Leftovers - Romans 8:5-11

Happy Monday. This is Pastor Matt.

Master Grass. Pastor Chris is here.

They you're still alive. I'm here.

We didn't even really, I guess Kristen said.

Reference to you, but I didn't do my usual homage to you.

Oh no, that is so unnecessary homage.

I'm just saying if if you weren't like present in the room

and looking for you Sunday morning, like I feel like we

could have missed you. Because.

We really drew like, no attention to you at all.

That's OK, I I don't. I certainly don't need it.

He was here, I promise. I think I probably, whether I

mean to or not, draw enough attention to myself I don't

need. Any no problem drawing.

Attention. No, I don't.

I don't need any help, and in fact, we might be better if we

don't. I'll just be a ninja in the

crowd. That's hilarious.

Yeah. So we are here, man.

Hot and ready ERC leftovers today.

Yeah, fresh out of the skillet. Really.

We usually record this. Full disclosure, peek behind the

curtain. Usually recorded on Monday and

it's Sunday afternoon right now. Here we go.

Hot off the presses from the sermon, coming right out of it.

Instant reaction. Have you even had time to

process a? Little bit it was a weird

message for me and I kind of shared this with you and I think

you understand the the preacher's tension.

Like it felt like, I know you could have taken this text

different way and like, 'cause most texts you can, you can, you

can end up at different conclusions.

But what was just speaking so clearly to me out of this was

that sort of sanctification tension.

And what we, what we think of and experience as a life of

sanctification versus what, Like, what actually does that?

If, if that makes sense. Like we, we, we look at our

sanctification as our like, successes and failures

throughout life becoming more holy, So wrestling with and

yadda, yadda. Yeah.

And like, yeah, that's part of it.

That's literally just living through it.

But what sanctifies us? Like it's the Holy Spirit.

It's it's the power of Jesus blood and the power that he's

coming back. Like that, that justification

first phase and glorification final phase.

Like those are the things that matter.

And we're just kind of along for the ride for the sanctification

part, like, and I don't want to that might offend some people

that were that we have like that we don't have like any decision

or or motivation or anything. But like, to some degree we are

a little bit in the Christian life, just kind of tossed among

the waves a little bit. Yeah, there's definitely some

element of that. I you know what, I appreciate

that. But actually let me draw a

backward a step because I'm sure we'll get into some more of that

stuff. But you said something just now.

That's what was really hitting you from the text.

I think it's so interesting and I always did, even before I was

in full time ministry. I think it's so interesting to

watch decisions happen when it comes to preaching and teaching

because you know, you could, you could have somebody.

And it's not that the total meaning is different, it's what

we're keying in on. So even in these few verses,

which is not a lot of verses 5 through 11, man, there's

probably, I mean, there's a plethora of ideas that you could

just, hey, here's this one thing.

Let me chase, let me chase it down to its logical conclusion.

And so I think it's super interesting when you hear

preachers make choices on like, OK, this is the idea that I'm

keying in on. And I just think from for my

money, as the saying goes, I think it is so good to hear a

lot of different people speak on those things because

everybody's, everybody's background information, what we

call their, their tacit, their tacit processing.

Maybe it's all going to grab something slightly different,

but I think it's really cool. And so I've really appreciated

the talk on primarily sanctification and, and what

that looks like and. And you're absolutely right

because this isn't like in and of itself a sanctification

passage necessarily. Like we get there eventually and

and a lot of the life in the spirit things is it's like

arguably, and I wrestled with a little bit if I was stealing any

of your Thunder for next week because like verse verse 13 is

like a sanctification verse. But what you're right as far as

the decisions fall, that verse 7 just kind of cut me for the mind

that is set on the flesh is hostile to God.

It does not submit to laws, God's law.

Indeed, it cannot like that that idea of chasing perfection of of

of avoiding sin and chasing the fruits of the spirit.

Like if that's it, if that's the end game, and I said it so many

times to don't the don'ts and do the do's, like that's a mindset

on the flesh that that is a performance like workspace

righteousness theology. And it's a mindset on the flesh

and its hostile guts. So like that was my decision

point of you know what? This isn't about us at all.

This isn't about anything that we could not do enough of or

could do enough of to to earn or avoid or whatever else.

And that landed me on sanctification.

Which no, I think, I think I think that's spot on.

That's a, that's a perfectly valid place to land.

And actually, so let me draw this out into a bigger thing,

which is to say this, you don't have to be a teacher, a Bible

teacher or a pastor to do this. Because what happens is God's

word is living and active, sharper than any 2 edged sword.

And so for example, if you read a text and then you come back a

year and read it again later, Oh my gosh, you know what's going

to happen that is probably going to poke you in a different way.

And he's like, hey, this is what you need from this right now.

And so, I mean, I actually think that this is kind of a universal

thing for people who study God's Word is that man, every once in

awhile the Holy Spirit's going to poke you with something that

even if you've read it before, it's going to be different.

And that doesn't mean that there's different truths to

God's Word, like you can interpret something incorrectly,

but it all, but it doesn't mean that you can't key in on

different concepts that are within the same text.

And so I think that happens to us as readers, That happens to

us as pastors and preachers. It should happen to all of us in

different ways as we as we kind of engage in God's Word.

Yeah, and possibly you're, you're absolutely right because

and I didn't like intentionally do this, but, and even looking

back from our sermon prep, which we did, we did this series, we

prepped this sermon like big ideas and scripture parallels

and and we did that all the way back in October.

And I didn't like just crumble it up and throw it away, but I

like does it like even the even the point, like I used about

half of them. Even even the points that we had

in like our outline. I I still upon my reading and

study of it this week. It was like it still just kind

of tugged me a little bit differently than where it's our

big idea was a mindset on the spirit brings life for today and

eternity. Like I, I think that probably

still came out today and like still rings true, but that

wasn't that wasn't my proclamatory thing.

So don't get mad at me for that. I did not.

I did not just like besmirch the sermon prep doc, but besmirch

it. That was just so.

Even four months ago when we, when we studied this passage,

like it just there's a little different light shed on what

we're what we're taking out of this so.

I think that's neat. Actually, one of the things that

you brought up this week, and I wrote it in my notes because I

was taking notes like a good student in the first service,

you had this phrase that you used and we can get into it

more, but you said famous failures and I did.

I couldn't help it. As I was sitting amongst our

audience, I was like thinking, and again, this tells you where

my brain goes. I instantly started thinking of

like famous failures that I actually was mildly entertained

by. Seriously, that's where I went.

So I missed like. Things that just went terribly.

Wrong. I probably missed like a minute

and a half to two minutes of the sermon because I was just like,

I've got some famous failures, me personally, and just things

that I've been thinking of in the world.

So let me give you one that you're probably slightly too

young to, you're too young to remember.

But those who are my age and probably a little bit older and

maybe slightly younger, you will remember.

You should remember the debacle that was Crystal Pepsi.

This happened in 1992. And I'll never forget going to

the gas station in Wheatland, IA, rolled up to the pop, you

know, the the cooler, which was something that we did normally,

if we had a dollar, we're going to go grab a soda or whatever.

And when you could still do that, by the way, 1992, come on.

So anyway, we rolled up to the Pop and it's like, why is the

Pepsi clear? Why is it clear?

And so just out of sheer curiosity, we all bought a

Crystal Pepsi and it was absolutely disgusting.

I don't know how it. Tasted different it.

Oh yes I'm sorry I was 2. I wasn't drinking Pepsi at the

time. So your parents, they failed

you? No, I'm kidding.

That was a good move on their part not to give you pop at two

years. Old, yeah.

No, but this stuff was disgusting.

It was so bad that they pulled it from the shelves awfully

quickly. I don't think it lasted very

long. So how does that even maybe it's

a different market than it was back then, but I feel like

Mountain Dew is making like whatever flavour that they want

and it's just, it's just fine. How does something like that

make it past like test panels and whatever else it did?

So it didn't. It was Crystal Pepsi, but it

didn't taste like Pepsi. No, I.

What did it taste like? I do not recall what the taste

was. I'm so sorry.

I'm doing a bad job of explaining that.

But I just know that I think it was myself and my brother.

And I can't remember if Derrick, Derrick Hendrickson was with us

because we always hung out all the time.

But all of us, just like we dumped it like because we did

not finish it. OK, because it'd be one thing if

they were just like Crystal Pepsi.

Oops, It's it's Sprite. Like, like, oops, I'm just like,

like the, the camp Crunch, oops, all berries.

Like it was, well, it just came out all berries.

Or, or if they were trying to like just make it have the Pepsi

taste, but just be clear for whatever reason, 'cause that's

more, is it more appealing to drink a cleared soda?

I don't know. Yeah, I don't know.

I just I don't understand the marketing scheme, but apparently

didn't work out one way or the other.

Neither look nor taste nor. No, it did not it.

Did not Crystal Pepsi. Crystal Pepsi, you know, were

there a bottle somehow still sealed out there somewhere just

for the laughs? I would probably drink it, but

it probably still wouldn't be good.

I'm sure age. Recollective pitch.

Now that's Yikes. Yeah.

Got any ones that you remember you thought of?

The fantastic famous failures. Famous failures, man.

I can only think of. I can only think of people.

That's. So that's a really good example

of was it? Was that the one that they were

trying to fix something that wasn't broken?

Is that what happened or Or was that?

One Coke. Coke did something similarly

dumb with New Coke. New Coke, New Coke and then

people. They changed the formula.

They were basically rioting in the streets.

Give me my classic Coca-Cola. That's So that's what, yeah,

things like things like that are innovation isn't always better.

Like change, which is really hard for me.

I always feel like change is almost always better.

But it's not in the in the case of that new Coke, they were

trying to fix something that wasn't broken, right.

That was the that was the headline and the critique of

that. I just some some interesting

maybe just like misses. I don't know if these fit your

fit your failure failures necessarily just some guys.

Of course Thomas Edison what tried like 1000 times before he

got the like he he worked through all those failures

before making making the light bulb.

Elvis Presley was fired from the Grand Ole Opry and and told to

return to driving trucks Before he like before he like.

You know, I could totally see Elvis as a truck driver.

I. Could see that and then so that

that one and Steven Spielberg, famous movie producer was also

he was denied from film school like 3 different times until he

was just doing his own thing and Harry Potter that series was.

Like the book series? The book series was rejected by

12 different publishers. No, yeah, I didn't know that.

Yeah, no way. Yes, which seems insane, but.

All 12 publishers are just Oh my gosh, you missed like the

lottery ticket of the century. Yeah, so those were just maybe

not fixing something that wasn't broken, but those were just man,

drop the ball. I can't believe I wow, I can't

believe you would. And I don't know what, you know,

those original writings were like, I'm sure by the time they

were published, maybe they were cleaned up or whatever, but like

you can't read. I'm I'm kind of stuck on this

one for a second. I'm sorry you didn't read her

content and go, man, you know what?

Kids are going to love this. You couldn't have seen that.

I mean, yeah, hindsight seems perfect, but maybe in the room.

Oh my gosh, I don't know. I have a few book series like

that that I'm surprised that weren't.

I read the 7th Tower series growing up, which was fiction

writer Garth. Nick's never he never.

I don't think anything profound ever really came from him.

I think this six book series should have been like an epic 3

movie series, to be honest with you.

I've never met anyone else who has ever read them.

Yeah. But my brother and I loved them.

And so I'm just saying like in that, in that similar way

there's, I don't know, somehow that made it through and it

didn't catch on. So you suppose there's some

level? Not that I believe in what I'm

about to say, not really. Do you suppose there's some

level of luck involved? Oh, absolutely.

Like just the right person has to read it, and then they're

going to go tell everybody and it's going to catch fire.

Yes, for it to have success, but in what you're saying like

anyone Harry Potter probably would have been Harry Potter

regardless of the opportunity, right, Like some someone.

I think you're right in the sense that like that was just

good and anyone could have had success with that.

There was very little luck involved in on the other side

where it like didn't have success, yeah, and maybe needed

whatever better marketers or the different publishing path.

And yeah, so anyway, I got us away from famous failures.

I feel like you had a couple. More No, there was a couple more

that I that I looked up that I thought were kind of cool.

Well, I didn't bring this one up.

The DeLorean, the car, you know, from Back to the future.

That's so sad that thing it says 0 sales in 1981.

OK, so they put out they, they roll out this car, nobody wants

it. It looks super cheesy and

futuristic, nobody likes it. And then it only becomes famous

after it had already failed. And so they'd already stopped

making it by the time Back to the Future rolls out, right?

And then everybody wants 1 after that movie comes out.

But they don't have them. Anymore, But they said it was

clunky and it drove terribly, and it was.

It was kind of like driving like a tank.

It was awful to drive, they said, and so nobody wanted one

until after the movie came out. So that car just completely

failed. One other one that I liked a lot

and I couldn't believe this. 1996 the Taco Liberty Bell.

What? This is a good one.

Taco Bell announced it had purchased the Liberty Bell and

renamed it the Taco Liberty Bell.

What? And because we're just at the

advent of the Internet at this point, everybody believed.

It. Everybody believed it.

It was, it was meant to be like an April Fool's Day joke from

Taco Bell to the country, just, you know, whatever.

But everybody believed it. No Internet to like debunk it

out of the gate. And so like, so it says that the

National Park Service had to issue an official statement that

they did not allow Taco Bell to actually buy the Liberty Bell.

And if they did, why did they keep Liberty Bell in there?

I feel like they if they were going to own it.

Nope. This is the Taco Bell now.

Just just erase that part of American history.

It's fine for marketing purposes, of course.

Of course. So another just, you know, what

a terrible failure on a prank that got people really angry.

Like people were apparently like boycotting Taco Bell and how

dare you and all this kind of stuff.

And it's like, dude, it was just a joke.

Oops, bad joke that. Would have been like the most

annoying college football bowl game ever the the Taco Liberty

Bell Fiesta bowl. Yeah, it's a big.

By the Taco Liberty Bell. By the Taco Liberty Bell.

Oh my, yeah, I don't like it. There's some good famous

failures if you have any more love to hear about them.

Things that went terribly wrong or things that people tried to

fix that weren't broken, didn't didn't need to be changed or

fixed. Yeah, because that's more or

less where we wound up with this message in Romans 8.

We're in verses 5 through 11 this week.

And yeah, what was really convicting on my heart and of

course I'm I'm influenced in taking in different different

messages and different study. We were at refuel conference

last week with the worship team in Mishawaka IN it was a worship

conference. One of the speakers there, Kim

Walker Smith, we sing a few of her songs from time to time.

And you're, you're probably familiar with her work with

Jesus culture and, and Bethel music and her own independent

stuff too. But she was one of the speakers

and she was speaking on and against burnout in ministry and

how to and how to prevent it. And like all these other

strategies, when in her experience, we just lost sight

of Jesus, like in our, in our burnout.

That's really what causes burnout.

We, we've lost sight of the thing.

And that's what I was trying to draw out in the message this

week of yes, there's in in Galatians 5, Paul draws out this

tension of the of the war between the flesh and the

spirit. Galatians 5.

He kind of like lists all of the things, all the, the, the sexual

immorality and the debauchery and, and all, all those things.

And then he counteracts that with, but this is, these are the

fruits of the spirit. This is, this is how we see this

played out. So what is your mind set on?

But that's still not the point. So like so like that was that

was ringing out from this message 2 weeks ago from from

Kim Walker Smith of like avoiding the wrongs and doing

the rights. Did I say Jesus in that?

Like I I Jesus wasn't anywhere in that sentence.

Jesus is the point. Jesus is the thing.

So where we ended with the song, the blood and even just

hopefully what was a somewhat cohesive and articulate message

together for like the focus on. What matters in, in, in Christ,

those those anchor points that we have of his death and

resurrection of his coming again, not to say that our life

in the middle is meaningless. I'm not going like all

Ecclesiastes here on here, but but, but we can't let the the

highs of, of our journey of sanctification replace what

Jesus did. And we also can't let the lows

of, of our failures and even in the process of sanctification,

like we can't let that take away what Jesus did either.

That's that's not it. Well, and it's interesting, I'm,

I'm glad you brought up the, the, the fruit of the spirit in

this sermon, because I think it, I think it's spot on.

It's a, it's a great place to import that.

Now, what's funny is gosh, we, we look at a list of those

really good attributes, right? And we say, you know what I'm

going to do? I'm going to work at this, I'm

going to work at being more patient.

I'm going to work it, you know, being good and faithful and

stuff. And Oh my gosh, the second we

say that we have already failed because the whole point is it's

not about us working towards it. It's about if I have a heart

changed by the gospel, these things will naturally flow out

of my life. So it's not so much, OK, I'm

going to, I'm going to steal myself here and, and I'm going

to work into being a more patient person.

No, you're not. You're going to fail miserably

and it's going to be ugly and you're going to wonder what the

heck happened. Well, geez, guys, it's, it's one

of those things like stop working.

What God wants to just stop working for what God just wants

to give you, right. We, we don't have to strive for

those things. It is more so as I just implant

myself into God's Word and I am saturated by it.

Those things will more and more naturally occur.

The I think the illustration, the illustration I gave to my

confirmation students when we were talking about

sanctification was the clay pot on the wheel well.

It certainly doesn't start as a pot.

It starts as a lump of clay in a circle ish shape depending on

how good you are at that part of the process.

And then it is the Potter who shapes and reshapes and

sometimes it gets shaped incorrectly and so he smashes it

all down and he starts over again.

Well, in this illustration we are the clay and God is the one

who's reshaping. We're not reshaping ourselves by

our own will. And that's where these two, my

texts last week and your text connect beautifully is it's not

us doing the work of reshaping. It's God doing the work of

reshaping through the Holy Spirit.

Therefore, maybe, I mean, maybe we just don't have to like focus

on our efforts so much. Yeah.

And that's that's where I ended up because even in that what

like what you just said about, OK, I'm going to, I'm going to

set my mind on being patient. Well, that next instance that

you're not, maybe you are, maybe you're doing great, maybe

patient, patient, patient. But then you have one

interaction where you lose your temper or you lose your cool or,

or whatever it is, you're not patient in that moment.

You're you're not being perfectly patient.

And I didn't, I didn't share this on Sunday, but there's like

social psychology statistics of 95% of the people that we

interact with, we will only interact with once.

No. Really 90 Well, I mean, and I

guess it depends on how you but like interact being like a

passing conversation or or like whatever transactional cashier

sort of or like think of waiter, waiter at a table or whatever

else. 95% of all the people you meet in life you only have that

one interaction with. I am kind of blown away by that

so. But I'm interested.

But I'm just saying, if so, if that holds, and I guess I was

more willing to believe that, then maybe you are.

So maybe I'm gullible. But no, that that seemed

reasonable to me that most of the people I ever meet, I will

only meet that once. But if that one interaction is a

moment of weakness or a moment of impatience, that person's

impression of you is what? Not that you're a patient

person. Not at all.

Even if that was the one time in your life that you've ever been

impatient. Sure that's that's their

impression. So that's just kind of what

birthed in my mind of like what's the hardest we could

again, not saying we shouldn't strive for those fruits of the

spirit things. It's it's not meaningless.

It's a it's a life reshaped in response for what you've done.

The other thing you brought up from from confirmation was the

analogy of the butterfly. Like genetically it's the same

being as the Caterpillar, right, But like comes out if, if a

butterfly were were to crawl on a branch or the ground like

Caterpillar instead of flying around, you're not like you're

you're besmirching. I'm gonna use that word again.

That's the word of the day. You're besmirching the the gift

right of of that transformation of that new life.

Same thing with Christian. Like you are made new, if you're

not living different, what are you doing with that, with that

gift, with that change, You're not honoring it.

So we should be striving for trying for the things of the

Spirit, right? But I just don't want us to hold

our feet to the fire so hard of when those moments of failure,

yes, still grieved by our sin, still saddened by our sin, but

again, not to the point where it has disqualified us from the

covering blood of Jesus. I think that happens so often

though, and here's why. Here's why I'm an expert in this

and I am truly APHD expert in this topic.

And it's because I am not so unique and it has happened to me

thousands and thousands of times over the years of you know, I

feel like I feel like, man, I am doing so well.

I'm reading my Bible, I'm praying and I'm doing all this

stuff and man, I bet God is so proud of me.

I bet he's like up there Gold Star Chris, you're you're

killing it. And then I do something stupid

and I instantly think, Oh no, and I go to the other extreme.

I think, Oh no, he must be so angry.

He must just be so disappointed and he must be looking at the

angels going. I knew it couldn't count on that

guy. There he is again, just messing

up. And it's like that's that is

Satan playing a trick. That is him just messing with

you trying to make you feel disqualified when the most

hilarious mistake that you made was not even that.

It was thinking that you were doing the work to be God happy

with you. That was the first and most

fatal mistake is that somehow, and I'm again, I'm an expert PhD

because I've done it so many times that like, I think somehow

it's me working so hard to make God so proud, like a little kid

bringing home the, the paper from school.

And it's like, look what I did. No, look what God is doing and

through this broken vessel all the time.

Exactly. Yep.

And that's and that's where I ended on the that's where verse

seven hit me. If we're if we're doing it for

Hey Gold Star, look what I did. God, look at me.

What it what I no, it's still missing the point of the, of how

the Spirit has worked in and transformed your body of death

into life. Right.

Like so, yeah, I don't know, maybe it's it's funny to be this

close to the sermon and just kind of be all up in my head

about how people might have taken some different things.

So, I mean, I don't know, maybe this wasn't profound for some of

you and that's fine. Let's if you have internalized a

lot of this and I didn't strike any new frontiers in thought for

you this week, that's fine and great and and I'm glad.

But it was what was on the forefront of my mind and

conviction this week of man, Are we are we focused on the right

thing, even the inner workings of of sanctification of our sin?

Like no, not grieved by the sin, impressed by what Jesus has done

to to address that. Well, I'll tell you what, man,

and I would say, you know, we ought not to apologize too

quickly for the words that God puts in our heads and our

hearts. You know, especially here's the

thing, played basketball a lot, coached basketball, all that

stuff for a number of years. It was kind of a defining part

of my life. Oh, here's what I know about

coaching young players is that young players always want to do

the coolest thing that they've seen on TV or whatever.

And it's like, hey, guys, you know what we really need to do.

And even if you were great, you know, what you would need to go

back to all the time is the basics.

Not that we don't grow in faith in theology and understanding.

I'm a huge proponent for all those things.

However, this, this topic of sanctification, how God is

reshaping us day in and day out and making sure it's clear that

we don't think it's our hard work that's sanctifying us, that

it's really the continuous work of the Holy Spirit and God doing

that and his word through the sacraments.

That's how God sanctifying us. But in some ways, I think if

you're studying theology, you're like, well, this is the basics.

This is almost day one and stuff.

Yeah, but like, if we don't get this part right, nothing else

will be right either. We will.

We will make mistakes all over the place, and all those

mistakes will lead us back to pointing at us as if we were the

ones doing it in the first place.

You have to get this right. So in that way, again, cheers,

well done. Because like this stuff matters.

Theology matters as it works, theology matters.

And if you can't get this part right, everything else is going

to fall apart anyway. So by the way, I just I I have

notes because. I was taking notes.

I was a good student, I was taking notes and not to move us

to the end too fast. That's fine, we haven't done any

scriptures. Or we can start whatever.

We haven't read any of the passage we were in Romans 5 or

Romans 8. Five through 11 this week also

strongly referenced all of Galatians 5 pretty much.

But so we can jump in wherever we're we're breaking the mold.

This week, look at look at no, but I just it's something you

said that is that was built on what we read in the text.

And you said no hope in our best, No Fear in our worst.

And I wrote that down word for word.

No hope in our best, No Fear in our worst.

Can you just tell me how you got there?

Because I think that's a profound and important and true

statement. I love that.

Like when you said that, I was like, that's the stuff, man.

Tell me how you got there. Well, I started and I started

the sermon with asking for asking for the best thing that

you've ever done. And I wonder because I didn't I

didn't arrive on on it at the end.

I wonder how many initial answers were putting my faith in

Jesus like I, I and I and I tried to frame the question in a

way that was more works acts based.

Like I hope people were thinking about whatever kindness things

that they did, but in asking about the best thing you've ever

done and the worst thing you've ever done as as much as our best

thing is filthy rags to God, right?

Like we read that in scripture. Our worst thing is not so

terrible that God has turned us away.

So we we that's that's where I arrived on.

We we shouldn't be hoping in our best because it is.

It is filthy rags to get. So like we can't anchor hope in

that. But we also shouldn't beat

ourselves up to the point where we we fear the worst thing.

And we're really good at that. We're really good at thinking no

one's as bad as me. No one's, no one's, no one.

But yeah, people have problems, but no one's done this.

No, I I promise you they have as, as one of those people.

And I know that sounds weird. Like hearing your pastor say

that. I'm not even talking about like,

yeah, plenty of people come to us as patchers and plenty of

people have problems. Like, I'm not even saying that

in a judging way. I'm saying it from a personal

standpoint as one of those people who also feels like I

have done worse things than anyone else could imagine.

Like, yeah, that we we can't. But we can't let that fear

outweigh, outweigh the love, the blood of Jesus.

What is it? What is accomplished in that for

us? So we can't.

We can't hope on our best and we can't fear our worst, because

neither one of those things get us salvation.

It's funny, we I think maybe I've only ever said this once as

somebody was kind of bringing something to me that they were

going through and stuff. And but I could probably say it

far more often. But here's here's what it was

that I've definitely said at least once to somebody.

I just went you too, huh? Because it's true.

The thing that they were talking about.

I was like, Yep, cool. We're in the same boat.

Same here. Yeah, you too.

And I, and I think that's a powerful thing that we need to

remember is that Satan would love to like pull us and make us

feel so lonely in our sin, so unique in our sin.

And it's just not true. It's absolutely not true.

And so I think there is something, you know, we end up

creating friendships that way. I was talking to somebody about

that recently. You want to know how you make

friends? You get talking with somebody

new and they they say something like an experience or an

interest that they have and you go, Oh, you too, huh?

And then all of a sudden, like we have something to talk about.

We have, we have something in common.

Well, the same thing can be true for, you know, us as sinners,

you know, just seeking out not to be lonely, not to be ashamed,

not to be hiding in the dark because of our sin and guilt and

stuff like that. But to just look at somebody and

say, Oh, you too, huh? And I think that's, that's an

important thing that we need to remember is that we are not

alone in, in our failures. And, and most importantly, God

is right there with us. And he's saying, yeah, but I got

that. I, I sent my son for that.

So we're, we're going to be OK. And I'm, and I am sanctifying

you daily through the spirit. And the fact that you're even

feeling the weight of this sin is just an is just a testament

to the fact that my spirit is living and dwelling in you.

And there's some level of conviction that's OK, because I

just need you to come back to the cross and and reset your

heart right there. Yeah, and that's oh man, we feel

so vulnerable in that position. And, and again, I, I, I remember

and reflect on that at times of, of just feeling so unworthy of

what, how, how can, how can it be that even, even this would be

forgivable, even even these things, I would, I would still

be loved by God. So like, I, I get how people get

to that point, but at the same time, at this point in my life

as a Christian, I also don't at the same time, I get, get how

people get because it's so good. It's, it's so strong and true.

Just did the persistence that God has for us, for his

creation. It's crazy.

We'd be crazy to say that our sin is so great that he couldn't

save us. That's blasphemy, Sir.

Right. So yeah, anyway, I hope that

was, I hope that was impactful for others as it was for you not

to not to be putting. Oh man, you have to read it back

to me. Not to.

Not to hope, not to hope in our best, and not to fear our worst.

Yeah. And I again, I just that

statement, I hope, yeah, I hope that resonated with a lot of

people because it it resonated with me.

And I just thought that was incredibly powerful.

And things that are powerful are powerful because they're true,

because they're that's that that statement reflects the gospel,

right? I am so bad that somebody had to

die for me. I'm so loved that somebody chose

to die for me. It is both.

And. And I think that statement sums

that up so nicely. So, yeah.

Well done. So I'm going to roll through.

I'm going to read our scripture and passage for this, if you

haven't read it already listening to us Babel or or from

the sermon yesterday. But there's a lot of circular

language here from Paul. But I'm going to read the six or

so verse 7 verses that it is Romans 8, five through 11.

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 set their minds on the things of the Spirit.

For to set the mind of the flesh is death, but to set the mind on

the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the

flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law.

Indeed it cannot. Those who are in the flesh

cannot please God. I'm going to I'm going to pause

right there because I think that was also a decision point for

me. Like if we, if we again, similar

thought being if we have our mind so set on avoiding sin and

our mind so set on doing the good things, that's that's a

mind on the flesh. And those acts in and of

themselves separate from Jesus cannot please God.

Like even if so, that was another decision point for me.

Verse 8. Let me pause for a second, if

you don't mind. I I didn't think about it during

the sermon, but I did think about it just as you were

talking about it right now. Who worked?

Is there any group that worked harder at pleasing God in the

flesh, in the law than the Pharisees and man who was Jesus

hardest on? Yeah.

So, I mean, again, it's not that there's a it's not that there's

no effort to please God and to live a holy life.

Of course there is. But that level of striving that

they're taking, they're so man, they just put boulders on their

own shoulders and on other people's shoulders and they make

it so difficult when it's really not that complicated.

It is faith in Christ. It is striving towards God's

heart. Not necessarily the constant

daily, moment by moment striving to be accepted by God because

I'm doing such a good job. Like that's baloney.

It's not going to work out that way.

Right. So then, so then seeing shifts

going into verse 9. You, however, are not in the

flesh, but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in

you. Anyone who does not have the

Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.

But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead

because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

If the spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in

you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give

life to your mortal bodies through his spirit who dwells in

you. So just there's, there's two

contrasting things. He continues the, the war that

you brought up last week that that is this war that Paul's

going through and kind of walking us through between the

flesh and the spirit. We don't, we don't want the

flesh. We want to pursue a mind that is

set on the spirit and and what's the difference?

The Spirit in US, right? That that's how our mind is set

on Christ when Christ is in you. You know, Romans 8:10 and 11:00,

Romans 8:10

you could probably hang out here for a really long time.

Oh, sure, if the Spirit is in you.

Although the body is dead because of sin.

OK, so although the body is dead because of sin, what an

interesting thing to say. So let me just take this way too

literally for a second. Let me just do that.

So if I am a Christian then and I am looking at this and I'm

like, ha, the body is dead because of sin.

Now what am I man? What can I take from that?

How how might I understand some of this stuff that's happening?

Well, gosh, there is. Let me quickly move forward to

the end game of this. My body in its state right now

will at some point be dead. I have 100% death.

Besides, Jesus has 100% win rate.

I mean, I mean like look at the look at the statistics, right?

So I have to accept on some level that man, this body that

I'm currently inhabiting with the Spirit that God has given me

with my very soul, OK, I'm going to, I'm going to have to say

goodbye to that. But but the Spirit is life

because of righteousness. So man, this thing that is day

by day slowly decaying my body, there is life inside of it in a

life that cannot be put out, a fire that cannot be put out.

And I think that's so interesting to think about.

Only by the Spirit because I think I think you're right to

take it somewhat literally because it also so stick with

me. Jesus is the bread of life right

and the living water. He who raised Christ from the

dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his spirit

who dwells in you like that is a future reality of glorification

right where where like our bodies are fully redeemed new

creation, but is is it Could there also be some like real

here and now element life to our mortal bodies as as they are

right now right like this. This is our living life that the

spirit in them present day as well and that's the only thing

that really can give give life and purpose and meaning to our

mortal bodies. Like I think I think that's in

there too. So if if that's if that's the

spirit of Christ, yeah body is dead because of sin, which also

like puts our again puts our works in the waste bin.

It just the the works of the flesh aren't going to do it.

They're dead and gone and filthy rags and and all the things

right. But in pursuing the things of

the the the fruit of the spirit are things of life that right

the spirit has brought life to our mortal bodies.

These things Lovejoy, peace, patience, kindness, like it's

more, it's more than that. They just feel good, right or or

or happy, like they are the essence of life through us by

the Holy Spirit. I think when we is that crazy,

yeah, no, I think that's that's great.

And actually when we when we OK, Galatians 5, let's get back into

that again because that's great connection.

When we, when we read that list the fruit of the spirits, you

know what you could do? You could say, man, am I

checking the box and all these things, but you'd be better off

to say, wow, how does the Holy Spirit, how does Jesus Christ,

how does God the Father, how do they encompass all of these

things? Because if you read your Bible,

you will see that these are nothing more and nothing less

than character traits of God himself.

And as the Spirit works in us, as the gospel hits our hearts in

a new way, and sometimes it's going to be new 1000 times

because we fall, we fail, and we renew that relationship with God

and say, Lord, I'm so sorry. I'm back at the foot of the

cross as I am seemingly everyday renewing me a new spirit.

Give me, give me your spirit that I might live the way that

you live, you know, and so again, not my personal effort,

but God's Spirit working through me and all of those are his

characteristics. Just think about the life of

Jesus. Think about when he was kind.

Think about when he was patient, when he was gentle and, and, and

all the things of that list. And you're just like, gosh, I, I

would love to be like that. Well, it's not going to happen

by your willpower, as we've talked about, but it is going to

happen by God's Spirit dwelling in you because you've accepted

Christ as your Savior. That's so good.

It's all right there. It's all right there.

Yeah. So that's where, well, we like

we covered the first and last part of this five through 11 in

in Romans 8. I'm just struck again by the

simplicity. And that's, I'm not sure if I

talked earlier on this pod, I said it to some people after

church, but this week's sermon felt a little more teachy than

preachy because it's like, yeah, there was life and death and

resurrection and hope and Jesus and stuff, but it felt a little

more matter of factual too. Like, I wasn't, there wasn't any

big experiential revelation or anything.

Like it was just this is what it says and this is how this works.

So yay. Yeah, that.

Was the most enthusiastic. Yay that I've ever heard.

It was the first or second service.

I think after one of the songs there was a kid in the front

that yay, that was that was. Great it was.

Great. It was so those, those sermons

always feel a little weird for me too because like it's just

you, you put it out there and they're like, OK, but do you, do

you get it? Do you understand?

Because like, there's not really any, there's no points of

contention like this is just, this is how this works and and

this is how it's laid out in Scripture, so.

It wasn't so much like like again.

OK, so I've told other people this and I don't, I don't hide

it. Often times when I read a text,

you look at it and you say, all right, if I am an attorney, if

I'm whatever, I'm making an argument and I'm going to argue

you into the ground. And so there isn't.

There's not an argument. There's not an.

Argument to make so much, unless you kind of superimpose that

from something, but no need to do that.

So yeah, it's not arguing a case.

You know which. I felt like there was very

little to prove this week. I guess it, I guess like we

usually have like a thesis statement and A and a problem,

right. This week it was just, I don't

know, here's how this works. Yeah.

So anyway, that's where we are. That's great.

Do you have other notes? I have one thing on my mind and

it was a little bit of a slip up at the second service and I'm

not sure if anyone caught it, but I do.

I do know, I only said it at the second service.

OK, no, I was, I was actually just so I was looking at my

notes. You you said this and I think it

was really good. Don't let the failure define who

God sees you as. Again, that's another just great

like heart statement of just I, I can't, I can't allow Satan to

get so deep into my head that I forget what God says about me.

Because really in some ways what we're getting to here as well is

an identity. You know, we didn't, you didn't

name that as like a topic, but what in a lot of ways you're

getting that is you're talking about what's my identity, what's

my purpose, what's my meaning? And man, I think that statement,

don't let the failure define who God sees you as.

It's it's, it's reminding us our identity is not found in what we

do, how we perform, but more so, this is who God says I am.

Because that happens instantaneously, right?

I know, I know. I broke sanctification into

phases and that was I thought that was more helpful, but maybe

it was less help because really the first phase of justification

like that's, that's, that's the advent of sanctification is

justification, which is the moment that the moment of

conversion essentially that that the believer professes faith in

Jesus. Like bam, when that happens,

yes, it sets you, the clock starts ticking on this

sanctification journey of the Christian life.

But like when that happens, your identity changes instantly,

right? Like as far as who God sees you

as, right, you're in that moment, you are covered by the

blood of Jesus in his righteousness.

It's not a OK, I decided this and I got to pay my dues for the

next year and then I'm a member of the club.

Like it doesn't, it doesn't work like you don't have to like

prove that you belong for XYZ amount of time, right?

Your your identity then that's a good word to you changes

instantly. As far as who God sees you as.

Yes, pre justification, but before that, yeah, you are

defined by your failures actually, because you haven't

come to Jesus and God still sees you as a as a broken, rebellious

Sinner. But the instant that you that

you do that moment of justification, your identity is

is changed and you are in that instant.

And I do have I still have notes leftover from kind of this

process of sanctification. If you need any of those, but

they're available at the connection center.

In that moment, you are sanctified in Christ.

You, you are simultaneously St. and Sinner, right, Because we

still have the we still have the pesky flesh.

I I pointed, I pointed that out in the service that we still

have, we're we're still burdened by the flesh, even though we

have the not yet hope of of Jesus's perfection.

But you are sanctified. And so in that moment you are

sanctified. It is an ongoing process of

yeah, I, I kind of Pooh poohed it in in the sermon of everyday

a little more like Jesus, But I mean, that's the goal.

I'm not, I'm not saying that's a bad thing.

Great. Yes, we should.

Just when we don't, don't let that be failure, that that

defines you because you are already, you're already

sanctified. You're already you have that new

identity in Christ. Yeah, justification is an

instantaneous thing, I think. As will glorification.

Yeah. Oh, absolutely.

Yeah. I think what is it?

The the second after you die is the name of the book.

Yeah. And so I mean like the second

after you die as a believer, glorification, like

instantaneous, right. And so.

But yeah, I love that when we talk about it with students, I

use like a light switch. The light is on or off.

Like there's not an in the screen, It's on or off.

We're not talking about a dimmer switch here.

We're talking about it's on or it's off.

This is what justification is. And so therefore, in my

justification, I know that God is going to be doing the hard

work. And it's him doing the hard work

because, man, I am IA mess. It's going to be God doing the

hard work of reshaping me and molding me and moving me into

that thing. And yeah, I'm going to take some

lumps on the way. But the one thing that God would

not want me to do is to become so downcast in my soul.

You've talked about that recently.

To stay in shame, to stay in guilt.

No, like then the enemy wins because I have not clearly held

on to the promise that He gave me, which is Jesus Christ has

come and paid for all of my sins.

And so, man, let me hold on to that promise even in my failure.

Yeah, I think that's really important at the end of Psalm 51

that we opened up with Dave, David's prayer of repentance

restored to me the joy of my salvation.

I think that is real. And I think really the only kind

of Gray area that's left the the main Gray area in this passage

is how do I know that the spirit dwells in me?

Like I'm like, I think because within our failures, I think, I

think that's what's really happens.

Am I actually saved? Should I do I feel this way?

Can I feel this way? Should I feel this way if I have

the Spirit of God inside me? I think it just spirals us down

this, this path of lies that that the evil one that that

Satan tries to concoct for us. And that's what I tried to draw

out a little bit of no, if you've come to, if you've come

to repentance again, that that moment of conversion, if, if

you've come in repentance to God, to Jesus professed belief

and faith in him and that moment of baptism like those those two

things, you're, you're sealed with the Holy Spirit.

And again, I try not to paint baptism.

This is where I'm going to go and have my misstep in the in

the second service a little bit. But baptism, yes, capable to

save, but also not essential for salvation.

And that might seem really weird, but that's what the Bible

says about it, that baptism now saves you in, in Peter's

writings. But also, we have very clear

examples of thief on the cross, Zacchaeus.

Maybe he was later baptized, but like Jesus, Jesus tells about

his conversion and how and how he's redeemed and he goes off

and we never hear about Zacchaeus again.

Like maybe he was baptized at some point, but there's no

biblical account of him being baptized and he was presumably

saved. Thief on the cross, Obviously

there wasn't time for it. So like we have illustrations

and examples of people who were redeemed and righteous but not

baptized. And that's where I kind of got

into the outward expression of baptism necessary good.

Yes, Jesus got baptized. There's an outpouring of the

Holy Spirit for him for for life and and ministry.

And it's by the same power of the Holy Spirit that he did

those miracles that like we would have as well.

Second service. I said, if Jesus did it, you

should probably do it. And I used that as an example

for baptism. And then I tagged on one little

1 little extra line of, but maybe not the cross thing.

And in the I heard that and in in the moment, I thought it was

funny and made and made sense that like just not following the

actual literal example of like, don't go hang yourself on the

cross was what I was literally saying in the mind.

And then like later on, I was like, well, but how do we follow

Jesus? Well, you take up your cross

daily and follow me. So like I just I wanted to, I

don't know, admonishment or redaction.

I don't know, I don't know, I don't know what that's called.

I just wanted to clarify what I was I was saying don't literally

go hang yourself on a cross right now.

But in in the that and and whatever that, if that's where

this life of sanctification takes you for the sake of the

gospel and not living unashamed, like, yeah, OK, I'm just saying

like in the same way that, hey, you could be baptized tomorrow,

Don't go jump on a cross tomorrow.

That's just because Jesus did it.

It was like, yeah, it made sense in my mind in the moment.

And then I really wish that I just hadn't said.

Anything Well, but you know what, you know what, though, The

thing is like sometimes, and and I'll be I'll be serious about

this, but you know, sometimes we do want to do what Jesus does

right. But you know what's never going

to work? What's never going to be the

same? We cannot in ourselves atone for

our sins the way that our sins were atoned for in his flesh.

Because that's what we talked about last week.

So you brought it up. We were, we were chatting a

little bit ago. Martin Luther used to, like,

whip himself. Yes, that poor man.

Lived in this tension so much he thought he had to like, beat his

foot, beat the sinful flesh literate to destroy it, to

destroy a life focused on the flesh.

Yeah, but man, that is not God's goal for us, is for us to

literally beat our bodies down to nothing as a form of

repentance. Like, Oh my gosh, that if that's

the case, what did Jesus die for then?

Come on, Like let's let's just think logically here.

It's kind of in and through that that he came to this realization

that I like. This is the only, this is the

only way, OK, I'm stuck with this flesh and it's going to

continue pursuing these things that I don't want to pursue.

So it has to be something that's beyond that I can't that I can't

measure. It has to be by the Holy Spirit.

It has to be by grace through faith.

And that's kind of how he arrived.

Take it from. Much of Lutheran doctrine.

Take it from monk version of Martin Luther that beating

yourself literally will not take away or atone for sin and it

won't even make you feel any better.

No, but let me let me go back to one other thing.

How can we know that we have the Spirit?

How can we know? Let's let the let's let the

Bible answer that go to John first, John 42 where it says by

this, you know, the Spirit of God, every spirit that confesses

that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God.

So as that is my personal conviction that I fully believe

and I am fully trusting in Jesus Christ resurrected Son of God,

come for me, wretched Sinner than I am man, I can only make

that confession. I can't make that confession.

Rather I should say the Holy Spirit in me can make that

confession. And what does what makes me

think what does Jesus say to Peter when Peter calls mine?

He's like, you're the son of God, you're the Messiah, blah,

blah. He's like, oh, you didn't figure

that out on your own. Peter, his cue and his wise as

you think you are. Guess what?

That wasn't you, bud. The Holy Spirit did.

That for you? So, Yep.

So as we confess Christ, even in our failure, if we are still

confessing Christ as Lord and Savior, Son of God, Messiah,

guess what? Spirit's still there.

Because you can't do that on your own.

Yeah, Nah, Nah, Nah, Nah, Nah. You can't do it.

And that's really, that's really the point of.

Of what? Yeah, what Sunday was you can't,

we can't do it on our own for all of our longings and

yearnings. That's that's still a mindset on

the foot. It still comes back to Jesus.

We just need, we just need more Jesus.

And I am going to try as best I can to, to model a life more so

that's just so wholly focused on and rooted in and hopeful in

what he's done each and every day, all the more, more of him,

less of me. Like it's, it's, it's in there.

It's all in there. I just, I don't know, I had a

lightning bolt moment this week, too, of just not trying to prop

up my own hopes and not trying to be so low in my own failures.

It's only by the blood. That's what I've got.

Yeah, I like it. Amen.

I like. It we're going to wrap there.

Thanks for tuning in leftovers, fam.

We're going to get some T-shirts made-up.

I was I was wearing the the logo shirt this week.

So we'll have some ERC leftovers shirts available at the at the

merch racks at church. So you can be on the lookout for

those if you want to wrap the pod share with someone.

Thanks for all of you who are weekly listeners.

There's there's upwards of 50 of you, which is still just pretty

amazing to me as far as like in person versus those who come

back for more. So good to see that this is

still helpful and enjoyable for a lot of you.

We still enjoy doing it and yeah, so happy to have you as

part of our church community for His glory and our good.

Have a blessed week.