Set Free by the Spirit

This afternoon we are beginning, I am beginning a new series, just for a few weeks.

I'm entitling it, God for us. God for us. Someone say God for us.

And it's based on what many scholars regard as the greatest chapter in the Bible.

Many believe Romans chapter 8 to be one of, if not the greatest chapter in the Bible.

Romans 8 · chapter mention

And after studying it again and going through it, I might be convinced of that.

That it is the greatest chapter and maybe even in the greatest book.

For how it powerfully articulates the gospel and its power and hope.

So for the next few weeks we just want to go through this.

Obviously I will not be able to cover all that is contained in this chapter.

So all of our homework is to study, to meditate, to read through this chapter over these few weeks.

So that God can speak to you in ways that even I may not be able to here today.

But we're going to begin with verse 1. Romans chapter 8 and verse 1 and 2.

Romans 8 · chapter mention

It reads as follows.

There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.

Who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit.

For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

Today with God's help I'm going to speak on this thought set free by the Spirit.

Why don't we pray. Father I thank you for your presence, your power that is so tangible in this place today God.

Thank you for giving us the strength, the ability to be here today.

And our gathering Lord is not just for social or religious purposes.

But it's to have an encounter with you.

To come to know you in a greater way through worship and through your word.

And I pray God that you will anoint my lips of clay.

That I might deliver this message Lord with anointing, with power, with grace, with the seasoning of wisdom.

And that all who hear God would be edified and strengthened.

And that someone would give their life today.

That someone God would hear the gospel and surrender to you Lord.

I ask this in the powerful name of Jesus. Can somebody say amen.

Amen. You may be seated in God's presence.

I was visiting a church a few years ago and very far away.

And I noticed that there was a nice two story house sitting on the same property.

And it was a really nice house and I looked at it and it seemed like the perfect fit for a family.

Maybe the pastor's family or even converting it into classrooms or offices.

Because it was such a nice house and it was right there next to the church.

And I assumed that someone was living there.

And so I joked with the person next to me about how short the commute must be to church.

Since it was right next door.

And that's when the pastor's son told me, well actually the house is empty.

And we can't even go inside.

Because of some defects in the house, it was condemned by the city.

And I thought, how tragic.

How unfortunate that this house, the city there, and it has so much potential.

But yet it couldn't realize it because it had been condemned.

And it got me thinking.

And I wondered, I wondered then and I wonder now, how many people, how many Christians resemble that house.

A fresh coat of paint on the outside, but condemned on the inside.

When we think of a condemned heart, we think it looks something like this dilapidated house right here.

You know, in the Bay Area, this house might still go for about a million and a half dollars.

Looking kind of nice to me. I don't know about you, but put a couple of, nothing a little paint can't fix, right?

That's just the reality of things.

But in reality, a condemned heart often looks just like this other house.

It's got great curb appeal, nicely furnished I imagine.

And just what a total difference between these two pictures.

And we look at the first, we go, well that's just, that's condemned right there.

Unlivable.

And we look at the other house, we go, well that's, that's livable.

That's up to par. And on the outside, that's how it looks. That's how life can appear.

That's maybe how we see ourselves when we look in the mirror.

But on the inside, we could be struggling with condemnation.

And this was the Apostle Paul's focus as he began Romans chapter 8.

Romans 8 · chapter mention

After explaining in prior chapters, in chapter 6 talked about freedom from sin,

and chapter 7, freedom from the law of Moses, he transitions into chapter 8,

and there he begins to systematically describe and teach to the believer

the freedom that the gospel gives us from condemnation.

Condemnation, the damaging effects of falling short in sin and from religious laws.

One of the things that makes this chapter so powerful and so relevant and important in our lives today

is that Paul is not just writing to the unbeliever, but he's writing to the believer.

He's writing to actually a mature church that was established in Rome.

And he begins to describe some things and rewiring their thinking.

He starts to unplug some wires, some faulty thinking about what it means to live righteous,

and what it means to serve God, what it means to be free on the inside,

and what it means to be a Christian. And there's so many layers to this chapter,

so many layers to even this one verse, and it's a bit intimidating even for me as a preacher,

as a pastor to approach such powerful texts like this because there is just so much

that I don't want to do a disservice, I don't want to overlook something that can help you today,

but as I was studying this passage, I couldn't help but notice some spiritual concepts

that I think commonly get confused. And this happens often in the Christian life

where we can take two different concepts that seem to be familiar, but confuse them,

and therefore are unable to apply them appropriately to our lives.

There are certain lines of distinction in Scripture that Christians, to no fault of their own,

other than just maybe devoting extra time to studying, get confused about.

It happens to all of us. Some prime examples would be the difference between faith and works.

Some people struggle or have a hard time distinguishing, drawing the line of distinction

between faith and works and what they mean, what they represent.

Some people confuse salvation and rewards. There is a distinction in Scripture between

just making it to heaven, which we all want to do, amen, and the reward that we receive when we get there.

We all, I hope, will get there, but not all of us will be rewarded equally when we get there.

There is such thing as hearing, well done, my good and faithful servant.

There are rewards, crowns even, that God will give out, and some don't quite understand the difference.

Many just say, well, as long as I make it. I don't know about you, but I don't want to just make it by the skin of my teeth.

Amen, somebody. Hallelujah. Some people confuse the old nature and the new nature, and I can go on and on.

Some confuse the rapture with the second coming, aren't they all the same?

There are some lines of distinction that are helpful for the believer to really clarify in their life.

As Paul begins to talk about condemnation and freedom from condemnation,

I noticed at least three lines of distinction that would be helpful to clarify today.

I want to begin by addressing the most obvious and basic one, which is the distinction between condemnation and conviction.

This is the most important, the most basic distinction that I would want to draw today, and that Paul begins to clarify.

Condemnation is a very serious spiritual issue, and it's the root cause of many struggles and pitfalls in the Christian life.

A lot of the struggles, the frustrations, the troubles even that Christians face internally can be traced back to this issue of condemnation.

However, it's often confused with another concept, another spiritual concept known as conviction.

Someone say conviction. And some people dismiss condemnation or excuse me, conviction because they mistake it for that negative feeling of condemnation.

They may hear something from the Word of God, they may feel something in church or spoken or song that makes them feel kind of bad, kind of negative.

And they go, well, that's kind of judgy. That's kind of over, you know, aggressive. That's kind of making me feel bad right now.

I came to church to like feel good. Amen. I came to church so that, you know, I could feel better about myself.

And the way this brother's preach is making me feel kind of bad right now.

What you might be feeling is not condemnation, my friend. You might be feeling something called conviction.

And conviction is what God uses to bring about change in our life. Amen.

I'm thankful for conviction. Sometimes people confuse the two condemnation and conviction, and they confuse conviction for condemnation.

And therefore they delay their obedience to God, whether it's to repent, to forgive or to make some sort of change in their life.

But let's clarify it today for you. Amen. The Holy Ghost, which is our advocate, operates through conviction. But the devil, our adversary, operates through condemnation.

Very important to make the distinction. Both God and the devil have mechanisms by which they can produce some kind of result in our life.

God, the Holy Ghost, uses conviction to bring about a positive change, but the devil uses condemnation to bring about a negative change.

And it's important for us to understand this change or this distinction in our life, because on the surface they might feel the same,

but they come from different sources and they have totally different results in your life.

You ought to run from condemnation, but you ought not to run from conviction, because it's the conviction that God... Amen, somebody. Hallelujah.

Condemnation derives from the word condemn, which means to declare reprehensible, wrong or evil, to pronounce guilt, to judge unfit for use.

And this describes Satan's scheme. This describes his way of robbing people from their inheritance in Christ.

Condemnation is the enemy's favorite weapon. It's his weapon of choice. It's his tactic of choice for defrauding the people of God from the promises of God.

If he, through lies and falsehoods, could cheat us out of our blessings by telling us things about us that are not true, by getting us to buy into things about us that are false,

that don't line up with the Word of God, then he can defraud us from the blessings and the promises that God has made to us, his people.

So therefore, he works overtime to supplant these things in us, in our minds, in our hearts, and in our spirits, to defraud us of what belongs to us as rightful heirs with God.

Amen. Can I preach in thesis today? Somebody say go ahead. Hallelujah.

And this is what the enemy does. He stands before God, day after day, accusing the brethren in Revelation chapter 12 and verse 10, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before God, day and night.

Revelation 12 · chapter mention

This is Satan's number one job description. It's his number one thing that he does. He goes before God and he brings a list of things to God about your life that doesn't add up or is some way faulty or wrong and says,

Aha! What are you going to do about her or him because they are falling short of you? And he accuses and accuses and accuses, as like in a court of law, to the judge of judge, about each and every one of us, hoping that God will indict judgment against us.

I've got news for the devil today. My Bible tells me that there is therefore no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus. Somebody should give God some praise today for that.

No condemnation today. But accusation is what the enemy uses and accusation is the root of condemnation. And condemnation, my dear friend, today is the silent killer of the Christian life.

A silent killer goes undetected. It's hard to detect and it's hard to root out.

It's once it begins to spread in your mind and in your heart, that spirit of condemnation, which is the spirit of accusation. And I don't have the time today to expose all its various forms and manifestations, but condemnation manifests itself.

It shows itself in a variety of ways in our life. But what it always does is pushes us away from God.

And so it's helpful as we begin to look at this powerful chapter, chapter eight of Romans, it's helpful that as we begin with the very premise of Paul's dissertation, the very premise of his teaching in this chapter is that we have a certain place in God.

And we are no longer condemned. Praise be to God. And we are no longer condemned. We can be convicted by the Holy Spirit to change. We can be convicted.

When you come under conviction, you will absolutely feel a sense of guilt and shame. You will absolutely feel a sense of wrongness, the sense and the urgency to change, to repent.

You will feel the weight of your sin or your failures, but it's all in an effort to draw you closer to God through repentance and the turning away of your flesh and sin.

But how do you know today? I want to help somebody. How do you know today if what you're feeling is condemnation or conviction?

It's this. Here is the line of distinction that condemnation pushes us from God and repentance, whereas conviction pushes us to God and repentance.

So what are we feeling today? So this is this is kind, you know, I feel some negativity or I feel some guilt or some shame, some embarrassment. I feel bad about this thing in my life or this attitude or this thought or this feeling that I've been having.

And I can tell you right now, if this pushing you to repentance and it's pushing you into God's presence and it's pushing you to make a change. Hallelujah. That's conviction. And that's a good thing.

Without conviction, we won't change.

Amen, somebody without conviction, we won't repent. And so Paul begins to talk about condemnation and conviction, condemnation. There is no condemnation to those who are in Christ.

There is a second line of distinction that I think is important for us to understand, and that is between our status and our state, our status and our state.

Romans chapter eight, verse one draws a subtle distinction between your status and your state. Paul writes, there is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.

That is in reference to your status or your position, your standing, who walked not after the flesh, but after the spirit.

This refers to your state, state of mind, your state of being. Amen. So your status is your position. It's who you are in Christ. Amen.

Your state is your condition. It's what you're thinking, doing, or experiencing at any given moment.

And the thing that we must understand today, and I hope this is helpful to you to understand this, is that the difference between our status and our state is that our status, once it has been established, cannot and should not change.

Whereas our state, our state of life, our state, our state of mind, our state of emotions, our state of being, is constantly changing based on our circumstances.

What begins to happen, especially as you start going through a period of trouble, of trial, of tribulation, where the dust starts to get kicked up and the wind is blowing and you kind of get a little disoriented and you're not quite sure what voices you're hearing and what's coming.

Is that God? Is that the enemy? You know, you're just kind of trying to collect yourself. It's during that very fragile time in one's life where these two things can get confused and our wires can get crossed.

And we, in that moment, can start to hear these voices telling us, well, if God really loves you, then why are you going through this?

And if you're really called by God, then why are you experiencing that? He must not love you the way he loves everybody else.

You must be maybe a second class Christian, you know. You must be, you know, not one of his favorites.

You must be on the bottom of the totem pole or you must be forgotten or forsaken.

And we start hearing the chatter in the back places of our mind trying to tell us that we're not good enough or, you know, God has done, God has washed his hands from us or he's moved on to somebody else.

And we start to question our standing and our position in Christ. And it starts to get a little wobbly and a little shaky.

And, oh, I don't know if I can go to church this Sunday because I don't know if God still loves me, you know. I messed up kind of bad this week, you know.

You know, I said something I shouldn't have said and, you know, I went off on my coworker, you know, and I acted a fool or I thought something I should have thought or I washed something I should have washed.

And so I don't know if I can go to church. I don't know if I can lift my hands when I get there because, you know, I'm not good enough for this.

And I don't know if God has still called me. And we start to hear these voices trying to trying to separate us from the love of Christ.

But I got news for every lie and every accusation and every condemnation and every falsehood that the devil tries to throw your way that you are a child of the living God.

And once your foundation has been established to I've got a witness in the house of God today, there is nothing that the devil can do to take away your status.

I think we ought to give God some praise today. Somebody ought to thank God that your standing is firm.

Thank you so much. Thank you, Jesus. Come on, shout it again. Thank you, Jesus.

My standing is firm. My salvation is not in question. And no, I am not teaching one save always.

Hey, I'm not teaching that you can lose your salvation. What I'm teaching is that once you have been born again, God will always look at you like you're his son or his daughter,

regardless of what you do and what you say and what you think. And that's probably what pains his heart so much is now that you are one of his and now that you are his daughter,

now that you are his son, that's why it grieves the Holy Ghost. That's why it quenches the Holy Spirit because he looks at you with great affection.

And he says, regardless of what you're doing, I still love you and I still called you and I still want you on my team. And I've still got a plan for is there anybody in this house that is grateful that God didn't give up on you?

I said, is there anybody grateful in this house that when God could have turned his back on you, he didn't turn his back on you, but he kept loving you. Oh, thank you, Jesus.

And the greatest enemy of everything that I am preaching today is self-righteousness because self-righteousness is counterfeit righteousness.

Counterfeit righteousness. That's not what the gospel is. And but this is what religion often tries to replace the gospel with is this idea that I, in my own power and in my own strength, have to get good enough for God.

And I have to do enough things and I have to be a good enough person. In other words, I've got to change my state so that I can change my status. But this is not what it's about.

What I have come today to preach for somebody and I have resolved in my mind that if there's just one person that gets a hold of this and gives their life to Jesus or gets recommitted that it was all worth it.

Can I get an amen? Oh, I have resolved this in my mind today because the basic theory of all religion says this religion says when you change your state by what you do or think, then you can change your spiritual status.

But that is what religion and many and as many forms will tell you. I don't care if it's Buddhism, Confucianism and even other forms of Christianity, false Christianity, but true Christianity says when it says the opposite.

When you change your spiritual status by being born again of the water and of the spirit, then you can change your state. Oh, I've come with good news today.

You don't have to get good to get God. You can get God to get good. I've got good news for somebody today.

If you will let God change your status, if you have not yet been born again of the watering of the spirit, if you will surrender your heart and go down into the waters and be washed with the blood of the lamb and have your name written in the book of life and be accounted into the family of God,

then it will change your status and it'll change your state. Somebody give God a hand. Praise today.

Oh, thank you. Come on. Just love them right now. Hallelujah. I feel the Holy Ghost. I feel some good old fashioned conviction in somebody's life today.

You can change your status by being born again. And there is somebody in this house that has yet to be born again. God is calling on you to be born again.

And if you've been born again and you're struggling with this, then you need to be renewed in your faith in God's Word.

Remember that once you are a son and a daughter of the king, that is your status and the devil cannot change your status.

Once you are saved, your status is changed. Do you understand what I'm going to understand what I'm preaching here today?

Once you are saved, your status is changed from an orphan to an adopted son or daughter. Once you are saved, your status has changed.

Hallelujah. From an outsider to an insider. From an alien to a citizen. Once you are saved and born again, you become part of this glorious, mystical body of Christ.

You become part of his church. Oh my God. You become my brother, a son of God. You become my sister, a daughter of God.

You become the righteousness of God in Christ. Oh my God. Oh, hallelujah.

The Bible says, therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. All things have passed away. Behold, someone say all things.

Come on, shout it. Say all things. All things have become new. How many of you are thankful for the newness of Christ?

It brings us into newness and so all things have passed away and there's nothing that the devil can do about it.

If there was one illustration I can give you today about this, it would be my favorite parable, the parable of the prodigal.

Despite his wayward living, despite him walking away from his father, even in the pigspin and a far away country, do you know he never stopped being a son?

And it was when he remembered his stat. Oh, I don't know who I'm talking to right now. It was when, can I preach this?

It's when he remembered his position. It's when he remembered, aren't there servants in my father's house? Oh my God.

Isn't there plenty in my father's house? I came to tell somebody there is plenty in your father's house today.

I came to tell somebody everything you need is in your father's house. I came to tell somebody your blessing is in the father's house.

Your miracle is in the father's house and all you've got to do today is get a revelation of who you are and say God loves me.

He shed his precious blood for me. Why do I sit here in the pigsty? Why do I sit here in the pigsty of stinking thinking?

Why do I sit in the pigsty of a stinking attitude or a stinking life choice when my God's got so much in store for me?

So I'm going to tell you. Hallelujah. Your state cannot change your status, but your status can change your state.

Oh my God. I said your status can change. When you realize your position, it'll change your condition.

You'll realize why am I here when God's got a greater glory. God's got something for me. There's a blessing with my name on it.

There's a miracle with my wish. I have somebody to help me here today. Clap your hands. Let's just give God a hand. Praise. Hallelujah. Jesus.

As I get ready here to close, just give me a just a few more moments and I'll be done.

But I want to just make one more very important distinction, another line of distinction that needs to be drawn in your spirit today in your hearts.

And that it is what Paul writes in the next verse, the distinction between the law of the spirit and the law of sin and death.

The real secret, let me tell you, to living without or free from condemnation is found in verse two of Romans eight.

Here's the secret. How many of you want the secret sauce? You like the secret sauce. Praise God. Hallelujah. Jesus.

You find out that the secret sauce is just ketchup and mayonnaise. That's all it is. Hate to break it to you in and out fans.

Hallelujah. But this is real secret sauce. Praise the Lord. For the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free.

The law of sin and death has made me free from the law of sin and death. Paul draws a sharp contrast between two laws.

The law of life, the law of Christ, the law of the spirit and the law of sin and death.

This is my Lord. I hope you didn't miss everything else I preach. But if you did, this is the part you can't afford to miss.

The law of sin and death refers to the grip of sin that leads to death. For the Bible teaches the wages of sin is death.

Can't escape it. If you sin, it leads to death physically, spiritually. That's a law. Someone say it's a law.

It's a law. It's like the law of gravity. Can't defy it. It's gonna happen. But there's another law.

The law of the spirit refers to the freedom that leads to life. Because of the gospel, someone say the gospel.

How many of you love the gospel today? We are now released from that vicious cycle. You know there is a cycle.

There is a cycle. Someone say cycles. There are cycles. You can't avoid them. Life is all about cycles.

There are cycles. Some are good, some are bad. Some are healthy, some are unhealthy. Some are right, some are wrong.

But life is about cycles. Some are victorious, some are vicious. And there is a vicious cycle occurring in many people's lives.

It's the cycle of the law of sin and death. No matter how hard they try, no matter what tactics they use, no matter who they listen to,

what podcast they listen to, or whatever they try to encourage themselves, they are trapped in this vicious cycle of the law of sin and death.

Take one step forward and they end up taking two steps back. Can't seem to get ahead. Can't seem to get a grip on that habit.

Can't seem to put away that habit. Can't seem to break that addiction. That addiction to bad things.

That addiction to sexual promiscuity. That addiction to pornography. That addiction to some form of drug, alcohol. That addiction to that sin.

That addiction to that toxic relationship. That addiction to that feeling of pride or superiority.

Whatever it is, you get out of that. You're stuck in this cycle. Stuck in this cycle. Can't seem to get away from it.

Every time you think you've got a hold on it, you come to find it's got a hold on you. Can't break free. Can't break free.

And the part that pains me today especially is that I'm talking to some people, there are some Christians,

and I'm talking about blood washed, born again, spirit filled Christians who have slipped into back into this vicious cycle.

And the reason why you haven't been able to break free is because it's a law. It's a law. It's cause and effect. It's going to happen.

The only way to break free from that law, hear me today, is to come under another law.

Some would say laws. Some would say laws are good. See, some people have bought into this idea about Christianity,

that Christian liberty is about you get to do whatever you want. There's no laws. Hey, I'm free. No, sir.

There's the law of Christ. When you are born again, when you are a Christian, when you come into the family of God,

you don't live a lawless life now. You live life by a higher law. Oh, Jesus. A greater law.

This law, the law of the spirit of life in Christ, is the law that when we come under it's got. What do laws do?

Laws govern. Are you following me? A couple more minutes. Laws govern, right? They govern.

What would happen in this world right now if there were no laws? What would happen? Chaos, confusion, hurt, heartbreak.

The next time you go to the signal light, tell me you don't like laws.

Because if someone rams into you because they're not paying attention to the laws, you become very interested in laws.

All right. Laws govern. When we come under Christ, when we are free now from condemnation, we are under a new law in Christ.

And this law governs us. There are restrictions. There are rules.

But these rules are not meant to deprive you of the good, but to prepare you for the good.

These laws are not meant to cheat you out, but to protect you and bless you. Oh, my God. Hallelujah.

And every single day of my life and of your life, we've got to make a conscious decision

that I am going to live this day under the law of the Spirit. Oh, my Lord. Hallelujah.

Let me give you this in verse five and six. Hallelujah. And then we'll stand in a moment.

For those who live according to the flesh, set their minds on the things of the flesh.

But those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. Aha.

God's not just going to tackle you, brother. The Holy Ghost is not waiting for you on the other side of the corner.

He said, oh, I'm going to get them right when they're going to work. Boo, I got you.

No, you've got to every morning get into the presence of God, put on the mind of Christ,

and say, God, I want your Spirit to govern me. You've got to make that conscious decision to say, I want you, Jesus.

And he said, and to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

The devil is able to do what he does in your life because you let him.

He's got no authority over your mind. The only authority, the only power the devil has is the power you give him.

And this is for the saint. This is for the sinner. This is for the found. This is for the law.

This is for the baptized. This is for the unbaptized. This is for everybody.

And I invite you right there, would you close your eyes? We're going to pray.

I feel God working in this house. I feel something happening. It's not emotions, brother.

Sister, not emotions. What is pastor feeling? You know, I tell you what I'm feeling.

I'm feeling conviction. I'm feeling God working on somebody's heart.

Brother, I don't know what it is that you need to let go and get over.

I don't know what it is where you need to surrender to Christ.

I don't know what it is, what cycle you've been in where you just need to say completely and totally,

God, I've tried it on my own. Woo, my God. I've tried it by myself.

I thought I can do it, God. I thought I could get a grip on it. I thought I could control it.

I thought I could manage it, God. I thought that I had this thing, God.

I thought that I could, you know, I just tried. I talked myself out of it.

Some of you have talked yourself out of so many altar calls. It's ridiculous.

You talk yourself out of so many moments where God has called you to repent, to give your heart.

And every single time we get to this place, you talk yourself out of it.

And back to the cycle you go. But there is a new law that's in this place.

And it's the law of the Spirit. And when God sets you free, when Jesus sets you free,

He said, he who the Son sets free is free indeed.

You want to be free indeed, my brother or sister. You want to be free indeed, my friend.

Come to Christ today. I invite you right there. Why don't we pray?

Father, we come before you. Father, we thank you for your Word.

Father, we thank you, Lord. You loved us enough, God.

Oh, God, you loved us so much that you came and you gave your only begotten Son

that whosoever would believe in you would not perish but have everlasting life.

God, you came, God, for a sinner like me. You came, God, to rescue me from my,

from my depression, God, from my oppression, God.

You came to rescue me, God, from my anxiety, from my loneliness, from my suicidal tendencies and thoughts.

You came to rescue me, God, from my, from my addiction.

You came to rescue me, God, from a generational curse in my family.

You came to rescue me, God, from toxic relationships.

You came to rescue me, God, from abandonment in the family.

You came to rescue me, God, from my own self-righteousness and self-works.

You came to rescue me, God, but I've got to come under your law.

I've got to be free today.

I would invite someone right now under the sound of my voice.

If you would just put everything else aside. I feel God working right now.

If you would put everything else aside, forget who's telling it to you.

Forget who's sitting next to you.

Forget everything else and put your focus on Jesus right now.

What if God is trying to radically change your life today?

What if God is trying to save you from your sins?

What if God is trying to rescue you from your condition?

Oh, rabbi, I feel something happening.

There's some people that you might want to stand on your feet. Hallelujah.

But we're just going to graduate.

We're going to flow right into the altar call.

Because there's somebody right now. You can come.

I invite you. You want to come to this altar?

You want to surrender to God? Come on up.

Or do you want to spend another week fighting that devil?

You want to spend another week fighting that problem?

You want to spend another day fighting that situation?

You want to spend another moment battling all these things on your own

and by yourself? That's your choice.

But if there's somebody here today that says,

I'm tired of trying to fight this on my own.

I'm tired of the condemnation.

I'm tired of these debilitating thoughts and grief and sadness

and shame and embarrassment and guilt.

Oh, God, I'm ready to give it to you.

Is there somebody right now?

Oh, hallelujah, church.

Come on, somebody help me pray today.

Oh, hallelujah.