1 00:00:00,560 --> 00:00:04,600 On Sunday I preached about running the race at House Church 2 00:00:04,600 --> 00:00:08,000 and afterwards one of the guys was like, we should race all the 3 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:10,840 guys. And so we all lined up and I 4 00:00:10,840 --> 00:00:14,160 gave a little speech. Hey, if you're old, be careful 5 00:00:14,160 --> 00:00:17,600 because I've seen videos of people online racing and they 6 00:00:17,600 --> 00:00:20,200 hadn't run in years or something and they get hurt. 7 00:00:20,840 --> 00:00:26,240 And that exactly happened to me. I started running and about 8 00:00:26,240 --> 00:00:30,640 halfway through the race my quad locked up and wouldn't move and 9 00:00:30,640 --> 00:00:35,320 so I went tumbling towards the ground shoulder 1st and I'm like 10 00:00:35,680 --> 00:00:39,200 61200 and 14 lbs. So I hit the ground really hard 11 00:00:39,200 --> 00:00:40,760 and I'm not wearing my sling right now. 12 00:00:41,480 --> 00:00:44,240 I don't really wear it when I'm sitting down but I basically 13 00:00:44,240 --> 00:00:49,360 separated my clavicle bone from my shoulder bone right? 14 00:00:49,360 --> 00:00:52,560 So the clavicle or the collarbone goes from underneath 15 00:00:52,560 --> 00:00:57,240 your neck all the way out to like the exterior furthest part 16 00:00:57,240 --> 00:01:01,040 of your shoulder where it starts to round off and underneath that 17 00:01:01,040 --> 00:01:04,000 is a shoulder bone and they're connected with a ligament. 18 00:01:04,000 --> 00:01:06,440 And I separated those two things. 19 00:01:06,440 --> 00:01:10,560 It's called an AC joint separation and it's different 20 00:01:10,560 --> 00:01:12,320 grades of it. The grade goes all the way up to 21 00:01:12,320 --> 00:01:15,720 5 or 6. But I did a grade 3 separation. 22 00:01:15,720 --> 00:01:19,040 So pretty bad. I won't need surgery. 23 00:01:19,040 --> 00:01:21,760 Some people in this situation need surgery, but I'm going to 24 00:01:21,760 --> 00:01:25,680 try to do it natural. The point is, I can't pick up 25 00:01:25,680 --> 00:01:28,080 stuff with my arms the way that I used to. 26 00:01:28,120 --> 00:01:31,520 I can't do things that I was normally able to do. 27 00:01:31,960 --> 00:01:37,240 And things I took for granted can't work out, can't raise my 28 00:01:37,440 --> 00:01:42,800 shoulder, my left shoulder higher than, you know, parallel 29 00:01:42,800 --> 00:01:46,120 than with my shoulder. And so I had to, I've had to 30 00:01:46,120 --> 00:01:50,000 rely on my family and my friends to do stuff. 31 00:01:50,000 --> 00:01:54,600 So like, if I need anything from the store, my in laws will have 32 00:01:54,600 --> 00:01:58,280 to grab it for us because Lokemani is nursing, so she 33 00:01:58,280 --> 00:02:00,960 can't always just get up and go grab something from the store. 34 00:02:01,880 --> 00:02:05,240 If I need to pick up something that's too heavy for me to do 35 00:02:05,240 --> 00:02:08,400 with one arm, then I have to rely on my kids to do that. 36 00:02:08,720 --> 00:02:13,240 So I realized there's so much confidence that I have being 37 00:02:13,240 --> 00:02:17,120 able to have two arms at work. And in today's scripture, we're 38 00:02:17,120 --> 00:02:19,600 going to look at a group of people who put a lot of 39 00:02:19,600 --> 00:02:21,400 confidence in what they could do. 40 00:02:21,760 --> 00:02:25,240 And now Paul is rubbing shoulders with them, no pun 41 00:02:25,240 --> 00:02:30,200 intended, and saying, hey, what you guys are influencing the 42 00:02:30,200 --> 00:02:33,120 people of Philippians to do is ungodly and unbiblical. 43 00:02:33,120 --> 00:02:37,240 So to understand what's going on in chapter 3 of Philippians as 44 00:02:37,240 --> 00:02:41,240 we look through this stressless series talking about how we can 45 00:02:41,240 --> 00:02:46,480 live stressless lives only in Christ, as we see that you have 46 00:02:46,480 --> 00:02:48,960 to understand what's going on in the early church, specifically 47 00:02:49,080 --> 00:02:54,120 Acts chapter 1011 and 15. So what's going on there is the 48 00:02:54,120 --> 00:02:58,680 early church was full of Jewish Christians, like people who grew 49 00:02:58,680 --> 00:03:00,840 up Jewish and converted to Christianity. 50 00:03:01,160 --> 00:03:05,520 And so when we get to chapter 10, we realize that God has 51 00:03:05,520 --> 00:03:08,200 opened up salvation for all people, not just the Jews, but 52 00:03:08,200 --> 00:03:10,640 the Gentiles too. But those Jews who grew up 53 00:03:10,640 --> 00:03:15,520 Jewish, they put a lot of stock and value in the law and the 54 00:03:15,520 --> 00:03:19,440 covenant made with Abraham. And the sign of that covenant 55 00:03:19,440 --> 00:03:23,280 being circumcision. Meaning God has shown the people 56 00:03:23,280 --> 00:03:26,560 of Israel that he has cut them off from the rest of the world. 57 00:03:26,560 --> 00:03:30,560 And he's going to use them separately to do something else, 58 00:03:30,560 --> 00:03:33,200 to look different, to be different, to have a different 59 00:03:33,200 --> 00:03:34,840 function. And the same way that 60 00:03:34,840 --> 00:03:37,440 circumcision, there's a cutting off of the flesh. 61 00:03:38,240 --> 00:03:39,640 All of that is very important to them. 62 00:03:39,640 --> 00:03:44,080 And so a lot of them, when they, when they became Christian, they 63 00:03:44,080 --> 00:03:48,480 had a hard time reaching out to Gentiles, those who are not 64 00:03:48,480 --> 00:03:51,080 Jewish. And so it takes a long time for 65 00:03:51,080 --> 00:03:54,200 them to even get to that point. We see that in Acts Chapter 11, 66 00:03:54,880 --> 00:03:59,880 but it's in Acts chapter 15 where these Jewish Christians in 67 00:03:59,880 --> 00:04:03,920 Antioch and in Galatia, which is why the book of Galatians is 68 00:04:03,920 --> 00:04:08,600 written about the law and grace, how we are saved by grace, not 69 00:04:08,600 --> 00:04:12,000 the law. The people in those two cities, 70 00:04:12,000 --> 00:04:15,280 they had a real big issue telling the Gentiles that first, 71 00:04:15,280 --> 00:04:17,320 if they want to become a Christian, they have to convert 72 00:04:17,320 --> 00:04:21,160 to Judaism first. And Paul calls them Judaizers. 73 00:04:21,160 --> 00:04:24,120 Judaizers because they're saying if you want to be a Christian, 74 00:04:24,120 --> 00:04:27,440 that's cool, but you have to become Jewish before you become 75 00:04:27,440 --> 00:04:29,920 a Christian, which means you need to look Jewish, act Jewish, 76 00:04:30,120 --> 00:04:33,360 follow Jewish laws before you start to follow Christ. 77 00:04:33,360 --> 00:04:36,840 And of course, we know we're saved by grace, not the law, not 78 00:04:36,840 --> 00:04:39,200 by works, not anything we can do in the flesh. 79 00:04:39,560 --> 00:04:43,160 And so that's all happening at the beginning of chapter 3. 80 00:04:43,160 --> 00:04:48,680 And Paul is saying, listen, you relying on what you can do is a 81 00:04:48,680 --> 00:04:52,920 lot like a man who's broken his shoulder trying to rely on this 82 00:04:52,920 --> 00:04:56,160 broken shoulder to do things that he thought he could do, but 83 00:04:56,160 --> 00:04:59,560 now he cannot do. But relying on Christ. 84 00:05:00,120 --> 00:05:03,720 It's like a man with a broken arm deciding, I cannot do what I 85 00:05:03,720 --> 00:05:05,600 used to do. I can't do these things in my 86 00:05:05,600 --> 00:05:08,440 own strength, and so I have to rely on the strength of another 87 00:05:08,920 --> 00:05:12,360 to do them for me. That is what the Bible teaches. 88 00:05:12,840 --> 00:05:14,160 And there's a lot of freedom in that. 89 00:05:14,160 --> 00:05:18,400 And we'll talk about why not putting confidence in yourself 90 00:05:18,880 --> 00:05:24,160 is so good for us, but why it's so hard for us to put confidence 91 00:05:24,160 --> 00:05:27,400 in God and not ourselves. And then how to actually do it. 92 00:05:27,640 --> 00:05:30,840 What we're talking about is really how to rely on God, fully 93 00:05:30,920 --> 00:05:35,000 rely on God, and having something that I grew up hearing 94 00:05:35,000 --> 00:05:40,320 in church called God finance, not confidence, but God finance 95 00:05:40,320 --> 00:05:42,560 confidence in God, not ourselves. 96 00:05:42,560 --> 00:05:46,920 So let's look at Philippians chapter 3, one through 3. 97 00:05:46,920 --> 00:05:50,360 Loki 1 is going to read them for us and then we'll talk about it 98 00:05:50,360 --> 00:05:54,680 at the end. Finally, my brothers, rejoice in 99 00:05:54,680 --> 00:05:56,920 the Lord. To write the same things to you 100 00:05:57,560 --> 00:05:59,960 is no trouble to me and is safe for you. 101 00:06:00,560 --> 00:06:04,240 Lookout for the jobs, Lookout for the evil doers, Lookout for 102 00:06:04,240 --> 00:06:07,880 those who mutilate the flesh. For we are the circumcision, who 103 00:06:07,880 --> 00:06:11,320 worshipped by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and 104 00:06:11,320 --> 00:06:14,400 put no confidence in the flesh. Amen. 105 00:06:14,400 --> 00:06:18,920 So the first verse tells us why we need to put our confidence in 106 00:06:18,920 --> 00:06:21,880 God and not ourselves. Why we need God Finance, right? 107 00:06:22,600 --> 00:06:24,920 Two things. It grieves God and it's not 108 00:06:24,920 --> 00:06:27,360 safe. So he says finally, this is 109 00:06:27,360 --> 00:06:30,240 saying not I'm going to end the letter right here, but he's 110 00:06:30,240 --> 00:06:32,840 saying finally, I'm getting to the point of the letter that I 111 00:06:32,840 --> 00:06:35,960 want to get to you. Like the most helpful part of 112 00:06:35,960 --> 00:06:39,040 this letter, although it's been so helpful up until this point, 113 00:06:39,320 --> 00:06:43,480 the most pressing need is these Judaizers preaching another 114 00:06:43,480 --> 00:06:47,760 gospel, these Judaizers coming in and saying you need to do AB 115 00:06:47,800 --> 00:06:49,880 and C in order for God to accept you. 116 00:06:50,160 --> 00:06:53,600 So he says finally, my brothers, I'm close to you guys, you're 117 00:06:53,600 --> 00:06:57,000 family to me, I love you, I miss you, you're my brothers. 118 00:06:57,520 --> 00:07:01,400 What I want most for you is I want you to rejoice in the Lord 119 00:07:01,760 --> 00:07:03,920 the most. The the whole reason for this 120 00:07:03,920 --> 00:07:05,600 letter is that they may have joy. 121 00:07:05,920 --> 00:07:09,200 The whole reason why Paul says anything that's hard or gives 122 00:07:09,200 --> 00:07:13,280 any practical advice or pastors them in any way is for joy. 123 00:07:13,640 --> 00:07:18,800 Listen, if you have a God that can't disagree with you, then 124 00:07:18,840 --> 00:07:22,160 you have an idol, not a God. The God of the Bible is a God 125 00:07:22,160 --> 00:07:25,440 who loves us so much that he disagrees with us. 126 00:07:25,440 --> 00:07:29,360 In our culture today, Badi Baakum says the 11th commandment 127 00:07:29,360 --> 00:07:34,360 is thou shalt be nice. And what that means is we've 128 00:07:34,360 --> 00:07:36,480 made it a sin to disagree with people. 129 00:07:36,480 --> 00:07:40,160 We've made it a sin to say things that are hard, but the 130 00:07:40,160 --> 00:07:44,320 Bible says if you really, truly love somebody and you want their 131 00:07:44,320 --> 00:07:48,160 joy more than they want their joy in that moment, you will 132 00:07:48,160 --> 00:07:49,880 disagree with them. You will say something that's 133 00:07:49,880 --> 00:07:52,600 hard for them to hear. You will advise them in a 134 00:07:52,600 --> 00:07:54,440 different direction. And that is what the God of the 135 00:07:54,440 --> 00:07:56,520 Bible does. That is what Paul the apostle 136 00:07:56,520 --> 00:08:00,760 does in the book of Philippians. He says, I want you to rejoice 137 00:08:00,840 --> 00:08:02,640 in the Lord. Find joy in the Lord. 138 00:08:02,640 --> 00:08:06,000 This, this word rejoice. It's a word that means to be 139 00:08:06,000 --> 00:08:10,480 calm and cheerful. To be calm and cheerful in what 140 00:08:10,480 --> 00:08:14,080 God has done for you, not in what the world can do for you or 141 00:08:14,080 --> 00:08:18,480 in what you can do for yourself. Because finding joy in what you 142 00:08:18,480 --> 00:08:21,760 can do for yourself and what the world can do for you is a 143 00:08:21,760 --> 00:08:25,360 fleeting joy. It is not going to keep you calm 144 00:08:25,360 --> 00:08:28,440 and cheerful for eternity. But Christians have the option 145 00:08:28,760 --> 00:08:32,240 to be not the option. They have the delight to be able 146 00:08:32,240 --> 00:08:35,720 to be calm and cheerful for eternity in what God has done 147 00:08:35,720 --> 00:08:41,120 for them, not anyone else. So he says to write these things 148 00:08:41,120 --> 00:08:45,240 to you, these same things to you, is no trouble to me, and 149 00:08:45,240 --> 00:08:48,920 it's safe for you. He's saying it does not grieve 150 00:08:48,920 --> 00:08:50,160 me. That's where trouble means to 151 00:08:50,160 --> 00:08:53,200 grieve. It does not grieve me to write 152 00:08:53,360 --> 00:08:56,840 what I'm about to write to you. But the distinction I'm going to 153 00:08:56,840 --> 00:09:00,120 make between those who are truly in Christ and those who are 154 00:09:00,120 --> 00:09:02,800 Judaic Judaizers, it doesn't grieve me. 155 00:09:03,960 --> 00:09:06,480 Paul the Apostle is reflecting the heart of Christ right here. 156 00:09:06,480 --> 00:09:12,760 You know that it doesn't grieve Christ to remind you of the 157 00:09:12,760 --> 00:09:14,440 things that he's always told you. 158 00:09:15,320 --> 00:09:17,520 It doesn't grieve him. We have, you know, earthly 159 00:09:17,520 --> 00:09:23,040 fathers, earthly parents who get grieved and get angry when they 160 00:09:23,040 --> 00:09:25,520 have to repeat themselves. I know from experience, having 161 00:09:25,520 --> 00:09:28,840 seven kids, I get frustrated when I have to say the same 162 00:09:28,840 --> 00:09:32,360 thing over and over again. Much of what parenting is, is 163 00:09:32,360 --> 00:09:34,400 repeating yourself over and over and over and over again. 164 00:09:34,960 --> 00:09:37,040 And I get frustrated. God is not like me. 165 00:09:37,040 --> 00:09:41,480 God is not like that as as a perfect father, He does not get 166 00:09:41,480 --> 00:09:46,240 grieved when he has to repeat what he's already told you it 167 00:09:46,240 --> 00:09:48,560 it. He delights in being able to 168 00:09:48,560 --> 00:09:52,400 share what He's already said with you again to bring you back 169 00:09:52,400 --> 00:09:55,920 to a place of acknowledgement and acceptance of stuff you 170 00:09:55,960 --> 00:09:58,480 already know it. He loves to bring you back to 171 00:09:58,480 --> 00:10:01,000 that place. What does grieve Him, as it says 172 00:10:01,000 --> 00:10:04,320 in Ephesians chapter 4 verse 30, is when you don't listen to Him. 173 00:10:05,040 --> 00:10:07,480 It's one thing that that He has to remind you. 174 00:10:07,840 --> 00:10:11,480 It's another thing that as He is reminding you, you don't listen. 175 00:10:11,880 --> 00:10:14,880 That's the problem in Ephesians chapter 4 verse 30. 176 00:10:15,040 --> 00:10:19,280 It grieves the Holy Spirit that the people of God are hurting 177 00:10:19,280 --> 00:10:21,920 each other, sinning against each other. 178 00:10:22,560 --> 00:10:25,880 It grieves God when we don't listen to him, but he loves to 179 00:10:26,040 --> 00:10:28,880 say, hey, remember what I said about this? 180 00:10:29,440 --> 00:10:32,200 This is where your safety is. This is where you're, this is 181 00:10:32,200 --> 00:10:35,360 how I'm going to safeguard you by reminding you what I've 182 00:10:35,360 --> 00:10:39,120 already reminded you. So don't think that you have 183 00:10:39,120 --> 00:10:42,160 this like period of time where God is upset with you or mad 184 00:10:42,160 --> 00:10:44,240 with you because you didn't listen to him and now you have 185 00:10:44,240 --> 00:10:46,080 to go back and hear what he told you before. 186 00:10:46,280 --> 00:10:49,480 Don't think that it makes him mad or angry with you that he 187 00:10:49,480 --> 00:10:53,160 has to repeat himself. He wants to tell you what he's 188 00:10:53,160 --> 00:10:56,280 already told you, but it grieves him when you don't listen. 189 00:10:56,440 --> 00:10:59,880 So Paul says it's no trouble for me. 190 00:10:59,880 --> 00:11:01,280 He's reflecting the heart of a father. 191 00:11:01,600 --> 00:11:09,240 I heard from Scott Ardevanis, his pastor in California, and 192 00:11:09,240 --> 00:11:12,360 also the father and pastor of Scott Ardevanis. 193 00:11:12,360 --> 00:11:16,120 I'm sorry, Johnny Ardevanis of Stone Bridge Bible Church. 194 00:11:16,400 --> 00:11:20,720 He said one of the marks of a good pastor is that he's patient 195 00:11:21,400 --> 00:11:25,440 and the pastor's patience with his people goes out the door. 196 00:11:27,200 --> 00:11:28,600 The pastor's going to soon follow. 197 00:11:29,040 --> 00:11:32,320 It's one of the ways, you know that your pastor is, is ready to 198 00:11:32,320 --> 00:11:36,000 quit on you or not pastor anymore is if he loses his 199 00:11:36,000 --> 00:11:38,760 patience with his people. We see that with Moses, right? 200 00:11:38,760 --> 00:11:41,960 Moses strikes the rock because he's frustrated with the people. 201 00:11:41,960 --> 00:11:45,160 And God says you're not going to be the one to bring the people 202 00:11:45,160 --> 00:11:47,840 of God into the promised land. Joshua's going to do it. 203 00:11:48,520 --> 00:11:51,000 Patience is so important for a pastor and for a leader. 204 00:11:51,000 --> 00:11:55,960 And so we see Paul patient with his people, reminding him to say 205 00:11:55,960 --> 00:11:59,320 it's no trouble at all for me to say the same things to you that 206 00:11:59,320 --> 00:12:01,120 I've already told you before. Why? 207 00:12:01,440 --> 00:12:08,640 Because having confidence in God is so important. 208 00:12:08,640 --> 00:12:11,240 Because when we don't have confidence in God, it grieves 209 00:12:11,240 --> 00:12:12,920 God. When we look for confidence 210 00:12:12,920 --> 00:12:16,640 outside of God, when we look for confidence in the flesh, like 211 00:12:16,640 --> 00:12:20,200 these Judaizers are doing that Paul's about to speak about, 212 00:12:20,520 --> 00:12:23,200 that grieves God. Because that's not listening to 213 00:12:23,200 --> 00:12:24,880 God. That's listening to the world, 214 00:12:24,880 --> 00:12:28,360 listening to our flesh. But when we have confidence and 215 00:12:28,360 --> 00:12:33,560 confidence in God, that grieves. That gives that pleases God. 216 00:12:33,680 --> 00:12:35,720 The Bible tells us that we actually have the ability to 217 00:12:35,720 --> 00:12:37,960 please God. Not anything that we can do in 218 00:12:37,960 --> 00:12:42,520 our flesh, but everything that we can do in Christ pleases God. 219 00:12:42,720 --> 00:12:47,560 And he's pleased when we walk in obedience through the power of 220 00:12:47,560 --> 00:12:50,320 the Spirit of God that Christ has cleansed us in order for the 221 00:12:50,320 --> 00:12:53,680 Spirit of God to live in us. So the second reason why we must 222 00:12:53,680 --> 00:12:57,960 have confidence in God and the second reason why if we have 223 00:12:57,960 --> 00:13:01,320 confidence in the world, it's bad, it's because it's just not 224 00:13:01,320 --> 00:13:03,920 safe for us. So Paul says, I'm writing these 225 00:13:03,920 --> 00:13:05,240 things because it's safe for you. 226 00:13:05,240 --> 00:13:08,560 This is a word that means to safeguard or to bumper or to 227 00:13:08,560 --> 00:13:11,600 protect. So Paul is going to write about 228 00:13:11,880 --> 00:13:16,320 how to have confidence in God to protect us from having 229 00:13:16,320 --> 00:13:19,200 confidence in the world because there's something very terrible 230 00:13:19,200 --> 00:13:20,680 about having confidence in the world. 231 00:13:21,000 --> 00:13:23,840 And he's going to tell us in the next verse, verse 2, he says 232 00:13:23,840 --> 00:13:28,800 look out for the dogs he calls those who put confidence in the 233 00:13:28,800 --> 00:13:32,680 flesh or the Judaizers, these Jewish Christians who grew up 234 00:13:32,680 --> 00:13:35,840 Jewish and have now converted but are now going back to their 235 00:13:35,840 --> 00:13:39,080 old ways, putting confidence in the law and in what they can do. 236 00:13:39,320 --> 00:13:42,840 He calls them dogs, which is ironic because this word dogs 237 00:13:42,840 --> 00:13:45,720 was the word that they would use in the 1st century for Gentile 238 00:13:45,720 --> 00:13:48,280 Christians or those who are not Jewish. 239 00:13:48,440 --> 00:13:52,680 So he says they're the ones that are actual dogs and dogs in the 240 00:13:52,680 --> 00:13:57,000 in the 1st century, they weren't looked at as pets the way that 241 00:13:57,080 --> 00:14:00,080 you and I look at them. So they were stray dogs. 242 00:14:00,280 --> 00:14:02,920 They would eat just what they're whatever they can find on the 243 00:14:02,920 --> 00:14:04,920 ground. They were really dirty. 244 00:14:05,560 --> 00:14:08,840 They were kept outside. They weren't usually invited in. 245 00:14:08,840 --> 00:14:11,920 And so that's why they use this word to describe the Gentiles. 246 00:14:12,280 --> 00:14:14,560 They saw them as all those things. 247 00:14:14,840 --> 00:14:17,280 But Paul is saying, listen, if you are finding confidence in 248 00:14:17,280 --> 00:14:22,040 the flesh, that's dirty, that's that's eating off the ground, 249 00:14:22,040 --> 00:14:25,400 that is being on the outside instead of the inside. 250 00:14:25,920 --> 00:14:28,480 So he says look out for these evil doers. 251 00:14:28,480 --> 00:14:30,080 He calls them evil. It is. 252 00:14:30,440 --> 00:14:36,560 It is evil to find confidence in the flesh versus confidence in 253 00:14:36,560 --> 00:14:39,400 God. So as a Christian who puts their 254 00:14:39,400 --> 00:14:43,600 confidence in material things, in what they wear and how 255 00:14:43,600 --> 00:14:47,720 they're seen and how much fame they have, remember last week we 256 00:14:47,720 --> 00:14:52,520 talked about de influencing. Do not follow the lives of 257 00:14:52,600 --> 00:14:56,720 influencers who put confidence in what they can do or in what 258 00:14:56,720 --> 00:14:59,280 they can get. That's not good, that's dirty, 259 00:14:59,280 --> 00:15:02,080 that's evil. To just to, to follow Christian 260 00:15:02,080 --> 00:15:04,120 influencers who call themselves Christians. 261 00:15:04,320 --> 00:15:07,280 And yet it's very apparent from the fruit of their lives or lack 262 00:15:07,280 --> 00:15:09,840 of fruit of their lives that they find confidence in what 263 00:15:09,840 --> 00:15:13,280 they wear or how much money they have or how many followers they 264 00:15:13,280 --> 00:15:16,440 have or how good they sound or how good they look. 265 00:15:16,720 --> 00:15:19,760 That's confidence in the flesh. That's not confidence in God and 266 00:15:20,120 --> 00:15:22,280 the Bible describes that as being like a dog. 267 00:15:22,280 --> 00:15:26,240 It's it's like being like dirty. It's not being a child of God, 268 00:15:26,240 --> 00:15:31,640 not acting as a child of God. So he says they are those who 269 00:15:31,640 --> 00:15:35,080 mutilate the flesh. She's saying you finding 270 00:15:35,080 --> 00:15:38,240 confidence in the flesh, confidence in the world and in 271 00:15:38,240 --> 00:15:41,160 what you can do is so unspiritual. 272 00:15:41,160 --> 00:15:47,280 It's so it's so empty that you're just mutilating your 273 00:15:47,280 --> 00:15:49,400 flesh. He's saying the Judaizers who 274 00:15:49,400 --> 00:15:51,760 are talking about circumcision and saying that these Gentile 275 00:15:51,760 --> 00:15:55,000 Christians first need to be circumcised in order for them to 276 00:15:55,000 --> 00:15:58,000 be Christians. He's saying they're not doing 277 00:15:58,000 --> 00:16:00,320 anything but mutilating the flesh like this. 278 00:16:00,840 --> 00:16:04,400 There's no spirituality in circumcision anymore because 279 00:16:04,560 --> 00:16:06,400 what? Because Christ has died on the 280 00:16:06,400 --> 00:16:11,160 cross, His flesh has been broken for us. 281 00:16:11,520 --> 00:16:14,760 We have been cut off from the flesh, cut off from the world, 282 00:16:14,760 --> 00:16:16,440 even though we still exist in this flesh. 283 00:16:16,760 --> 00:16:20,880 Because Jesus was cut off from the Father on the cross, and he 284 00:16:20,880 --> 00:16:25,680 rose from the grave showing us that his new body is a picture 285 00:16:25,680 --> 00:16:28,040 of what we are going to get, new bodies in heaven. 286 00:16:28,240 --> 00:16:30,840 And in the meantime, we're stuck in these bodies, but not for 287 00:16:30,840 --> 00:16:32,920 long. And So what Christ has done on 288 00:16:32,920 --> 00:16:36,520 the cross has completely eliminated and fulfilled what 289 00:16:36,520 --> 00:16:39,520 circumcision was even pointing to and to begin with. 290 00:16:39,960 --> 00:16:44,480 And if that is true, then these these Christians on the other 291 00:16:44,480 --> 00:16:48,000 side of salvation and other side of the resurrection, if they're 292 00:16:48,000 --> 00:16:51,680 still trying to find spirituality and circumcision, 293 00:16:51,680 --> 00:16:54,280 all they're doing is they're just mutilating themselves and 294 00:16:54,280 --> 00:16:55,680 telling others to mutilate themselves. 295 00:16:55,880 --> 00:17:01,320 So it's empty. So here's 5 problems with 296 00:17:01,320 --> 00:17:04,640 finding confidence in the flesh like these Judaizers are doing. 297 00:17:04,839 --> 00:17:06,800 The first one is that it's fleeting. 298 00:17:07,200 --> 00:17:09,440 It's fleeting. So to find confidence in the 299 00:17:09,440 --> 00:17:12,440 flesh one day, you will not be able to find confidence in the 300 00:17:12,440 --> 00:17:16,760 flex, the felt flesh the next day, everything you can do right 301 00:17:16,760 --> 00:17:20,440 now you will not be able to do in your flesh one day. 302 00:17:20,560 --> 00:17:24,520 So for example, I separated my AC joint and my shoulder from 303 00:17:24,520 --> 00:17:28,319 the rest of my shoulder and what I was able to pick up on 304 00:17:28,319 --> 00:17:30,960 Saturday, I cannot pick up on Sunday. 305 00:17:30,960 --> 00:17:34,640 You see what I'm saying? I don't have the ability and the 306 00:17:34,640 --> 00:17:38,360 strength to do it anymore because strength in the flesh is 307 00:17:38,360 --> 00:17:41,200 fleeting. So don't find your confidence in 308 00:17:41,200 --> 00:17:46,680 what your flesh can do because the flesh is weak. 309 00:17:46,680 --> 00:17:49,600 The Spirit is willing. It's fleeting. 310 00:17:50,120 --> 00:17:52,520 Another reason why we can't find confidence in the flesh or we 311 00:17:52,520 --> 00:17:55,520 shouldn't find confidence in the flesh is that it's false. 312 00:17:55,520 --> 00:18:00,800 It's a false assurance. These Judaizers who are saying 313 00:18:00,800 --> 00:18:06,040 that the circumcision is cutting us off, or it's there's a 314 00:18:06,040 --> 00:18:09,400 spiritual aspect to this circumcision and Paul's saying 315 00:18:09,400 --> 00:18:11,880 no, that spirituality is gone now. 316 00:18:12,160 --> 00:18:18,320 It's a false assurance. God is spirit and so those who 317 00:18:18,320 --> 00:18:20,800 worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. 318 00:18:20,880 --> 00:18:26,560 John chapter 4, verse 24, to think that we can connect to God 319 00:18:26,640 --> 00:18:30,280 by anything physical, that we can do anything, any work of the 320 00:18:30,280 --> 00:18:34,920 flesh is a false assurance because God is spirit. 321 00:18:35,320 --> 00:18:38,680 And so any physical thing that we can do to connect to a 322 00:18:38,680 --> 00:18:41,880 spiritual God is it's a false assurance. 323 00:18:41,880 --> 00:18:46,200 You cannot do it. So those in other religions or 324 00:18:46,200 --> 00:18:50,920 even those in Christianity who preach that there's something 325 00:18:50,920 --> 00:18:55,280 physical that you can do to connect to God is giving you a 326 00:18:55,280 --> 00:18:58,920 false assurance. If if they put any confidence 327 00:18:58,920 --> 00:19:03,880 that if you do A then B will happen, that's a false assurance 328 00:19:03,880 --> 00:19:07,520 because the Bible tells us that if you do A and A is a physical 329 00:19:07,520 --> 00:19:12,920 thing, that will not help you in the spiritual realm at all. 330 00:19:13,200 --> 00:19:18,000 Unless what you're doing in the physical realm has something to 331 00:19:18,000 --> 00:19:21,240 do with a spiritual transformation that's happened 332 00:19:21,240 --> 00:19:24,600 within you. Meaning only through 333 00:19:24,600 --> 00:19:28,720 regeneration, only if God gives you a new spirit and a new flesh 334 00:19:28,760 --> 00:19:32,880 and a new heart, then can anything you do in the physical 335 00:19:34,120 --> 00:19:36,360 have any implications in the spiritual. 336 00:19:37,040 --> 00:19:39,640 You see what I'm saying? God first has to create, 337 00:19:39,720 --> 00:19:44,360 recreate you in Christ, make you new, a new creation that is 338 00:19:44,360 --> 00:19:47,320 alive to the Spirit of God, that has a spirit that connects to 339 00:19:47,320 --> 00:19:51,320 God in order for anything you do in the physical to have any 340 00:19:51,320 --> 00:19:54,480 implications eternally or spiritually. 341 00:19:55,400 --> 00:20:00,760 So if, if, if, if they preach a gospel that says if you do this, 342 00:20:00,760 --> 00:20:04,040 then this will happen. That's a false assurance because 343 00:20:04,040 --> 00:20:08,080 nothing you do without the help of Christ or of the regeneration 344 00:20:08,080 --> 00:20:10,800 of the Holy Spirit can help you get close to God at all. 345 00:20:11,320 --> 00:20:16,920 It's only God sending his Son to connect you to God that gives 346 00:20:16,920 --> 00:20:19,560 you access to God the next thing. 347 00:20:21,440 --> 00:20:27,800 Problem with putting confidence in the flesh is that confidence 348 00:20:27,800 --> 00:20:33,280 in God is free. So you can't have confidence in 349 00:20:33,280 --> 00:20:37,880 the flesh is a problem because the only way for you to have 350 00:20:37,880 --> 00:20:43,320 true confidence in God is if for Christ to get freely give it to 351 00:20:43,320 --> 00:20:47,560 you. He says we are the circumcision 352 00:20:47,880 --> 00:20:52,400 in verse 3. What the Judaizers are saying 353 00:20:52,400 --> 00:20:58,320 they can do is they're saying that if you Gentiles go through 354 00:20:58,320 --> 00:21:02,000 the surgery, the procedure of circumcision, then you can be a 355 00:21:02,000 --> 00:21:04,680 Christian. Paul is saying that's not true. 356 00:21:05,280 --> 00:21:08,560 We are the people of God. The children of God are the 357 00:21:08,560 --> 00:21:12,520 circumcision. And you may be saying that some 358 00:21:12,520 --> 00:21:15,880 commentators say that Paul being a Jewish person, is saying that 359 00:21:16,000 --> 00:21:17,960 Jewish people are the circumcision. 360 00:21:17,960 --> 00:21:21,280 So when he says we are the circumcision, he's talking about 361 00:21:21,480 --> 00:21:23,640 the Jewish people are the circumcision of God. 362 00:21:23,640 --> 00:21:24,840 That's not at all what he's saying. 363 00:21:24,840 --> 00:21:30,000 We know because in Ephesians chapter 211 through 22, he uses 364 00:21:30,000 --> 00:21:33,960 the same language. And then Peter in his letter 365 00:21:33,960 --> 00:21:37,680 first Peter chapter 2, he uses the same language of us being 366 00:21:37,720 --> 00:21:41,560 the circumcision of God, because circumcision is a cutting off of 367 00:21:41,560 --> 00:21:43,320 the flesh. And so he's saying that those 368 00:21:43,320 --> 00:21:46,160 who are Christians have been cut off from the world, cut off from 369 00:21:46,160 --> 00:21:48,280 the flesh. We still exist in this world, 370 00:21:48,280 --> 00:21:52,160 but we are not of this world. We still exist in a in a, a 371 00:21:52,160 --> 00:21:56,720 flesh that is going to die, but we are not of the flesh anymore. 372 00:21:57,800 --> 00:21:59,800 Why? Because the cutting off of the 373 00:21:59,800 --> 00:22:02,600 flesh, the cutting off of the world and the connecting to God 374 00:22:02,880 --> 00:22:07,360 is a free gift in Christ. And so we need not try to find 375 00:22:07,360 --> 00:22:12,040 confidence in the in the flesh. That is going to cost us 376 00:22:13,280 --> 00:22:15,760 disappointment. It's going to cost us a 377 00:22:16,560 --> 00:22:19,360 mutilation of some sort. We're going to have to do 378 00:22:19,520 --> 00:22:23,200 something and then in in return, it's going to be empty because 379 00:22:23,200 --> 00:22:27,840 that that doing physically to try to connect to God is vain 380 00:22:27,840 --> 00:22:31,760 and empty. But the the free gift of God is 381 00:22:31,760 --> 00:22:35,360 salvation in Christ, which means we can have confidence in God 382 00:22:35,360 --> 00:22:39,200 that is given freely to us, not by anything that we've done, but 383 00:22:39,200 --> 00:22:41,160 because of what Christ has done. So it's a free gift. 384 00:22:41,840 --> 00:22:46,920 The next one is finding confidence in the flesh is 385 00:22:46,920 --> 00:22:50,240 problematic because it flies away from us. 386 00:22:50,600 --> 00:22:54,960 Notice it says in verse three that we find confidence in God, 387 00:22:55,760 --> 00:22:59,160 not confidence in the flesh, and we glory in Christ Jesus. 388 00:22:59,240 --> 00:23:01,840 We glory in Christ Jesus. This word Glory is this word 389 00:23:01,840 --> 00:23:07,280 that means wait. He's saying that humans are like 390 00:23:07,440 --> 00:23:12,240 filled with helium and we we just float away and drift off 391 00:23:13,320 --> 00:23:15,760 easily. It's just our nature to drift 392 00:23:15,760 --> 00:23:18,400 off and to fly away. Just like letting go of a 393 00:23:18,400 --> 00:23:21,360 balloon filled with helium. We just drift off in order for 394 00:23:21,360 --> 00:23:25,760 us to be held down. There is nothing heavy heavy 395 00:23:25,760 --> 00:23:29,080 enough to hold us down. Then the glory of Christ, then 396 00:23:29,080 --> 00:23:31,920 the work of Christ. Christ's work on the cross is so 397 00:23:31,920 --> 00:23:34,560 heavy it pins you down. It anchors you down to the 398 00:23:34,560 --> 00:23:37,320 ground so that you do not float away. 399 00:23:37,560 --> 00:23:41,040 If we try to find confidence in the flesh, the flesh is not 400 00:23:41,040 --> 00:23:44,960 strong enough to hold us down. We will just float off into 401 00:23:45,000 --> 00:23:47,800 oblivion. Finding confidence in that it's 402 00:23:47,800 --> 00:23:51,280 not heavy enough to hold you down, but finding glorying in 403 00:23:51,280 --> 00:23:54,800 Christ, confidence in Christ pins you down. 404 00:23:55,080 --> 00:23:57,960 It's it's stronger than gravity. It's stronger than anything that 405 00:23:57,960 --> 00:24:01,080 can. It's the strongest anchor that 406 00:24:01,080 --> 00:24:06,960 we have. And the last thing that makes 407 00:24:07,160 --> 00:24:09,480 confidence in the flesh problematic is that it's 408 00:24:09,480 --> 00:24:11,240 fraudulent. It's fraudulent. 409 00:24:11,920 --> 00:24:20,520 What I mean by fraudulent is there is nothing there is. 410 00:24:22,240 --> 00:24:24,280 It promises something that it cannot do. 411 00:24:25,360 --> 00:24:30,360 When you go to the bank and you or when you go to the store and 412 00:24:30,360 --> 00:24:36,120 you buy something and you realize your cart is empty, most 413 00:24:36,120 --> 00:24:39,560 likely it's because there's been fraudulence of some sort. 414 00:24:39,880 --> 00:24:45,560 Someone has pretended to be you, and finding confidence in the 415 00:24:45,560 --> 00:24:50,320 flesh is pretending to do something that only God can do. 416 00:24:51,040 --> 00:24:57,600 There's nothing that the flesh can do that God has not already 417 00:24:57,600 --> 00:25:03,000 done. The flesh promises over promises 418 00:25:03,000 --> 00:25:07,960 and under delivers. The flesh says you can do this, 419 00:25:09,040 --> 00:25:12,000 or if you do this, you will get this from it. 420 00:25:13,160 --> 00:25:17,760 What God does is he shows us that only in Him is pleasure and 421 00:25:17,760 --> 00:25:20,200 satisfaction. Only in Him is the fulfillment 422 00:25:20,200 --> 00:25:23,160 of our desires. So to put confidence in the 423 00:25:23,160 --> 00:25:27,320 flesh is to fall into fraud. It's to give into fraud. 424 00:25:27,320 --> 00:25:30,880 It's to believe in fraud. But to put confidence in God is 425 00:25:30,880 --> 00:25:34,600 to say that what the flesh offers, only God can give me. 426 00:25:35,320 --> 00:25:40,040 So how do we do it? How do we put confidence in God 427 00:25:40,480 --> 00:25:42,280 and have confidence in God and not in the flesh? 428 00:25:42,280 --> 00:25:46,800 How we fully rely on Him. Three things #1 regeneration. 429 00:25:46,800 --> 00:25:48,120 We already talked about this already. 430 00:25:49,560 --> 00:25:54,040 The glory of Christ is that in Christ we are regenerated, we 431 00:25:54,040 --> 00:25:58,080 are made new, we are transformed from dead to alive. 432 00:26:00,040 --> 00:26:04,600 When that work has happened in you, now you have all the reason 433 00:26:04,640 --> 00:26:08,240 to rejoice. You have the ability to rejoice. 434 00:26:09,120 --> 00:26:11,880 You can rejoice in Christ like he starts off this letter, 435 00:26:12,240 --> 00:26:16,400 because everything that the flesh couldn't do, Christ is 436 00:26:16,400 --> 00:26:22,480 done so rejoicing in. And if you truly believe that 437 00:26:22,480 --> 00:26:26,680 he's worthy of rejoicing in, if you truly have been regenerated, 438 00:26:27,920 --> 00:26:30,600 it's not if it's when you will repent. 439 00:26:31,000 --> 00:26:33,520 It's not if you repent, it's when you repent. 440 00:26:34,080 --> 00:26:37,720 Regeneration is God saying I have now given you the power to 441 00:26:37,720 --> 00:26:41,600 repent. Now you can turn away from 442 00:26:41,600 --> 00:26:43,280 putting confidence in your flesh. 443 00:26:43,480 --> 00:26:49,520 You can turn towards me and have confidence in me because I have 444 00:26:49,520 --> 00:26:52,000 regenerated you. It's the idea of turning away 445 00:26:52,000 --> 00:26:54,480 from your darkness and turning towards the sun. 446 00:26:54,480 --> 00:26:57,440 It's what plants do. If you put a plant by a window, 447 00:26:57,440 --> 00:27:00,960 it turns towards the outside, it turns towards the sun, it turns 448 00:27:00,960 --> 00:27:04,480 away from the darkness of the house towards the sun. 449 00:27:05,000 --> 00:27:06,680 You don't have to teach a plant to do that. 450 00:27:06,680 --> 00:27:10,880 A plant does that naturally, and so does the the regenerative 451 00:27:11,600 --> 00:27:16,720 spirit inside of a person after the saving work of God of Christ 452 00:27:17,000 --> 00:27:18,680 in that person has been activated. 453 00:27:19,120 --> 00:27:22,600 It turns you away from your darkness and turns you to God. 454 00:27:23,440 --> 00:27:27,400 Which means there's at least three applications we can take 455 00:27:27,400 --> 00:27:30,600 from this. Number one would be joy comes 456 00:27:30,600 --> 00:27:35,920 from reliance, not restraint. Joy comes from reliance, not to 457 00:27:35,920 --> 00:27:41,360 straight don't give in to the lie that if I restrain myself, 458 00:27:41,520 --> 00:27:48,320 I'll find joy in this. No joy comes from reliance. 459 00:27:49,280 --> 00:27:54,200 It, it comes from relying on someone stronger than you. 460 00:27:56,160 --> 00:28:04,680 If we think that if I cut off things, if I sacrifice things, 461 00:28:04,680 --> 00:28:09,120 if I restraint myself, if, if I do all those things, my joy is 462 00:28:09,120 --> 00:28:11,880 going to come from that. If, if you believe that, then 463 00:28:11,880 --> 00:28:13,960 what we're essentially doing is we're putting confidence in our 464 00:28:13,960 --> 00:28:17,920 flesh and in what we can do and not confidence in God. 465 00:28:18,400 --> 00:28:21,600 Someone who finds confidence in God does practice restraint. 466 00:28:21,600 --> 00:28:24,320 Don't fight. Don't get me wrong here, but 467 00:28:24,320 --> 00:28:28,960 they, they practice restraint knowing that joy comes from 468 00:28:28,960 --> 00:28:33,800 reliance in God first, because I'm relying on God to save me, 469 00:28:33,800 --> 00:28:36,760 'cause I'm relying on God to change me, 'cause I'm relying on 470 00:28:36,760 --> 00:28:39,640 God to, to take these circumstances and to move them 471 00:28:39,640 --> 00:28:42,160 over here and to take this situation and to make it look 472 00:28:42,160 --> 00:28:44,280 like this. Because I'm already relying on 473 00:28:44,280 --> 00:28:46,880 that, because I've already put my trust in Christ, then that 474 00:28:46,880 --> 00:28:51,600 means if I do practice restraint of some sort, I'm not doing it 475 00:28:51,840 --> 00:28:56,200 because I think that this restraint will do this for me. 476 00:28:57,000 --> 00:29:00,400 I'm doing it because I know that God has started this work in me 477 00:29:00,720 --> 00:29:04,840 already. So put it this way, when you go 478 00:29:04,840 --> 00:29:11,080 to the gym, it is the straining, the restraint of the the weight 479 00:29:11,080 --> 00:29:16,280 holding down your muscle that is tearing your muscle in order for 480 00:29:16,280 --> 00:29:20,680 your muscle to build back bigger in the weeks to come. 481 00:29:20,680 --> 00:29:25,440 So it is the restraint that is making those muscles possible. 482 00:29:25,880 --> 00:29:31,920 But who made the body? We go to the gym because we rely 483 00:29:31,920 --> 00:29:37,800 on the truth that if I practice restraint, something miraculous 484 00:29:38,040 --> 00:29:41,480 happens in my body and the and the muscle fibers grow back 485 00:29:41,480 --> 00:29:46,880 stronger than they were before. The reliance is not on. 486 00:29:47,120 --> 00:29:51,240 The joy is coming not from trusting in the restraint, It's 487 00:29:51,240 --> 00:29:54,480 trusting in the reliance. It's trusting in knowing that I 488 00:29:54,480 --> 00:29:58,880 know my body will work this way. It's been proven, it's been 489 00:29:58,880 --> 00:30:01,200 done. It's the work is already set out 490 00:30:01,200 --> 00:30:04,720 there. When you find joy, true joy in 491 00:30:04,720 --> 00:30:08,400 Christ, it's annoying. God has done the work. 492 00:30:09,160 --> 00:30:13,400 God has done something miraculous and and transforming 493 00:30:13,400 --> 00:30:17,840 on the cross so that when I truly believe in that, when I go 494 00:30:17,840 --> 00:30:23,600 to that, if there is some restraint required, my joy is 495 00:30:23,600 --> 00:30:25,440 coming not from the restraint, it's coming from the line. 496 00:30:25,440 --> 00:30:30,560 So let's say that God asked you to give up something and you 497 00:30:30,560 --> 00:30:35,000 practice the restraint of going back to that thing your entire 498 00:30:35,000 --> 00:30:40,720 life. You will not find joy in in why 499 00:30:40,720 --> 00:30:43,360 not going it and saying I can't do this, I can't do this, I 500 00:30:43,360 --> 00:30:45,400 can't do this. You will not find joy in that. 501 00:30:46,840 --> 00:30:51,320 You'll find joy in knowing that God has freed me from need, 502 00:30:51,320 --> 00:30:55,480 needing this thing. You'll find joy in in resting, 503 00:30:56,840 --> 00:31:00,280 leaning on Him, not leaning on how strong you can be. 504 00:31:01,040 --> 00:31:04,480 The next application would be the physical can never reach the 505 00:31:04,480 --> 00:31:07,680 spiritual. The physical can never reach the 506 00:31:07,680 --> 00:31:13,400 spiritual. Think of where God is a bar you 507 00:31:13,400 --> 00:31:19,200 cannot reach and there is no amount of physical exertion that 508 00:31:19,200 --> 00:31:21,560 you can do to reach that bar, right? 509 00:31:21,560 --> 00:31:25,640 Like we have a a nine foot pull up bar in my backyard. 510 00:31:26,000 --> 00:31:30,440 There is no amount of jumping that my kids can do to reach 511 00:31:30,440 --> 00:31:33,280 that bar. Unless I pick them up, they 512 00:31:33,280 --> 00:31:35,400 cannot do it. There is nothing in their 513 00:31:35,400 --> 00:31:37,480 physical being that they can do to get there. 514 00:31:37,680 --> 00:31:45,720 We have to think of God being a spirit the same way he is out of 515 00:31:45,800 --> 00:31:48,440 he's because God is a spirit, he is omnipresent. 516 00:31:48,440 --> 00:31:51,520 He's everywhere. Also, because God is is a 517 00:31:51,520 --> 00:31:56,320 spirit, he doesn't have the physical being that you and I 518 00:31:56,320 --> 00:32:00,000 have. Now we know Christ incarnates, 519 00:32:00,000 --> 00:32:01,840 he comes and puts on physical flesh. 520 00:32:02,440 --> 00:32:06,960 But when Jesus says to the the the Samaritan woman that God is 521 00:32:06,960 --> 00:32:10,360 spirit and he is seeking those who must worship in him spirit 522 00:32:10,360 --> 00:32:15,280 and in truth, he's saying that the only way that a human can 523 00:32:15,280 --> 00:32:17,760 reach God is through the Spirit of God. 524 00:32:18,160 --> 00:32:21,520 Those who worship him must worship him in spirit. 525 00:32:21,520 --> 00:32:24,160 Meaning the Spirit of God has to regenerate you, give you a new 526 00:32:24,160 --> 00:32:27,360 spirit in order for you to connect to the spiritual God. 527 00:32:27,840 --> 00:32:29,960 And then he also says they must worship him in spirit. 528 00:32:30,080 --> 00:32:33,480 The physical can never reach the spiritual on its own. 529 00:32:34,320 --> 00:32:38,480 So again, if you are practicing rules and you're practicing 530 00:32:38,480 --> 00:32:41,960 restraint, thinking that these rules and these restraints will 531 00:32:41,960 --> 00:32:45,240 get me to God, get me closer to God, you're making a mistake. 532 00:32:45,240 --> 00:32:50,000 So again, I can't put too much emphasis on this. 533 00:32:50,200 --> 00:32:52,640 I got a light phone and in the light phone I thought this light 534 00:32:52,640 --> 00:32:55,040 phone is going to connect me to God and I hope I didn't 535 00:32:55,040 --> 00:32:57,760 communicate that in the video because I do think that a light 536 00:32:57,760 --> 00:33:01,320 phone is helpful. But if I think that having this 537 00:33:01,320 --> 00:33:04,600 making this physical decision to have this physical dumb phone is 538 00:33:04,600 --> 00:33:08,880 going to make me closer to God. The physical can never reach the 539 00:33:08,880 --> 00:33:11,920 spiritual. It's nothing I can do physical 540 00:33:12,120 --> 00:33:14,520 that can get me to reach God spiritually. 541 00:33:14,520 --> 00:33:19,520 Now if I am a person that has been regenerated and been made 542 00:33:19,520 --> 00:33:23,560 new and I realize that it's only through the Spirit of God that I 543 00:33:23,560 --> 00:33:26,680 can reach God, then through wisdom, through the Spirit of 544 00:33:26,680 --> 00:33:30,040 God, if he says I think this will be good for you, I think a 545 00:33:30,040 --> 00:33:34,040 light phone would be good for you, then it's not this physical 546 00:33:34,040 --> 00:33:36,160 decision to have a dumb phone that's connecting me to God or 547 00:33:36,160 --> 00:33:39,560 getting me closer to God. It's the Spirit of God that has 548 00:33:39,560 --> 00:33:43,800 given me the wisdom that's already connected me to God that 549 00:33:43,800 --> 00:33:48,280 is going to allow me to walk a little bit more focus through 550 00:33:48,280 --> 00:33:52,520 this wisdom that he's giving me. But before you make any type of 551 00:33:52,520 --> 00:33:55,520 physical decision, before you make any type of cutting off of 552 00:33:55,520 --> 00:33:59,560 the flesh or are you cutting off of the world or any type of 553 00:34:05,280 --> 00:34:09,400 restraint in your life, first ask yourself, am I, am I trying 554 00:34:09,400 --> 00:34:13,120 to trust this physical restraint to connect me to the spiritual? 555 00:34:13,120 --> 00:34:15,360 Because it will not work. It will not work. 556 00:34:15,800 --> 00:34:18,960 So this is how we have Christians who live free. 557 00:34:20,159 --> 00:34:26,120 This is how we have this is how Christians are able to listen to 558 00:34:27,960 --> 00:34:30,760 secular music or watch secular movies. 559 00:34:31,239 --> 00:34:35,400 It's because they've realized that it's not me following any 560 00:34:35,400 --> 00:34:39,199 type of restraint, any type of following rules that can get me 561 00:34:39,480 --> 00:34:43,360 to reach the spiritual. At the same time, they practice 562 00:34:43,560 --> 00:34:45,840 the wisdom of knowing that everything is profitable, but 563 00:34:45,840 --> 00:34:48,159 but not everything is permissible, right? 564 00:34:48,159 --> 00:34:50,920 While we are free to enjoy the things of this world, there's 565 00:34:50,920 --> 00:34:55,920 some things that are harmful, but we are Christians that are 566 00:34:55,920 --> 00:34:59,360 in this world but not of it. How do we live that we balance 567 00:34:59,360 --> 00:35:03,000 the truth that the physical cannot reach the spiritual, but 568 00:35:03,200 --> 00:35:06,920 the spiritual through Christ has come down into the physical in 569 00:35:06,920 --> 00:35:10,680 order to transform us so that we can reach the spiritual through 570 00:35:10,680 --> 00:35:12,640 Him. And if that is true, then that 571 00:35:12,640 --> 00:35:16,000 means we can practice wisdom, but also we can enjoy these 572 00:35:16,000 --> 00:35:19,400 things of the life. The last thing is just asking 573 00:35:19,400 --> 00:35:21,920 yourself simply what gives you confidence? 574 00:35:22,440 --> 00:35:25,480 What gives you confidence? If it's any type of physical 575 00:35:25,480 --> 00:35:28,400 restraint or any type of thing that you can do in your own 576 00:35:28,400 --> 00:35:31,640 physical ability that gives you confidence. 577 00:35:32,400 --> 00:35:35,480 Remember that's fleeting. It's going to fly away from you. 578 00:35:35,760 --> 00:35:41,000 It's fraudulent, it's false. It's, it's, you're trying to pay 579 00:35:41,000 --> 00:35:43,680 for something that's already been freely given to you. 580 00:35:44,440 --> 00:35:47,440 And so is it confidence in the flesh that gives you confidence 581 00:35:47,440 --> 00:35:51,920 or is it confidence in Christ? Christians are called to look at 582 00:35:51,920 --> 00:35:54,400 the cross, look at the resurrection and find our 583 00:35:54,400 --> 00:35:58,880 confidence in what he has done. And so I can sit down, I can 584 00:35:58,880 --> 00:36:04,720 relax, I can enjoy things because I am in right 585 00:36:04,720 --> 00:36:08,080 relationship with God, not because of, of what I can give 586 00:36:08,080 --> 00:36:10,320 to God, what I can do in my own flesh. 587 00:36:10,600 --> 00:36:12,960 I'm in right relationship with God because of what Christ has 588 00:36:12,960 --> 00:36:16,960 done for me. And that gives me the power to 589 00:36:16,960 --> 00:36:21,120 take a deep breath, to exhale and to enjoy this life with 590 00:36:21,120 --> 00:36:26,760 wisdom and and restraint. Not because this restraint gets 591 00:36:26,760 --> 00:36:29,680 me closer to God, but because I'm already close to God. 592 00:36:30,720 --> 00:36:35,200 I am free from the flesh because I'm already close to God. 593 00:36:35,200 --> 00:36:43,840 I can practice restraint out of freedom, not out of not out of 594 00:36:44,120 --> 00:36:47,960 having to rely on this decision to get me closer to God. 595 00:36:48,200 --> 00:36:55,040 So I I cut off the flesh not to get closer to God because I'm 596 00:36:55,280 --> 00:36:58,080 I'm already closer to God. I cut off the flesh. 597 00:36:58,920 --> 00:37:01,880 That's what circumcision was always pointing to. 598 00:37:02,360 --> 00:37:06,520 It's not that I cut off my flesh in order to be a part of this 599 00:37:06,520 --> 00:37:08,800 covenant. It's that I'm already in the 600 00:37:08,800 --> 00:37:11,600 covenant. And so if there's anything that 601 00:37:11,600 --> 00:37:16,680 is not helpful to me, anything that is not wise for me to live 602 00:37:16,680 --> 00:37:19,960 in, I cut it off, not thinking that this will get me closer to 603 00:37:19,960 --> 00:37:23,400 Him, but because I already am. Let's pray, Father, we thank You 604 00:37:23,400 --> 00:37:28,800 for these distinctions that we make and how we truly are free 605 00:37:29,000 --> 00:37:32,760 in You and what we just thank you for. 606 00:37:32,960 --> 00:37:35,640 It is your joy to remind us of these things. 607 00:37:35,640 --> 00:37:40,280 And it's it is your will that we would trust in Christ and not 608 00:37:40,280 --> 00:37:42,640 ourselves. And we pray God that you would 609 00:37:42,640 --> 00:37:45,640 help us to find confidence in you and only you and put that 610 00:37:45,640 --> 00:37:47,320 confidence in you. And your name we pray. 611 00:37:47,320 --> 00:37:48,760 Amen. Amen. 612 00:37:49,360 --> 00:37:52,000 This is the part of the episode called After the Amen where we 613 00:37:52,000 --> 00:37:55,040 ask you a question to help apply this message to your life. 614 00:37:55,440 --> 00:37:58,840 Our question for you today is in what area of your life do you 615 00:37:58,840 --> 00:38:01,120 need to rely on God instead of the flesh? 616 00:38:01,560 --> 00:38:05,200 In what area of your life do you need to rely on God instead of 617 00:38:05,200 --> 00:38:08,120 the flesh? I'll answer first, as always, 618 00:38:08,120 --> 00:38:10,840 and then it'll be your turn to respond. 619 00:38:12,120 --> 00:38:17,960 Well, I think what comes to mind for me is like knowledge. 620 00:38:18,320 --> 00:38:25,440 I think the knowledge that I have even in Christ, like what 621 00:38:25,440 --> 00:38:28,480 he, what I have learned over the years of walking with him. 622 00:38:28,760 --> 00:38:34,920 Sometimes I can rely on that instead of continuing to return 623 00:38:34,920 --> 00:38:37,160 to him and to glean from him more. 624 00:38:37,720 --> 00:38:47,800 And I, I believe that like in my life that it's this like, it's 625 00:38:47,800 --> 00:38:49,240 hard to say. It's like a false assurance 626 00:38:49,240 --> 00:38:54,200 because I'm still relying on the truth of what his word says, but 627 00:38:54,200 --> 00:38:58,320 it's just false assurance that like I'm OK if I'm not seeking 628 00:38:58,320 --> 00:39:01,480 him more, if I'm not going to him in prayer more often if I'm 629 00:39:01,480 --> 00:39:07,680 not, you know, in the little moments of the day, going to 630 00:39:07,680 --> 00:39:09,680 scripture instead of something else. 631 00:39:11,240 --> 00:39:16,800 I think I can rely on stale bread, if you will, like 632 00:39:17,200 --> 00:39:21,600 something that I have already that was of weeks ago. 633 00:39:21,720 --> 00:39:24,360 And I'm trying to eat that instead of consume a fresh new 634 00:39:24,360 --> 00:39:28,080 meal through his word through through prayer. 635 00:39:28,080 --> 00:39:33,480 And I have found that I lack a lot of confidence when I think I 636 00:39:33,480 --> 00:39:36,360 can just rely on what I know about God instead of going to 637 00:39:36,360 --> 00:39:40,720 him directly. And it's very like tricky line 638 00:39:40,720 --> 00:39:43,400 because there's times when we we do rely on what we know about 639 00:39:43,400 --> 00:39:47,160 God because we're in a situation where we just have to apply the 640 00:39:47,160 --> 00:39:49,800 truth and knowledge of Christ to a situation. 641 00:39:51,040 --> 00:39:54,600 But we still should be continually going to him day 642 00:39:54,600 --> 00:39:58,080 after day so we can continue to be nourished and grow. 643 00:39:58,080 --> 00:40:02,280 And it prevents injuries, not like physically, but like 644 00:40:02,280 --> 00:40:05,800 spiritual injuries in our life when we are spiritually strong 645 00:40:05,840 --> 00:40:12,120 and continuing to eat the Michelin star meal of the word 646 00:40:12,120 --> 00:40:15,840 of God. And yeah, I've like found that 647 00:40:15,840 --> 00:40:19,920 when I am in my word more, in prayer more. 648 00:40:20,000 --> 00:40:26,360 I have a confidence where the opinion and the weight, the 649 00:40:26,360 --> 00:40:30,680 opinions of others and the weight of the world is much less 650 00:40:30,680 --> 00:40:37,160 burdensome and I can just walk freely knowing I am fully 651 00:40:37,160 --> 00:40:41,680 reliant on Christ who is supreme and sovereign over all. 652 00:40:42,040 --> 00:40:49,480 And so, yeah, I think that's just been convicting to me. 653 00:40:49,480 --> 00:40:54,520 It's just like needing to spend less time doing other things and 654 00:40:55,000 --> 00:40:57,680 spend more time in his Word. Because I love that you said 655 00:40:57,680 --> 00:41:01,560 like the flesh is fleeting. The things of the flesh are 656 00:41:01,560 --> 00:41:08,880 fleeting and it's easy this day and age where information is so 657 00:41:08,880 --> 00:41:12,000 accessible that oh, I can just like put it off. 658 00:41:12,000 --> 00:41:15,160 I can put it off and I'll get to it later like I can. 659 00:41:15,720 --> 00:41:17,280 There's always time to talk to God. 660 00:41:17,280 --> 00:41:20,800 You know, there's always time to open up my Bible or even put a 661 00:41:20,800 --> 00:41:22,480 sermon on or something like that. 662 00:41:23,440 --> 00:41:26,960 But the truth of the matter is there might not be, you might 663 00:41:26,960 --> 00:41:30,800 reach a situation where you cannot do that in some, some 664 00:41:30,800 --> 00:41:32,760 way, shape or form. Life gets very busy. 665 00:41:32,760 --> 00:41:36,600 But like Alex's example of just like Saturday, he could pick 666 00:41:36,600 --> 00:41:39,000 things up with his left arm, Sunday he couldn't. 667 00:41:39,040 --> 00:41:43,760 And so we and we never would have expected something like 668 00:41:43,760 --> 00:41:48,760 this to happen, you know, And so that is the same with everything 669 00:41:48,760 --> 00:41:51,840 in life. And it just reminds me of just 670 00:41:52,160 --> 00:41:54,360 what we talk about a lot. It's just like really numbering 671 00:41:54,360 --> 00:42:01,200 our days and not just cutting things off for the sake of 672 00:42:01,200 --> 00:42:05,040 cutting things off or to think that we will experience or know 673 00:42:05,040 --> 00:42:10,840 God more, but because, but like numbering our days and not being 674 00:42:10,840 --> 00:42:16,880 distracted by things so that we can see God like so that we can 675 00:42:17,000 --> 00:42:21,000 do faithfully do what he's set before us. 676 00:42:21,080 --> 00:42:25,600 And so that part was just really good. 677 00:42:26,760 --> 00:42:32,040 And yeah, I think it's just, it's so hard. 678 00:42:32,320 --> 00:42:37,200 Our our world works off of this. Like, what can I do to get more 679 00:42:37,200 --> 00:42:40,480 type of thing? And so it's so hard to just know 680 00:42:40,480 --> 00:42:42,440 that in Christ, like it's complete. 681 00:42:42,440 --> 00:42:46,400 It's his work completely that sustains us. 682 00:42:46,640 --> 00:42:51,560 Yeah, I was thinking about what you're saying and how, like 683 00:42:51,560 --> 00:42:55,360 fleeting it is. And that's like precisely how 684 00:42:55,360 --> 00:43:00,200 like false teachers lock people into their ministries and that's 685 00:43:00,200 --> 00:43:09,080 that they preach a gospel that puts confidence over. 686 00:43:11,640 --> 00:43:13,920 They put confidence in the flesh that they put confidence and 687 00:43:13,920 --> 00:43:16,680 morality. And the problem with fighting 688 00:43:16,680 --> 00:43:19,960 confidence in your morality is you're not always going to be 689 00:43:19,960 --> 00:43:21,920 moral. You're not always going to act 690 00:43:22,240 --> 00:43:25,880 in a way that your character is proud of. 691 00:43:26,360 --> 00:43:31,800 And so when you don't, you go running back to the source that 692 00:43:31,800 --> 00:43:34,040 gave you that false gospel to begin with. 693 00:43:34,440 --> 00:43:38,160 And because it is so fleeting, like to put confidence in your 694 00:43:38,160 --> 00:43:39,360 flesh that I'm going to be a good person. 695 00:43:39,360 --> 00:43:42,080 I'm going to be a good person. Oh, no, I'm not a good person. 696 00:43:43,240 --> 00:43:45,560 I got to run back to the people that tell me that I can be a 697 00:43:45,560 --> 00:43:48,480 good person. To tell someone that you can be 698 00:43:48,480 --> 00:43:52,320 a good person is just another way of saying you are a good 699 00:43:52,320 --> 00:43:54,840 person. And we all want to hear that. 700 00:43:54,840 --> 00:43:56,520 But the Bible tells us that we are not. 701 00:43:56,880 --> 00:43:58,720 There's none that are righteous. No, not one. 702 00:43:58,720 --> 00:44:02,680 You're you're not a good person. It's only there's only one good 703 00:44:02,680 --> 00:44:04,200 person. There's only one that is good 704 00:44:04,280 --> 00:44:09,080 and that is God. And through God you can be made 705 00:44:09,080 --> 00:44:14,280 new into someone good, but it's only through God. 706 00:44:14,280 --> 00:44:15,880 It's not because of what you can do. 707 00:44:16,320 --> 00:44:23,120 And so false prophets, they get such a hold on people because 708 00:44:23,160 --> 00:44:25,120 they, they, it's fleeting, right? 709 00:44:25,120 --> 00:44:27,400 They, the flesh is fleeting. They mess up, they go back, they 710 00:44:27,400 --> 00:44:29,200 mess up, they go back. They're doing good, they're 711 00:44:29,200 --> 00:44:31,200 doing good, they're doing good. And it just reiterates 712 00:44:31,200 --> 00:44:33,200 everything that they false teacher said. 713 00:44:33,480 --> 00:44:36,200 And then they feel bad again and then they go back. 714 00:44:36,200 --> 00:44:40,560 And so it creates this really unhealthy, addictive type of 715 00:44:40,560 --> 00:44:44,040 relationship with these false teachers. 716 00:44:44,040 --> 00:44:47,240 And it's very apparent in our culture right now. 717 00:44:47,240 --> 00:44:52,360 Like the two things that I'm seeing the most is you have 718 00:44:52,360 --> 00:44:55,800 teachers who preach the experience of God over 719 00:44:55,800 --> 00:45:00,200 everything that you should feel and experience God and Christ 720 00:45:00,480 --> 00:45:02,920 more than anything. Here's a problem with that. 721 00:45:03,000 --> 00:45:08,280 What about the persecuted Christians who feel nothing but 722 00:45:08,280 --> 00:45:13,600 persecution physically, but have a deep inside joy and knowing 723 00:45:13,600 --> 00:45:16,760 the truth of the gospel that gets them through the years? 724 00:45:17,000 --> 00:45:21,480 What about the the person that is forever on this earth, 725 00:45:22,560 --> 00:45:26,160 paralyzed and they're waiting a new body in heaven? 726 00:45:26,680 --> 00:45:30,480 What about that person? How can they jump up and down 727 00:45:30,480 --> 00:45:34,920 and, and, and have a fun time or at church that you know, having 728 00:45:34,920 --> 00:45:38,560 a great time at their church experience, one of their 729 00:45:38,640 --> 00:45:41,560 day-to-day experiences that they feel really limited and that 730 00:45:41,560 --> 00:45:48,520 they feel really hurt and ashamed that they cannot do what 731 00:45:48,520 --> 00:45:51,000 other people do. What about the blind person that 732 00:45:51,000 --> 00:45:54,280 is going to be blind their entire life and they can't see 733 00:45:54,280 --> 00:45:56,680 what other Christians see at these church experiences, at 734 00:45:56,680 --> 00:45:59,240 these church gatherings? How do they find joy? 735 00:45:59,920 --> 00:46:03,160 Their joy has to be much deeper than what they can feel and much 736 00:46:03,160 --> 00:46:06,360 deeper than their experience. So you got to look out for 737 00:46:06,360 --> 00:46:11,120 teachers like that. And also the other thing is 738 00:46:11,640 --> 00:46:15,920 teachers who put a big emphasis on morality, that if you need to 739 00:46:15,920 --> 00:46:18,560 obey, you need to be a better person, you need to be a better 740 00:46:18,560 --> 00:46:20,760 version of yourself. And if you do this, and if you 741 00:46:20,760 --> 00:46:23,120 do that, that you can be a better version of yourself, You 742 00:46:23,120 --> 00:46:25,440 can break free. You can really lock in to all 743 00:46:25,440 --> 00:46:27,800 this, to all that. The problem with that is, again, 744 00:46:27,800 --> 00:46:31,560 you're putting confidence in who you can be and confidence in 745 00:46:31,560 --> 00:46:33,880 what you can do instead of confidence in Christ. 746 00:46:34,080 --> 00:46:39,520 What's most important to those teachers is that you become a 747 00:46:39,520 --> 00:46:43,600 better version of you. And that is not the message of 748 00:46:43,600 --> 00:46:45,280 the Bible. The message of the Bible is that 749 00:46:45,280 --> 00:46:50,680 the most important thing is that we can glory in Christ that that 750 00:46:50,960 --> 00:46:53,040 all that we exist for the glory of God. 751 00:46:53,320 --> 00:46:58,160 The most important thing for a tree is not to be a better tree. 752 00:46:58,360 --> 00:47:02,680 The most important thing of a tree is to be fruitful and to 753 00:47:02,680 --> 00:47:06,440 give glory to God. Just be in a tree. 754 00:47:06,960 --> 00:47:12,160 That's what it wants to do. And so if we make morality or 755 00:47:12,160 --> 00:47:14,640 being the better version, the, the most thing, the most 756 00:47:14,640 --> 00:47:17,200 important thing for us, then we just want God's stuff. 757 00:47:17,200 --> 00:47:19,720 We don't want God, and which means we're not free. 758 00:47:19,920 --> 00:47:23,000 Again, we're putting confidence in our flesh and what we can do. 759 00:47:23,320 --> 00:47:28,400 And again, it's fraudulent because there's a roof to that. 760 00:47:28,400 --> 00:47:31,640 Like that's if, if you being a better version of yourself, are 761 00:47:31,640 --> 00:47:35,720 you having a better experience is the most important thing for 762 00:47:35,720 --> 00:47:38,000 you, then that's the roof, that's the top. 763 00:47:38,000 --> 00:47:39,160 That's as far as you're going to go. 764 00:47:39,440 --> 00:47:42,560 But if God is the whole point, then it gets much higher than 765 00:47:42,560 --> 00:47:44,760 that. You know, And I was just 766 00:47:44,760 --> 00:47:49,240 thinking of we should do a shirt that says the flesh is fleeting, 767 00:47:49,240 --> 00:47:52,400 but the father is forever. And I think that finding 768 00:47:52,400 --> 00:47:55,880 confidence in the flesh is is fleeting, but finding confidence 769 00:47:55,880 --> 00:47:59,600 in our Father is forever something that we'll always 770 00:47:59,600 --> 00:48:03,720 have, not just have one moment and not have the next moment. 771 00:48:04,240 --> 00:48:06,640 Yeah. And when you have full reliance 772 00:48:06,640 --> 00:48:12,240 or confidence in the Lord, then all these like struggles that 773 00:48:12,400 --> 00:48:16,120 are talked about in the Bible, like they lose their power. 774 00:48:16,120 --> 00:48:20,600 So jealousy, envy, strife, all of those things, if you are not 775 00:48:20,600 --> 00:48:24,720 relying on who you can be or how great you are in the flesh or 776 00:48:24,720 --> 00:48:30,160 the things that you can do to be more confident and you're fully 777 00:48:30,160 --> 00:48:38,400 relying on God instead, like, but nothing, you know, nothing 778 00:48:38,400 --> 00:48:45,640 can truly thank you, you know. And so it really is the answer 779 00:48:45,640 --> 00:48:50,280 like complete dependency on him because of his finished work and 780 00:48:50,280 --> 00:48:53,040 coming to that realization, there's nothing I can do to earn 781 00:48:53,040 --> 00:48:58,000 this. There's nothing I did to make me 782 00:48:58,000 --> 00:49:01,000 accepted. It was his full work. 783 00:49:01,080 --> 00:49:03,160 Out of love. He did that out of love. 784 00:49:03,160 --> 00:49:09,200 He wooed me to himself and regenerated my heart and made me 785 00:49:09,200 --> 00:49:14,720 new. Like, I think once you realize 786 00:49:14,720 --> 00:49:20,200 that, then it's like, why wouldn't I want to give all to 787 00:49:20,200 --> 00:49:22,080 the Lord and whatever he asks of me? 788 00:49:22,920 --> 00:49:26,080 Yeah. So it's like it's deeply, it's a 789 00:49:26,080 --> 00:49:29,200 deeply spiritual thing because it could look the same 790 00:49:29,200 --> 00:49:30,640 outwardly. Right, but. 791 00:49:31,720 --> 00:49:33,600 It's true. It's not just perspective. 792 00:49:33,600 --> 00:49:36,440 It's like what you believe, you know? 793 00:49:36,440 --> 00:49:39,400 Because perspectives like you can just change that, right? 794 00:49:39,400 --> 00:49:42,520 But belief is like usually a solid thing. 795 00:49:43,120 --> 00:49:49,200 And so, yeah. Yeah, and like the woman at the 796 00:49:49,200 --> 00:49:52,000 well, the reason why she goes back with so much joy to tell 797 00:49:52,360 --> 00:49:57,760 people about Christ is because she got freed from trying to use 798 00:49:57,760 --> 00:49:59,600 the physical to reach the spiritual, right. 799 00:49:59,600 --> 00:50:01,400 She was doing that through husbands, right? 800 00:50:01,680 --> 00:50:04,160 One relationship after another. If I have this physical 801 00:50:04,160 --> 00:50:06,840 relationship, it'll help me reach the Nirvana and help me 802 00:50:06,840 --> 00:50:10,400 reach the spiritual place. And so she goes back with joy, 803 00:50:10,400 --> 00:50:14,080 freed from all that and realizing that the only way for 804 00:50:14,080 --> 00:50:17,280 me to connect to the spiritual is if the spiritual connects me 805 00:50:17,280 --> 00:50:20,640 to the spiritual, right? If if the Spirit of God and 806 00:50:20,640 --> 00:50:25,040 Christ, if they work together for the Father's glory, for the 807 00:50:25,040 --> 00:50:28,120 Father's plan, Father's will to connect me back to the Father. 808 00:50:28,120 --> 00:50:31,480 That's the only way. And so being able to drop 809 00:50:31,520 --> 00:50:34,480 everything and saying I don't have to do XY and Z in order for 810 00:50:34,480 --> 00:50:36,960 this to happen. So an example, this has been 811 00:50:36,960 --> 00:50:41,120 very troubling in my life because local ani will tell you 812 00:50:41,520 --> 00:50:45,840 I will throw out like everything if I think that this is going to 813 00:50:45,840 --> 00:50:48,640 make me happier. This is going to make me more 814 00:50:48,640 --> 00:50:51,240 spiritual. And so, and a couple weeks ago 815 00:50:51,640 --> 00:50:54,600 or a couple months ago, I took my iPad and I just broke it. 816 00:50:54,640 --> 00:50:56,600 I'm like, I need to stay off this iPad. 817 00:50:56,600 --> 00:50:59,240 I'm, I'm working too much, I'm spending too much time on this 818 00:50:59,240 --> 00:51:01,400 iPad. So I just broke it and I I made 819 00:51:01,400 --> 00:51:04,480 it to where I couldn't just put it in a drawer and go back and 820 00:51:04,480 --> 00:51:07,720 get it or I, I. You mutilated. 821 00:51:07,720 --> 00:51:11,680 I mutilated the iPad exactly. Here's a problem with that. 822 00:51:11,680 --> 00:51:15,080 I I thought that that was going to give me calm. 823 00:51:15,120 --> 00:51:16,640 I thought it was going to make me cheerful. 824 00:51:17,320 --> 00:51:21,560 And there was a brief moment of like, OK, now I don't have to 825 00:51:21,560 --> 00:51:25,680 worry about that. And it's fleeting because now 826 00:51:25,680 --> 00:51:28,640 there's I can't tell you how many times that I've needed that 827 00:51:28,640 --> 00:51:33,680 iPad and it was so or she has. And now it's like, OK, now I 828 00:51:33,680 --> 00:51:37,800 have to like put money aside and save for a future date for that, 829 00:51:37,920 --> 00:51:41,640 for me to have that tool again because I just squandered it, 830 00:51:41,640 --> 00:51:43,320 right? I just put myself the mutilation 831 00:51:43,320 --> 00:51:46,360 for no reason. How do you know you're putting 832 00:51:46,360 --> 00:51:49,080 confidence in the flesh? Anything that you look at and 833 00:51:49,080 --> 00:51:54,240 say, this will make me calm or this will bring me cheer is 834 00:51:54,240 --> 00:51:58,200 confidence in the flesh. Paul says rejoice in the Lord. 835 00:51:58,760 --> 00:52:00,200 This is the day that the Lord has made. 836 00:52:00,280 --> 00:52:04,840 I will rejoice in the day, or I'll rejoice in the one who made 837 00:52:04,840 --> 00:52:07,280 the day. Anything that I look to and I 838 00:52:07,280 --> 00:52:10,800 say, this will finally give me calm, This will give me peace, 839 00:52:10,800 --> 00:52:14,520 This will give me cheerfulness. Whether it's anything material 840 00:52:14,800 --> 00:52:18,600 or anything metaphysical. If you do that, you're finding 841 00:52:18,600 --> 00:52:21,920 confidence in the flesh and not rejoicing in the Lord. 842 00:52:22,360 --> 00:52:27,600 To rejoice in the Lord is to look at Jesus and to say He has 843 00:52:27,600 --> 00:52:31,000 given me peace. He calms the storms in my heart. 844 00:52:31,200 --> 00:52:39,320 He is the one that has given me reason to cheer only him that's 845 00:52:39,440 --> 00:52:42,040 rejoicing in the Lord and not finding confidence in the flesh. 846 00:52:42,640 --> 00:52:45,080 So I hope that helps. Don't make the same mistakes I 847 00:52:45,080 --> 00:52:46,880 make. I mean, again, if there's if 848 00:52:46,880 --> 00:52:49,120 there's stuff in your life, you may be in a different situation 849 00:52:49,120 --> 00:52:55,480 where mutilating something that is helpful to you, but you don't 850 00:52:55,480 --> 00:52:57,360 mutilate it to get closer to God. 851 00:52:57,360 --> 00:53:00,800 You you mutilate it because you're already close to God and 852 00:53:00,800 --> 00:53:05,560 you're free from having to rely on anything other than God. 853 00:53:05,560 --> 00:53:09,280 That's why we do it. So big distinctions to be made, 854 00:53:09,280 --> 00:53:12,120 you know, it's why we only did 3 verses today, but we'll jump 855 00:53:12,120 --> 00:53:15,640 into the examples from Paul's life in the next couple 856 00:53:15,760 --> 00:53:18,560 episodes, which are going to be really good of how Paul lives 857 00:53:18,560 --> 00:53:21,960 this out this stressless life. So we love you. 858 00:53:22,960 --> 00:53:26,720 Subscribe to AIM and podcasts on YouTube. 859 00:53:26,720 --> 00:53:28,760 Follow AIM and podcasts on Instagram. 860 00:53:28,760 --> 00:53:34,000 I have another personal page that post the best clips from 861 00:53:34,000 --> 00:53:36,800 House Church and from Amen podcasts and some other behind 862 00:53:36,800 --> 00:53:39,600 the scenes stuff of Amen podcasts and House Church 863 00:53:39,920 --> 00:53:43,360 Alexander Dion Wilson on Instagram and make sure you rate 864 00:53:43,360 --> 00:53:46,080 and review the podcast on Spotify and Apple. 865 00:53:46,080 --> 00:53:49,360 That allows us to reach more people and climb the charts. 866 00:53:49,360 --> 00:53:52,000 But we know by this point we're not going to be at the top of 867 00:53:52,000 --> 00:53:56,080 the charts because a lot of the code Judaizers are at the top of 868 00:53:56,080 --> 00:53:57,840 the charts. Preaching gospels that are 869 00:53:57,840 --> 00:54:01,160 saying the material things you have or the things that you can 870 00:54:01,160 --> 00:54:03,160 do in the physical can bring you closer to God. 871 00:54:03,400 --> 00:54:07,040 It's very subtle. But again, if I'll just leave 872 00:54:07,040 --> 00:54:09,960 you with this last thing, if a Christian influencer is posting 873 00:54:09,960 --> 00:54:14,840 their body or posting their fit, doing fit checks, posting the 874 00:54:14,840 --> 00:54:18,400 things that they have, what they're saying is these material 875 00:54:18,400 --> 00:54:24,960 things will help you reach a place of happiness in your life. 876 00:54:25,640 --> 00:54:28,920 And I got these spirit, these material things by being 877 00:54:28,920 --> 00:54:33,040 spiritual in front of you or or acting spiritual in front of 878 00:54:33,040 --> 00:54:35,080 you. And so if you just do what I do, 879 00:54:35,080 --> 00:54:37,600 then you'll be as happy as I look in this video. 880 00:54:37,960 --> 00:54:40,080 So you, you know what they're about. 881 00:54:40,960 --> 00:54:43,960 This is very easy test. How do you know what you're the 882 00:54:44,160 --> 00:54:47,480 spiritual influencers in your life are about? 883 00:54:47,560 --> 00:54:51,240 Whether they put confidence in their flesh or confidence in 884 00:54:53,160 --> 00:54:54,160 God. How do you know? 885 00:54:54,520 --> 00:54:58,120 Look at what they post. If they, if everything that they 886 00:54:58,120 --> 00:55:02,760 post is about their body or what they can do or what they have, 887 00:55:03,040 --> 00:55:04,120 they're putting confidence in their flesh. 888 00:55:04,200 --> 00:55:07,440 If they're posting more about the flesh, the physical things 889 00:55:07,440 --> 00:55:09,600 of this world, you know where their confidence is. 890 00:55:10,320 --> 00:55:13,280 Even if every video and every post that they make is 891 00:55:13,280 --> 00:55:17,480 spiritual. If there is a lot of emphasis on 892 00:55:17,760 --> 00:55:21,760 what they have on and the amount of money it costs them to put on 893 00:55:21,760 --> 00:55:28,280 what they have on or how good they look, you know they're 894 00:55:28,280 --> 00:55:30,160 putting confidence in their flesh and not confidence in 895 00:55:30,160 --> 00:55:31,640 Christ or. Even what they do. 896 00:55:31,800 --> 00:55:34,800 Even what they do like. Recording every. 897 00:55:35,320 --> 00:55:38,200 Workout. Workout every like homeschool 898 00:55:38,200 --> 00:55:41,720 lesson every like you know. Showing every part. 899 00:55:41,800 --> 00:55:43,480 Of it, but it's, yeah. It's subtle. 900 00:55:43,480 --> 00:55:46,040 It's very subtle. Again, if they're if they all 901 00:55:46,040 --> 00:55:50,120 they show is what they do in the flesh, what they're doing in the 902 00:55:50,120 --> 00:55:52,200 flesh, then that means they're putting confidence in the flesh. 903 00:55:54,520 --> 00:55:58,000 Put that up against somebody like Tim Keller or somebody like 904 00:55:58,240 --> 00:56:04,160 Fadi Baucom or John Piper or even how like we try to post. 905 00:56:04,480 --> 00:56:08,920 We try to make sure that the majority of what we post and put 906 00:56:08,920 --> 00:56:14,000 out there is US teaching the Word of God, us talking about 907 00:56:14,000 --> 00:56:17,480 the word of God, us giving biblical advice because we want 908 00:56:17,480 --> 00:56:21,360 to be people that put our Vaadi Vaakam, Tim Keller. 909 00:56:21,560 --> 00:56:24,680 You don't see posts of them just hanging out all the time. 910 00:56:24,680 --> 00:56:29,320 You see them preaching or behind a pulpit in a suit covering 911 00:56:29,320 --> 00:56:32,560 themselves up so that we see Christ and not them. 912 00:56:33,440 --> 00:56:36,440 While at the same time it is important to see how do these 913 00:56:36,440 --> 00:56:38,120 guys live? We see pictures of them with 914 00:56:38,120 --> 00:56:40,920 their families, pictures of their wife, but they the 915 00:56:40,960 --> 00:56:45,040 emphasis is not on what they do in the flesh or what they look 916 00:56:45,040 --> 00:56:47,680 like or how they accomplish this. 917 00:56:48,080 --> 00:56:50,960 It is the emphasis is on putting confidence in God, right? 918 00:56:50,960 --> 00:56:54,320 So just look through the magnifying glass at these 919 00:56:54,320 --> 00:56:59,200 people's lives that we are following and just be wise with 920 00:56:59,200 --> 00:57:01,440 who you put allowed to speak into your life. 921 00:57:02,240 --> 00:57:06,520 But if you have found a lot of fruitfulness and helpfulness 922 00:57:06,520 --> 00:57:11,360 from our ministry, every little bit counts and we can't do this 923 00:57:11,360 --> 00:57:13,640 without you. So if you would like to tie it 924 00:57:13,640 --> 00:57:17,720 to us or a little donation on top of your already existing tie 925 00:57:17,720 --> 00:57:21,400 that your church, you can go to aymanpodcast.com/donate. 926 00:57:21,760 --> 00:57:24,520 And that really helps out a lot. It helps us continue to do this 927 00:57:24,520 --> 00:57:27,880 and house church. But we love you guys so much and 928 00:57:27,880 --> 00:57:29,960 we'll see you in the next one. Yes. 929 00:57:30,000 --> 00:57:31,720 Until then, go out and be the church. 930 00:57:32,240 --> 00:57:32,400 Amen.