1 00:00:03,440 --> 00:00:07,280 Continuing with our series on Romans 8, what a powerful 2 00:00:07,280 --> 00:00:10,280 chapter this is in the Bible. One of my favourite books. 3 00:00:10,600 --> 00:00:15,400 One of my favourite chapters. If you ever stranded on an 4 00:00:15,400 --> 00:00:18,760 island and you were only allowed to take 1 chapter of the Bible, 5 00:00:18,760 --> 00:00:20,520 I would recommend taking Romans 8. 6 00:00:21,280 --> 00:00:23,280 OK, don't take anything from Leviticus. 7 00:00:23,280 --> 00:00:25,400 Don't take anything from Ecclesiastes. 8 00:00:25,480 --> 00:00:29,520 You know how that went. Take Romans 8, because it has 9 00:00:29,520 --> 00:00:34,800 everything got justification, sanctification, glorification, 10 00:00:34,800 --> 00:00:40,120 predestination, suffering, hope, prayer, power, and the kind of 11 00:00:40,120 --> 00:00:42,800 love that grabs you by the soul and it doesn't let go. 12 00:00:43,640 --> 00:00:50,760 It's a chapter of freedom like Stephen mentioned, it begins 13 00:00:50,760 --> 00:00:55,480 with therefore there is now no condemnation in verse one and it 14 00:00:55,480 --> 00:00:58,720 finishes with verse 39. That says nothing can separate 15 00:00:58,720 --> 00:01:02,280 us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. 16 00:01:03,160 --> 00:01:05,200 So it begins with no condemnation. 17 00:01:05,840 --> 00:01:09,320 In the end, there's no separation and in between 18 00:01:09,760 --> 00:01:13,200 there's no defeat. This is Paul's mountaintop. 19 00:01:13,200 --> 00:01:15,040 He's been climbing for seven chapters. 20 00:01:15,720 --> 00:01:18,720 He's showing us our sin, He showed us God's justice, 21 00:01:18,720 --> 00:01:22,640 Christ's righteousness, and now he plants the flag and he says 22 00:01:23,040 --> 00:01:27,600 you are free, you are His and you are secure. 23 00:01:29,120 --> 00:01:31,320 He shows that we have everything going for us. 24 00:01:31,320 --> 00:01:35,280 If we look at Romans 8 verse 31, it says if God is for us, who 25 00:01:35,280 --> 00:01:39,040 can be against us? So if you ever feel lost, you 26 00:01:39,040 --> 00:01:43,280 feel unworthy or unsure where you stand with God, Romans 8 is 27 00:01:43,280 --> 00:01:46,840 your anchor. You are not condemned, you are 28 00:01:46,840 --> 00:01:49,480 not alone, and you are not defeated. 29 00:01:49,680 --> 00:01:54,080 You are unbreakable in Christ. So let's turn our Bibles to 30 00:01:54,080 --> 00:02:00,000 Romans 8 verse 2. Through Christ Jesus, the law of 31 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:03,960 the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin 32 00:02:03,960 --> 00:02:07,920 and death. Through Christ Jesus, the law of 33 00:02:07,920 --> 00:02:12,080 the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin 34 00:02:12,080 --> 00:02:14,440 and death. I want to explain what that 35 00:02:14,440 --> 00:02:19,320 verse means just to make sure everybody here today understands 36 00:02:19,320 --> 00:02:21,000 it. So I'm going to start with a 37 00:02:21,000 --> 00:02:23,880 simple explanation and then kind of build on that and get a 38 00:02:23,880 --> 00:02:27,560 little bit more and more deep deeper into it. 39 00:02:27,560 --> 00:02:29,920 So we're going to start with like a 10 year old explanation, 40 00:02:29,920 --> 00:02:34,080 grade 3, and then we'll build it up to matric level and undergrad 41 00:02:34,080 --> 00:02:36,640 and maybe work our way up to PhD, right? 42 00:02:37,240 --> 00:02:40,840 So here's the 10 year old version, third grade Romans 8. 43 00:02:40,920 --> 00:02:43,400 It says, imagine you were stuck in a deep hole you couldn't 44 00:02:43,400 --> 00:02:46,400 climb out of. That hole is like sin and death, 45 00:02:46,800 --> 00:02:49,560 bad stuff we all do and the fact that one day we're all going to 46 00:02:49,560 --> 00:02:51,800 die. But then Jesus comes and throws 47 00:02:51,800 --> 00:02:55,000 down a strong rope and says grab on, I'll pull you out. 48 00:02:55,640 --> 00:02:59,000 That rope is like the Holy Spirit and he gives you life and 49 00:02:59,000 --> 00:03:02,800 freedom. He helps you to live the way God 50 00:03:02,800 --> 00:03:05,800 wants and you are no longer stuck in that hole anymore. 51 00:03:07,400 --> 00:03:10,280 So it means that Jesus sets us free from the bad things that 52 00:03:10,280 --> 00:03:13,840 used to trap us and now we can live with hope and real life 53 00:03:13,840 --> 00:03:17,400 because of the Holy Spirit. 10 year old version. 54 00:03:17,400 --> 00:03:18,960 Now let's bump it up to my trick. 55 00:03:19,120 --> 00:03:23,680 Grade 12 says this verse is saying that there are two laws 56 00:03:23,680 --> 00:03:26,920 or powers at work. We have the law of sin and 57 00:03:26,920 --> 00:03:29,480 death. This is the spiritual principle 58 00:03:29,480 --> 00:03:32,640 that says sin leads to death, not just physical death, but 59 00:03:32,640 --> 00:03:36,080 separation from God. It's the system we're all stuck 60 00:03:36,080 --> 00:03:40,040 in because of our human nature. Then we have the law of the 61 00:03:40,040 --> 00:03:43,840 Spirit of life, and this is the new power or principle that 62 00:03:43,840 --> 00:03:47,480 comes from the Holy Spirit through Jesus, and it leads to 63 00:03:47,480 --> 00:03:50,160 life, freedom, and connection with God. 64 00:03:50,880 --> 00:03:53,640 So what Paul is saying is because of Jesus, we are no 65 00:03:53,640 --> 00:03:56,560 longer stuck in the cycle of sin and death. 66 00:03:57,320 --> 00:04:01,160 The Holy Spirit gives us a new way to live, a new law that 67 00:04:01,160 --> 00:04:07,440 frees us from the old one, bumping it up to undergrad 68 00:04:07,440 --> 00:04:09,320 university. If you're still stuck at the 10 69 00:04:09,320 --> 00:04:10,920 year old explanation, that's fine. 70 00:04:10,920 --> 00:04:14,600 I'm there with you. OK, university explanation. 71 00:04:14,600 --> 00:04:16,959 We have the law of the Spirit of life. 72 00:04:17,519 --> 00:04:21,079 This refers to a governing principle of power of the Holy 73 00:04:21,079 --> 00:04:25,040 Spirit who gives life and sanctifies the believer. 74 00:04:25,720 --> 00:04:27,320 Then we have the law of sin and death. 75 00:04:27,400 --> 00:04:31,920 That's the opposing principle, the dominion of sin that leads 76 00:04:31,920 --> 00:04:35,400 to spiritual death, and it enslaves those who are under the 77 00:04:35,400 --> 00:04:39,560 flesh, unable to fulfill the righteous requirements of God's 78 00:04:39,560 --> 00:04:42,720 law. So Paul is contrasting to 79 00:04:42,720 --> 00:04:45,640 spiritual laws or systems of influence. 80 00:04:45,640 --> 00:04:48,720 We have the law of sin and death, which comes from the 81 00:04:48,720 --> 00:04:53,200 Mosaic law and exposes sin but offers no power to overcome it, 82 00:04:53,640 --> 00:04:56,400 and the result is condemnation and death. 83 00:04:56,400 --> 00:04:58,920 Beautiful chair. Then we have the law of spirit 84 00:04:58,920 --> 00:05:02,960 of life that's activated through faith, faith in Jesus Christ 85 00:05:03,320 --> 00:05:06,440 that delivers from the power of sin and its consequences, and it 86 00:05:06,440 --> 00:05:11,080 empowers obedience and sanctification by the indwelling 87 00:05:11,240 --> 00:05:17,320 Holy Spirit in us. So through union with Christ, we 88 00:05:17,320 --> 00:05:21,360 have been liberated from this controlling influence of sin and 89 00:05:21,360 --> 00:05:25,880 its consequence, which is death. This liberation isn't merely a 90 00:05:25,880 --> 00:05:28,920 legal pardon, but it's a transformational power. 91 00:05:30,000 --> 00:05:34,160 The Holy Spirit changes the inner nature of us, enabling a 92 00:05:34,160 --> 00:05:39,480 new kind of life. So Romans 8, verse 2 teaches us 93 00:05:39,480 --> 00:05:42,520 that the Holy Spirit frees us from the hopeless cycle of sin 94 00:05:42,520 --> 00:05:46,600 and death, not just by forgiving us, by empowering us to actually 95 00:05:46,600 --> 00:05:49,760 live righteously, something the law alone could never do. 96 00:05:53,240 --> 00:05:57,880 You're with me, OK masters level masters. 97 00:05:58,520 --> 00:06:01,000 Romans 8, That's the climatic shift. 98 00:06:01,720 --> 00:06:05,760 What the law could not do due to human weakness, God has 99 00:06:05,760 --> 00:06:09,280 accomplished through Christ and the Spirit. 100 00:06:10,280 --> 00:06:14,000 Romans 7 describes bondage of the law of sin, a dynamic force 101 00:06:14,000 --> 00:06:18,680 working death through sin. And Roman 8, verse 2 declares 102 00:06:18,680 --> 00:06:22,520 that this bondage is decisively broken by the law of the Spirit, 103 00:06:23,280 --> 00:06:26,560 a new operative principle that governs those in Christ. 104 00:06:27,480 --> 00:06:31,360 So Romans 8, verse 2 functions as both a theological pivot and 105 00:06:31,360 --> 00:06:35,840 a pastoral assurance, the declaration that the believer, 106 00:06:36,160 --> 00:06:40,800 through participation in Christ via union, now lives under the 107 00:06:40,800 --> 00:06:43,640 dominion of the Spirit and not sin. 108 00:06:46,520 --> 00:06:49,680 This means that when we put our faith in Jesus, we are 109 00:06:49,680 --> 00:06:54,880 justified, declared righteous by God, and we are regenerated, 110 00:06:54,880 --> 00:06:57,680 made spiritually alive by the Holy Spirit. 111 00:06:58,960 --> 00:07:03,440 Sin is no longer a governing power or control in our life. 112 00:07:04,280 --> 00:07:06,520 We are not slaves to sin anymore. 113 00:07:07,800 --> 00:07:11,440 The Spirit is not simply the seal of salvation, as we read in 114 00:07:11,440 --> 00:07:16,000 Ephesians, but it's the force of transformation in Galatians. 115 00:07:16,920 --> 00:07:20,480 So Romans 2 is not merely a contrast between legal systems, 116 00:07:20,480 --> 00:07:25,160 but it's a profound shift, a shift within us from enslavement 117 00:07:25,160 --> 00:07:29,720 under the tyrannical power of sin and wages which is death, to 118 00:07:29,720 --> 00:07:32,280 the life governed and empowered by the Holy Spirit. 119 00:07:33,360 --> 00:07:37,240 It reveals that justification, sanctification, and 120 00:07:37,240 --> 00:07:42,600 glorification are all bound in the spirit empowered life of the 121 00:07:42,600 --> 00:07:45,040 believer. This verse sets the tone for the 122 00:07:45,040 --> 00:07:48,360 rest of Romans 8. It's a chapter that ascends into 123 00:07:48,360 --> 00:07:51,000 the heights of Christian assurance and the Trinitarian 124 00:07:51,000 --> 00:07:59,160 cooperation of salvation. PhD level. 125 00:08:01,160 --> 00:08:05,240 OK, this is what I got when I researched the PhD explanation 126 00:08:05,240 --> 00:08:10,680 of this verse. OK, when right over my head. 127 00:08:10,680 --> 00:08:14,600 Too many Greek terms. I'll leave that to Stephen to 128 00:08:14,600 --> 00:08:18,440 decipher the bottom line. In Romans 8 verse 2, it declares 129 00:08:18,440 --> 00:08:21,320 that through Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit sets us free from 130 00:08:21,320 --> 00:08:25,640 the power of sin and death, not just by forgiving us, but by 131 00:08:25,640 --> 00:08:31,000 transforming us from the inside out, enabling us to truly live 132 00:08:31,000 --> 00:08:35,760 the way that God intended us to. If I jump a little ahead, Romans 133 00:08:35,760 --> 00:08:38,679 8 verse 5, it says those who live in accordance with the 134 00:08:38,679 --> 00:08:42,640 Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 135 00:08:43,960 --> 00:08:47,600 If this is the case, why are so many of us living like we are 136 00:08:47,600 --> 00:08:52,280 condemned even after the verdict has been overturned? 137 00:08:52,280 --> 00:08:55,880 Some of us live like we're still sitting in court waiting for 138 00:08:55,880 --> 00:09:00,760 that verdict to come. We're trying to prove to God 139 00:09:00,760 --> 00:09:02,840 that we are worthy of being loved. 140 00:09:03,000 --> 00:09:05,680 So we think to ourselves, We walk around as like, if I can 141 00:09:05,680 --> 00:09:09,920 just behave long enough, if I can just clean myself up, maybe 142 00:09:09,920 --> 00:09:14,480 God will finally approve of me. We walk around like we're on 143 00:09:14,480 --> 00:09:18,600 spiritual parole. You do your best to behave. 144 00:09:18,600 --> 00:09:21,160 You check in with God every now and again just to make sure he 145 00:09:21,160 --> 00:09:22,840 hasn't changed his mind about you. 146 00:09:24,640 --> 00:09:29,160 Why are so many of us still living as if we are not free? 147 00:09:31,880 --> 00:09:36,360 John 8 verse 36 says whom the sun sets free is free indeed. 148 00:09:37,240 --> 00:09:41,400 And Galatians 5 verse one said it is for freedom that Christ 149 00:09:41,400 --> 00:09:46,320 has set us free. Many of us, we stop at 150 00:09:46,320 --> 00:09:51,200 salvation, forgiveness, and we don't walk into and accept 151 00:09:51,200 --> 00:09:54,760 liberation, which is freedom, which is a promise that God's 152 00:09:54,760 --> 00:09:59,400 given us. We don't live by what's true, 153 00:09:59,400 --> 00:10:01,920 but we live by what we believe is true. 154 00:10:02,200 --> 00:10:04,920 And we've mentioned this before. Our perception becomes our 155 00:10:04,920 --> 00:10:08,240 reality, what we perceive something to be. 156 00:10:08,240 --> 00:10:11,920 We believe that that is reality and then our behaviour follows 157 00:10:11,920 --> 00:10:18,280 that. I don't want to talk about 158 00:10:18,280 --> 00:10:20,400 perception today. I don't want to talk about what 159 00:10:20,400 --> 00:10:22,600 you believe or what I believe reality to be. 160 00:10:22,600 --> 00:10:27,240 I want to talk about the truth, The undeniable truth that you 161 00:10:27,240 --> 00:10:32,520 are not on spiritual probation. You are not a barely tolerated 162 00:10:32,520 --> 00:10:34,400 Sinner trying to make your way back. 163 00:10:36,280 --> 00:10:43,280 You are a justified, adopted, deeply loved child of God, and 164 00:10:43,280 --> 00:10:46,160 no one can reverse that verdict, not even you. 165 00:10:48,680 --> 00:10:51,120 So Romans 8 verse one to two tells us there's no 166 00:10:51,120 --> 00:10:54,280 condemnation. There's a new governance, the 167 00:10:54,280 --> 00:10:57,640 law of the Spirit replacing the law of sin and death. 168 00:10:58,520 --> 00:11:02,760 We believe that we were saved from something, but the truth is 169 00:11:02,760 --> 00:11:04,880 that we were saved into something. 170 00:11:07,360 --> 00:11:12,840 That's where we move from power, worldly prison to God's promise. 171 00:11:15,560 --> 00:11:18,920 You were saved from the penalty of sin, but also saved into the 172 00:11:18,920 --> 00:11:24,160 power of the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3 verse 17 says 173 00:11:24,160 --> 00:11:26,960 where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 174 00:11:27,960 --> 00:11:32,600 So don't just believe in Jesus, but start believing like Jesus, 175 00:11:33,240 --> 00:11:36,320 filled with a spirit full of power, walking in freedom. 176 00:11:38,200 --> 00:11:42,280 Have you ever pulled on a door to open it and 1st pull it 177 00:11:42,280 --> 00:11:46,120 doesn't want to open so you tug a little bit harder and then you 178 00:11:46,120 --> 00:11:50,560 lose your temper and then you look down and it says push and 179 00:11:50,560 --> 00:11:53,040 then you look around like nobody saw you, right? 180 00:11:54,080 --> 00:11:57,440 That's a that's a great image of us as Christians when we don't 181 00:11:57,440 --> 00:12:01,040 believe the truth because the door is open, but we keep 182 00:12:01,040 --> 00:12:08,200 tugging on chains that Christ has already broken for us by a 183 00:12:08,200 --> 00:12:12,360 show of hands. Who have you have heard that we 184 00:12:12,360 --> 00:12:14,400 have been set free and that we are free? 185 00:12:16,320 --> 00:12:18,560 Awesome. Keep your hand raised. 186 00:12:18,880 --> 00:12:21,920 If you know that we've been set free but you feel still feel 187 00:12:21,920 --> 00:12:30,200 stuck in the same cycles, guilt, shame, addiction, fear, anger, 188 00:12:30,200 --> 00:12:33,400 you know you are free but you still feel trapped. 189 00:12:34,680 --> 00:12:36,160 Awesome, thank you for being honest. 190 00:12:36,520 --> 00:12:39,320 Those of you that put your hands down, you stuck in a cycle of 191 00:12:39,320 --> 00:12:44,400 lies. See, people aren't just trapped 192 00:12:44,400 --> 00:12:47,880 because we don't love God. We are trapped because we 193 00:12:47,880 --> 00:12:52,560 haven't learned how to live in this new law, the law of the 194 00:12:52,560 --> 00:12:54,400 Spirit. We are stuck in the old law, 195 00:12:54,400 --> 00:12:56,880 bound by fear, shame, and condemnation. 196 00:12:56,880 --> 00:13:02,040 We are stuck in the belief that Jesus died to improve our lives. 197 00:13:02,880 --> 00:13:06,720 Lord, take me for who I am, where I am, and what I am right 198 00:13:06,720 --> 00:13:10,280 now and just make it better. But that's not the case. 199 00:13:10,320 --> 00:13:12,280 Jesus didn't die to improve our lives. 200 00:13:12,280 --> 00:13:17,200 He died to exchange our lives. He didn't die to give you a 201 00:13:17,200 --> 00:13:19,920 second chance. He died to give you a new 202 00:13:19,920 --> 00:13:23,280 identity. Out with the old, in with the 203 00:13:23,280 --> 00:13:29,240 new. 2 Corinthians 5 verse 17 it says, therefore if anyone is in 204 00:13:29,240 --> 00:13:33,080 Christ, the new creation has come, the old has gone, and the 205 00:13:33,080 --> 00:13:36,840 new is here. So in Christ you are not an 206 00:13:36,840 --> 00:13:40,720 improved version of your old self, you are completely new. 207 00:13:42,040 --> 00:13:45,880 And if we look at Isaiah 4318, it says, forget the former 208 00:13:45,880 --> 00:13:48,400 things, do not dwell on the past. 209 00:13:48,920 --> 00:13:52,440 See I am doing a new thing and now it springs up. 210 00:13:52,440 --> 00:13:55,920 Do you not perceive it? Even God knows that our 211 00:13:55,920 --> 00:13:58,920 perception becomes our reality because he said doesn't say 212 00:13:59,600 --> 00:14:02,440 don't you believe it? It says do you not perceive it? 213 00:14:03,000 --> 00:14:05,880 Because in order to believe it we have to change our thinking 214 00:14:05,880 --> 00:14:09,440 about it. One of my favourite verses, 215 00:14:09,440 --> 00:14:13,160 Romans 12 verse 2, it says do not conform to the pattern of 216 00:14:13,160 --> 00:14:17,360 this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. 217 00:14:18,080 --> 00:14:21,600 Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is. 218 00:14:21,840 --> 00:14:24,440 He's good, pleasing, and perfect will. 219 00:14:25,440 --> 00:14:29,400 So renewal begins in the mind. Transformation happens when we 220 00:14:29,400 --> 00:14:33,600 start thinking differently. We have to stop thinking that 221 00:14:33,600 --> 00:14:36,080 it's all about what I've done and what I'm doing. 222 00:14:36,080 --> 00:14:39,120 And we have to start believing it's about what God has done and 223 00:14:39,120 --> 00:14:42,960 what He is doing. So when we look at these two 224 00:14:42,960 --> 00:14:46,600 opposing laws, the law of sin and death is justice. 225 00:14:47,160 --> 00:14:51,560 And God's justice demands that sin has a consequence, death and 226 00:14:51,560 --> 00:14:54,320 separation from Him. And justice demands 227 00:14:54,320 --> 00:14:58,280 accountability for sin, meaning that no wrongdoing can just be 228 00:14:58,280 --> 00:15:00,480 overlooked. It has to be accounted for. 229 00:15:05,000 --> 00:15:08,560 The unavoidable penalty for all of us is that we are either 230 00:15:08,560 --> 00:15:12,080 going to take the penalty that we deserve, or we are going to 231 00:15:12,080 --> 00:15:14,000 be covered in the righteousness of Christ. 232 00:15:17,160 --> 00:15:19,640 If we look at the new law, the law of the Spirit, so in the old 233 00:15:19,640 --> 00:15:24,840 law we see justice, but then in the new law, mercy steps in, and 234 00:15:24,840 --> 00:15:27,480 mercy is God's compassionate response. 235 00:15:27,840 --> 00:15:31,600 He steps in to rescue those who deserve punishment, which is all 236 00:15:31,600 --> 00:15:34,720 of us. Christ takes the penalty we 237 00:15:34,720 --> 00:15:37,960 deserve, and mercy covers us with His righteousness. 238 00:15:37,960 --> 00:15:42,200 This is the law of the Spirit who gives life, the law that 239 00:15:42,200 --> 00:15:48,000 frees us from condemnation. Mercy isn't dismissive of sin, 240 00:15:48,000 --> 00:15:51,640 but instead it offers a new identity in loving 241 00:15:51,640 --> 00:15:54,840 transformation. It's not based on your 242 00:15:54,840 --> 00:15:56,880 performance, but what Christ has done. 243 00:15:57,520 --> 00:16:01,360 So justice ensures that sin is acknowledged and punished, and 244 00:16:01,360 --> 00:16:05,160 mercy offers Christ's righteousness in place of our 245 00:16:05,160 --> 00:16:08,760 penalty. By trusting in Christ, we 246 00:16:08,760 --> 00:16:12,920 receive mercy because Jesus endured divine justice on our 247 00:16:12,920 --> 00:16:15,200 behalf. See, there's this universal 248 00:16:15,200 --> 00:16:18,000 tension between justice and mercy. 249 00:16:18,120 --> 00:16:22,680 They're at odds with each other, but God has a great way to 250 00:16:22,680 --> 00:16:26,960 balance that tension. And it's called grace because 251 00:16:26,960 --> 00:16:29,640 when it comes to sin, you are worse than you think, but you 252 00:16:29,640 --> 00:16:31,840 are more loved that you can ever imagine. 253 00:16:32,800 --> 00:16:36,280 You are worse than you think, but more loved than you can ever 254 00:16:36,280 --> 00:16:40,360 imagine. God's fitting answer to that 255 00:16:40,360 --> 00:16:45,480 equation is the cross, because when Jesus was crucified, it was 256 00:16:45,480 --> 00:16:48,640 justice executed and mercy extended. 257 00:16:53,440 --> 00:16:56,120 The result? Freedom. 258 00:16:57,200 --> 00:17:01,880 Not freedom to sin, but freedom from the enslaving power of sin. 259 00:17:03,040 --> 00:17:05,400 So Romans 8 verse 2 is the turning point. 260 00:17:05,400 --> 00:17:08,680 We are no longer condemned, verse one, because a new law 261 00:17:08,680 --> 00:17:11,760 governs US. Grace grounded injustice 262 00:17:11,760 --> 00:17:17,440 expressed through mercy. So how do we get away from this 263 00:17:17,440 --> 00:17:20,319 thought process? Our perception that becomes our 264 00:17:20,319 --> 00:17:22,319 reality? How do we move away from 265 00:17:23,400 --> 00:17:27,200 thinking it's all about what we do and how do we start believing 266 00:17:27,200 --> 00:17:29,720 that it's actually about what God has done and what He is 267 00:17:29,720 --> 00:17:32,920 doing? How do we move from prison to 268 00:17:32,920 --> 00:17:37,360 promise? How do we escape this if we can 269 00:17:37,360 --> 00:17:46,930 put that picture up? So many of us live like this on 270 00:17:46,930 --> 00:17:49,370 a day-to-day basis without even realizing it. 271 00:17:50,450 --> 00:17:54,920 We're inside a cell and instead of reaching for that key, which 272 00:17:54,920 --> 00:18:00,280 leads to freedom, we just reach for that piece of bread and to 273 00:18:00,280 --> 00:18:03,800 feed ourselves in that cell. And we have to ask ourselves 274 00:18:03,800 --> 00:18:04,800 why? Why? 275 00:18:05,080 --> 00:18:10,120 Why do we do that? The one reaching for the bread, 276 00:18:10,120 --> 00:18:14,920 that's a survival mindset. The other one, taking the key 277 00:18:15,280 --> 00:18:18,160 and walking out of that cell, that's a freedom mindset. 278 00:18:18,520 --> 00:18:22,400 And we have to learn how to move from the survival mindset into a 279 00:18:22,400 --> 00:18:25,720 freedom mindset. So if we look at that survival 280 00:18:25,720 --> 00:18:28,080 mindset, reaching for that bread, we can keep it up there. 281 00:18:28,720 --> 00:18:32,160 This is the bread that people take just to cope. 282 00:18:33,160 --> 00:18:35,360 So when I thought about this, I was like, hey, there's a 283 00:18:35,360 --> 00:18:40,080 difference between Our Daily Bread and bread of the day. 284 00:18:40,080 --> 00:18:41,760 So that I call the bread of the day. 285 00:18:42,280 --> 00:18:43,960 This is the bread that we take to cope. 286 00:18:43,960 --> 00:18:46,280 God, just give me enough strength to not fall apart 287 00:18:46,280 --> 00:18:48,040 today. Let me just get through one more 288 00:18:48,040 --> 00:18:51,600 meeting, one more argument, one more burden, one more day of 289 00:18:51,600 --> 00:18:54,200 sin. That sounds spiritual, but it's 290 00:18:54,200 --> 00:18:58,600 prison talk because you are asking for bread to stay alive 291 00:18:58,600 --> 00:19:02,320 in a cell and not to walk out of that open door. 292 00:19:03,520 --> 00:19:07,680 You are saying feed me where I am instead of saying lead me to 293 00:19:07,680 --> 00:19:13,120 where you are. This kind of bread maintains the 294 00:19:13,120 --> 00:19:15,160 cycle, but it doesn't break the chains. 295 00:19:16,200 --> 00:19:19,960 Then if we shift to a freedom mindset, taking that key to open 296 00:19:19,960 --> 00:19:25,280 the door, Jesus didn't just offer bread of the day in John 6 297 00:19:25,280 --> 00:19:28,240 verse 35, He said I am the bread of life. 298 00:19:28,920 --> 00:19:32,120 So that's eternal bread. And it doesn't just help you to 299 00:19:32,120 --> 00:19:34,720 survive. It changes your appetite from 300 00:19:34,720 --> 00:19:38,360 comfort to calling. It changes your source from 301 00:19:38,360 --> 00:19:42,120 daily panic to eternal provision, and it changes your 302 00:19:42,120 --> 00:19:48,640 location from prison to promise. This bread doesn't help you 303 00:19:48,640 --> 00:19:51,840 survive the prison, but it calls you to walk out of it. 304 00:19:52,760 --> 00:19:55,840 So bread of the day keeps you locked in sin cycle because it's 305 00:19:55,840 --> 00:19:59,040 built on self. And daily bread trains you to 306 00:19:59,040 --> 00:20:02,920 live by the Spirit, which leads to freedom, life, and peace. 307 00:20:04,680 --> 00:20:07,160 The world offers us bread of the day. 308 00:20:08,320 --> 00:20:10,800 It tastes good, but it enslaves us. 309 00:20:11,680 --> 00:20:15,120 And God offers daily bread that sometimes breaks us, but it 310 00:20:15,120 --> 00:20:20,200 always frees us. So now if we look at that and we 311 00:20:20,200 --> 00:20:23,160 realize we're always stuck on reaching for the bread of the 312 00:20:23,160 --> 00:20:27,480 day instead of walking out in freedom, how do we move our 313 00:20:27,480 --> 00:20:31,480 minds from the survival mindset into a freedom mindset, stepping 314 00:20:31,480 --> 00:20:33,760 into the life that God intended for us? 315 00:20:35,000 --> 00:20:39,600 When we look at people's behavioural change in the world 316 00:20:39,600 --> 00:20:43,920 of psychology, whether it's anything that we want to make a 317 00:20:43,920 --> 00:20:47,080 change with, there is a process that happens in our mind. 318 00:20:47,080 --> 00:20:50,040 And I want to have a look at that really quick because the 319 00:20:50,040 --> 00:20:53,640 first thing before we take any step into something new starts 320 00:20:53,640 --> 00:20:57,640 with self efficacy. And self efficacy is our belief 321 00:20:57,640 --> 00:21:01,000 that we are able to make a change and succeed in it. 322 00:21:02,520 --> 00:21:04,760 It influences how we think, feel and act. 323 00:21:04,760 --> 00:21:08,040 And the higher our self efficacy the more likely we are to make a 324 00:21:08,040 --> 00:21:11,440 change and stick with it. So if we look at stages of 325 00:21:11,440 --> 00:21:14,640 behavioural change in terms of what psychology in the world 326 00:21:14,640 --> 00:21:17,600 tells us, we have the first stage which is pre 327 00:21:17,600 --> 00:21:19,640 contemplation. And this is where we are not 328 00:21:19,640 --> 00:21:22,640 ready. We say I won't or I can't and 329 00:21:22,640 --> 00:21:27,440 our self efficacy is low and we just feel stuck and unaware of 330 00:21:27,440 --> 00:21:30,600 the need for change. Then second stage is the 331 00:21:30,600 --> 00:21:35,440 contemplation stage. This is where we are getting 332 00:21:35,440 --> 00:21:40,480 ready, where we say to ourselves, I might self efficacy 333 00:21:40,480 --> 00:21:43,800 begins to grow and we consider the change, but we are still a 334 00:21:43,800 --> 00:21:48,560 little bit apprehensive. The third step is preparation. 335 00:21:48,600 --> 00:21:53,320 This is where we get ready, I will our self efficacy improves 336 00:21:53,320 --> 00:21:56,040 and we start to make plans to step into this change. 337 00:21:57,720 --> 00:22:01,560 The 4th step action, this is where we are doing. 338 00:22:01,560 --> 00:22:05,560 We say to ourselves, I am high self efficacy. 339 00:22:05,560 --> 00:22:09,000 Self belief is extremely important to take this step and 340 00:22:09,000 --> 00:22:12,120 then we have the maintenance stage where when we step into 341 00:22:12,120 --> 00:22:15,440 this action stage, we then have to sustain it, right. 342 00:22:15,440 --> 00:22:17,680 Again, high self efficacy is important. 343 00:22:18,160 --> 00:22:20,800 That's the worldly view of behavioural change. 344 00:22:21,000 --> 00:22:24,280 If we look at what we are talking about through the lens 345 00:22:24,280 --> 00:22:28,520 of Romans 8 verse 2, we have these stages of behavioural 346 00:22:28,520 --> 00:22:32,800 changes when it comes to how do I go from living in the old law 347 00:22:32,880 --> 00:22:35,920 to the new law and stepping into what God promised us. 348 00:22:36,400 --> 00:22:40,000 So if we look at the stages of behavioural change according to 349 00:22:40,000 --> 00:22:42,960 Romans 8 verse 2, that pre contemplation stage, this is 350 00:22:42,960 --> 00:22:45,520 where we say I won't change or I can't change. 351 00:22:46,640 --> 00:22:51,880 We are unaware or indifferent to the slavery of sin and we are 352 00:22:51,880 --> 00:22:55,400 still living under the old law of sin and death, unaware that 353 00:22:55,400 --> 00:22:59,640 we need to be set free. Our spiritual self efficacy is 354 00:22:59,640 --> 00:23:04,800 very low and we feel powerless. What we have to understand when 355 00:23:04,800 --> 00:23:10,440 it comes to this, our self efficacy is not based on only 356 00:23:10,440 --> 00:23:14,600 internal, it's Christ based and we have to teach ourselves how 357 00:23:14,600 --> 00:23:18,440 we go from I can't to He can through me. 358 00:23:19,920 --> 00:23:23,440 So second step, the contemplation stage, this is 359 00:23:23,440 --> 00:23:26,400 where we start to think, hey, maybe I should change. 360 00:23:26,760 --> 00:23:30,680 We have this conviction, we feel shame or maybe this inner pool 361 00:23:30,680 --> 00:23:33,920 and we start to recognize the difference between the old law 362 00:23:33,920 --> 00:23:37,920 and the new law. Our spiritual self efficacy 363 00:23:37,920 --> 00:23:41,080 starts growing and we are awakening to the possibility of 364 00:23:41,080 --> 00:23:44,760 freedom through Christ. Could Jesus actually set me 365 00:23:44,760 --> 00:23:47,920 free? Then the third step, 366 00:23:47,920 --> 00:23:51,040 preparation. This is where we say, I want to 367 00:23:51,040 --> 00:23:53,480 change. We begin seeking Jesus. 368 00:23:53,480 --> 00:23:56,480 We start considering repentance and we start asking meaningful, 369 00:23:56,480 --> 00:24:00,400 meaningful questions. We see that Christ offers a new 370 00:24:00,400 --> 00:24:02,880 law, the law of the Spirit who gives life. 371 00:24:03,680 --> 00:24:08,840 We don't yet feel able, but there's a this thing that we 372 00:24:08,840 --> 00:24:11,080 start to believe that he is able. 373 00:24:12,000 --> 00:24:15,360 Luke 5 verse 12 says Lord, if you are willing, you can make me 374 00:24:15,360 --> 00:24:20,680 clean step #4 the action stage. This is the big one, I choose 375 00:24:20,680 --> 00:24:23,200 Christ. This is where we receive the 376 00:24:23,200 --> 00:24:26,840 gospel and we surrender. We are set free. 377 00:24:26,840 --> 00:24:31,000 Justification becomes real and the Spirit enters and the new 378 00:24:31,000 --> 00:24:37,720 law is now alive in us. Our self belief is now rooted in 379 00:24:37,720 --> 00:24:40,520 Christ's power. That's not in us anymore. 380 00:24:40,520 --> 00:24:44,680 It's a new identity. Galatians 2 verse 20 says it is 381 00:24:44,680 --> 00:24:47,600 no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. 382 00:24:49,040 --> 00:24:51,360 Then we have the maintenance stage. 383 00:24:51,520 --> 00:24:55,200 I walk in the Spirit. This is an ongoing discipleship 384 00:24:55,200 --> 00:24:59,360 and sanctification because we live under the new law daily and 385 00:24:59,360 --> 00:25:03,280 it's a daily choice to live according to it resisting sin 386 00:25:03,280 --> 00:25:08,760 and staying free. Our self belief is not in the 387 00:25:08,760 --> 00:25:11,480 flesh but in the spirit who empowers us. 388 00:25:11,760 --> 00:25:15,800 Galatians 516 says walk by the Spirit and you will not gratify 389 00:25:15,800 --> 00:25:21,600 the desires of the flesh. Now in both of those stages, 390 00:25:21,600 --> 00:25:25,000 psychology and according to Romans 8 verse 2, I left out one 391 00:25:25,000 --> 00:25:31,080 step, step 6, which is relapse. And it's it's optional, but it's 392 00:25:31,080 --> 00:25:33,200 common. We'd be naive to think we go 393 00:25:33,200 --> 00:25:36,680 from step one to Step 5 and we never fall back into our old 394 00:25:36,680 --> 00:25:40,560 ways or we sin again. But here's the thing, Romans 8 395 00:25:40,560 --> 00:25:43,560 verse 2 is our reminder. We are still free. 396 00:25:43,920 --> 00:25:50,200 Condemnation is not our portion. So we may falter, we may mess 397 00:25:50,200 --> 00:25:52,680 up, but with the Spirit we rise again. 398 00:25:53,360 --> 00:25:58,200 Proverbs 2416 says a righteous man falls 7 times and rises 399 00:25:58,200 --> 00:26:01,360 again. And Romans 8 verse 39, nothing 400 00:26:01,360 --> 00:26:03,680 can separate us from the love of Christ. 401 00:26:04,800 --> 00:26:08,360 So Romans 8 verse 2 is not just the theological truth, it's a 402 00:26:08,360 --> 00:26:12,800 transformational shift for us. It's a shift in identity and 403 00:26:12,800 --> 00:26:15,840 behaviour and it invites us into a new way of living. 404 00:26:18,120 --> 00:26:22,280 We have to live by what is true and not live by what we perceive 405 00:26:22,360 --> 00:26:25,840 to be true. We can't live by God's truth 406 00:26:25,840 --> 00:26:28,080 unless we don't first believe it. 407 00:26:28,680 --> 00:26:32,560 And you won't believe it unless you know it and you wrestle with 408 00:26:32,560 --> 00:26:35,160 it and you anchor your identity in it. 409 00:26:37,680 --> 00:26:42,280 So first thing we have to do is look at those five stages and be 410 00:26:42,280 --> 00:26:46,400 honest with ourselves and ask ourselves, where do we sit? 411 00:26:46,880 --> 00:26:49,960 Because the first step is to identify where we're at. 412 00:26:49,960 --> 00:26:53,880 And then we need to strive to move to the next step to get to 413 00:26:53,880 --> 00:26:56,880 that action stage where we choose Christ and then where we 414 00:26:56,880 --> 00:26:59,440 sustain that and maintain that on a daily basis. 415 00:27:00,000 --> 00:27:03,600 So once you've identified where you are, this is how we move 416 00:27:03,600 --> 00:27:07,600 from one step to the next. First you have to recognize the 417 00:27:07,600 --> 00:27:12,680 power of belief. You behave based on what you 418 00:27:12,680 --> 00:27:15,040 believe, not necessarily what is true. 419 00:27:15,040 --> 00:27:18,280 So we tell ourselves that we are unworthy and we live like it, 420 00:27:18,280 --> 00:27:20,840 even if God tells us the opposite. 421 00:27:21,720 --> 00:27:26,320 Satan's first tactic in Genesis, Genesis 3 verse one, the serpent 422 00:27:26,320 --> 00:27:28,800 walks up to Adam and Eve and he doesn't just fire off with a 423 00:27:28,800 --> 00:27:32,120 bunch of lies. He starts by saying, did God 424 00:27:32,120 --> 00:27:38,480 really say because he knows he can't change God's truth, so he 425 00:27:38,480 --> 00:27:40,480 aims to distort our belief in it. 426 00:27:40,640 --> 00:27:44,880 He makes us question it. So recognize the power of 427 00:27:44,880 --> 00:27:47,280 belief. Then expose the lie. 428 00:27:47,800 --> 00:27:51,360 Ask what do I currently believe about myself or God or the world 429 00:27:51,640 --> 00:27:54,080 that is keeping me trapped that might not be true. 430 00:27:54,520 --> 00:27:57,960 An example we tell ourselves I'll never be free from sin. 431 00:27:58,360 --> 00:28:02,520 That's a belief, not truth. Compare it to God's word, Romans 432 00:28:02,520 --> 00:28:04,520 6/18. It says you have been set free 433 00:28:04,520 --> 00:28:06,360 from sin. That is truth. 434 00:28:09,000 --> 00:28:12,400 Recognize the power of belief. Expose the lie, then replace the 435 00:28:12,400 --> 00:28:16,400 lie with God's truth. Begin actively replacing the lie 436 00:28:16,400 --> 00:28:19,600 with the truth of scripture, not just reading it, but spending 437 00:28:19,600 --> 00:28:22,440 time in it and absorbing it on a daily basis. 438 00:28:23,000 --> 00:28:25,760 You will know the truth and the truth will set you free. 439 00:28:25,760 --> 00:28:30,240 John 8 verse 32. Make truth personal and 440 00:28:30,240 --> 00:28:32,480 specific. Lay it down in front of God 441 00:28:32,480 --> 00:28:37,000 because the lie we tell ourselves is I am not enough but 442 00:28:37,000 --> 00:28:40,160 two Corinthians God says his power is made perfect in my 443 00:28:40,160 --> 00:28:45,200 weakness. Then pray for belief. 444 00:28:46,640 --> 00:28:49,360 Even the disciples asked Jesus in mark verse 9. 445 00:28:49,360 --> 00:28:53,920 They said help my unbelief. Don't fake it be real. 446 00:28:54,600 --> 00:28:57,560 Bring your doubts to God and ask for his spirit to shape your 447 00:28:57,560 --> 00:29:01,520 beliefs. Practice daily renewal. 448 00:29:01,840 --> 00:29:05,920 This is a daily war of our mind. We don't just get to action and 449 00:29:05,920 --> 00:29:08,800 maintenance once and that's it. It's an ongoing thing. 450 00:29:10,040 --> 00:29:13,440 We have to train ourselves to believe what God says over what 451 00:29:13,440 --> 00:29:17,400 the world says. Colossians 3 says set your mind 452 00:29:17,400 --> 00:29:20,680 on things above and Two Corinthians says take every 453 00:29:20,680 --> 00:29:25,080 thought captive. Finally, surround yourself with 454 00:29:25,080 --> 00:29:28,120 truth. Community matters and isolation 455 00:29:28,120 --> 00:29:32,160 breeds distortion. Surround yourself with people 456 00:29:32,160 --> 00:29:35,960 and teaching that reflects God's truth, not just the world's 457 00:29:35,960 --> 00:29:39,880 narratives. So Hebrews 313 says, encourage 458 00:29:39,880 --> 00:29:46,120 one another daily. Some of you walked in here today 459 00:29:46,120 --> 00:29:50,120 carrying quiet condemnation. You've been measuring your worth 460 00:29:50,400 --> 00:29:53,200 by your performance. You've been wondering where you 461 00:29:53,200 --> 00:29:57,000 stand with God. You've been misled by the lie 462 00:29:57,000 --> 00:29:59,000 instead of being guided by the truth. 463 00:30:00,840 --> 00:30:04,560 You come to church maybe week after week just looking to learn 464 00:30:04,560 --> 00:30:08,480 that new thing that I can go and apply for the next week just to 465 00:30:08,480 --> 00:30:11,480 make my life a little bit more better or make myself a little 466 00:30:11,480 --> 00:30:13,360 bit more favourable in God's eyes. 467 00:30:16,280 --> 00:30:18,880 Maybe today is not about learning something new. 468 00:30:19,720 --> 00:30:23,280 It's about finally believing something that is true, 469 00:30:24,240 --> 00:30:26,720 believing that you are in Christ. 470 00:30:28,160 --> 00:30:32,840 You are not condemned, you are not alone, you are not 471 00:30:32,840 --> 00:30:36,400 forgotten, you are not disqualified, and you are not at 472 00:30:36,400 --> 00:30:41,280 danger of being unloved. Today is about believing Romans 473 00:30:41,280 --> 00:30:44,920 8, verse 2. Through Christ Jesus, the law of 474 00:30:44,920 --> 00:30:49,840 the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin 475 00:30:49,840 --> 00:30:52,600 and death. You are free. 476 00:30:53,480 --> 00:30:55,760 I'll live like it. Thank you.