CMLC 2025-06-29 Sermon

Howdy! Well, last week we had talked a bit about

how it is that we're not living by the law as

in we're trying to see all the things that make

us feel good about ourselves by kind of checking

things off the list, but rather is that we're

free from letting these rules and laws determine

our hope and our future, and rather there is

grace that moves us through and beyond it. But

this week, this is sort of like the part two.

This is the part about seeing that just because

we're not living under the law, it doesn't mean

we're lawless. Just because we're not condemned

by rules doesn't mean we don't want to follow

what is good and right. You know, when I was

in high school, there was a point in time my

sister and I were going to two different schools,

and what was happening is that my mom was trying

to figure out how to get us to both places, and

she realized, can't be in two places at once.

Moms have eyes in the back of their head, but

they haven't figured out how to teleport yet.

With that is that she figured out who could take

me to school, some friends that we'd known since

elementary. And so she would go off to take my

sister to school, and I would be waiting for

the ride to come. And what I realized is, I'm

free. I'm here all by myself. Wow, this is great

and I'm thinking myself I could sleep in I could

like go and take a nap before it's time for school

And I'm thinking hey, I'll go sneak in some more

lucky charms. That'd be great And oh I can turn

on the TV and watch some cartoons. That'd be

awesome and all these things that I'm thinking

Oh, man, I have so much I can do now the world's

my oyster for 30 minutes. So And then I started

realizing, well, wait a minute, if I'm trying

to jump back into bed, I'm not going to get any

extra sleep. But also then I'm going to end up

being late. Great. Well, if I'm watching the

cartoon, I still have to get dressed. I still

have to prep myself. Oh, great. Well, I already

had cereal. I don't really want another bowl

of it. And then if I'm delayed, then... Those

friends are going to be coming up on the door,

banging on the door, and then trying to call

my mom and saying, what's wrong with him? And

I'm like, oh, this is not even worth the hassle.

Oh my goodness. And so as much as I was free,

I still had responsibilities. I still had to

take care of the things that were needed. See,

the freedom was real. You know, I could kind

of do things at my own pace. But at the same

time, I still had to take care of what was needed.

See, that idea... of being free from the law,

but still not just giving in and having license

to do whatever we want, that's something that

Paul is trying to get across. You're free, but

it doesn't mean you have the license to just

do whatever desire comes your way. When Romans

is written and he says, what shall we say then?

Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?

by no means or even later on in chapter 13 when

it would say love your neighbor as yourself love

does no harm to a neighbor therefore love is

the fulfillment of the law as always trying to

get across is that we're not living by law we're

living by love and so respecting our neighbor

doing what's right in the world taking care of

others being responsible being respectful all

of these things are important So then when we're

seeing that while we're not justified or given

life by the law, doesn't mean that we completely

ignore it. See, the warning is trying to realize

that just because we're forgiven, we're not supposed

to take sin lightly. We're not supposed to treat

it as if every indulgence is not important. Paul

actually warns us not to use our freedom. to

just give opportunity to flesh. But rather, how

is it that our lives are serving God and serving

one another? See, love is meant to fulfill the

law. It's not about the rigid rule keeping, but

through the Spirit who enables genuine care.

You know, I always found it funny was that whenever

I was younger, we were learning the Ten Commandments

and we would get to the part, you know, like,

don't lie. And someone would always ask, yes,

but what about Nazi Germany? And they're always

like, they're coming up to ask you, are there

any Jewish people in your home? And you're not

supposed to lie. And then what happens? And they'd

always have this kind of uncomfortable moment.

It's like, well, you're not supposed to lie.

Maybe you could just, you know, maybe adjust

the truth a little bit or maybe try to like,

just avoid the question. And it's like, after

all, it's like, no, lie. Tell them a bald -faced

lie. Don't let them go in there and hurt the

people. I'm sorry, just no. Just lie through

your teeth and tell them no. There's nobody in

here that you are looking for. And I found that

so fascinating and how difficult that was because,

well, number one, the law and the Ten Commandments

actually said don't bear false witness. As in,

don't tell lies that malign someone's reputation.

But also is, you're so focused, I'm trying to

check this off, when in your heart you know that

the right thing is to protect the people's lives.

And that's the thing about this, is that we spend

our time in God's Word, but it's not so we can

try to find all the laws that are written off,

but rather to know God's Son. And then by prayer,

to ask God, what are you laying on my heart by

your Spirit to do? See, the thing is, is that

the liberty... of being a Christian, it doesn't

get rid of the moral boundaries, but rather the

point is that we're actually meant to live up

to a higher standard. And instead of spending

the time just figuring out if we've checked off

all the laws we've lived up to, that instead

we're supposed to be asking, how can I be more

like Christ in my life? See, there is an inner

tug of war that is happening within us. The battle

between flesh and the spirit. See, our battle

is not between the law and the spirit. The battle

is between the flesh and the spirit. Because

the real issue is our desires and our tendencies.

And that as much as we might like to think that

we're doing everything that's, you know, necessary

and good, we're still struggling. How often is

it that we have our phone in our hand and we

cannot help but scroll through And try to check

every single meme that our friends sent us Eric

not this one. There's another guy. He sends me

memes all the time It's like every two or three

days. There's 24 of them I have to get through

and I'm like dude I just I've got to have like

a whole full -time job to try to get but you

can't stop It's like you just you have this habit

And it's like you're trying to stop, or even

trying to get on the social media and you see

who was going off to another land. And you know

exactly who I'm talking about whenever I say

how jealous I am of their Ireland trips. I'm

like, come on, I want to be there. And you're

like, I shouldn't be jealous. God has blessed

me in so many ways, but come on. Your heart knows

that you want to be out there, right alongside

them. Or even when you're in the middle of the

traffic and you know you're not supposed to yell

at that person, they can't hear you. Yelling

at them does no good. But you still do it. And

you realize, yeah, you know what's the right

thing to do, but your flesh still pulls you in.

But what does that mean? See, walking by the

Spirit, it's supposed to lead us away from that.

But then we still struggle. See, being led by

the Spirit is meant to show us that we don't

want to go that path. Doesn't mean that now all

of a sudden we've conquered it all. We haven't

got it all right. We haven't figured it all out.

But the point is to be able to not reject what

the Spirit is doing. The point is to not deny

that you are sinning. The point is not to reject

that there is something to be concerned about.

The point is not to avoid it. Like, oh, it's

not really that important. Or even to justify

yourself. Like, you know, but there's a reason

why I did this. The point is not to do that and

instead to look at it and say, I know it's wrong.

Because in 1 Corinthians, it even shows the natural

person does not accept the things of the Spirit

of God. And we're like, I don't want to be that

person. I don't want to be the person that just

rejects and denies and avoids what God is trying

to get on my heart. See Martin Luther one time

he says sin Boldly and and a lot of times people

love to just stop there put that on the shirt

right sin boldly yep I'm sinning everybody in

this great, and then they just stop as if there's

a period at the end of those two words But the

rest of it says sin boldly, but believe and rejoice

in Christ even more Boldly because the point

is not to encourage the sinning The point is

to be safe enough to be honest about the struggles,

because you know your struggles are not to condemn

you, that you have to somehow pretend as if it's

okay, but rather is to know it's safe to look

at it and be honest about what's really happening.

Because being spirit -led doesn't mean that you're

perfect, but rather is that you're sensitive

to knowing that God is guiding you. And then

the question comes, are we listening? or are

we resisting? Because let's just be honest, the

works of the flesh are often pretty obvious.

The works of the flesh are pretty obvious. It's

just that we oftentimes find an excuse to kind

of ignore it. You know, Paul's list that he has

here, all these things that are listed, you know,

looking at what it is to see all these different

things. You know, Galatians 5, as it's going

through all this, and you're kind of like, it's

almost like you're going through the checklist.

You're like, hmm, okay, what do we have here?

Okay, sexual immorality, let's skip over that

one, impurity, I'm okay, sensuality. I haven't

been really weird. Idolatry. I went to church.

We're going through this as if somehow we're

trying to make sure we checked off everything

and that we're okay. And then as soon as we see

someone else that we can then pinpoint them to

one of these, then they're the ones that are

not really Christian. We go through and somehow

we feel as if this is some exhaustive list and

it's not meant to be an exhaustive list because

the point is that Paul is not trying to now say

okay now these are the sins that keep you out

of heaven he's trying to get your attention and

to realize that so many of these things are making

it harder to listen to God Because thing is is

that this is not an exhaustive list. It's a diagnostic

one It's meant to be something where as you look

through and you realize something is wrong inside

of you is to be able to say Then that means I

need to ask some hard Questions. It's like what

like whenever you're going to the doctor and

and you're telling all the different things,

right? that you're like, oh, you know, I'm not

feeling good today, this is what's happening,

you know, my eyes are itchy and they're watering

and everything and I don't want to wake up and

everything and they're trying to diagnose what

may be going on and everything. But the point

is not then that the doctor is sitting there

trying to use it to then condemn you. I mean,

you go in there and he's like, oh, I think you

have the flu. What kind of a terrible person

are you? You went and caught the flu. Oh my goodness.

Oh, I can't believe. I am ashamed of you. Could

you imagine your doctor doing that? Like standing

there is like, oh my goodness, I can't believe

you got sick. What is wrong? You stubbed your

toe. What kind of it? No. The point is to look

at them and to know what's going on so that then

you can work through it. Because your doctor

wants to be able to help you to be better, stronger,

and to heal. See, that's the thing about this,

is that what we're looking at is trying to get

the difference of, I'm having a struggle versus

I've now decided this is who I am. Because the

point of then coming to the doctor with everything

that you're struggling with is so that he can

help you walk through, not for you to go back

to exactly where you've been before. See, that's

the thing about this, is that this list is actually

where all of us fall. We have all had these struggles,

but the question is, are we now letting that

determine who we are? Have we then given in and

decided that's all we're ever going to be? Or

are we willing to pause and say something needs

to change? This difference between struggle and

identity is really what we're trying to get at.

Because, let's be honest, How many of the people

that we know in our minds They're defined by

certain things when we think of this one person

and we automatically know that that person is

impatient That's what immediately comes to mind

or then there's this person and it's like That

person's lust controls most everything in their

life or this person They're as selfish as I can

imagine not hey I know this person messed up,

but rather that they're continuing to revel in

it and that they have no interest in changing.

See, that's the thing about this is that in Romans

1 where it talks about looking at the broader

picture of what happens when people reject God's

truth and they live by fleshly desires. The question

to you is, is this who you actually want to be?

When you think of the struggle that you're having,

is to pause and ask yourself, is this who I want

to be? Because that's the good part about what

is happening here, is that Paul is showing us

this is who you are in Christ, and if this is

who you've been, Do you still want to be this

person? Not that you're going to change because

somehow the law is making you. The law can't

make us any better. But the Spirit of God moving

and saying, wouldn't you rather be the person

Christ has called you to be? See, that's what

we end up seeing about the fruits of the Spirit.

Because the fruits of the Spirit are meant to

show us who do we want to be. in Christ. I want

you to think in your mind. Picture in your mind

somebody that you admire. Picture in your mind

somebody that you admire. And I want you to think

about the fruits of the Spirit. Love, joy, peace,

patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness,

self -control. Which of those, the person you

admire, stands out strongly? Because I'm 90 -something

percent sure that whoever you have in your mind

has at least a few of those gifts. Because this

is someone that when they are living out what

God has given them, they become the person that

God has desired of them. See, these are not meant

to be rules where you sit there and you're like,

okay, was I self -controlled enough today? Okay.

Was I kind enough today? Okay, do I have enough

peace? I was there with a small group and we

were talking through this passage and somebody

said, is there a definition here for goodness?

And I understood what the point was because they're

trying to understand was there a Greek meaning

that emphasized this, but isn't that amazing

that we have to define the meaning of goodness

in our lives? See this is not about trying to

prove whether or not we're saved It's not about

trying to decide whether or not we're shamed

But rather is it's helping us to diagnose when

something's missing Because I know there have

been some times I'm looking at patients like

ooh That one means some work You know the times

where you're just like oh my oh wow that did

not go very well. And you are apologetic, but

you're also slowing down and saying, yeah, but

couldn't there be a way that I could not fall

into that one beforehand? Or even the times whenever

we look and we see it in other people. And whenever

we see these things missing in other people,

what is it we're supposed to do about that? Is

the point to now go up and start figuring out,

okay, I see you missing some of those fruits.

You're terrible, and I'm not going to spend any

more time with you. I'd lose all my friends.

But, and they would lose me. Because the point

is not about trying to figure out which people

are the most broken, but rather is saying, yeah,

but doesn't that mean I need to show them God's

love even more? Because that's the thing that

actually causes fruit. Is that every time we

see something missing is to say, God, what is

it that I've missed from your spirit that's causing

me to miss this? Maybe you've seen somebody in

your life that you know is struggling. Is the

point then to say, oh, it's all or nothing. That's

it. You're broken. Too bad. Or is it instead

to look for a way to be able to bring them back

to Christ with grace and forgiveness and to say,

I know you want to be better than this? Because

that's what we end up seeing when we crucify

the flesh and live by the Spirit. To crucify

the flesh is to say it no longer has the final

say. Does the flesh continue to make us struggle?

Yes. time and time again. But when did the flesh

get crucified? It was in the past tense. It's

been done. Because the person who saw that the

law was condemning was willing to give up his

life for us. He knew what your struggle was.

He still does. And he's still giving everything

for you. Because that's the thing about love.

is that love does not come in to try to figure

out how to point out the struggles and the failures

and the lack of fruit as if that is now meant

to be your identity. Your identity is in Christ.

You have everything already. But now, inside

of your heart, the question comes from that Spirit.

Don't you want to be like Him? See, that's where

we end up seeing. Whenever we are at those moments

when all we can see is the struggle and we know

that we can't seem to stop, does it mean we get

numb to it and say it's okay? No. It means we

take it and bring it back to Jesus. Jesus, I

need to die to this today. Help me Because the

struggle is not a sign of failing. It's a struggle

of fighting and Today I encourage you to fight

Turn to Christ in your weakness and keep fighting

Because you don't do it from your own strength

You do it from his spirit So as we look and we

admit and we face to the ways in which we have

sinned boldly May we more boldly still cling

to the cross and the forgiveness that brings

us life everlasting. Thanks be to God.