1 00:00:03,400 --> 00:00:09,960 Morning 3CI like a boss. So for those of you that were 2 00:00:09,960 --> 00:00:15,320 here last week, what an awesome message we received from Taryn. 3 00:00:15,840 --> 00:00:18,560 I was extremely inspired by it, but it also sent me into a 4 00:00:18,560 --> 00:00:22,360 slight panic because as he put up that first verse, Romans 814, 5 00:00:22,360 --> 00:00:25,320 verse 16, I leaned over to Candice and I said, that's the 6 00:00:25,320 --> 00:00:28,000 verse that I'm preaching on. So I was listening. 7 00:00:28,000 --> 00:00:30,040 I was like, Taryn, this is amazing, but please don't say 8 00:00:30,040 --> 00:00:31,520 anything that I've prepared to say. 9 00:00:31,520 --> 00:00:35,040 All right? But I think that's good. 10 00:00:35,040 --> 00:00:38,240 I think sometimes God just wants us to slow down and instead of 11 00:00:38,240 --> 00:00:41,120 jumping from one thing to the next, just spend some time in 12 00:00:41,120 --> 00:00:44,800 what he's sharing with us just so we can get stuck in and, and 13 00:00:44,800 --> 00:00:46,600 process and let it really sink in. 14 00:00:47,400 --> 00:00:52,800 So let's open to Romans 814 verse 16 for those who are led 15 00:00:52,800 --> 00:00:55,480 by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 16 00:00:55,760 --> 00:00:58,640 And the spirit you receive does not make you slaves so that you 17 00:00:58,640 --> 00:01:01,760 live in fear again. Rather, the Spirit you received 18 00:01:01,760 --> 00:01:04,200 brought about your adoption to sonship. 19 00:01:04,280 --> 00:01:08,160 And by him we cry, ABBA, Father, the Spirit himself testifies 20 00:01:08,160 --> 00:01:10,480 with our spirit that we are God's children. 21 00:01:11,200 --> 00:01:15,000 And today I want to talk about three things, relationship, 22 00:01:15,000 --> 00:01:18,280 grace and adoption, and how through those three things we 23 00:01:18,280 --> 00:01:20,960 allow God to take in His rightful place as our Father. 24 00:01:21,640 --> 00:01:24,200 We take in our rightful place as sons and daughters and we 25 00:01:24,200 --> 00:01:26,040 experience his full grace in our life. 26 00:01:27,120 --> 00:01:30,040 And I want to share a bit of my story with you and my past of 27 00:01:30,520 --> 00:01:32,880 the relationship I've walked with God and the grace I've 28 00:01:32,880 --> 00:01:35,520 experienced and my adoption into sonship. 29 00:01:37,280 --> 00:01:41,360 Now they say to to really hit home with, oh, let's say this, 30 00:01:41,360 --> 00:01:44,360 let's start with my past. Well, the past 16 years, outside 31 00:01:44,360 --> 00:01:46,840 of being involved with the church, I've helped people 32 00:01:46,840 --> 00:01:49,760 improve their quality of life through fitness training, 33 00:01:50,120 --> 00:01:53,480 nutrition, race recovery, stress management, and all of that. 34 00:01:54,160 --> 00:01:58,160 And they say to really emphasize a point in a story, we have to 35 00:01:58,160 --> 00:02:00,640 to make personal connections. We have to use vicarious 36 00:02:00,640 --> 00:02:03,680 experiences, testimonials, all the success stories of others. 37 00:02:04,320 --> 00:02:08,039 So I want to tell you about one of my biggest success stories to 38 00:02:08,039 --> 00:02:09,479 date. And I want you to enjoy the 39 00:02:09,479 --> 00:02:12,640 sheer shock on her face as I asked Lynette Emery to stand up 40 00:02:12,640 --> 00:02:14,760 really quick. Where's Lynette? 41 00:02:16,960 --> 00:02:19,680 See, I wasn't going to put on the spot, but Lynette knows how 42 00:02:19,680 --> 00:02:22,120 much I dislike Crocs. And yesterday she rocked up at 43 00:02:22,120 --> 00:02:25,000 my house and she gifted both my daughters a pair of Crocs, which 44 00:02:25,000 --> 00:02:27,400 they love. So here we are. 45 00:02:29,840 --> 00:02:31,520 No, stay standing. Stay standing. 46 00:02:32,360 --> 00:02:35,760 So for those of you that don't know Lynette Emery, she's an 47 00:02:35,760 --> 00:02:37,880 amazing human being. She's a very close friend to 48 00:02:37,880 --> 00:02:40,560 ours. She's one of the most giving 49 00:02:40,560 --> 00:02:43,880 people that we know. She's an amazing mother to two 50 00:02:43,880 --> 00:02:47,520 awesome boys, Logan and Jayden. She's an amazing wife to Kevin 51 00:02:47,520 --> 00:02:49,640 sitting next to her. And she's an extremely 52 00:02:49,640 --> 00:02:53,600 successful businesswoman. And a few years ago she 53 00:02:53,600 --> 00:02:56,720 approached me to help her with fitness training and she said, 54 00:02:56,720 --> 00:03:00,480 she said she had a goal, that she wanted to run her first 5K. 55 00:03:01,200 --> 00:03:04,720 And there's really nothing bad we can say about her except that 56 00:03:04,720 --> 00:03:09,560 she owns a pair of Crocs, right? And I just have to say this, 57 00:03:10,000 --> 00:03:14,000 because of her busy schedule, we had to really tailor program to 58 00:03:14,000 --> 00:03:16,520 her needs. We had to get up at 3:00 AM, go 59 00:03:16,520 --> 00:03:21,360 over to her house and train. And no, never has anybody ever 60 00:03:21,360 --> 00:03:24,240 got injured or died on my watch. But that first day of training, 61 00:03:24,240 --> 00:03:26,600 there was more prayer than coaching going on, all right? 62 00:03:27,640 --> 00:03:30,840 And I also didn't enjoy the 3:00 AM wake ups. 63 00:03:31,040 --> 00:03:33,600 Like I was rebuking my alarm more than the devil in those 64 00:03:33,920 --> 00:03:37,880 couple of months, but we did it together, right? 65 00:03:38,200 --> 00:03:41,360 There's something powerful in showing up for somebody when 66 00:03:41,360 --> 00:03:45,040 they're going through something tough and sharing that shoulder 67 00:03:45,040 --> 00:03:47,320 to shoulder. And over time, the neck change, 68 00:03:47,320 --> 00:03:49,760 not because of what we did, but how we did it. 69 00:03:50,160 --> 00:03:52,880 We did it together. I didn't just send her a workout 70 00:03:52,880 --> 00:03:55,520 and say, hey, there it is. Wake up at 3:00 AM, do the 71 00:03:55,520 --> 00:03:56,920 workout, let me know how it goes. 72 00:03:56,920 --> 00:03:59,520 I'll check in with you on a later stage. 73 00:03:59,880 --> 00:04:02,640 I got up with her and I was there because I've been through 74 00:04:02,640 --> 00:04:05,920 similar situations and people have been there for me during 75 00:04:05,920 --> 00:04:07,960 those times. And I'm I've stumbled when I've 76 00:04:07,960 --> 00:04:10,200 tried to take on something on my own. 77 00:04:11,720 --> 00:04:13,840 And I know the power of doing something together. 78 00:04:14,240 --> 00:04:17,279 And through walking together, we were able to find and unlock the 79 00:04:17,279 --> 00:04:20,360 potential that was already inside of her and we were able 80 00:04:20,360 --> 00:04:23,400 to bring it to light. And her transformation wasn't a 81 00:04:23,400 --> 00:04:26,520 result of an individual effort on my side or her side. 82 00:04:26,520 --> 00:04:30,160 It was a team effort. Both of us got up early, both of 83 00:04:30,160 --> 00:04:33,080 us sacrificed time and we walked the road together and look what 84 00:04:33,080 --> 00:04:35,080 we achieved. How's that? 85 00:04:37,120 --> 00:04:46,120 Not only, yes, you can say, not only did she run her first five 86 00:04:46,120 --> 00:04:48,800 KS, if you know her now she's running half marathons and 87 00:04:48,800 --> 00:04:51,200 marathons. She's training for the Tin Man, 88 00:04:51,200 --> 00:04:53,800 eventually Iron Man. She does boxing, jiu jitsu, 89 00:04:53,800 --> 00:04:56,880 CrossFit, she's part of a running club, she does mountain 90 00:04:56,880 --> 00:04:58,280 biking. She's unstoppable. 91 00:04:58,280 --> 00:05:06,680 That's amazing, right? I'm not trying to advertise my 92 00:05:06,680 --> 00:05:09,280 services, but if you look on the floor under your chair, you'll 93 00:05:09,280 --> 00:05:15,960 find my business card. So what made the difference 94 00:05:15,960 --> 00:05:18,680 wasn't just the training, it was the togetherness. 95 00:05:18,880 --> 00:05:21,480 It was the relationship we had during that time. 96 00:05:22,120 --> 00:05:25,760 And just like that with any transformation in life, that 97 00:05:25,760 --> 00:05:29,200 doesn't happen in isolation, at least not any transformation 98 00:05:29,200 --> 00:05:31,400 that's worthwhile, the life changing. 99 00:05:32,040 --> 00:05:35,320 And I read a great quote that says isolation often breeds 100 00:05:35,320 --> 00:05:39,040 destruction, but relationship breeds transformation. 101 00:05:39,960 --> 00:05:42,600 And that's what Romans 8 is saying about the Holy Spirit. 102 00:05:42,920 --> 00:05:47,160 God didn't just save you and give you a plan to check in with 103 00:05:47,160 --> 00:05:50,560 you every once and again. He saved you to walk with you 104 00:05:50,560 --> 00:05:52,800 and to guide you and to adopt you. 105 00:05:55,360 --> 00:05:58,200 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children 106 00:05:58,200 --> 00:06:00,520 of God. The Spirit you receive does not 107 00:06:00,520 --> 00:06:03,480 make you slaves so that you live in fear again. 108 00:06:03,480 --> 00:06:07,240 Rather the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to 109 00:06:07,240 --> 00:06:09,840 sonship. And by Him we cry, ABBA, Father, 110 00:06:11,640 --> 00:06:15,520 we are LED, we have received, and we are adopted. 111 00:06:16,080 --> 00:06:20,560 We are not alone. In John 131416 it says, and I 112 00:06:20,560 --> 00:06:23,640 will ask the Father, and he will give you another helper to be 113 00:06:23,640 --> 00:06:26,920 with you forever. This is Jesus speaking as a part 114 00:06:26,920 --> 00:06:30,040 of His farewell to His disciples before His crucifixion. 115 00:06:30,840 --> 00:06:33,520 And the Greek word for helper there is paracletos or 116 00:06:33,520 --> 00:06:38,920 paracletos and para means alongside or beside and claytos 117 00:06:38,920 --> 00:06:42,720 is called or summoned. So paracletos helper literally 118 00:06:42,720 --> 00:06:47,320 means one called alongside. This refers to the Holy Spirit 119 00:06:47,320 --> 00:06:51,360 translated as comforter, counselor, advocate, or helper, 120 00:06:51,360 --> 00:06:55,680 who comes alongside us to guide us and strengthen us and to walk 121 00:06:55,680 --> 00:06:58,360 with us forever, to dwell with us. 122 00:06:59,240 --> 00:07:01,920 Relationship with the Holy Spirit is the engine of 123 00:07:01,920 --> 00:07:07,360 transformation. 2 Corinthians 3 verse 18 says, and we all are 124 00:07:07,360 --> 00:07:10,400 being transformed in His image by the Spirit. 125 00:07:11,120 --> 00:07:13,840 Real growth comes from walking with the Spirit, not just 126 00:07:13,840 --> 00:07:17,080 obeying rules. If we remember Romans 8 verse 2, 127 00:07:17,080 --> 00:07:19,920 it says we were set free from the law of sin and death. 128 00:07:20,360 --> 00:07:23,120 So it's not about the law, it's about the relationship. 129 00:07:25,160 --> 00:07:27,760 Psalm 23, verse 4. Even though I walk through the 130 00:07:27,760 --> 00:07:32,120 darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. 131 00:07:32,920 --> 00:07:37,120 So you can be led by guilt, shame, perfectionism, fear, or 132 00:07:37,120 --> 00:07:41,320 hustle, but if you are led by the Holy Spirit, you're a son 133 00:07:41,320 --> 00:07:44,560 and you're a daughter and you're in an unbreakable relationship. 134 00:07:45,880 --> 00:07:48,960 And the sooner we realize that we allow God to take in His 135 00:07:48,960 --> 00:07:52,360 rightful place as our Father, we take in our rightful place as 136 00:07:52,360 --> 00:07:55,440 his sons and daughters, and we experience his glory and his 137 00:07:55,440 --> 00:07:58,360 love. And that got me thinking about 138 00:07:58,360 --> 00:08:01,880 relationships in this church. I think even in our small groups 139 00:08:01,880 --> 00:08:03,920 we can isolate each other ourselves. 140 00:08:03,920 --> 00:08:08,160 Every now and again we come to church, some of us 5/10/15 years 141 00:08:08,160 --> 00:08:10,960 in this church, we come with our group of four or five people. 142 00:08:11,440 --> 00:08:14,400 We come in, we greet the four or five that we know, we sit for 143 00:08:14,400 --> 00:08:15,760 the service, and then we go home. 144 00:08:15,760 --> 00:08:20,280 And the other 2900, we just live past such opportunities for 145 00:08:20,280 --> 00:08:22,520 relationship and for God to move, right. 146 00:08:22,520 --> 00:08:25,840 You took two, you take 2 strangers, one from Cape Town, 147 00:08:25,840 --> 00:08:28,400 one from Pretoria. You set them walking across the 148 00:08:28,400 --> 00:08:31,200 street from each other in New Zealand, both working, wearing 149 00:08:31,200 --> 00:08:33,679 Springbok jerseys. They see each other and they're 150 00:08:33,679 --> 00:08:36,440 like hey, hey, hey. And they click and they have a, 151 00:08:36,799 --> 00:08:40,240 an instant relationship because they are part of the same team. 152 00:08:40,760 --> 00:08:42,840 We are part of the same team, right? 153 00:08:42,919 --> 00:08:45,720 We mustn't miss out on these opportunities. 154 00:08:46,600 --> 00:08:48,680 You over there with a red shirt, Can you stand for me really 155 00:08:48,680 --> 00:08:53,720 quick? And then there, do you guys know 156 00:08:53,720 --> 00:08:56,000 each other? Never met? 157 00:08:56,080 --> 00:08:59,800 OK, so after the service, you take your group that you come 158 00:08:59,800 --> 00:09:01,000 with. You take your group that you've 159 00:09:01,000 --> 00:09:04,080 come with, you go have a cup of coffee, I'll buy your coffees 160 00:09:04,520 --> 00:09:06,480 and never know. Maybe you have a common 161 00:09:06,480 --> 00:09:08,240 interest. Maybe you know someone who knows 162 00:09:08,240 --> 00:09:10,600 someone that knows each other. Maybe you end up praying for 163 00:09:10,600 --> 00:09:19,200 each other and God starts to work and said, you don't have to 164 00:09:19,200 --> 00:09:21,120 do that, but everybody's going to be watching you now. 165 00:09:25,240 --> 00:09:27,400 All right, so that was the past 16 years where I've been 166 00:09:27,400 --> 00:09:29,920 involved in the fitness industry industry. 167 00:09:29,960 --> 00:09:33,840 If we take a step back and we look at my past before that, 168 00:09:33,880 --> 00:09:35,800 this is where things get a little bit interesting. 169 00:09:36,920 --> 00:09:41,600 I have two certificates each representing big moments in my 170 00:09:41,600 --> 00:09:45,560 life, and God used both of those certificates to get me to where 171 00:09:45,560 --> 00:09:49,640 I am today. One certificate is the type that 172 00:09:49,640 --> 00:09:52,240 hangs proudly in the living room, that's framed, that's got 173 00:09:52,240 --> 00:09:55,360 the gold trimmings on. And when people walk into your 174 00:09:55,360 --> 00:09:57,520 house and they see it, they go, oh, wow, that's amazing. 175 00:09:58,160 --> 00:10:03,280 But the other certificate, that one is for a draw, a very deep, 176 00:10:03,280 --> 00:10:07,240 deep draw that gets stored in the darkest place of your house. 177 00:10:10,240 --> 00:10:11,800 The first certificate is this one. 178 00:10:12,520 --> 00:10:16,920 That is my LLB law degree, and when people hear that I have a 179 00:10:16,920 --> 00:10:19,240 law degree, they're always very impressed. 180 00:10:19,400 --> 00:10:21,440 Oh wow, you have a law degree? Not that because it's a law 181 00:10:21,440 --> 00:10:24,000 degree, just because it's me you have a law degree. 182 00:10:27,640 --> 00:10:28,880 So they impressed with that. What? 183 00:10:28,880 --> 00:10:36,720 But what people don't realize is that the degree teaches me how 184 00:10:36,720 --> 00:10:40,080 to interpret the law, but not how to escape condemnation. 185 00:10:41,040 --> 00:10:44,080 The law tells you when you are guilty but cannot save you from 186 00:10:44,080 --> 00:10:46,720 guilt. And the courtroom of heaven 187 00:10:46,720 --> 00:10:49,120 doesn't care how many distinctions you graduated with. 188 00:10:49,120 --> 00:10:52,080 It just cares about are you a son or are you a stranger? 189 00:10:53,240 --> 00:10:56,960 And God doesn't graduate sons and daughters, He adopts them. 190 00:10:57,480 --> 00:11:01,800 You don't need a qualification. You can know every theological 191 00:11:01,800 --> 00:11:04,200 doctrine, quote all the scripture, but still miss the 192 00:11:04,200 --> 00:11:07,760 Father's voice. By the way, have you ever seen a 193 00:11:07,760 --> 00:11:11,240 lawyer try to pray? We always quote President, dear 194 00:11:11,240 --> 00:11:14,520 Lord in the matter between Peter versus denial. 195 00:11:16,400 --> 00:11:18,600 We don't. God doesn't need a legal 196 00:11:18,600 --> 00:11:21,440 argument. He wants a child who cries out. 197 00:11:21,440 --> 00:11:26,080 ABBA Father, I can see on everyone's faces you thinking 198 00:11:26,080 --> 00:11:27,960 the same thing. OK, get on with it. 199 00:11:27,960 --> 00:11:31,160 What's the other certificate? But before I tell you about that 200 00:11:31,160 --> 00:11:32,960 one, we just have to get one thing straight. 201 00:11:33,960 --> 00:11:37,160 There are some things in my life that I'm not proud of, but I 202 00:11:37,160 --> 00:11:39,680 don't care what you think because only God can judge me, 203 00:11:40,040 --> 00:11:44,560 right? Not proud, don't care, Only God 204 00:11:44,560 --> 00:11:47,760 can judge. So the other certificate is this 205 00:11:47,760 --> 00:11:52,520 one that is a certificate of completion for an alcohol safety 206 00:11:52,520 --> 00:11:55,960 school I had to attend when I got arrested for drunk driving. 207 00:11:57,160 --> 00:11:58,600 Didn't walk on stage for this one. 208 00:11:59,080 --> 00:12:01,800 There was no cap and gown, no ceremony, no photos. 209 00:12:01,840 --> 00:12:07,400 Just a walk of shame. And I'll save you the mystery. 210 00:12:07,400 --> 00:12:09,760 I'll I'll give you the short version of how that happened. 211 00:12:10,320 --> 00:12:17,040 I was at a friend's house one afternoon and we were being lazy 212 00:12:17,040 --> 00:12:19,560 and useless, enjoying way too many adult beverages. 213 00:12:19,560 --> 00:12:22,920 And about 11:30 that night we get a call from his brother 214 00:12:22,920 --> 00:12:24,920 saying hey, the clubs are pumping, we have to get through 215 00:12:24,920 --> 00:12:27,520 there. So we jump in my car, go down 216 00:12:27,520 --> 00:12:30,920 the streets and there's a quiet St. in Hatfield. 217 00:12:30,920 --> 00:12:34,080 Very quiet, no cars on the road. So I decide to skip a red robot 218 00:12:34,720 --> 00:12:37,480 and out of nowhere blue and red lights behind me. 219 00:12:37,480 --> 00:12:40,760 So being the model citizen that I am, I put my car into second 220 00:12:40,760 --> 00:12:46,880 gear and I try and race away. Didn't get very far, went 221 00:12:46,880 --> 00:12:52,600 straight past Brooklyn police station and I get caught. 222 00:12:52,600 --> 00:12:55,520 I get arrested, I get sent to community court. 223 00:12:55,520 --> 00:12:57,960 I get that. Which I had to attend in three 224 00:12:57,960 --> 00:13:00,040 hours of community service. Right? 225 00:13:00,080 --> 00:13:02,200 Not proud, don't care. Only God can judge. 226 00:13:03,040 --> 00:13:04,520 So this one doesn't hang on my wall. 227 00:13:04,520 --> 00:13:07,240 It's stuffed in a drawer. But it taught me something that 228 00:13:07,240 --> 00:13:10,160 a classroom never could, and that's that I need grace. 229 00:13:11,160 --> 00:13:13,640 People love the law degree. They post about it, they share 230 00:13:13,640 --> 00:13:16,840 it on social media, they frame it, they celebrate it. 231 00:13:17,240 --> 00:13:20,120 But the alcohol safety certificate, that's not for 232 00:13:20,200 --> 00:13:24,080 sharing on Instagram or social media, That's for the shadows. 233 00:13:24,720 --> 00:13:27,800 The one gets you applause, the other one gets you stares and 234 00:13:27,800 --> 00:13:30,960 whispers. But those, both of them tell my 235 00:13:30,960 --> 00:13:32,320 story. Beautiful. 236 00:13:32,680 --> 00:13:35,440 One says I studied justice, the other one said I survived 237 00:13:35,440 --> 00:13:38,080 judgement. One says I know the law, the 238 00:13:38,080 --> 00:13:39,800 other proves that I needed grace. 239 00:13:40,920 --> 00:13:44,480 Romans 8 opens worth. Therefore there is now no 240 00:13:44,480 --> 00:13:47,800 condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 241 00:13:49,160 --> 00:13:51,720 See, God doesn't frame what the world frames. 242 00:13:52,000 --> 00:14:02,280 He redeems what the world hides. Don't get me wrong, I'm proud of 243 00:14:02,280 --> 00:14:05,840 my degree, I worked hard for it. But that one, that's the one I 244 00:14:05,840 --> 00:14:09,720 bled for. That one cost me humiliation. 245 00:14:09,720 --> 00:14:13,880 Finds fear a good chunk of pride. 246 00:14:15,400 --> 00:14:17,720 But guess which one made me depend on Jesus more? 247 00:14:19,240 --> 00:14:22,560 God took the thing I wanted to forget and He used it to teach 248 00:14:22,560 --> 00:14:27,160 me who I am. What story does your past tell? 249 00:14:29,000 --> 00:14:32,720 What certificate defines you and are you allowing the spirit to 250 00:14:32,720 --> 00:14:36,960 rewrite it? So which certificate tells the 251 00:14:36,960 --> 00:14:41,560 truth about me, Law or grace? After my arrest, I went to 252 00:14:41,960 --> 00:14:45,680 community court, got given the alcohol safety school, 300 hours 253 00:14:45,680 --> 00:14:48,720 community service and you would have think I learned my lesson, 254 00:14:48,880 --> 00:14:51,240 right? Hey, let's maybe make a change. 255 00:14:51,240 --> 00:14:56,280 But no, during my 300 hours of community service, I still kept 256 00:14:56,280 --> 00:14:58,840 partying, I still went out. I even skipped some of my 257 00:14:58,840 --> 00:15:03,640 community service sessions day before I had to go back to 258 00:15:03,640 --> 00:15:05,040 court. I even paid off my parole 259 00:15:05,040 --> 00:15:09,640 officer just to sign off on it. Not proud, don't care, only God 260 00:15:09,640 --> 00:15:13,240 can judge. I continued this behaviour 261 00:15:13,240 --> 00:15:16,720 because even though I received my punishment, the law couldn't 262 00:15:16,720 --> 00:15:21,360 change me. Romans 8, three verse 4 says 263 00:15:21,360 --> 00:15:25,920 because the law was powerless, so God did what the law could 264 00:15:25,920 --> 00:15:29,360 not do. Eventually I stopped partying, 265 00:15:29,360 --> 00:15:33,040 not because I feared punishment, because I experienced grace. 266 00:15:34,000 --> 00:15:37,240 Fear changes your behavior, but grace changes your desires. 267 00:15:38,320 --> 00:15:40,360 So as somebody who studied law, here's what I know. 268 00:15:41,040 --> 00:15:42,960 Law can judge, but it cannot save. 269 00:15:43,520 --> 00:15:46,760 Law can declare guilt, but it cannot declare grace. 270 00:15:47,480 --> 00:15:50,080 And that's why God stepped in with something greater, not just 271 00:15:50,080 --> 00:15:54,520 legal justice, but some Divine Mercy, because at that moment 272 00:15:54,520 --> 00:15:58,760 that I messed up, that's also the moment that I woke up and I 273 00:15:58,760 --> 00:16:01,320 realized I had to change. And I wanted to transform this 274 00:16:01,320 --> 00:16:04,880 desire. I had to get to know God into 275 00:16:05,160 --> 00:16:07,760 real life application. I wanted to start living it out. 276 00:16:07,760 --> 00:16:11,200 And this is where God's grace and mercy started working in me. 277 00:16:11,840 --> 00:16:14,800 See, around this time where that happened, I pretty much dropped 278 00:16:14,800 --> 00:16:17,560 out of university. I went to Tux for about 3-4 279 00:16:17,560 --> 00:16:20,080 years. I changed my degree every single 280 00:16:20,080 --> 00:16:22,480 year because I was I didn't know what I wanted to study or do 281 00:16:22,480 --> 00:16:27,400 with my life. I started skipping classes, I 282 00:16:27,400 --> 00:16:30,800 started skipping exams, I went on partying. 283 00:16:30,960 --> 00:16:33,880 And then this happens, right? Say it with me. 284 00:16:33,880 --> 00:16:36,200 Not proud, don't care. Only God can judge me. 285 00:16:37,000 --> 00:16:39,520 So I decided to get my life straight eventually. 286 00:16:39,680 --> 00:16:42,560 And during that time, a friend of mine organized the job at a 287 00:16:42,560 --> 00:16:47,320 law firm basically as a glorified messenger just to earn 288 00:16:47,320 --> 00:16:52,120 some cash. And while I was working there, I 289 00:16:52,120 --> 00:16:54,440 really enjoy history. I noticed that there's a lot of 290 00:16:54,560 --> 00:16:56,560 history in law and that sparked my interest. 291 00:16:57,040 --> 00:16:58,920 So I thought I'd pretty much studied everything else. 292 00:16:58,920 --> 00:17:00,440 Why not give law a go? You know? 293 00:17:00,440 --> 00:17:06,240 So I, I entered registered for law through Unisa, got into my 294 00:17:06,240 --> 00:17:08,200 studies. Eventually I went on to bigger 295 00:17:08,200 --> 00:17:10,920 and better firms. I did my articles, I went to law 296 00:17:10,920 --> 00:17:12,359 school, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. 297 00:17:12,960 --> 00:17:17,079 So at the time of this DUI, not only was I spiritually lost, but 298 00:17:17,079 --> 00:17:21,960 my health also took a toll. So then at one point in my life, 299 00:17:21,960 --> 00:17:25,119 God sent this thing across my path called CrossFit. 300 00:17:26,160 --> 00:17:29,320 And if you don't like CrossFit, that's OK, just means you don't 301 00:17:29,320 --> 00:17:33,640 understand it. I'll be happy to educate if you 302 00:17:33,640 --> 00:17:38,800 are willing to receive. But I developed a passion for 303 00:17:38,800 --> 00:17:42,040 this to where I eventually walked into my boss's office in 304 00:17:42,040 --> 00:17:45,240 the law firm and I said hey I'm going to just leave law and I'm 305 00:17:45,240 --> 00:17:49,400 going to open a CrossFit gym. And with a smile I believe this 306 00:17:49,400 --> 00:17:51,240 is God's grace. He said to me, I saw this 307 00:17:51,240 --> 00:17:54,600 coming, go and do it and if it doesn't work out your office 308 00:17:54,600 --> 00:17:56,680 will be waiting for you if you want to come back. 309 00:17:57,840 --> 00:18:01,080 So with no business experience whatsoever, I started a gym. 310 00:18:01,320 --> 00:18:04,360 Two years later this beautiful lady walked through the doors 311 00:18:04,360 --> 00:18:06,120 and something inside of me knew that she was. 312 00:18:06,120 --> 00:18:12,680 The 1-2 years after that we got married and 10 years later 313 00:18:12,680 --> 00:18:15,000 through an amazing and ever growing relationship with the 314 00:18:15,000 --> 00:18:18,240 Holy Spirit, we are now surrounded by this great 315 00:18:18,240 --> 00:18:23,240 community God has put us in. So I went from there to there to 316 00:18:23,240 --> 00:18:26,560 year and if that's not God's grace I don't know what is. 317 00:18:33,990 --> 00:18:37,230 That's not the original, but I held on to that certificate for 318 00:18:37,230 --> 00:18:39,710 years and years and years. I only recently got rid of it 319 00:18:40,150 --> 00:18:44,470 and I never understood why I I wanted to hold on to this. 320 00:18:44,470 --> 00:18:48,400 But today I know why. It's to tell you that I know 321 00:18:48,400 --> 00:18:51,360 some of us are still carrying certificates of shame. 322 00:18:52,680 --> 00:18:55,760 We walk into rooms feeling like people can see our alcohol 323 00:18:55,760 --> 00:19:00,480 safety certificates. Maybe yours is divorce, 324 00:19:01,000 --> 00:19:06,480 abortion, bankruptcy, addiction. But God doesn't leave us in 325 00:19:06,480 --> 00:19:07,840 shame. He uses it. 326 00:19:08,960 --> 00:19:11,640 What I've realized is that my alcohol safety school 327 00:19:11,640 --> 00:19:14,320 certificate does not disqualify my law degree. 328 00:19:15,040 --> 00:19:17,400 Actually, it qualifies my calling. 329 00:19:18,640 --> 00:19:22,000 Your worst moment does not disqualify your adoption. 330 00:19:22,480 --> 00:19:26,000 It can lead you to it. And I believe because of that 331 00:19:26,000 --> 00:19:32,360 certificate, God gave me a gift and that is that I can, I can 332 00:19:32,440 --> 00:19:35,920 talk and connect with any person from any background, with any 333 00:19:35,920 --> 00:19:37,560 judgement. Ask my wife. 334 00:19:37,560 --> 00:19:41,360 I can sit around the table with anybody without judging saved, 335 00:19:41,360 --> 00:19:44,720 unsaved, goth, punk, gay, straight, married, divorced, 336 00:19:44,720 --> 00:19:47,240 black, white, someone that went to boys eye. 337 00:19:57,280 --> 00:20:04,560 But jokes aside, I can do that because I know what it feels 338 00:20:04,560 --> 00:20:08,240 like to be judged on mistakes. And I never, ever want to put 339 00:20:08,240 --> 00:20:11,000 that on to somebody else because that might be the very thing 340 00:20:11,000 --> 00:20:14,400 that keeps them from experiencing God's grace or that 341 00:20:14,400 --> 00:20:17,160 keeps them from starting a relationship with the Holy 342 00:20:17,160 --> 00:20:22,640 Spirit. Your past certificate of shame. 343 00:20:22,640 --> 00:20:24,960 It's not your prison anymore. It's your platform. 344 00:20:26,120 --> 00:20:28,240 The Spirit leads you into identity. 345 00:20:28,240 --> 00:20:31,360 You are not saved by regret. You are saved by relationship. 346 00:20:32,560 --> 00:20:35,040 I can stand here not just because I understand law, but 347 00:20:35,040 --> 00:20:38,800 I've experienced grace not just because I passed exams, but 348 00:20:38,800 --> 00:20:43,160 because I survived mistakes. And Jesus didn't die for my law 349 00:20:43,160 --> 00:20:46,320 degree, He died for the certificate I wanted to hide. 350 00:20:48,160 --> 00:20:50,200 He didn't save the polished version of me. 351 00:20:50,200 --> 00:20:54,400 He saved the broken, the shamed red eye version of me sitting in 352 00:20:54,400 --> 00:20:56,800 the back of the courtroom thinking, what have I done? 353 00:21:01,320 --> 00:21:05,680 What certificate are you hiding? What moment of shame are you 354 00:21:05,680 --> 00:21:10,160 afraid people will discover? Because God already knows and 355 00:21:10,160 --> 00:21:13,640 he's not embarrassed. He's ready to use it. 356 00:21:15,120 --> 00:21:17,360 One day I'll stand before God and I'll lay down these two 357 00:21:17,360 --> 00:21:19,760 certificates and he won't care. He won't ask. 358 00:21:19,760 --> 00:21:23,120 Let me see your Lord agree. He's going to look for the sign 359 00:21:23,680 --> 00:21:26,880 that says, the sign of the Spirit that says this one is 360 00:21:26,880 --> 00:21:30,080 mine. He won't say well done, graduate 361 00:21:30,080 --> 00:21:33,040 of law is going to say well done, graduate, well done. 362 00:21:33,040 --> 00:21:38,040 My son, graduate of grace. Romans 8 doesn't just say we are 363 00:21:38,040 --> 00:21:42,680 free, We are not just forgiven, we are family and therefore 364 00:21:42,680 --> 00:21:46,640 there is no condemnation. It says we are adopted. 365 00:21:46,640 --> 00:21:50,840 We are adopted, not abandoned. And that adoption language is 366 00:21:50,880 --> 00:21:53,520 intimate that speaks of belonging. 367 00:21:54,360 --> 00:21:57,000 Galatians 4 verse 6 says because you are sons. 368 00:21:57,000 --> 00:22:01,240 God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who 369 00:22:01,240 --> 00:22:04,720 calls out ABBA Father. And yet some of us love like 370 00:22:04,720 --> 00:22:09,000 spiritual orphans because we think if we don't pray hard 371 00:22:09,000 --> 00:22:12,600 enough, we don't fast long enough, or we don't serve hard 372 00:22:12,600 --> 00:22:14,240 enough, that we are disqualified. 373 00:22:15,600 --> 00:22:18,400 But your identity isn't tied to your performance. 374 00:22:18,400 --> 00:22:22,640 It's secured in your adoption. So tear up that certificate of 375 00:22:22,640 --> 00:22:26,160 shame and let the Holy Spirit hand you your adoption papers. 376 00:22:28,240 --> 00:22:31,920 John one, verse 2 says to all who received him, he gave the 377 00:22:31,920 --> 00:22:35,640 right to become children of God. We don't apply to be God's 378 00:22:35,640 --> 00:22:38,080 children. We're adopted by the Spirit. 379 00:22:38,080 --> 00:22:41,200 It's not based on performance or distinctions or merit. 380 00:22:41,240 --> 00:22:45,440 It's based on Grace. Our two daughters, Mackenzie and 381 00:22:45,440 --> 00:22:47,680 Harper, they did nothing to become our daughters. 382 00:22:47,680 --> 00:22:49,920 They didn't have to perform. They didn't have to qualify or 383 00:22:49,920 --> 00:22:52,520 write tests or exams. They are our daughters. 384 00:22:52,520 --> 00:22:56,680 But nothing but nothing will ever disqualify them from being 385 00:22:56,680 --> 00:22:58,760 our daughters or being loved by us. 386 00:22:59,040 --> 00:23:00,760 Nothing. And that's the same with us and 387 00:23:00,760 --> 00:23:05,760 God. If we are children, then we are 388 00:23:05,760 --> 00:23:08,720 heirs. Heirs of God and Co heirs with 389 00:23:08,720 --> 00:23:11,440 Christ. Remember that term? 390 00:23:11,440 --> 00:23:16,480 Co heirs we are LED, there's a relationship we have received 391 00:23:16,560 --> 00:23:19,000 that's grace and we are God's children. 392 00:23:19,240 --> 00:23:22,760 We are adopted. The spirit you receive does not 393 00:23:22,760 --> 00:23:26,640 make you slaves so that you live in fear again, Jonah 2 verse one 394 00:23:26,640 --> 00:23:29,520 says from inside the fish Jonah prayed. 395 00:23:30,280 --> 00:23:33,640 So sometimes you meet God in the belly of your bad decisions like 396 00:23:33,640 --> 00:23:36,160 I did. I walked into that alcohol 397 00:23:36,160 --> 00:23:40,360 safety class with my head down, but I came out of that situation 398 00:23:40,560 --> 00:23:49,680 with a heart over situation, but with a heart open to the reality 399 00:23:49,680 --> 00:23:54,400 that I am not my past. I found a lot of confirmation in 400 00:23:54,400 --> 00:23:58,000 preparing for today's message. A couple of weeks ago, Rory had 401 00:23:58,000 --> 00:24:00,440 this beautiful illustration where he brought James up and 402 00:24:00,440 --> 00:24:03,440 Clinton Rob and he walked down this aisle with him and that 403 00:24:03,440 --> 00:24:05,920 walking together. That was the confirmation of 404 00:24:05,920 --> 00:24:08,440 relationship. Then Andy came and he preached 405 00:24:08,440 --> 00:24:11,760 to us and he told us about his journey to America. 406 00:24:11,760 --> 00:24:15,040 They've never been there, but God gifted them a car and a job 407 00:24:15,040 --> 00:24:17,280 and a community to slot into with their church. 408 00:24:17,280 --> 00:24:21,600 And that's God's grace. And then as I was preparing for 409 00:24:21,600 --> 00:24:27,320 this two or three weeks ago, I got gifted a book anonymously by 410 00:24:27,320 --> 00:24:30,160 a couple in this church. Now, if you know anything about 411 00:24:30,160 --> 00:24:33,480 me, I really love reading. So this is a very special gift, 412 00:24:34,040 --> 00:24:36,760 Anonymous. Just like to thank Johan and 413 00:24:36,760 --> 00:24:45,440 Yvonne, and as I was preparing, it's a daily devotional, I 414 00:24:45,440 --> 00:24:49,680 opened up and this was the message It said God doesn't 415 00:24:49,680 --> 00:24:52,280 desire your perfection, He desires your humility. 416 00:24:52,760 --> 00:24:55,760 Your invitation to know him isn't predicted on your work. 417 00:24:56,000 --> 00:24:59,240 That's predicated on his. You don't have to wait to 418 00:24:59,240 --> 00:25:02,760 approach God until you're you clean up your life, master 419 00:25:02,760 --> 00:25:04,880 obedience or memorize enough scripture. 420 00:25:05,240 --> 00:25:08,960 Those aren't God's terms. God's terms say that his Son was 421 00:25:08,960 --> 00:25:11,080 enough. You can come now through the 422 00:25:11,080 --> 00:25:14,360 blood and the finished work of Jesus, come through his death, 423 00:25:14,480 --> 00:25:17,840 come through his burial, come through his resurrection and 424 00:25:17,840 --> 00:25:20,880 find the gift of eternal life and a relationship with the 425 00:25:20,880 --> 00:25:23,000 Almighty God. And then down there says, 426 00:25:23,000 --> 00:25:25,800 navigating the shame of your past and the guilt of your 427 00:25:25,800 --> 00:25:29,480 present can be a long road, but you do not need to walk that 428 00:25:29,480 --> 00:25:32,720 road alone. Come to him and let him show you 429 00:25:32,720 --> 00:25:36,320 mercy. And then this morning I opened 430 00:25:36,320 --> 00:25:41,240 on today's devotional and it wasn't today's date, but the 431 00:25:41,240 --> 00:25:46,480 opposite page caught my eye and it says Co heirs of Christ. 432 00:25:49,080 --> 00:25:51,840 And it says, if you are feeling lonely or like you don't belong 433 00:25:51,840 --> 00:25:55,400 where you're at, rest assured that God sent His Son so that 434 00:25:55,400 --> 00:25:58,360 you can have life and belong to a new family, that you could 435 00:25:58,360 --> 00:26:02,760 become a child in His Kingdom, fully adopted, fully new, fully 436 00:26:02,760 --> 00:26:05,400 alive in Him. How do you become part of the 437 00:26:05,400 --> 00:26:07,560 family of God? You must simply confess that you 438 00:26:07,560 --> 00:26:10,640 have fallen short of God's best and accept the forgiveness the 439 00:26:10,640 --> 00:26:14,000 Father offers through the cross. When you do, the Spirit of God 440 00:26:14,000 --> 00:26:17,080 enters you and everything begins to shift in accordance with His 441 00:26:17,080 --> 00:26:20,760 perfect love. This new birth firmly grafts you 442 00:26:20,760 --> 00:26:24,080 into God's family tree as a child and as a Co heir with 443 00:26:24,120 --> 00:26:26,960 Jesus. Let that new reality settle into 444 00:26:26,960 --> 00:26:29,240 your soul. Today God offers you a place in 445 00:26:29,240 --> 00:26:33,160 a new spiritual family. He invites you to call on him as 446 00:26:33,160 --> 00:26:37,280 your Father, A father who overflows in his love for you, 447 00:26:37,600 --> 00:26:40,760 one who hangs on your every word, One who delights to meet 448 00:26:40,760 --> 00:26:43,880 your every need. So even as you faithfully wait 449 00:26:43,880 --> 00:26:46,560 and pray that God would restore relationships here on earth, 450 00:26:46,960 --> 00:26:49,640 trust that you already belong in the family of God. 451 00:26:53,120 --> 00:26:56,600 If you need confirmation today, then this is it. 452 00:26:56,800 --> 00:27:00,320 If you're sitting in shame with a certificate like that and 453 00:27:00,320 --> 00:27:03,240 those feelings of shame are accusing you like an inner 454 00:27:03,240 --> 00:27:08,120 courtroom, then yeah, this. The Spirit is crying out in you, 455 00:27:08,120 --> 00:27:12,720 ABBA Father, the Spirit inside you is speaking a deeper truth. 456 00:27:13,480 --> 00:27:16,640 You are God's child, fully accepted and fully loved. 457 00:27:17,520 --> 00:27:20,960 The Spirit overrides your inner courtroom of accusation with a 458 00:27:20,960 --> 00:27:26,000 testimony of adoption, and all you have to do is receive it. 459 00:27:27,080 --> 00:27:27,360 Thank you.