --> 00:15:55,680
They're overinflated, they're 
distended, and it's at the risk 

302
00:15:55,680 --> 00:16:00,360
of being deflated or bursting. 
When our egos are puffed up and 

303
00:16:00,360 --> 00:16:03,240
empty, this is what happens. 
And this is true for every 

304
00:16:03,240 --> 00:16:08,160
single one of us. 
We swing. 

305
00:16:09,520 --> 00:16:15,400
We swing violently between a 
superiority complex and an 

306
00:16:15,400 --> 00:16:19,920
inferiority complex. 
Is it true? 

307
00:16:20,600 --> 00:16:24,760
It's true because our egos are 
not healthy, because they're in 

308
00:16:24,760 --> 00:16:26,720
their natural state. 
They're empty, painful. 

309
00:16:26,880 --> 00:16:28,720
Now they're fragile. 
And here's how that fragility 

310
00:16:28,720 --> 00:16:33,640
shows up. 
A ditch on the left that feels 

311
00:16:33,640 --> 00:16:36,760
like I'm better than others, and
a ditch on the right that feels 

312
00:16:36,760 --> 00:16:41,400
like I'm worse than others. 
And we swing between those two 

313
00:16:41,600 --> 00:16:43,600
ditches. 
And those two things sound very 

314
00:16:43,600 --> 00:16:48,040
different, but they're actually 
the result of the same sickness.

315
00:16:49,000 --> 00:16:56,120
The sickness of a natural ego. 
Most of us live this way, 

316
00:16:56,560 --> 00:16:59,360
bouncing from one ditch to the 
other. 

317
00:16:59,480 --> 00:17:04,599
We rarely travel down the center
of the road where our ego is 

318
00:17:04,599 --> 00:17:07,640
just healthy, where it's just 
working. 

319
00:17:08,000 --> 00:17:11,520
And we don't think about it 
because like a healthy elbow, it

320
00:17:11,520 --> 00:17:16,160
doesn't demand attention. 
Here's the thing. 

321
00:17:16,800 --> 00:17:19,680
One moment you feel better than 
others and the next you feel 

322
00:17:19,680 --> 00:17:22,520
less than others. 
And it all depends on the room 

323
00:17:22,520 --> 00:17:25,720
you're in and the circumstances 
that you can't control. 

324
00:17:27,520 --> 00:17:30,240
And here's the effect of this 
puffed up ego. 

325
00:17:30,880 --> 00:17:34,120
Here's the effect of of walking 
around with a natural ego in 

326
00:17:34,120 --> 00:17:35,520
your everyday life. 
Like we all do. 

327
00:17:35,520 --> 00:17:38,320
We all. 
We all walk around with this 

328
00:17:39,320 --> 00:17:45,120
empty, painful, busy, fragile 
ego swinging from superiority to

329
00:17:45,120 --> 00:17:47,960
inferiority, from the ditch of 
feeling better about ourselves 

330
00:17:48,120 --> 00:17:50,040
than others or feeling worse 
about ourselves than others. 

331
00:17:50,200 --> 00:17:52,680
Here's the effect. 
Here's what happens to you. 

332
00:17:54,560 --> 00:17:58,400
You and I are always in court 
looking for a verdict. 

333
00:17:59,920 --> 00:18:03,200
Which ditch do I belong in? 
Should I feel better than 

334
00:18:03,200 --> 00:18:05,120
others, or should I feel worse 
than others? 

335
00:18:05,520 --> 00:18:08,960
We're looking for a verdict and 
we don't realize it, but we live

336
00:18:08,960 --> 00:18:12,280
our lives in a courtroom and 
every day feels like a trial. 

337
00:18:12,400 --> 00:18:14,200
And we're constantly asking 
these questions. 

338
00:18:14,320 --> 00:18:16,680
How did I do? 
How do they see me? 

339
00:18:16,800 --> 00:18:19,120
Am I enough? 
And in that courtroom, there's 

340
00:18:19,120 --> 00:18:21,440
always a prosecution. 
You know, that prosecution's 

341
00:18:21,440 --> 00:18:24,840
always reminding you of your 
failures. 

342
00:18:26,360 --> 00:18:28,760
So we're always reminding of 
your personality flaws. 

343
00:18:28,920 --> 00:18:31,520
It's always reminding you of 
what's wrong with you. 

344
00:18:31,520 --> 00:18:34,840
And there's always a defense in 
that courtroom. 

345
00:18:34,840 --> 00:18:36,640
And what does the defense do 
inside of a courtroom? 

346
00:18:36,840 --> 00:18:39,240
It always points to your 
accomplishments. 

347
00:18:39,320 --> 00:18:40,080
Well, yeah. 
Yeah. 

348
00:18:40,200 --> 00:18:42,880
You, you're not so great in that
area, and you're kind of bad 

349
00:18:42,880 --> 00:18:43,880
over there. 
But you know what? 

350
00:18:44,000 --> 00:18:46,280
You're really good in this area,
and you're really awesome in 

351
00:18:46,280 --> 00:18:47,760
this area. 
And you're living in this 

352
00:18:47,760 --> 00:18:51,040
constant trial looking for a 
verdict. 

353
00:18:51,160 --> 00:18:54,080
And this is how we live our 
lives every single day. 

354
00:18:54,160 --> 00:18:56,240
And we wonder why we're so 
tired. 

355
00:18:57,280 --> 00:19:00,920
It's because we're always on 
trial in our own heads. 

356
00:19:00,920 --> 00:19:04,280
We're always on trial. 
Now listen to what Paul says. 

357
00:19:04,480 --> 00:19:07,800
And this is shocking. 
What Paul gives us is shocking 

358
00:19:08,080 --> 00:19:09,840
it because we don't have a 
category for this. 

359
00:19:09,840 --> 00:19:13,280
We don't understand what Paul 
says because it's it shocks us 

360
00:19:13,280 --> 00:19:15,720
because we don't have a category
for these words. 

361
00:19:15,720 --> 00:19:19,800
Paul has surprising freedom. 
That's our second point this 

362
00:19:19,800 --> 00:19:21,920
morning. 
We're going to look verses 3 and

363
00:19:21,920 --> 00:19:25,560
4 of chapter 4. 
Paul's surprising freedom. 

364
00:19:26,080 --> 00:19:30,760
Listen to what he says 3 and 4 
Now this is this is Paul's free 

365
00:19:30,760 --> 00:19:32,880
from the natural ego. 
He's not like us. 

366
00:19:33,800 --> 00:19:38,280
He says I care very little if I 
am judged by you or by any human

367
00:19:38,280 --> 00:19:40,280
court. 
Indeed, I do not even judge 

368
00:19:40,280 --> 00:19:43,240
myself. 
My conscience is clear, but that

369
00:19:43,240 --> 00:19:47,000
does not make me innocent. 
It is the Lord who judges me. 

370
00:19:47,000 --> 00:19:51,360
You see it all right Now Paul is
offering an alternative way to 

371
00:19:51,360 --> 00:19:56,880
live than our natural ego works.
So Paul is saying, I'm not in 

372
00:19:56,880 --> 00:19:58,520
the courtroom anymore. 
All of you are still in the 

373
00:19:58,520 --> 00:20:00,800
courtroom. 
You're looking you're you're 

374
00:20:00,800 --> 00:20:03,440
being puffed up over which 
leader you're aligned with. 

375
00:20:03,440 --> 00:20:05,240
Paul says, I don't do that 
anymore. 

376
00:20:06,320 --> 00:20:08,520
I'm not looking for a verdict 
anymore. 

377
00:20:10,520 --> 00:20:11,400
He says. 
I don't listen. 

378
00:20:11,400 --> 00:20:14,520
I don't look for your verdict. 
I don't look for society's 

379
00:20:14,520 --> 00:20:16,560
verdict. 
And this is the surprising part,

380
00:20:17,000 --> 00:20:19,600
he says. 
In fact, I don't even look for a

381
00:20:19,600 --> 00:20:23,320
verdict from myself. 
So I don't look for society's 

382
00:20:23,320 --> 00:20:25,920
verdict any court. 
I don't look for your verdict, 

383
00:20:26,360 --> 00:20:28,840
and I don't even look for a 
verdict from myself. 

384
00:20:29,520 --> 00:20:32,080
Yeah. 
So most of us, when we think a 

385
00:20:32,080 --> 00:20:35,240
sermon like this, the advice 
that we would give young people 

386
00:20:35,240 --> 00:20:37,560
and the advice we kind of give 
ourselves standing in the mirror

387
00:20:37,560 --> 00:20:39,320
is something like this. 
You know what? 

388
00:20:39,360 --> 00:20:41,040
I don't care what other people 
think about me. 

389
00:20:42,280 --> 00:20:44,440
Anybody ever said that to 
themselves, right. 

390
00:20:44,440 --> 00:20:47,200
Sounds just like you, right. 
I don't care what I I'm going to

391
00:20:47,200 --> 00:20:48,440
do me. 
I don't care what other people 

392
00:20:48,440 --> 00:20:50,360
think about me. 
And So what we assume the 

393
00:20:50,360 --> 00:20:55,800
solution is, we assume the 
solution is to only care what we

394
00:20:55,800 --> 00:20:58,320
think about ourselves. 
That's what we think the 

395
00:20:58,320 --> 00:21:01,400
solution is. 
But that's a trap. 

396
00:21:03,480 --> 00:21:06,720
It's a trap. 
It's a trap to go. 

397
00:21:07,120 --> 00:21:09,960
I'm the only judge that matters.
That's not what Paul is saying, 

398
00:21:09,960 --> 00:21:12,440
by the way. 
I'm the only judge that matters.

399
00:21:12,440 --> 00:21:14,200
That's a trap. 
Do you know why? 

400
00:21:15,120 --> 00:21:18,280
Because most of us cannot live 
up to our own standards. 

401
00:21:19,560 --> 00:21:23,120
Walk around with a recorder 
hanging around your neck for 

402
00:21:23,120 --> 00:21:28,920
just a week and record every 
word of judgement to a friend or

403
00:21:28,920 --> 00:21:32,640
a neighbor or a Co worker and 
then listen back to it. 

404
00:21:32,640 --> 00:21:35,120
And what you will realize is 
about 1/3 of the things that you

405
00:21:35,120 --> 00:21:38,240
condemn in others, you are 
guilty of yourself. 

406
00:21:39,680 --> 00:21:42,560
Have you ever yelled at anybody 
in traffic and then a week later

407
00:21:42,560 --> 00:21:46,880
did the exact same thing? 
So to say, well, I only care. 

408
00:21:47,040 --> 00:21:50,240
I only care about my judgement. 
Well, it doesn't work. 

409
00:21:50,240 --> 00:21:52,560
It's a trap because we can't 
even live up to our own 

410
00:21:52,560 --> 00:21:54,880
standards. 
We know that now we can lower 

411
00:21:54,880 --> 00:21:57,160
our standards and be like, well 
I'm doing pretty good now 

412
00:21:57,160 --> 00:22:00,160
because I lowered my standards 
so low that I feel, but then you

413
00:22:00,160 --> 00:22:02,680
know, you're the kind of person 
just lowered standards to feel 

414
00:22:02,680 --> 00:22:05,640
good about yourself. 
Do you see how it's a trap? 

415
00:22:05,640 --> 00:22:10,000
It's a trap to say, well, I only
care about judging myself either

416
00:22:10,000 --> 00:22:14,120
way, whether you worry about the
judgement of others or you just 

417
00:22:14,120 --> 00:22:16,920
say I'm going to worry about my 
judgement of myself only, either

418
00:22:16,920 --> 00:22:22,520
way, the courtroom stays open 
and your life is tired. 

419
00:22:23,360 --> 00:22:25,520
So what's different about Paul 
is this. 

420
00:22:26,840 --> 00:22:28,720
This is strange. 
This is going to be hard for you

421
00:22:29,440 --> 00:22:31,000
because our brains don't think 
this way. 

422
00:22:31,640 --> 00:22:37,640
Paul does not get his sense of 
worth from meeting anyone's 

423
00:22:37,640 --> 00:22:44,760
standards. 
He does not look and say I've 

424
00:22:44,760 --> 00:22:49,120
met these standards. 
Now I feel valuable, neither his

425
00:22:49,120 --> 00:22:54,480
own nor someone else's. 
Paul is free from the courtroom 

426
00:22:54,480 --> 00:22:57,320
of comparison. 
He's not swinging from 

427
00:22:57,320 --> 00:23:01,480
inferiority to superiority. 
He's not going from this ditch 

428
00:23:01,480 --> 00:23:03,800
to that ditch. 
He's staying in the center of 

429
00:23:03,800 --> 00:23:05,960
the road and his ego is just 
healthy. 

430
00:23:06,240 --> 00:23:10,520
Now, is Paul claiming to be some
kind of moral superior person? 

431
00:23:10,640 --> 00:23:13,240
He's just really good and This 
is why he can live this way. 

432
00:23:13,480 --> 00:23:16,120
Well, that would not make any 
sense because it is the apostle 

433
00:23:16,120 --> 00:23:20,000
Paul who wrote these words in a 
letter to a protege. 

434
00:23:20,000 --> 00:23:22,080
First Timothy chapter one, verse
15. 

435
00:23:22,240 --> 00:23:25,280
Paul said this, so he's not 
claiming that moral High Road. 

436
00:23:25,560 --> 00:23:27,840
Listen to this. 
He says, here's a trustworthy 

437
00:23:27,840 --> 00:23:30,240
saying that deserves fooled 
acceptance. 

438
00:23:30,360 --> 00:23:35,480
Christ Jesus came into the world
to save sinners of whom what I 

439
00:23:35,480 --> 00:23:39,720
am the worst. 
So this is not Paul saying, 

440
00:23:39,880 --> 00:23:43,040
well, I've just become so 
morally better than everyone 

441
00:23:44,480 --> 00:23:46,680
that I can feel good about 
myself because I'm better than 

442
00:23:46,680 --> 00:23:46,880
you. 
Now. 

443
00:23:48,920 --> 00:23:51,640
This is how our brains work. 
If we just become better than 

444
00:23:51,640 --> 00:23:54,000
other people, then we can feel 
good about ourselves. 

445
00:23:54,440 --> 00:23:56,560
But Paul does not live in that 
courtroom. 

446
00:23:56,920 --> 00:23:59,960
You see, Paul knows that he's a 
Sinner and he knows at the same 

447
00:23:59,960 --> 00:24:02,360
time he's a Sinner. 
He's also done some amazing 

448
00:24:02,360 --> 00:24:04,600
things for God. 
That those two things are true 

449
00:24:04,600 --> 00:24:08,440
at the same time. 
Isn't that mind boggling to us? 

450
00:24:08,520 --> 00:24:10,880
We have a hard time wrapping our
head around that because we're 

451
00:24:10,880 --> 00:24:13,280
like, well, if you've done bad 
things, then it washes 

452
00:24:13,280 --> 00:24:15,920
everything else out good that 
you've done and now you should 

453
00:24:15,920 --> 00:24:18,840
feel terrible about yourself. 
And Paul says, no, no, I'm not 

454
00:24:18,840 --> 00:24:23,640
living in that world. 
He doesn't let his failures or 

455
00:24:23,640 --> 00:24:26,040
his accomplishments determine 
his worth. 

456
00:24:27,040 --> 00:24:30,680
He can listen to criticism 
without being devastated or 

457
00:24:30,680 --> 00:24:37,040
being defensive. 
That lot of lot of y'all didn't 

458
00:24:37,040 --> 00:24:40,280
get that. 
He can listen to criticism 

459
00:24:40,640 --> 00:24:43,560
without being devastated or 
defensive. 

460
00:24:44,880 --> 00:24:47,080
I don't have enough time. 
I don't have enough time. 

461
00:24:47,640 --> 00:24:51,920
I'm so guilty of this. 
Somebody will criticize me. 

462
00:24:52,240 --> 00:24:54,760
You don't criticize A sermon 
Sunday after I preach. 

463
00:24:55,080 --> 00:24:57,960
Call me on Tuesday. 
Nobody likes. 

464
00:24:58,400 --> 00:25:01,400
No, no mother likes to be told 5
minutes after their baby's born,

465
00:25:01,400 --> 00:25:03,920
their baby's ugly. 
Tell them. 

466
00:25:04,000 --> 00:25:06,200
Tell them a few weeks later, 
hey, your baby's kind of ugly. 

467
00:25:06,200 --> 00:25:08,240
I mean, figured you knew it by 
now. 

468
00:25:08,240 --> 00:25:10,480
I thought I'd tell you. 
Nobody likes to. 

469
00:25:10,560 --> 00:25:12,480
You don't. 
But I've had people come to me 

470
00:25:12,480 --> 00:25:14,400
right after the service and 
criticize something I said in 

471
00:25:14,400 --> 00:25:15,880
the sermon. 
And I like want to take the 

472
00:25:15,880 --> 00:25:18,200
stool here and like slap them 
across the face with it. 

473
00:25:21,560 --> 00:25:26,520
And I, you know, I'm confessing 
that I'm, I'm giving Paul a run 

474
00:25:26,520 --> 00:25:28,000
for his money on being the worst
Sinner. 

475
00:25:31,200 --> 00:25:33,800
My point is this is that I'm 
guilty of this. 

476
00:25:35,360 --> 00:25:38,120
And the Paul's like, hey, I can 
take criticism and not be 

477
00:25:38,120 --> 00:25:40,840
devastated and not be defensive.
Now, this is also true of Paul. 

478
00:25:41,040 --> 00:25:44,920
Paul says I can receive praise 
without being inflated. 

479
00:25:46,480 --> 00:25:48,960
Oh man, how badly I want that to
be true of me. 

480
00:25:48,960 --> 00:25:53,800
To be able to receive your 
praise and say thank you and not

481
00:25:53,800 --> 00:25:57,320
let it inflate my ego. 
What a gift he has. 

482
00:25:57,720 --> 00:26:00,880
So Paul is free. 
He doesn't live in either ditch.

483
00:26:01,040 --> 00:26:05,040
How is Paul free? 
If the verdict doesn't come from

484
00:26:05,040 --> 00:26:07,920
others according to Paul, and 
the verdict doesn't come from 

485
00:26:07,920 --> 00:26:10,400
himself according to Paul, then 
where does it come from? 

486
00:26:10,400 --> 00:26:13,520
Where does he get this verdict 
to walk with a healthy ego? 

487
00:26:13,520 --> 00:26:17,240
How does he live this way? 
And this is the Third Point. 

488
00:26:17,240 --> 00:26:21,720
So we have #1 our natural ego #2
Paul's surprising freedom, and 

489
00:26:21,720 --> 00:26:26,120
then #3 the final verdict. 
Well, Paul answers the question 

490
00:26:26,120 --> 00:26:28,280
in verse 4. 
Listen to what Paul says in 

491
00:26:28,280 --> 00:26:31,840
verse four. 
He says, my conscience is clear,

492
00:26:33,440 --> 00:26:35,120
but that does not make me 
innocent. 

493
00:26:35,720 --> 00:26:39,040
It is the Lord who judges me. 
There's your answer. 

494
00:26:39,040 --> 00:26:45,560
It is the Lord who judges me. 
Paul is not saying there's no 

495
00:26:45,560 --> 00:26:47,400
such thing as judgement. 
He's like, he's not saying 

496
00:26:47,560 --> 00:26:48,800
there's not going to be any 
judgement. 

497
00:26:49,040 --> 00:26:51,600
Like, you know, just be, live 
your life and whatever happens, 

498
00:26:51,600 --> 00:26:53,000
happens. 
He's not saying that at all. 

499
00:26:53,200 --> 00:26:55,160
He's saying there is going to 
come judgement. 

500
00:26:55,160 --> 00:26:58,680
There is judgement. 
He's saying that ultimately the 

501
00:26:58,680 --> 00:27:02,840
only judgement that matters to 
him is not his own judgement or 

502
00:27:02,840 --> 00:27:04,720
your judgement. 
The only judgement that matters 

503
00:27:04,720 --> 00:27:10,240
to him is whose judgement? 
God's judgement, the Lord's 

504
00:27:10,240 --> 00:27:13,840
judgement. 
Remember, you and I are living 

505
00:27:13,840 --> 00:27:15,800
in a courtroom. 
We're always asking for a 

506
00:27:15,800 --> 00:27:17,640
verdict. 
Am I successful? 

507
00:27:17,840 --> 00:27:19,960
Am I, do I matter? 
Am I good? 

508
00:27:20,600 --> 00:27:24,440
And that constant search is why 
your ego and my ego is so 

509
00:27:24,560 --> 00:27:27,680
anxious. 
We need to know that our lives 

510
00:27:27,680 --> 00:27:31,840
count. 
So how does Paul say that God 

511
00:27:31,840 --> 00:27:35,280
alone judges him and yet find 
freedom instead of fear? 

512
00:27:35,760 --> 00:27:39,400
Because most of us, if I say 
God's going to judge you, what 

513
00:27:39,400 --> 00:27:43,360
do we immediately feel? 
Fear, fear, guilt, shame, like, 

514
00:27:43,360 --> 00:27:46,640
Oh my gosh, God's like Stephen's
going to preach on judgement 

515
00:27:46,640 --> 00:27:50,320
like this is terrible and scary.
But Paul says he finds freedom 

516
00:27:50,320 --> 00:27:52,240
in knowing that only God is his 
judge. 

517
00:27:53,120 --> 00:27:55,640
How does he find freedom in 
knowing that only God is his 

518
00:27:55,640 --> 00:27:58,120
judge? 
He's liberated. 

519
00:27:58,120 --> 00:28:00,720
How is this possible? 
He says I'm not worried about my

520
00:28:00,720 --> 00:28:02,480
judgement of me. 
I'm not worried about your 

521
00:28:02,480 --> 00:28:04,720
judgement of me. 
I only, I'm only worried about I

522
00:28:04,720 --> 00:28:06,520
only think about God's judgement
of me. 

523
00:28:06,560 --> 00:28:09,240
Doesn't even say he's worried 
about it, just says the Lord is 

524
00:28:09,240 --> 00:28:10,360
my judge. 
That's all he says. 

525
00:28:10,360 --> 00:28:12,320
That's all he's concerned about.
The Lord is my judge. 

526
00:28:13,000 --> 00:28:15,800
How does that give him freedom? 
How does that release him? 

527
00:28:16,600 --> 00:28:19,600
You ready? 
Because he actually believes the

528
00:28:19,600 --> 00:28:23,880
gospel. 
He actually believes the gospel.

529
00:28:25,520 --> 00:28:27,160
Romans chapter 8, verses 1 and 
2. 

530
00:28:27,280 --> 00:28:31,560
The apostle Paul wrote these 
words, these beautiful words, 

531
00:28:31,960 --> 00:28:34,640
the foundation of much of what 
we believe about the gospel. 

532
00:28:34,640 --> 00:28:40,280
This is what Paul said. 
Therefore there is now no what 

533
00:28:41,520 --> 00:28:46,120
condemnation for those who are 
in Christ Jesus because through 

534
00:28:46,120 --> 00:28:50,080
Christ Jesus the law of the 
Spirit who gives life has set 

535
00:28:50,080 --> 00:28:52,960
you free from the law of sin and
death. 

536
00:28:54,200 --> 00:28:58,840
It doesn't say in cry for the 
for go back to verse one. 

537
00:28:59,120 --> 00:29:01,480
Go back to verse one. 
It doesn't say. 

538
00:29:01,480 --> 00:29:03,720
Therefore there is a little 
condemnation. 

539
00:29:05,240 --> 00:29:08,200
It doesn't say. 
Therefore there might be some 

540
00:29:08,200 --> 00:29:12,480
condemnation for some if maybe 
possibly doesn't say that, does 

541
00:29:12,480 --> 00:29:13,880
it? 
What is this? 

542
00:29:13,960 --> 00:29:15,040
This is the foundation of the 
gospel. 

543
00:29:15,040 --> 00:29:17,560
Paul says, therefore there is 
now what? 

544
00:29:18,120 --> 00:29:21,120
No condemnation. 
So Paul actually believes the 

545
00:29:21,200 --> 00:29:23,520
believes the gospel. 
Paul can say I'm not worried 

546
00:29:23,520 --> 00:29:25,440
about your judgement of me. 
I'm not worried about my 

547
00:29:25,440 --> 00:29:30,320
judgement of me because God is 
the only judge that matters and 

548
00:29:30,320 --> 00:29:33,480
he has already rendered a 
judgement. 

549
00:29:35,160 --> 00:29:38,360
In other words, court is 
adjourned, it's over, judgement 

550
00:29:38,360 --> 00:29:41,320
is done. 
God has already rendered A 

551
00:29:41,320 --> 00:29:44,120
verdict. 
Paul's not claiming innocence. 

552
00:29:44,120 --> 00:29:46,600
He's not saying I'm not done 
anything wrong or I'm a good 

553
00:29:46,600 --> 00:29:47,760
guy. 
He's not doing any of that. 

554
00:29:47,760 --> 00:29:51,400
On fact, it's the opposite. 
Paul says point blank, I'm not 

555
00:29:51,400 --> 00:30:00,520
innocent, but Paul's essentially
saying is I am guilty, but I am 

556
00:30:00,520 --> 00:30:04,680
not condemned. 
And friend, we don't have a 

557
00:30:04,680 --> 00:30:08,440
category for that. 
We're all trying to deny our 

558
00:30:08,440 --> 00:30:12,520
guilt all the time or somehow 
compensate for it and pay for 

559
00:30:12,520 --> 00:30:14,680
it. 
And Paul says no, no, no, I'm 

560
00:30:14,680 --> 00:30:17,400
guilty. 
I'm just not condemned. 

561
00:30:19,360 --> 00:30:22,400
I'm just not condemned. 
There's no condemnation. 

562
00:30:23,720 --> 00:30:25,120
We don't have a category for 
that. 

563
00:30:27,120 --> 00:30:31,000
You see, Christianity teaches 
that Jesus took just and 

564
00:30:31,000 --> 00:30:34,640
condemnation for our guilt so 
that you could stand fully 

565
00:30:34,640 --> 00:30:37,040
accepted and never condemned by 
God. 

566
00:30:37,160 --> 00:30:38,520
That's what Christianity 
teaches. 

567
00:30:39,760 --> 00:30:42,560
And that is how Paul is free 
from the judgement of others and

568
00:30:42,560 --> 00:30:45,320
from the judgement of himself. 
Because Paul knows that the 

569
00:30:45,320 --> 00:30:47,440
courtroom is closed, the verdict
is in. 

570
00:30:47,680 --> 00:30:51,280
Jesus Christ has taken my 
condemnation for me, and I can 

571
00:30:51,280 --> 00:30:55,480
now be free from that 
condemnation. 

572
00:30:56,400 --> 00:30:59,920
You see, only this is important.
Only in Christianity do you 

573
00:30:59,920 --> 00:31:03,360
receive the verdict before you 
perform. 

574
00:31:03,520 --> 00:31:07,760
You see, the way we think is you
perform and then you get a 

575
00:31:07,760 --> 00:31:09,800
verdict. 
If you perform well, then you 

576
00:31:09,800 --> 00:31:12,680
get a good verdict. 
Every other worldview gets this 

577
00:31:12,680 --> 00:31:15,280
differently. 
See, in Christianity we perform 

578
00:31:15,320 --> 00:31:17,920
from our verdict, not for our 
verdict. 

579
00:31:19,080 --> 00:31:24,000
Can I say it again? 
We perform from our verdict, not

580
00:31:24,000 --> 00:31:27,480
for our verdict. 
In every other worldview, 

581
00:31:27,480 --> 00:31:30,920
including atheistic humanism, 
that order is reversed. 

582
00:31:31,240 --> 00:31:34,960
If you perform good enough and 
well enough and long enough, 

583
00:31:35,120 --> 00:31:39,320
then maybe you'll secure some 
worth and identity and value. 

584
00:31:39,400 --> 00:31:42,560
And the gospel of Jesus Christ 
is the polar opposite. 

585
00:31:42,640 --> 00:31:45,120
You get the verdict before the 
performance. 

586
00:31:46,320 --> 00:31:49,520
We perform from our verdict. 
And every time I preach this and

587
00:31:49,520 --> 00:31:52,560
every time I teach this, I can 
feel the resistance in the room 

588
00:31:56,160 --> 00:32:01,080
because it's scandalous. 
We don't have a category for I 

589
00:32:01,080 --> 00:32:05,760
am guilty but not condemned. 
It seems unbelievable. 

590
00:32:08,440 --> 00:32:12,520
Jesus went into the courtroom on
your behalf and from his 

591
00:32:12,520 --> 00:32:17,520
punishment you receive 
forgiveness of sin and right 

592
00:32:17,520 --> 00:32:21,440
standing before God who grew up 
singing the old hymn Rock of 

593
00:32:21,440 --> 00:32:27,200
Ages. 
What does it say Be for sin? 

594
00:32:27,680 --> 00:32:31,000
A What kind of cure? 
A double cure. 

595
00:32:31,640 --> 00:32:36,680
Go home and read that hymn Be 
for Sin, a double cure. 

596
00:32:37,000 --> 00:32:41,760
How is the Rock of Ages, Jesus 
Christ a double cure for our 

597
00:32:41,760 --> 00:32:45,160
sin? 
Because He cures us of our guilt

598
00:32:45,680 --> 00:32:48,400
and it gives us the 
righteousness that we need to be

599
00:32:48,400 --> 00:32:50,920
with God. 
It's a double cure. 

600
00:32:52,360 --> 00:32:55,640
And this is how I can have 0 
condemnation. 

601
00:32:57,680 --> 00:33:02,480
This is why Paul says that 
having God as his only judge 

602
00:33:02,480 --> 00:33:04,480
brings him freedom instead of 
fear. 

603
00:33:05,680 --> 00:33:07,560
He's free from the judgment of 
others. 

604
00:33:07,560 --> 00:33:10,960
He's free from the judgment of 
himself because the judgment of 

605
00:33:10,960 --> 00:33:18,520
God is already done. 
Christ took his just punishment 

606
00:33:19,880 --> 00:33:23,280
and he now is declared righteous
with God. 

607
00:33:24,440 --> 00:33:27,480
That's finished. 
The work was finished on the 

608
00:33:27,480 --> 00:33:30,000
cross. 
And this is the freedom that the

609
00:33:30,000 --> 00:33:33,920
gospel offers you. 
You do not have to think poorly 

610
00:33:33,920 --> 00:33:37,400
of yourself. 
You do not have to think highly 

611
00:33:37,760 --> 00:33:41,240
of yourself. 
The gospel allows you to live in

612
00:33:41,240 --> 00:33:45,320
the middle of the ditches. 
You ready to forget yourself. 

613
00:33:46,960 --> 00:33:48,600
That's what the gospel allows us
to do. 

614
00:33:49,520 --> 00:33:53,800
And what a gift that is. 
What a gift that is. 

615
00:33:54,640 --> 00:33:56,400
Now you can listen without 
defending. 

616
00:33:57,240 --> 00:33:59,840
You can serve without needing 
appreciation. 

617
00:34:00,720 --> 00:34:03,920
You can love others without 
trying to use them to prop up 

618
00:34:03,920 --> 00:34:10,280
your ego. 
The gospel makes this kind of 

619
00:34:10,280 --> 00:34:12,520
life possible. 
It's the alternative that Paul 

620
00:34:12,520 --> 00:34:15,920
offers. 
But how can you live this way? 

621
00:34:16,960 --> 00:34:18,159
Because here's the fact of the 
matter. 

622
00:34:19,280 --> 00:34:21,800
The courtroom opens every single
day. 

623
00:34:23,360 --> 00:34:25,679
When you get up in the morning, 
the courtroom is going to open 

624
00:34:28,159 --> 00:34:30,639
every single day. 
You're not as pretty as them. 

625
00:34:31,239 --> 00:34:33,920
You're not as athletic as them. 
You're not as nice as them. 

626
00:34:34,560 --> 00:34:36,760
You're better than they are. 
You're smarter than they are. 

627
00:34:37,920 --> 00:34:40,719
What is the ego doing? 
Well, that's empty. 

628
00:34:41,960 --> 00:34:45,040
It's painful, it's busy. 
It's fragile. 

629
00:34:46,840 --> 00:34:48,600
It needs to feel better about 
itself. 

630
00:34:48,880 --> 00:34:50,800
So every day the courtroom is 
going to open. 

631
00:34:52,080 --> 00:34:54,600
And since the courtroom opens 
every day, do you know what you 

632
00:34:54,600 --> 00:34:58,200
need to do every day and I need 
to do every day, Every single 

633
00:34:58,400 --> 00:35:03,600
day. 
I need to read the verdict over 

634
00:35:03,600 --> 00:35:08,880
my life every single day. 
There is therefore now no 

635
00:35:08,880 --> 00:35:11,960
condemnation for those who are 
in Christ Jesus. 

636
00:35:12,320 --> 00:35:15,800
I have to read the verdict over 
every single day. 

637
00:35:16,200 --> 00:35:18,400
We have to read the verdict 
about ourselves. 

638
00:35:18,560 --> 00:35:20,400
Hey, I don't have to prove 
anything today. 

639
00:35:20,560 --> 00:35:22,520
I'm free to love with grace and 
truth. 

640
00:35:22,720 --> 00:35:24,720
I am loved. 
I am forgiven. 

641
00:35:24,840 --> 00:35:28,680
I am righteous in God's view. 
And if we do this every day, 

642
00:35:28,760 --> 00:35:35,200
slowly, we train our ego to be 
healthy, to work just like our 

643
00:35:35,200 --> 00:35:39,720
shoulder when it's healthy or 
our elbow when it's healthy. 

644
00:35:43,360 --> 00:35:47,680
And slowly, just like our elbow 
that works and our shoulder that

645
00:35:47,680 --> 00:35:56,400
works, we won't notice our ego 
and we will find that we forget 

646
00:35:56,400 --> 00:36:00,640
ourselves. 
That's the life that's possible.

647
00:36:01,320 --> 00:36:04,200
That's the freedom through the 
gospel that's available to you. 

648
00:36:05,400 --> 00:36:07,880
Will you stand with me? 
I'm going to say a benediction 

649
00:36:07,880 --> 00:36:10,720
over us and then we'll be 
dismissed. 

650
00:36:15,840 --> 00:36:22,120
My brothers and sisters, receive
these words as you go. 

651
00:36:23,080 --> 00:36:25,560
May the truth of the gospel 
settle your heart. 

652
00:36:27,000 --> 00:36:31,480
May the voice that tells you to 
strive, prove, and compare grow 

653
00:36:31,480 --> 00:36:35,240
quiet. 
May you rest in the verdict 

654
00:36:35,320 --> 00:36:40,920
already spoken over you in 
Christ, loved, forgiven, and 

655
00:36:40,920 --> 00:36:44,120
fully accepted. 
And as you walk into this week, 

656
00:36:45,200 --> 00:36:49,320
may you be free to listen with 
humility, serve with joy, and 

657
00:36:49,320 --> 00:36:53,400
love others without fear. 
In the name of the Father, the 

658
00:36:53,400 --> 00:36:57,920
Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen. 
Go on, peace friends, love you. 

659
00:37:00,000 --> 00:37:05,440
I know I would get that they say
that no face. 

660
00:37:06,440 --> 00:37:08,720
That's hard. 
What again?