Summer Jams 2026 Part 2 | Everything That I've Done with Chris Schlotterbeck

Hey guys, this is Tracy. If at any time you'd

like to connect with HCV, go to hcv .church forward

slash connect. If you feel called to give, go

to hcv .church forward slash give. And if at

any time you feel called to make a change in

your life, text change me to 970 -00. Enjoy the

message. Please return to your feet and prepare

to rock as Elijah and the Ascenders bring you

the killers. All these things I've done. When

there's nowhere else to run, is there room for

one? If you can hold on. If you can hold on.

I got soul but I'm not a soldier I got soul but

I'm not a soldier I got soul but I'm not a soldier

Well, good morning! Well, if you weren't awake,

you're awake now, so we are so glad you chose

to join us here at HTV. If you're joining us

from home, thank you for welcoming us into your

space. And like we said before, June means summer

jams at HTV. This week, all these things that

I've done, a song by American rock band The Killers.

This song was released as the third single from...

Hot Fuss in 2004 was the fourth single in the

United States that was released. It peaked at

number 74 on the U .S. Billboard Hot 100. Lead

singer Brandon Flowers was quoted as saying,

I think this song has such a strong sense of

identity. I was heavily into U2 at the time and

the way that they incorporated gospel into their

music. So that was something that had a huge

effect on me and you really hear it in this song.

Flowers would go on to say, I was moved by tales

of resilience and sacrifice from wounded soldiers

returning from the Iraq war or struggling with

PTSD. And he channeled those themes of struggle,

survival, and seeking purpose into this song.

But also, you probably heard in the lyrics, the

song is also about his faith. Flowers was grappling

with his lifestyle choices as an up -and -coming

rock star. And the lyrics serve as a desperate

confessional prayer to God or to a higher power.

Flowers actually described this song as his psalm.

He wrote his psalm to God. Lines like, if you

can hold on, or, oh, don't you put me on the

back burner, reflect a deeply human fear of being

forgotten and cast aside by God because of a

flawed history. Now, the song's most famous and

repeated lyric, I got soul, but I'm not a soldier,

highlights the human experience. That deep sense

of passion, of faith, the desire to do the right

thing, I got soul, while also lacking discipline.

bravery, or devotion to be a warriors of one

own cause or belief, not being a soldier. It

is ultimately a message of finding grace in one's

humanity and imperfections. And if we're honest,

all of us have things that we've done. All of

us have said things that we wish we hadn't. And

for so many of us, it's really difficult. It's

a struggle, in fact. To get past their own past.

We may know that God has forgiven us. But we

have such a difficult time forgiving ourselves.

And I don't know what it could be for you, but

I know that many people struggle with that overwhelming

sense of guilt because of a sexual past. Maybe

you did some things that at the time seemed fun,

but now years later you're trying to be in a

relationship, you're trying to be in a marriage,

and it's impacting it. And in your mind you're

thinking, I wish I hadn't done that. For some

of you it's that reoccurring sin. There's something

that you do, you know you struggle with, it's

real. You seek God's forgiveness, God forgive

me, I don't want to go back there. Then two weeks

later, you're saying the same words over and

over again. It's as if you just can't shake that

sin that continues to come back on you. Some

of you, maybe you said something, and as you

spoke those words, you want to grab them from

the air, but it was too late. and you hurt a

loved one, you hurt a friend, and a relationship

ended. Some of you, it's bad decisions. Some

of you, it's an addiction. Some of you, it's

just simply that you can't keep people around

you. You're constantly pushing them away. If

I could try a little harder, if I could pray

a little more, if I could work just a little

bit more, yet I'm stuck in the past. So what

is it for you? There's so many people in our

culture today that feel so much like David when

he shared these words in Psalm 38. My guilt overwhelms

me. It is a burden too heavy to bear. My wounds

fester and stink because of my foolish sins.

I'm bent over and wracked with pain all day long.

I walk around filled with grief. A raging fever

burns within me and my heart is broken. I'm exhausted.

I'm crushed. My groans come from an anguished

heart. And if we're honest, there's many of you

gathered here today and you're trapped in questions

that have no answers. What if I made a different

decision? What if I hadn't walked away? What

if I would have listened? What if I would have

stayed committed? What if, what if, what if?

Churches are unfortunately full of Napoleon's

Uncle Ricos who are still living in 1982. You

know, if only the coach put me in and I made

that pass and connected in the fourth quarter,

everything would be easy. In church, I want to

say it doesn't matter where you are. It doesn't

matter if it's the 60s, the 70s, the 90s, or

the 2000s. It's time to get past your past failures.

We can't move forward while consistently trying

to rewrite yesterday. You just can't. And here's

the reality. Every great person that God has

ever used had a past. And every sinner has a

future. Throughout the Bible, we read about Moses.

He murdered an Egyptian and fled as a fugitive.

40 years a fugitive. David committed adultery

with Bathsheba and had her husband murdered.

Rahab was a prostitute. Jonah ran from God and

hated the people he was called to serve. Peter

denied Jesus three times. Even in the world today.

Those that are making a difference in God's kingdom,

they all have a past. But they use that past

as a means to point people to the power that

God helped them to overcome. Every single sinner,

and that includes you, has a future. A future

that God wants to change. And it's my prayer

today by the power of the Holy Spirit that God

wants to help you overcome your past. All those

things that I've done. So that I can move forward

and impact the lives of others, which leads us

to our first thought this morning. See, God's

grace is greater than our biggest failures. God's

grace is greater than our biggest failures. I've

been pastoring this church now for over 20 years.

And one of the things that's been profoundly

aware to me that I constantly hear from so many

people is guilt. They're just consumed with guilt.

And please hear me on this about guilt. It's

not from God. Guilt is not from God and it never

has been. Guilt is a lie that comes from a very

real spiritual enemy who would love for us to

constantly be consumed with guilt. It's like

treading on an ocean of guilt. We're not going

anywhere. We're not moving forward. We're not

going back. We're just trying to survive. Guilt

paralyzes actions. We start to think things like,

well, I'm never going to overcome this. I'm never

going to conquer this. I'm never going to get

over this failure. So why even try? I'm not good

enough. I'm just going to give up. But let Romans

8 .1 remind you, there is no condemnation for

those who belong to Jesus. And notice this verse.

It doesn't say less condemnation, a little condemnation,

or occasional condemnation. It says no condemnation,

none. It's as if you're a prisoner, right? Your

sentence had been fully forgiven. You were locked

up, but your sentence has been paid. But yet

every day you walk out of the cell only to turn

around and walk back in and pull it shut because

you feel guilty. See, when God forgives you,

he doesn't place you on probation, right? He

doesn't put an ankle monitor on your ankle. He

doesn't constantly follow up. When God forgives

you, he gives you a brand new start, a fresh

beginning. The other thing guilt does is that

it breeds self -hatred. We literally heap self

-hatred on ourselves. The more we dwell on it,

the more we play that mistake over and over again

in our minds, you know what happens? It becomes

us. But the Bible, the Bible talks about this

other thing. And it's not guilt. It's called

conviction. Literally the conviction of the Holy

Spirit. And there's a big difference. See, the

conviction of the Holy Spirit is one of the most

beautiful things ever because it produces change

in our lives. And sometimes those in a relationship

with Jesus, they get confused with guilt and

conviction. But notice what conviction does,

1 John 1, 9. If we confess our sins to him, he

is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and

to cleanse us from all wickedness. See, he wipes

us clean from any unrighteousness. And that's

got to be one of the most powerful verses in

the Bible. And that verse reminds me of this.

Does anybody know what this is? This is called

an Etch -a -Sketch. It's old school, man. I didn't

even know you could still buy them, but Amazon

provides a way, right? And as a child, when you

had an Etch -a -Sketch, they're a little smaller

now. For those of you in West Virginia, this

is not an iPad. I'm just kidding. I'm just kidding.

I'm just kidding. I wanted to make Rick Vance

smile, and I knew it would. So this Etch -A -Sketch,

we know that it draws pictures by what? We turn

the knob, right? You turn this one, it goes that

way, and then it goes horizontal, and then it

goes vertical. And you can build buildings and

steps and towers and all kinds of shapes. Please

don't try to draw a circle because it's not possible.

And as you're drawing your images, whenever you

make a mistake, church, what do you do? You shake

it. And as soon as you shake it, what happens

to your artwork? It's gone. You're brand new.

It starts over. And you can continue to draw

and make pictures. And as you make a mistake,

you shake and you are forgiven. The same goes

with our relationship with Jesus. And my question

to you this morning is this. What's on your Etch

-A -Sketch? What's on the Etch -A -Sketch of

your heart? Is it anger? Is it rage? Is it resentment?

Is it unforgiveness, hurt, bitterness? Maybe

you've been betrayed, unfaithfulness. It could

be that you're a liar, you're stuck in adultery.

Maybe someone that you're envious of because

you're on social media so much you want more

and more stuff. How about abortion? See, the

Bible says that God is faithful and just and

will forgive our sins. Right? Forgive our sins.

And he doesn't stop there. Notice this cool part.

Jeremiah 31, 34. Again, a foretelling of what

we will experience today now that the Holy Spirit

is here. They will not need to teach their neighbors,

nor will they need to teach their relatives,

saying, you should know the Lord. For everyone,

from the least to the greatest, will know me

already, says the Lord. And I will forgive their

wickedness, and I will never again remember their

sins. See, that's how we need to see God. The

all -powerful, ever -present God makes a choice

from his own will to eliminate any sin that we've

had from his memory. I will never again remember

your sins. And if we want to get past it, and

I pray that you do today, your past failures,

we have to recognize there is no sin. that you

will ever commit or have committed that is too

big for God's grace. Jesus covers them all. Which

leads us to our next thought. You are not what

you've done. You are who God says you are. Church,

you're not what you've done. It doesn't define

you. Your identity isn't in it. You are now the

very product and identity of what God has created

for your very life. That's what defines you now,

what God says about you. But unfortunately, we

have an enemy, and Satan tries hard to get us

to personalize our sin, to make us live with

it. He tries to get us in a mindset where the

things we've done, all those things we've done,

become who we see ourselves to be. So you don't

say, I committed adultery. You say, I'm an adulterer.

You don't say, I've taken some things. You say,

I'm a thief. You don't say, I'm trying to numb

the pain. You say, I'm an addict. But we read

in the Bible that Jesus takes this one step further.

He takes it one step further. He says, when you

hate someone in your heart and mind, you're a

murderer. That you've committed murder in your

mind. See, Jesus wants us to see that it's all

in our mind. It's a mental outlook. And what

he's saying to us is don't see yourself as having

resentment or hate towards somebody. You're literally

like a murderer in your mind. But we have to

realize sin, when we sin, it's just an event.

It's never who the person is. It's just an event.

And today, for those of you that are struggling

with chains, dragging them around from your past,

whether it be mistakes or choices, I am believing

that the Holy Spirit, will radically change your

outlook with truth. The truth that we read in

2 Corinthians 5 .17. This means that anyone who

belongs to Christ has become a new person. The

old life is gone. A new life has begun. So let's

start with the bad news. Let's just say you're

here this morning and you don't know Jesus. You

don't know who he is because you don't even know

what it means to be in relationship with him.

Or maybe you're trying to figure out this whole

Jesus faith thing. God, where are you? And you're

pretty confident you're not a follower. You're

more of a fan. Well, the bad news is that if

that is you, you are defined by your sin. You

are because outside of Jesus's actions on the

cross, right? His broken body is shed blood.

We have no hope. We are living in sin. We're

literally a prisoner to sin. That's what the

Bible says. So it does define you. But if you're

here today and you're listening and you recognize

that God's voice is speaking to your heart. You

know, and when you get into his presence, you're

worshiping, you're allowing the teaching to speak

to you, and your heart begins to race, your palms

get a little sweaty, you get overwhelmed with

this sense that there's something here that is

speaking to me. That's the Holy Spirit. And he's

trying to convict you to show you you can't do

it on your own. You have to stop looking to the

past, and he's calling you into a relationship

with him. And anyone that is in that relationship

becomes a new person. Right? The old is gone.

And behold, all things are new. Galatians 2 .20

says it this way. My old self has been crucified

with Christ. It means it's dead. It's gone. It

is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in

me. So I live this earthly body by trusting in

the Son of God who loved me and gave himself

for me. All of us. Every single one of us have

made mistakes. We all have a story to tell. And

chances are, if you're not telling your story

of how God changed your life, then you're stuck

in guilt and shame. See, that's why it's so important

for us to share our faith, right? So many people

get stuck looking back, and they don't share

their story of God's overwhelming grace and mercy,

and they're constantly stuck in the rearview

mirror. Well, church, there's a reason the rearview

mirror is much smaller than the windshield of

our cars. We need to be focused on where we are

headed, where God is taking us, or where God

wants to take us. Ephesians 4 says it this way.

Throw off, throw it off, your old sinful nature,

your former way of life, which was corrupted

by lust and deception. It's like, get rid of

it. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts.

and your attitudes. Put on your new nature created

to be like God, truly righteous and holy. Right?

That is God's reflection living in us. That we

literally become sons and daughters of God and

people see God in us. But if we're stuck in guilt

and shame, they don't see God in us. They see

us trying to control our lives and our own strength,

which leads us to our final thought today. See,

you can't change your past. But God can change

your future. You can't change it. Let's start

with the past, right? Let's say, for example,

this sheet of paper is your life, right? And

when we reflect on our past and we think about

what we've done, all those things we've done,

this is what we feel like. You know, we get crumpled

up. We get stepped on and stomped on. And it's

so frustrating trying to just make it through

life because Jesus said that life was going to

be hard. And then when we unroll this piece of

paper, suddenly, what is that? Does this look

like the original piece I held up? No, what's

different? It's wrinkled. It's changed. And then

the crazy thing is, you know what we try to do?

We try to make it straight. You know, got to

get this straight. Got to make it right. Did

it change anything? No, it made it thinner. Now

it's ready to rip. Now it's ready to fall apart.

See, when we try to do it in our own strength,

it just makes things worse. It's thinner. It's

flaring up. It's not even becoming paper anymore.

When in reality, this is what God says to us.

He looks at our life and he says, no church,

it's not spots and wrinkles. You are forgiven.

He covers your mistakes. He covers your wrinkles.

He covers your stains. You are forgiven. We can't

go back to yesterday's choices. The past, it

leaves marks. Right? But you're forgiven. And

so many people spend their lives wishing they

could erase the past when God is inviting you

and promising you he will redeem your future.

Your future will be redeemed. So what is holding

you back today? Is it abuse? Is it choices? Is

it regrets? Is it shame? Is it fear? Is it pride?

Insecurity? For some of you, you're people pleasers.

See, we serve a God with whom all things are

possible. That God works in all things. And that

means the bad ones, too. Paul writes this to

us in Philippians 3, 12 through 16. I don't mean

to say that I've already achieved these things

or that I've already reached perfection. In other

words, I'm not perfect. Or as the lead singer

of The Killers says, ultimately, it's about finding

grace in one's humanity and imperfections. We

all have them. But Paul says, I press on. I press

on to possess that perfection for which Christ

Jesus first possessed me. Dear brothers and sisters,

I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one

thing, and I find it interesting. Paul says one

thing, but really it's two, right? Forgetting

the past. Everyone say, forgetting the past.

Paul says, forget the past and look forward to

what lies ahead. I press on to reach the end

of the race. and receive the heavenly prize for

which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

Again, every single saint has a past. And every

sinner has a future. So I want to challenge you.

If you came into this place and your past is

defining you, and your past is catching up to

you, forget it. Move past it. And when we look

at forgetting what is past in the Greek, it literally

means to treat with thoughtless inattention.

To willfully neglect. To leave behind intentionally.

To banish from one's thoughts. To disregard on

purpose. To cease remembering. See, it's that

definition. Move past it. Yes, it's there, but

use it as a means to speak to other people. Identify

with them and speak to them. Verse 16. Let all

who are spiritually mature agree on these things.

If you disagree on some point, I believe God

will make it plain to you. But we must hold on

to the progress we have already made. Hold on

to the progress. Church, we're a work in progress.

And I want to challenge you. It's time to let

go and change. To become the person God desired

for you to be. Why? Romans 8, 28. We know that

God calls us everything to work together for

the good of those who love God and are called

according to his purpose for them. Everything

works together for what? Good. But when we're

stuck in the past, that's not good. Which leads

us to our one action step this morning. Friends,

we have to learn to go on the offensive. We have

to learn to go on the offensive. Some of you...

Your spiritual enemy has been haunting you in

your past. Ephesians 6, 12. We are not fighting

against flesh and blood enemies, but against

evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world,

against mighty powers in this dark world, and

against evil spirits in these heavenly places.

So when we read that, we recognize we have an

enemy. And when the enemy comes at us, Right?

And says you're not good enough. You're no good.

You're an addict. You lust. You do this. And

challenge it. We have to look at our past and

our mistakes with thoughtless inattention. Right?

Willfully neglect the label. Like, no, that's

not me. Intentionally leave the sin behind. It's

gone. It's forgotten. It's forgiven. Disregard

what people spoke over us. Those words spoken

over us, disregard it. There's no sin that we've

committed that's too great for God's grace. We've

already learned that. And we learned that you

can't change your past, but being filled with

the Holy Spirit allows us to change our futures.

The killer song, you're gonna bring yourself

down. Yeah, you're gonna bring yourself down.

And what is he saying? If you're constantly focused

on the past and what you're not, you're bringing

yourself down, so we need to go on the offensive.

And how do we do that? Well, as followers of

Jesus, first, if you don't know it, you have

the Holy Spirit living in you, which means with

the Holy Spirit's authority, we can take those

thoughts captive when they come into our minds,

and we can tell them to what? Be gone. Right?

And for so many of you, when those thoughts come

into your mind, your day is over. Like you literally

lose the entire day because you're dwelling on

those thoughts, you're dwelling on those mistakes,

and in you dwelling on them, you're not the person

God created you to be. So I want to teach you

how to take authority. And what does that mean?

Verse 17 from Ephesians, take the sword of the

Spirit, which is the Word of God. So we fight

the enemy and his lies with truth from the Bible.

So therefore, when thoughts come into our minds

like this one, I am a mistake. What do we do?

I'm waiting. Thank you. We say, no, I am a son

or daughter of God. Or when we say something

like this. I'm a failure. And that comes to normality.

No, there is no condemnation in my relationship

with Jesus. I am a new creation. The old is gone.

The new life has begun. Do you see that? Or when

we say something like this, I'm not good enough.

No, that's a lie. I am more than a conqueror

in Jesus. Or we say something like this, I'm

an addict. No, I am an overcomer. The world can

no longer control me. Do you see that? Or we

say this, I'm never gonna change, right? And

these thoughts come into our minds all the time.

No, God who began a good work in me will continue

to transform me into the image of his son. And

just like I said at the beginning of this talk,

for 20 years, I've been just overwhelmed with

so many people stuck in guilt and shame that

are a part of the church, and they're not actively

making a difference in the lives of others because

they're constantly going backwards, focusing

on the past, and believing that their life is

not worth living. Your life means something.

You are a new creation. You are a son and daughter

of God, and you've got to go on the offensive.

And when you go on the offensive, those thoughts

leave your mind, and then you're able to move

on and have a productive day. So can we practice

together? Okay, here we go. Back to the beginning.

All right, here's how this is going to work.

I'm going to say I, and then you're going to

finish the statement. Fair enough? Fair enough?

Okay, well then give me some action here. I mean,

you're just... Chris, I'm not sure I understand

your directions. Could you write those down for

me? I'm going to say I, and then you're going

to finish the statement. You got it? I. Oh, my

gosh. You know I love you, right? Okay, all right.

Half of you said I'm a mistake and stopped. That's

not the point, okay? The point is, all right,

let me give you a better example here. Are you

ready? I am a mistake. No, I am a son or daughter

of God. You see how that works? You see how you

take authority? Okay, let's try again. I'm gonna

say I, and then you're going to finish. All right,

you ready? I. Very good. Now we're getting there.

Next one. Here we go. You ready? I. We're getting

better. Next. I. Next one. I. That was a good

one. Next one. I. Is that it? Oh, we have another

one. You ready? I. Didn't that feel good? You

see that? And here's the crazy thing. You notice

as we went through each one, by the last one,

it became more confident, more stronger. You're

declaring what you are and what you believe and

what the Bible says about us. Does everyone understand

that? So that's all from the Bible. I just quoted

it from the Bible. And as you do that, as you

put that into practice, then you move forward

in a new identity. Yes, you're going to make

mistakes. Yes, you're going to make bad choices.

Yes, there's going to be sin. But you don't continue

to look back. You constantly press on. That's

what Paul told us to do, right? Press on. Take

hold. I'm focused on the future and what God

is doing to me. I'm not going to be stuck in

an old identity. Yes, I've done a lot of things.

All these things I've done, they add up and add

up and add up if we allow them to. But if we

take authority and control in Jesus' name and

allow the Holy Spirit to change us, then we're

transformed into the image of God reflecting

Jesus to others. That's how we become a city

on the hill. Amen? Did you learn something? Good,

stand. So I just want to pray over you because

let me give you a quick dose of reality. Okay,

here's a quick dose of reality that most pastors

won't tell you. Okay, tomorrow you're going to

have those thoughts. Everyone understand? Everyone

nod. Tomorrow I'm going to have a thought. I'm

no good. I'm depressed. I'm overwhelmed. God

doesn't love me. God's mad at me. It's going

to come in because that's the enemy's tactic.

So tomorrow, that thought, those images, they're

going to come in your mind. And when they do,

no! And then you quote the scripture that applies

to you. And I gave them to you. They're all in

your outline. All you have to do is take them

with you and memorize them. Right? And as you

memorize them and begin to speak them out over

yourself, you become that new creation. So I'm

just letting you know, it's going to happen tomorrow.

It's going to happen Tuesday. It's going to happen

Wednesday. It's going to happen Thursday. It's

going to happen Friday. It's going to happen

Saturday. It's called being human. It's called

living in your humanness and your mistakes and

your choices. And God says, no, be an overcomer

and move forward with him in your relationship.

So can I pray over you? All right, if you could

just put your hands like this. I just want to

pray a blessing over you. And I want to pray

that you are filled with the Holy Spirit today,

if you haven't been, and that God overwhelms

you with his presence and his power. Holy Spirit,

come. Move in this place. God, blow through this

place. We just ask you to fall in Jesus' name.

That each and every person is empowered to walk

in freedom. to walk free from their past, to

not focus on the things that they've done, to

not think about or dwell on those images, to

not consider themselves a failure or at fault,

but God, that they would walk in the authority

that you have given them, Holy Spirit, well up

within them, God. May that power, may your presence,

may your authority become a reality to each and

every person in this place. In Jesus' name, amen.

So before we go, we're going to pray a simple

prayer because I pray it every week because I

believe God brings people into our midst that

are distant, far from God. And you may have already

been feeling the conviction. And here we say,

welcome to the family. We're all broken. But

we want you to come home and to be in a relationship

with Jesus. And that's why we pray this prayer.

If it's you, we all pray it with you. And we're

going to say, come home. Come home to God today.

Let's pray. Jesus, I'm broken. I'm full of doubt.

Shame, regret, sin. Change me. Forgive me. I

believe you're God's son. I believe you died

for me. Make me new. Set me free. Fill me with

your spirit. Help me, God, to see my life as

brand new. In Jesus' name, amen. Now, there are

several words of knowledge I need to share with

you before we go. You are struggling with skin

allergies now that the summer is here. You have

dry eyes and it's causing your vision to be hampered.

You are struggling today with cervical pain.

You have a lump in your throat that's making

swallowing difficult. You are struggling today

with chest pain or heart issues. You have muscle

pain in your right shoulder blade that makes

it hard to lift your arm. or you're struggling

with identity issues. If any of those are you,

our prayer team would be on my right and my left

to meet those needs. Or pray for, hear me out,

pray for any other need you may have, physical,

mental, spiritual. Next week, don't go yet. I'm

going there, Brian, so let me say goodbye to

everyone. Next week, we may or may not be visited

by a hunk of burning love. Yeah, don't cut off

my lifetime. I was stuck up in that grind. Not

knowing you gave your life for mine. You're the

one turning water into wine. Please fix my heart

and the things inside.