1 00:00:00,009 --> 00:00:01,840 Speaker: normally I do something kind of fun at the beginning, 2 00:00:01,840 --> 00:00:03,250 but this is a more serious story. 3 00:00:03,280 --> 00:00:03,700 Okay. 4 00:00:03,759 --> 00:00:10,630 I, I met a youth pastor, um, and he used to have pictures of his former 5 00:00:10,630 --> 00:00:12,340 students on his walls in his office. 6 00:00:12,369 --> 00:00:13,990 Like, oh yeah, this person graduated. 7 00:00:13,990 --> 00:00:16,004 And, you know, they were, they were awesome in high school. 8 00:00:16,119 --> 00:00:18,850 They were the worship leader in, in, in high school, or, or they, 9 00:00:18,850 --> 00:00:21,520 they were on fire for their faith and, and he, you know, they went 10 00:00:21,520 --> 00:00:22,570 off to college and whatever. 11 00:00:22,690 --> 00:00:23,440 They'd stay in touch. 12 00:00:23,440 --> 00:00:25,300 He used to put pictures of all his former students. 13 00:00:25,869 --> 00:00:26,949 On, on his walls. 14 00:00:26,949 --> 00:00:31,180 But one day he told me, he said I had to take all the pictures down. 15 00:00:32,320 --> 00:00:32,980 And I was like, why? 16 00:00:33,010 --> 00:00:33,820 Why'd you have to do that? 17 00:00:33,910 --> 00:00:34,089 Why? 18 00:00:34,089 --> 00:00:35,139 Why did you take all the pictures down? 19 00:00:35,139 --> 00:00:39,160 He said, I couldn't stand looking at 'em anymore because so many of those 20 00:00:39,160 --> 00:00:41,470 students walked away from the faith. 21 00:00:42,850 --> 00:00:45,279 So many of those students don't love Jesus anymore. 22 00:00:45,970 --> 00:00:48,639 So many of these faces staring back at me from the wall in 23 00:00:48,639 --> 00:00:51,100 my office, don't know God. 24 00:00:52,419 --> 00:00:53,529 They don't trust the Bible. 25 00:00:54,490 --> 00:00:55,000 They don't. 26 00:00:55,434 --> 00:00:56,214 Go to church. 27 00:00:57,055 --> 00:00:57,924 They don't pray. 28 00:00:58,615 --> 00:00:59,695 They don't have a relationship with God. 29 00:01:00,475 --> 00:01:01,105 They walked away. 30 00:01:02,755 --> 00:01:06,234 And what we're gonna be talking about today is how to 31 00:01:06,234 --> 00:01:07,405 not be one of those students. 32 00:01:08,695 --> 00:01:08,875 Right? 33 00:01:09,025 --> 00:01:14,454 We don't, you don't wanna be the student on someone's Instagram where 34 00:01:14,454 --> 00:01:17,394 they're like, oh yeah, remember that guy don't know where he is at 35 00:01:17,394 --> 00:01:19,315 anymore or what happened to her. 36 00:01:19,375 --> 00:01:20,965 Oh, well, we never heard from her. 37 00:01:21,264 --> 00:01:22,734 When she graduated, she went off to school and. 38 00:01:23,770 --> 00:01:24,729 She doesn't come to church anymore. 39 00:01:24,970 --> 00:01:25,840 You don't wanna be that student. 40 00:01:26,800 --> 00:01:33,910 So we're gonna be learning today how to make it to the end, how to not drop out, 41 00:01:34,150 --> 00:01:36,789 how to not walk away from the faith. 42 00:01:36,789 --> 00:01:40,119 And the good news is that God is the one in charge of that. 43 00:01:40,150 --> 00:01:42,639 God's power protects Christians. 44 00:01:42,940 --> 00:01:47,739 So turn with me in your Bibles to Romans chapter one, verses 16 and 17. 45 00:01:47,739 --> 00:01:51,910 Romans one 16 and 17. 46 00:01:52,975 --> 00:01:54,114 These are some famous verses, right? 47 00:01:54,114 --> 00:01:57,324 You've probably heard these verses before, but what I want you to 48 00:01:57,324 --> 00:02:01,164 see is that these verses aren't just about sharing the gospel. 49 00:02:01,225 --> 00:02:06,535 They're also about how to stay Christian, how to not lose your 50 00:02:06,535 --> 00:02:11,244 faith, how to not walk away from God. 51 00:02:11,424 --> 00:02:14,635 Like how do you know that when you stand before God? 52 00:02:14,635 --> 00:02:16,434 He won't say, I never knew you. 53 00:02:17,364 --> 00:02:21,564 How do you know that when you move outta your parents' house, you're gonna keep. 54 00:02:22,405 --> 00:02:24,685 Loving Jesus and you won't just give up. 55 00:02:25,045 --> 00:02:27,115 How do you know that that's you? 56 00:02:27,115 --> 00:02:30,325 You won't make it without God's power. 57 00:02:31,285 --> 00:02:37,255 God's power in the gospel is not just what saves you, but what keeps you saved. 58 00:02:37,405 --> 00:02:40,945 So look with me verses 1617, Romans chapter. 59 00:02:42,640 --> 00:02:45,460 So Paul said, I'm really excited to preach the gospel to the people in Rome. 60 00:02:45,520 --> 00:02:46,270 Verse 16. 61 00:02:46,450 --> 00:02:50,170 Why for I am not ashamed of the gospel. 62 00:02:50,260 --> 00:02:55,120 For it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes to 63 00:02:55,120 --> 00:02:57,490 the Jew first, and also to the Greek. 64 00:02:57,940 --> 00:02:58,720 For in it. 65 00:02:58,870 --> 00:03:01,960 The righteousness of God is revealed from faith. 66 00:03:02,350 --> 00:03:07,300 For faith as it is written, the righteous shall live by faith. 67 00:03:08,320 --> 00:03:10,750 So how do you keep living by faith? 68 00:03:10,750 --> 00:03:17,890 Well, the answer here in this passage is that God's power and can is, 69 00:03:18,609 --> 00:03:23,890 is what keeps you believing God's power through the gospel is what 70 00:03:23,890 --> 00:03:28,750 keeps you believing, and your faith is what connects you to that power. 71 00:03:29,950 --> 00:03:33,625 Your faith is what connects you to God's power that will keep you safe. 72 00:03:34,464 --> 00:03:38,334 So our main point tonight is that trusting in Jesus is the key to 73 00:03:38,334 --> 00:03:44,634 rescue from God's wrath and unlimited happiness with him trusting in Jesus 74 00:03:47,304 --> 00:03:51,624 and I, I put it that way, trusting in Jesus, not having trusted 75 00:03:52,254 --> 00:03:53,994 because it's an ongoing action. 76 00:03:55,105 --> 00:03:57,684 I want you to think of it ongoing trust in Jesus. 77 00:03:57,715 --> 00:03:59,395 Not one time trust in Jesus. 78 00:03:59,424 --> 00:03:59,965 Not well. 79 00:04:00,174 --> 00:04:02,994 One time I trusted in Jesus and turned for my sin. 80 00:04:04,345 --> 00:04:09,114 Ongoing trust in Jesus is the key to rescue from God's wrath 81 00:04:09,984 --> 00:04:12,355 and unlimited happiness with him. 82 00:04:14,665 --> 00:04:16,915 So Paul, he's not ashamed to preach the gospel, right? 83 00:04:16,915 --> 00:04:18,805 He's he's, he says, I'm not ashamed. 84 00:04:18,865 --> 00:04:19,825 I'm not embarrassed. 85 00:04:19,825 --> 00:04:21,024 I'm excited about it. 86 00:04:21,024 --> 00:04:21,204 Right? 87 00:04:21,204 --> 00:04:22,495 That's where he was in verse 15. 88 00:04:22,885 --> 00:04:26,390 This is kind of how I like to visualize these verses because. 89 00:04:27,445 --> 00:04:29,695 It helps me see Paul's logic, right? 90 00:04:29,695 --> 00:04:31,075 He's writing this letter to the Romans. 91 00:04:31,285 --> 00:04:33,595 I'm eager to preach the gospel to you in Rome. 92 00:04:33,655 --> 00:04:34,975 Why four? 93 00:04:35,034 --> 00:04:38,305 That means because whenever you see four in the Bible, like not, 94 00:04:38,365 --> 00:04:42,085 not little four, this kind of four, four, I'm not ashamed because I'm 95 00:04:42,085 --> 00:04:43,165 not embarrassed about the gospel. 96 00:04:43,345 --> 00:04:44,095 Why not Paul? 97 00:04:44,305 --> 00:04:47,395 Because it's the power of God for salvation. 98 00:04:47,395 --> 00:04:48,475 It's God's power. 99 00:04:48,895 --> 00:04:50,185 God's power, right? 100 00:04:50,185 --> 00:04:54,415 Not just the emperor's power, not just the president's power, not just. 101 00:04:54,820 --> 00:04:55,870 A big truck's power. 102 00:04:55,870 --> 00:04:58,960 God's power for salvation. 103 00:04:59,380 --> 00:05:04,030 God's power is what gives Paul confidence in the gospel. 104 00:05:04,360 --> 00:05:07,960 So that's why he's not embarrassed about it, and that's why he wants to preach it. 105 00:05:08,230 --> 00:05:11,470 That's why he's excited to tell people about it, because it's God's power. 106 00:05:11,500 --> 00:05:16,120 So point number one tonight, be confident in God's saving power. 107 00:05:20,020 --> 00:05:21,155 That's the opposite of being ashamed, right? 108 00:05:21,155 --> 00:05:21,365 Being confident. 109 00:05:24,175 --> 00:05:27,475 God's power is what makes Paul confident. 110 00:05:27,475 --> 00:05:28,585 It makes him excited. 111 00:05:34,915 --> 00:05:36,775 The obvious application of this passage that you've probably 112 00:05:36,775 --> 00:05:39,205 heard before is evangelism, right? 113 00:05:39,565 --> 00:05:41,365 You probably heard this passage quoted like, well, why? 114 00:05:41,365 --> 00:05:43,735 You know, what motivates people to share their gospel? 115 00:05:43,735 --> 00:05:47,125 What motivates people to, to tell people about Jesus? 116 00:05:47,125 --> 00:05:47,490 Well, it's, it's. 117 00:05:48,130 --> 00:05:49,840 I'm not ashamed of the gospel, right? 118 00:05:50,170 --> 00:05:53,050 There's a, there's a rap group that uses this as their theme verse, and they, 119 00:05:53,050 --> 00:05:56,830 they talk about how they're unashamed and they talk about Romans one 16, right? 120 00:05:58,900 --> 00:06:04,810 God's power gives Paul confidence in evangelism, and I think sometimes, right? 121 00:06:04,810 --> 00:06:06,460 If you're, if you're a Christian and you've tried to share their 122 00:06:06,490 --> 00:06:09,790 gospel with someone, it's easy to to be embarrassed, right? 123 00:06:09,790 --> 00:06:11,560 It's easy to, to feel awkward. 124 00:06:11,560 --> 00:06:12,610 It's easy to feel uncomfortable. 125 00:06:12,610 --> 00:06:14,200 It's easy to, to be unsure. 126 00:06:14,200 --> 00:06:16,450 It's easy to, to just not wanna do it. 127 00:06:16,885 --> 00:06:17,365 Right. 128 00:06:17,665 --> 00:06:20,605 So how do you get someone like Paul who's eager to, to preach the gospel? 129 00:06:20,605 --> 00:06:21,565 How do you be like that? 130 00:06:22,435 --> 00:06:23,215 Well, here's what Paul says. 131 00:06:23,215 --> 00:06:24,985 He says, I think about God's power. 132 00:06:26,125 --> 00:06:27,985 I think about God's power. 133 00:06:29,035 --> 00:06:32,665 If you think about with evangelism, are you the one that's really doing 134 00:06:32,665 --> 00:06:33,985 the heavy lifting in evangelism? 135 00:06:35,305 --> 00:06:38,425 Like who's the one that's actually doing the, the saving in evangelism? 136 00:06:39,175 --> 00:06:40,945 God is right. 137 00:06:40,945 --> 00:06:42,510 So it's not like you're just coming in there. 138 00:06:43,420 --> 00:06:44,140 Okay, cool. 139 00:06:44,140 --> 00:06:47,800 Like I'm trying to convince this person to believe Jesus and that the Bible's true. 140 00:06:47,800 --> 00:06:48,040 Whenever. 141 00:06:48,040 --> 00:06:51,850 It's like, well, God uses you, but it's God's power. 142 00:06:52,000 --> 00:06:54,280 God's doing the saving in evangelism, not you. 143 00:06:55,180 --> 00:06:58,360 So maybe if you're scared to evangelize, this is a great thing to think about. 144 00:06:58,360 --> 00:06:58,600 Right? 145 00:06:58,600 --> 00:07:00,310 God's the one who's gonna save that person. 146 00:07:00,640 --> 00:07:04,330 Maybe there's that person in your life you say, you know, I don't, I just don't see 147 00:07:04,330 --> 00:07:05,620 how they're ever gonna believe the gospel. 148 00:07:06,115 --> 00:07:07,045 They're so hardhearted. 149 00:07:07,045 --> 00:07:08,065 They, they hate Jesus. 150 00:07:08,065 --> 00:07:09,085 They don't like Christians. 151 00:07:09,385 --> 00:07:11,995 Or you think of that, that classmate, you're like, man, I would be so 152 00:07:11,995 --> 00:07:15,235 embarrassed if they found out I was a Christian, or there's no way they're, 153 00:07:15,235 --> 00:07:17,905 they're, they would ever look at me the same way if they knew I was a Christian. 154 00:07:18,865 --> 00:07:22,075 Paul says, I think about God's power, right? 155 00:07:22,075 --> 00:07:23,095 I think about who God is. 156 00:07:23,095 --> 00:07:25,945 God could squish that person in an instant, right? 157 00:07:26,455 --> 00:07:30,205 God made the world, God, you've been, been outside in a thunderstorm like God. 158 00:07:30,325 --> 00:07:31,585 God does that right? 159 00:07:31,585 --> 00:07:33,595 You, you watch like a storm on the news. 160 00:07:33,595 --> 00:07:34,315 God does that. 161 00:07:35,530 --> 00:07:37,900 You read scenes in the Bible about God's power. 162 00:07:38,110 --> 00:07:42,550 I think God is powerful and it helps put everything in perspective, right? 163 00:07:43,450 --> 00:07:45,340 God is the one who's, who's gonna save them? 164 00:07:45,340 --> 00:07:48,040 Not, not my presentation of the gospel, right? 165 00:07:48,040 --> 00:07:54,340 Not how eloquent I am or, or the Bible verses I quote, or how I, how I 166 00:07:54,340 --> 00:07:56,110 share it or, or the timing, you know? 167 00:07:56,140 --> 00:07:57,220 Well, it's an awkward time. 168 00:07:57,220 --> 00:07:58,270 Maybe I won't share the gospel. 169 00:07:59,560 --> 00:08:02,500 God's power is, is is better than awkwardness, right? 170 00:08:02,800 --> 00:08:05,770 God is much stronger than than your awkwardness. 171 00:08:05,800 --> 00:08:09,670 Your awkwardness is not gonna hinder God's power to save that person, right? 172 00:08:09,670 --> 00:08:12,490 So if you're embarrassed about sharing the gospel, you're not sure if you 173 00:08:12,760 --> 00:08:13,990 could share the gospel with that person. 174 00:08:13,990 --> 00:08:16,780 Just think about, look, God's the one doing the heavy lifting. 175 00:08:17,650 --> 00:08:21,040 I'm just here to, to spread the message, but God's power is 176 00:08:21,040 --> 00:08:22,990 gonna be what goes through me. 177 00:08:24,550 --> 00:08:25,865 And maybe you're thinking about. 178 00:08:27,085 --> 00:08:28,195 I just don't know if I'm smart enough. 179 00:08:28,195 --> 00:08:30,505 'cause what if they come up with an objection, right? 180 00:08:30,685 --> 00:08:31,495 Then I'd be embarrassed. 181 00:08:31,495 --> 00:08:33,054 What if they said something that I didn't know? 182 00:08:33,294 --> 00:08:36,895 What if they come up with some question like, well, did you know that? 183 00:08:37,495 --> 00:08:40,015 You know that the, actually at the time of Jesus, there was another 184 00:08:40,015 --> 00:08:42,505 cult that actually said all the same things and whatever, and the early 185 00:08:42,505 --> 00:08:44,845 church copied that, and that's why we have Christmas trees, right? 186 00:08:45,625 --> 00:08:46,285 That's not true. 187 00:08:46,435 --> 00:08:50,095 But what if someone just said something like, really smart and I 188 00:08:50,095 --> 00:08:51,475 didn't know what, how to, what to say. 189 00:08:53,845 --> 00:08:54,475 Well, think about. 190 00:08:54,880 --> 00:08:56,800 You're, you're on the winning team, right? 191 00:08:56,800 --> 00:08:58,420 No one's gonna outsmart God. 192 00:08:58,870 --> 00:09:01,870 No one's come up with an argument that's like, Hey, you know what? 193 00:09:02,650 --> 00:09:07,060 I've debunked God, I've come up with this argument that's, that's 194 00:09:07,060 --> 00:09:08,829 smarter than, than, than God. 195 00:09:09,310 --> 00:09:12,850 I've come up with this, this final proof that's going to prove that 196 00:09:12,850 --> 00:09:16,120 Christianity's fake because God is the one who made it right? 197 00:09:16,180 --> 00:09:17,470 No one's gonna outsmart God. 198 00:09:17,470 --> 00:09:20,770 So you don't have to be worried that someone says something to 199 00:09:20,770 --> 00:09:21,910 you and they ask you a question. 200 00:09:21,910 --> 00:09:22,720 Maybe it's a really good question. 201 00:09:22,750 --> 00:09:24,100 Maybe it's something you've never thought about before. 202 00:09:24,760 --> 00:09:26,470 You can say, you know what, that's a great question. 203 00:09:26,710 --> 00:09:27,490 Let me get back to you. 204 00:09:28,330 --> 00:09:29,920 And then you talk with them again. 205 00:09:29,920 --> 00:09:31,210 You do your research, do your homework. 206 00:09:31,330 --> 00:09:35,320 You join Aquip and you talk to them and you come back and you 207 00:09:35,320 --> 00:09:36,760 say, oh, here's what I learned. 208 00:09:37,030 --> 00:09:38,440 Or you say, Hey, let's research this together. 209 00:09:38,470 --> 00:09:39,040 'cause guess what? 210 00:09:40,240 --> 00:09:45,850 If God's, if God's real, do you think their question is gonna 211 00:09:46,180 --> 00:09:49,390 debunk everything, it's God. 212 00:09:49,870 --> 00:09:50,230 Right? 213 00:09:51,400 --> 00:09:54,460 No matter how smart this person is that you're talking to, they're not 214 00:09:54,460 --> 00:09:57,070 gonna be able to to overcome God. 215 00:09:57,070 --> 00:09:58,210 And so that gives you confidence. 216 00:09:58,210 --> 00:10:00,400 'cause you know, oh, I'm on the, you ever heard this phrase, I'm 217 00:10:00,400 --> 00:10:01,600 on the right side of history. 218 00:10:02,200 --> 00:10:03,970 People say that sometimes, like, oh, well you wanna be on the 219 00:10:03,970 --> 00:10:04,960 right side of history, right? 220 00:10:04,960 --> 00:10:07,420 That's why you should support whatever our culture says. 221 00:10:07,420 --> 00:10:08,200 'cause you wanna be on the right. 222 00:10:08,230 --> 00:10:10,750 Yeah, you don't, you don't wanna be like one of those people 223 00:10:10,780 --> 00:10:12,310 who supported slavery, right? 224 00:10:12,310 --> 00:10:14,470 So you should also support X, Y, and Z. 225 00:10:14,800 --> 00:10:15,850 Be on the right side of history. 226 00:10:15,850 --> 00:10:16,360 Well, guess what? 227 00:10:16,660 --> 00:10:19,930 God's on the right side of history so you don't have to be worried. 228 00:10:20,350 --> 00:10:22,540 About being wrong about something. 229 00:10:22,540 --> 00:10:27,250 If you're saying what the Bible says, even if everyone else around you opposes 230 00:10:27,250 --> 00:10:29,980 you, you don't have to be worried because you know that God's on your team. 231 00:10:30,520 --> 00:10:31,210 It's kind of like. 232 00:10:31,870 --> 00:10:34,690 When we play games here in true North, like when we play football, we used to 233 00:10:34,690 --> 00:10:39,400 play football outside and I always, you know, junior high versus high school. 234 00:10:39,640 --> 00:10:40,330 I always had Mr. 235 00:10:40,330 --> 00:10:43,870 Clancy on my team and I was like, if we're playing football and Mr. 236 00:10:43,870 --> 00:10:45,220 Clancy's on my team, we're good. 237 00:10:45,370 --> 00:10:45,790 Right? 238 00:10:45,910 --> 00:10:46,150 We're good. 239 00:10:46,150 --> 00:10:46,600 I don't care. 240 00:10:46,600 --> 00:10:50,350 You can have Josh, you can have Jacob, you can have Weston, you can have everyone. 241 00:10:50,470 --> 00:10:51,190 But if we got Mr. 242 00:10:51,190 --> 00:10:52,420 Clancy, we're good. 243 00:10:52,450 --> 00:10:52,810 Right? 244 00:10:52,960 --> 00:10:55,040 That's how, that's how I feel going out there on the football field. 245 00:10:57,025 --> 00:10:58,105 In a much bigger way. 246 00:10:59,035 --> 00:11:02,995 That's how you should feel when, when you share the gospel, right? 247 00:11:02,995 --> 00:11:03,955 Who's on your team? 248 00:11:04,075 --> 00:11:05,125 God's on your team. 249 00:11:05,155 --> 00:11:06,085 It's God's message. 250 00:11:06,085 --> 00:11:07,195 You're on God's team, right? 251 00:11:07,195 --> 00:11:07,885 God's not on your team. 252 00:11:07,885 --> 00:11:08,545 You're on God's team. 253 00:11:09,385 --> 00:11:11,125 You're gonna be okay, right? 254 00:11:11,125 --> 00:11:14,665 You've got, you've got God's message, God's power. 255 00:11:15,385 --> 00:11:17,485 You don't have to be embarrassed about it, right? 256 00:11:17,485 --> 00:11:19,405 And it helps just to put it in perspective. 257 00:11:19,405 --> 00:11:19,975 Just think about it. 258 00:11:20,455 --> 00:11:21,625 Sometimes it's easy to get overwhelmed. 259 00:11:21,625 --> 00:11:23,485 You know, someone says something or they look scary or whatever, 260 00:11:23,485 --> 00:11:24,085 and just think about it. 261 00:11:24,085 --> 00:11:25,045 Pause and think about it, man. 262 00:11:26,500 --> 00:11:27,130 God's on. 263 00:11:27,370 --> 00:11:28,810 Like, this is God's message. 264 00:11:28,810 --> 00:11:34,600 This is God's power, not mine, not my skill, not my eloquence, not my whatever. 265 00:11:34,600 --> 00:11:37,390 This is God's power at work, not me. 266 00:11:37,750 --> 00:11:41,590 So that's one way to gain confidence in God's saving power. 267 00:11:41,590 --> 00:11:43,870 Maybe another way you don't have confidence in God's 268 00:11:43,870 --> 00:11:47,440 saving power is because you're scared to become a Christian. 269 00:11:47,470 --> 00:11:48,940 'cause you think, oh, what if it doesn't work? 270 00:11:50,140 --> 00:11:52,695 Like, what if, uh, I pray and ask God to save me, and then nothing happens. 271 00:11:54,220 --> 00:11:57,340 What if I try to repent on my sin and then nothing happens? 272 00:11:58,180 --> 00:11:58,360 Right? 273 00:11:58,360 --> 00:12:00,520 I've heard this so many times from students. 274 00:12:00,910 --> 00:12:02,170 It's like, well, I tried to become a Christian. 275 00:12:02,170 --> 00:12:02,590 It didn't work. 276 00:12:02,590 --> 00:12:04,870 Or I, I prayed this prayer and nothing happened. 277 00:12:06,790 --> 00:12:11,050 What that shows is a lack of trust in God's power because you're 278 00:12:11,050 --> 00:12:12,160 asking what if, what if, what if? 279 00:12:12,189 --> 00:12:12,400 What if? 280 00:12:12,400 --> 00:12:12,760 What if? 281 00:12:13,420 --> 00:12:15,910 It's like, you know, when, when like the little kid is trying to learn how to swim 282 00:12:16,569 --> 00:12:20,290 and dad's like, jump in the pool, and he's like, well, what if you don't catch me? 283 00:12:21,685 --> 00:12:24,115 What is the kid, what is that kid saying about their dad? 284 00:12:24,775 --> 00:12:25,555 I don't trust you. 285 00:12:26,605 --> 00:12:27,655 I don't trust you to catch me. 286 00:12:29,755 --> 00:12:32,215 And so if you're on the fence, if you're saying, well, I tried, 287 00:12:32,215 --> 00:12:33,475 I don't know if it's gonna work. 288 00:12:33,564 --> 00:12:34,255 I tried this. 289 00:12:34,314 --> 00:12:36,324 I'm not sure if it, if anything didn't happen. 290 00:12:36,324 --> 00:12:39,385 Just God's power saves people. 291 00:12:40,975 --> 00:12:44,515 And God is much more powerful than your sin. 292 00:12:45,895 --> 00:12:47,485 And so you can trust him to save you. 293 00:12:48,850 --> 00:12:51,070 You can, you can jump into the pool and trust. 294 00:12:51,130 --> 00:12:52,030 Trust him to catch you. 295 00:12:53,650 --> 00:12:55,300 God does the saving, not you. 296 00:12:55,300 --> 00:12:55,510 Right? 297 00:12:55,510 --> 00:12:58,930 If you're saying, well, I tried and it didn't work, who are 298 00:12:58,930 --> 00:13:00,070 you counting on to save you? 299 00:13:01,270 --> 00:13:01,750 You? 300 00:13:01,990 --> 00:13:04,990 Because you're saying, I did something and it didn't work. 301 00:13:05,770 --> 00:13:07,270 Not, oh God did something. 302 00:13:07,390 --> 00:13:07,870 That's that. 303 00:13:07,930 --> 00:13:10,540 When you get saved, that's the whole point is God does it not you. 304 00:13:11,920 --> 00:13:15,195 So, and this also works with assurance. 305 00:13:16,120 --> 00:13:17,980 Maybe you're, you are a Christian, you're, sometimes you're like, 306 00:13:17,980 --> 00:13:18,820 I'm not sure if I'm a Christian. 307 00:13:19,510 --> 00:13:20,680 I'm not, I don't know. 308 00:13:20,680 --> 00:13:21,850 I'm struggling with his sin. 309 00:13:22,210 --> 00:13:25,210 Or I, I'm not sure if I'm really a Christian. 310 00:13:25,270 --> 00:13:26,800 Maybe my intro scared. 311 00:13:26,890 --> 00:13:29,170 The, the living daylights outta you as they say. 312 00:13:29,170 --> 00:13:30,580 And you're like, oh my goodness. 313 00:13:31,030 --> 00:13:32,380 I don't know if I'm a Christian anymore. 314 00:13:34,785 --> 00:13:37,855 God's power, God's Christians. 315 00:13:37,900 --> 00:13:38,535 I want you to see something. 316 00:13:39,640 --> 00:13:43,180 This verse right here, verse 16, I'm not ashamed of the gospel. 317 00:13:43,210 --> 00:13:45,190 For it is the power of God for salvation. 318 00:13:45,190 --> 00:13:45,670 For who? 319 00:13:46,720 --> 00:13:47,830 For people who don't believe. 320 00:13:48,640 --> 00:13:51,310 For people who do believe and remember. 321 00:13:51,310 --> 00:13:52,870 Remember who Paul's preaching the gospel to. 322 00:13:54,250 --> 00:13:56,140 He's preaching the gospel to the Romans, not Roman soldiers. 323 00:13:56,140 --> 00:13:58,510 Roman Christians who may be worse soldiers too. 324 00:13:58,540 --> 00:14:01,660 But Roman Christians, Paul's preaching the gospel to Christians. 325 00:14:02,260 --> 00:14:06,970 He's saying the gospel is the power of God to save Christians. 326 00:14:07,630 --> 00:14:08,680 How do Christians get saved? 327 00:14:09,505 --> 00:14:12,385 Well, salvation, right? 328 00:14:12,385 --> 00:14:15,445 You're, you're saved in a sense of you're justified, right? 329 00:14:15,445 --> 00:14:18,835 And that happens as soon as you put your faith in Jesus. 330 00:14:19,465 --> 00:14:24,145 But the way the Bible talks about salvation is that salvation is sometimes 331 00:14:24,145 --> 00:14:26,005 a future thing when you get to heaven. 332 00:14:27,595 --> 00:14:29,575 We learned about this in our main service, right? 333 00:14:30,835 --> 00:14:34,825 Christians who by God's power, see, that are being guarded 334 00:14:34,825 --> 00:14:37,314 through faith for a salvation. 335 00:14:38,350 --> 00:14:39,730 Ready to be revealed in the last time. 336 00:14:40,690 --> 00:14:42,940 So there's present salvation, right? 337 00:14:42,940 --> 00:14:45,250 You're justified and there's future salvation. 338 00:14:45,250 --> 00:14:46,510 You're glorified, right? 339 00:14:46,510 --> 00:14:47,500 You're in heaven with God. 340 00:14:49,510 --> 00:14:54,340 So if you're saying, oh, I don't know if I'm gonna make it right, I don't. 341 00:14:54,340 --> 00:14:55,390 I know if I'm gonna make it to heaven. 342 00:14:55,420 --> 00:14:55,960 I'm not sure. 343 00:14:56,260 --> 00:14:57,490 I don't know if God will keep me saved. 344 00:14:58,180 --> 00:14:58,990 I don't know if I'm a Christian. 345 00:14:59,470 --> 00:15:06,310 God guards Christians, God's power guards Christians and keeps them saved. 346 00:15:08,950 --> 00:15:11,230 Put your confidence in God to keep you saved. 347 00:15:11,860 --> 00:15:13,960 Don't put your confidence in, well, if I try really hard, 348 00:15:13,960 --> 00:15:14,680 then I'll make it to heaven. 349 00:15:15,550 --> 00:15:18,940 If I keep reading my Bible, if I keep praying, if I keep coming to, like, 350 00:15:19,000 --> 00:15:20,770 God uses those things to save you. 351 00:15:20,770 --> 00:15:24,700 Yes, but God's power is what guards you. 352 00:15:26,860 --> 00:15:30,430 God's power is what guards you. 353 00:15:30,430 --> 00:15:31,825 But what does God use? 354 00:15:32,530 --> 00:15:33,370 His power. 355 00:15:33,460 --> 00:15:34,390 How does he use his power? 356 00:15:34,420 --> 00:15:35,440 How, what does that actually look like? 357 00:15:35,710 --> 00:15:35,890 Right? 358 00:15:35,890 --> 00:15:39,910 Because you don't, you can't see God using his power to keep people saved. 359 00:15:40,150 --> 00:15:46,120 Well, look, God, God's power guards people through faith, through that's like means. 360 00:15:46,120 --> 00:15:47,320 That's like how something happens. 361 00:15:47,650 --> 00:15:50,620 God's power, God's people through faith. 362 00:15:50,620 --> 00:15:52,210 God uses your faith. 363 00:15:52,615 --> 00:15:55,225 To keep you safe, and that's what Paul is talking about in this passage. 364 00:15:55,525 --> 00:15:57,895 Salvation for everyone who believes and the righteousness 365 00:15:57,895 --> 00:15:59,785 of God is revealed from faith. 366 00:15:59,785 --> 00:16:03,235 For faith as is written, the righteous shall live by faith. 367 00:16:04,195 --> 00:16:07,375 Your faith is what God uses to guard you. 368 00:16:08,335 --> 00:16:11,875 That's why our main point was trusting Jesus is what gets you to heaven. 369 00:16:12,865 --> 00:16:17,785 Trusting Jesus is also what keeps you saved because God's the one who 370 00:16:17,785 --> 00:16:19,140 does it, so you trust God to do it. 371 00:16:20,635 --> 00:16:22,855 God uses your faith to guard you. 372 00:16:23,215 --> 00:16:26,515 And so that's where your confidence needs to be because if your confidence 373 00:16:26,605 --> 00:16:31,255 that you're gonna stay Christian is in your Bible reading plan, or what 374 00:16:31,255 --> 00:16:35,575 church you go to, or who your parents are, your confidence isn't in God. 375 00:16:35,965 --> 00:16:39,895 Your confidence is in yourself and you're gonna let yourself down 376 00:16:40,975 --> 00:16:41,845 because you're not good enough. 377 00:16:42,565 --> 00:16:47,155 But God is God's power guards people and he uses your faith to do it. 378 00:16:47,485 --> 00:16:48,175 So that's why. 379 00:16:48,834 --> 00:16:51,955 Your confidence has to be in God to keep you saved. 380 00:16:52,915 --> 00:16:54,925 'cause a lot of times when we struggle with like assurance, right? 381 00:16:54,925 --> 00:16:56,695 I'm not sure if I'm a Christian, it's because we're 382 00:16:56,695 --> 00:16:58,074 thinking about what I'm doing. 383 00:16:59,155 --> 00:17:00,505 I need to do this, I need to do this. 384 00:17:00,505 --> 00:17:01,314 I'm not doing this. 385 00:17:02,785 --> 00:17:08,003 And maybe it's because you have unconfessed sin in your life and maybe 386 00:17:08,003 --> 00:17:09,233 God's using that to show you something. 387 00:17:10,794 --> 00:17:15,294 But a lot of times it's because you're focusing on, well, I'm not seeing enough 388 00:17:15,294 --> 00:17:17,155 fruit, or I'm not like this person. 389 00:17:17,814 --> 00:17:18,564 It's all about you. 390 00:17:21,564 --> 00:17:26,483 So God uses your faith in him to, to keep you saved. 391 00:17:28,435 --> 00:17:32,605 God's power is for salvation to everyone who keeps on believing, right? 392 00:17:32,605 --> 00:17:38,814 The people who who keep on believing are the ones who stay saved, right? 393 00:17:39,475 --> 00:17:40,975 Because they keep trusting Jesus. 394 00:17:41,754 --> 00:17:45,084 They keep doing the same thing that got them saved. 395 00:17:45,445 --> 00:17:49,075 They trusted Jesus, and you keep trusting Jesus all the way to the end, right? 396 00:17:49,075 --> 00:17:50,875 Trusting Jesus isn't just a one time thing. 397 00:17:51,504 --> 00:17:54,115 You don't just trust Jesus for salvation and then do the rest of 398 00:17:54,115 --> 00:17:55,764 your Christian life by your works. 399 00:17:57,325 --> 00:18:00,295 You don't just trust Jesus to get to get you saved, and you say, all right, 400 00:18:00,295 --> 00:18:01,735 now that I'm saved, I trusted Jesus. 401 00:18:01,735 --> 00:18:02,335 Take away my sin. 402 00:18:02,335 --> 00:18:04,795 Now I'm gonna try really hard so I can grow a lot. 403 00:18:05,965 --> 00:18:06,355 No, no. 404 00:18:06,355 --> 00:18:09,445 You trust Jesus to get you saved, and then you keep trusting 405 00:18:09,445 --> 00:18:10,375 Jesus the rest of the way. 406 00:18:10,555 --> 00:18:12,990 The righteous shall live by faith, not by effort. 407 00:18:15,400 --> 00:18:20,830 Faith is what God uses to guard you and also to grow you. 408 00:18:22,030 --> 00:18:26,470 And so our second point tonight is to keep looking to God for faith. 409 00:18:32,380 --> 00:18:34,240 Keep looking to God for faith. 410 00:18:34,240 --> 00:18:36,610 And again, this is an ongoing thing, right? 411 00:18:37,090 --> 00:18:39,040 It's not just, well, I trusted Jesus once and now I'm good. 412 00:18:45,114 --> 00:18:48,954 And that's what I think Paul is talking about when he says the righteousness 413 00:18:48,954 --> 00:18:50,664 of God is revealed from faith. 414 00:18:50,754 --> 00:18:51,414 For faith. 415 00:18:51,864 --> 00:18:58,044 He's saying that initial faith in the gospel leads to more faith down the road. 416 00:18:59,004 --> 00:19:04,735 Your initial faith in the gospel then keeps growing and you keep 417 00:19:04,735 --> 00:19:07,799 trusting Jesus and then you end up living your whole life by faith. 418 00:19:09,504 --> 00:19:10,794 That's how you make it to the end. 419 00:19:11,394 --> 00:19:13,194 That's how you're, you're finally saved. 420 00:19:13,194 --> 00:19:18,054 That's how you reach to heaven because God keeps you saved using your faith. 421 00:19:18,054 --> 00:19:18,774 You keep trusting him. 422 00:19:19,884 --> 00:19:22,644 And so what we need to do is we need to live by faith. 423 00:19:22,764 --> 00:19:26,154 We need to keep, keep trusting God. 424 00:19:26,334 --> 00:19:28,134 So well, it's like, well, how do I get faith? 425 00:19:28,254 --> 00:19:28,404 Right? 426 00:19:28,404 --> 00:19:29,124 How do I get faith? 427 00:19:30,204 --> 00:19:31,495 Well, it's right here. 428 00:19:31,884 --> 00:19:36,054 The righteousness of God is revealed, and that's what leads to faith. 429 00:19:36,625 --> 00:19:38,935 So you see God and you get faith. 430 00:19:39,745 --> 00:19:41,965 That's how the, that's how God works. 431 00:19:41,965 --> 00:19:44,245 That's how God gives you faith. 432 00:19:44,815 --> 00:19:47,245 You look at God and that gives you faith. 433 00:19:49,375 --> 00:19:51,055 Well, how you see God, right? 434 00:19:51,055 --> 00:19:52,315 I, I haven't seen God. 435 00:19:52,945 --> 00:19:55,015 Uh, most people who lived haven't seen God. 436 00:19:55,015 --> 00:19:55,885 Where do you see God? 437 00:19:57,955 --> 00:19:58,495 Right here. 438 00:20:00,955 --> 00:20:03,445 That's why we tell you to read your Bible, not because if you read 439 00:20:03,445 --> 00:20:04,225 your Bible, you'll go to heaven. 440 00:20:05,064 --> 00:20:06,685 Because you read your Bible, you see God. 441 00:20:09,024 --> 00:20:11,604 You see God, and you get faith. 442 00:20:12,175 --> 00:20:14,754 And faith is how you live as a Christian. 443 00:20:14,844 --> 00:20:20,814 Faith is the key to being a Christian, and so that's why we 444 00:20:20,814 --> 00:20:21,955 care about you reading your Bible. 445 00:20:21,985 --> 00:20:24,475 That's why your parents tell you to do your rivalry. 446 00:20:24,504 --> 00:20:27,084 That's why at our church, Bible's literally our middle 447 00:20:27,084 --> 00:20:32,634 name because the Bible's where you see God and it's objective. 448 00:20:33,429 --> 00:20:34,959 It's like, well, no, this is what it says. 449 00:20:35,320 --> 00:20:35,889 'cause imagine. 450 00:20:35,919 --> 00:20:37,689 'cause some people are like, oh well I want a vision of God. 451 00:20:37,689 --> 00:20:37,840 Right? 452 00:20:37,840 --> 00:20:42,249 I wish, I wish I could see God like in my head and have a, have a dream about him or 453 00:20:42,249 --> 00:20:43,749 a vision of him, and that'd be super cool. 454 00:20:43,779 --> 00:20:45,549 'cause then I know for sure that I was a Christian, right? 455 00:20:46,600 --> 00:20:47,169 Well, guess what? 456 00:20:47,590 --> 00:20:51,549 Let's say you had a dream about God and then in like five years you're like, 457 00:20:51,549 --> 00:20:52,629 well, did I really have that dream? 458 00:20:52,629 --> 00:20:55,029 Or was I just kind of hallucinating? 459 00:20:55,120 --> 00:20:57,639 Or what if, what if it wasn't really God? 460 00:20:57,669 --> 00:20:59,679 What if it was someone else that looked like God? 461 00:21:00,610 --> 00:21:01,840 See how unreliable that is. 462 00:21:02,815 --> 00:21:06,655 You, you can't count on like a, a vision or a dream. 463 00:21:06,805 --> 00:21:07,765 What you can count on is this. 464 00:21:07,795 --> 00:21:10,105 'cause guess what, if you're not sure what she read, guess what you can do? 465 00:21:10,915 --> 00:21:13,765 You can look right back at it and say, oh yeah, that is what God said. 466 00:21:14,485 --> 00:21:16,195 And then the next week when you forgot what you read, you 467 00:21:16,195 --> 00:21:17,485 can say, okay, what did I read? 468 00:21:17,965 --> 00:21:18,835 And you look right back at it. 469 00:21:18,835 --> 00:21:19,585 Here's what God said. 470 00:21:20,455 --> 00:21:21,175 It's objective. 471 00:21:21,325 --> 00:21:22,645 And that, that's why God gave us a book. 472 00:21:22,705 --> 00:21:27,175 That's why God just doesn't give everyone a vision or a, a burning in their bosom 473 00:21:27,175 --> 00:21:28,405 to tell them that they're a Christian. 474 00:21:29,875 --> 00:21:32,695 He gives you a book to help you see him because it's objective and 475 00:21:32,695 --> 00:21:34,314 you can always come back to it. 476 00:21:34,375 --> 00:21:35,935 And that's where you look to get faith. 477 00:21:35,935 --> 00:21:39,564 You look at, you look at God through his word, and you get faith. 478 00:21:39,685 --> 00:21:41,245 That's what Paul's gonna say in Romans chapter 10. 479 00:21:41,485 --> 00:21:44,455 Faith comes from hearing and hearing through the word of Christ. 480 00:21:44,695 --> 00:21:45,324 That's the Bible. 481 00:21:45,895 --> 00:21:46,584 That's how you get faith. 482 00:21:46,615 --> 00:21:49,405 Where does faith come from The Bible? 483 00:21:50,574 --> 00:21:51,504 Because you see God. 484 00:21:51,625 --> 00:21:53,635 God gives you faith. 485 00:21:55,195 --> 00:21:56,544 That's how anyone gets saved, right? 486 00:21:56,544 --> 00:21:58,060 That's what this, that's what this passage is about in context. 487 00:21:59,259 --> 00:22:00,639 How are they gonna believe if they've never heard? 488 00:22:02,019 --> 00:22:05,080 Well, they're gonna hear the gospel from God's word. 489 00:22:05,590 --> 00:22:08,409 That's how you initially got faith is someone preached the gospel to you. 490 00:22:08,800 --> 00:22:10,419 But that's also how you live as a Christian. 491 00:22:10,959 --> 00:22:12,580 You, you keep hearing God's word. 492 00:22:12,580 --> 00:22:14,889 That's why we care about sermons, right? 493 00:22:14,889 --> 00:22:17,499 That's why I don't just come up here and give you life advice. 494 00:22:17,679 --> 00:22:21,729 That's why I give you a sermon because the, the Bible is where you meet God, 495 00:22:22,330 --> 00:22:25,239 and that's where you get faith and that's how you survive as a Christian. 496 00:22:27,730 --> 00:22:33,670 It's kind of like, you know when Jesus was walking on the water and then Peter 497 00:22:33,670 --> 00:22:36,490 wanted to walk out to Jesus on the water, Peter's like, oh yeah, it's super cool. 498 00:22:36,490 --> 00:22:37,090 I wanna try that. 499 00:22:37,360 --> 00:22:37,720 Right? 500 00:22:38,980 --> 00:22:40,060 And then Peter started to sink. 501 00:22:41,230 --> 00:22:42,400 Why did Peter start to sink? 502 00:22:43,690 --> 00:22:44,920 Because he stopped looking at Jesus. 503 00:22:45,580 --> 00:22:46,570 He started looking at the wind. 504 00:22:46,810 --> 00:22:47,860 He started looking at the water. 505 00:22:50,380 --> 00:22:51,730 What would give Peter more faith? 506 00:22:53,140 --> 00:22:53,980 Look at Jesus. 507 00:22:54,610 --> 00:22:55,090 Look at him. 508 00:22:55,120 --> 00:22:56,050 He's walking on water. 509 00:22:56,080 --> 00:22:57,790 He can surely, he, he made water. 510 00:22:57,970 --> 00:23:01,990 He can definitely keep you above water too, Peter, but he didn't do that. 511 00:23:02,800 --> 00:23:06,280 And so then he didn't trust Jesus as much. 512 00:23:06,879 --> 00:23:09,430 But looking at Jesus is what gives you faith. 513 00:23:10,180 --> 00:23:13,090 That's, that's why we care about memorizing the Bible, right? 514 00:23:14,290 --> 00:23:18,790 Because how are you gonna look to Jesus if you don't have God's word ready? 515 00:23:20,260 --> 00:23:22,750 If it's not, if it's not there for you to grab onto. 516 00:23:23,379 --> 00:23:24,639 How are you gonna get your faith? 517 00:23:28,149 --> 00:23:31,000 And that's why we want you to, to internalize God's word, to memorize 518 00:23:31,000 --> 00:23:34,930 it, to think about it, to know what it says, because that's how 519 00:23:34,930 --> 00:23:36,010 you get, that's your lifeline. 520 00:23:36,100 --> 00:23:36,909 That's how you get faith. 521 00:23:36,909 --> 00:23:39,639 If you, if you don't know God's word, you're not able to get 522 00:23:39,639 --> 00:23:41,020 faith because you can't see God. 523 00:23:41,740 --> 00:23:43,990 And you're gonna be so concerned with everything else that's going on, 524 00:23:46,840 --> 00:23:48,040 so you keep looking. 525 00:23:48,100 --> 00:23:50,950 And that's why also, it's not just, oh, read the Bible, check the box, and 526 00:23:50,950 --> 00:23:52,149 forget about it for the rest of my day. 527 00:23:53,169 --> 00:23:54,610 Because you live by faith. 528 00:23:55,299 --> 00:23:56,889 You don't check the box and move on. 529 00:23:58,419 --> 00:24:00,249 So living by faith, right? 530 00:24:00,249 --> 00:24:00,939 We hear that all the time. 531 00:24:00,939 --> 00:24:01,600 Live by faith. 532 00:24:01,600 --> 00:24:02,139 What does that mean? 533 00:24:02,529 --> 00:24:07,060 Well, it means that faith is the key to all of Christian living. 534 00:24:07,389 --> 00:24:10,570 There's two verses that I I want you to see, and they're kind of 535 00:24:10,570 --> 00:24:11,529 crazy when you think about it. 536 00:24:12,370 --> 00:24:13,749 First one, Hebrews 11, six. 537 00:24:13,749 --> 00:24:16,360 Without faith, it's impossible to please God. 538 00:24:17,649 --> 00:24:19,870 If you don't trust God, you can't please him. 539 00:24:21,325 --> 00:24:24,475 You do something without trusting God. 540 00:24:25,885 --> 00:24:27,235 God is not pleased with that. 541 00:24:28,675 --> 00:24:29,815 That's what this passage is saying. 542 00:24:31,615 --> 00:24:35,815 Anything you do apart from faith is not pleasing to God. 543 00:24:36,385 --> 00:24:37,585 God's not excited about that. 544 00:24:40,345 --> 00:24:44,185 And then Romans 1423, whatever does not proceed, that means come from 545 00:24:44,245 --> 00:24:45,475 whatever doesn't come from faith. 546 00:24:45,475 --> 00:24:48,415 Whatever's not generated by faith is sin. 547 00:24:48,804 --> 00:24:50,245 Which is even crazier, right? 548 00:24:50,455 --> 00:24:54,355 Not just that God isn't pleased with it, it's actually you're sinning and, and 549 00:24:54,355 --> 00:25:00,564 that's also why we care so much about your heart, because faith isn't just external. 550 00:25:02,365 --> 00:25:06,385 This is why you might not be pleasing God with your Bible reading. 551 00:25:07,764 --> 00:25:11,455 You might not be pleasing God with how you serve at church. 552 00:25:13,135 --> 00:25:16,405 You might not be pleasing God with how you obey your parents. 553 00:25:17,874 --> 00:25:19,975 Because if you're not doing it as an act of trust, 554 00:25:22,074 --> 00:25:23,965 then you're sinning. 555 00:25:25,074 --> 00:25:25,944 And don't get mad at me. 556 00:25:26,455 --> 00:25:27,354 You can't mad at God. 557 00:25:27,564 --> 00:25:28,374 That's what God's saying. 558 00:25:30,654 --> 00:25:35,514 Every act obedience is an expression of trust dependence in the Lord. 559 00:25:36,205 --> 00:25:38,004 It's a, it's a heartfelt thing, right? 560 00:25:38,004 --> 00:25:41,304 Remember Romans one, five, we talk about obedience of faith. 561 00:25:41,364 --> 00:25:42,444 Faith and obedience are connected. 562 00:25:42,444 --> 00:25:43,524 They're always together. 563 00:25:43,735 --> 00:25:45,475 Real obedience is always connected. 564 00:25:45,864 --> 00:25:47,154 To trust in the Lord. 565 00:25:50,274 --> 00:25:54,144 One pastor, he put it like this, you obey because God is for you 566 00:25:54,624 --> 00:25:56,874 not to get God to be for you. 567 00:25:58,314 --> 00:26:04,675 The difference between those is if you're obeying by works, right? 568 00:26:04,675 --> 00:26:09,894 To earn something you're trying to get God to, to do something for you. 569 00:26:10,975 --> 00:26:13,834 You're trying to to obey so that maybe God will like you more. 570 00:26:14,919 --> 00:26:17,530 Or you're trying to obey so that maybe God will let you pass the math 571 00:26:17,530 --> 00:26:21,639 test or you're trying to obey so that maybe God will make your life better. 572 00:26:23,440 --> 00:26:24,550 That's not from faith. 573 00:26:24,610 --> 00:26:28,180 That's you being selfish and trying to earn something from God. 574 00:26:28,810 --> 00:26:33,430 Or maybe it's, well, I want to, I want to do all these things for God so 575 00:26:33,430 --> 00:26:35,050 that I feel really good about myself. 576 00:26:35,320 --> 00:26:36,250 So I'm like, oh, look at me. 577 00:26:36,250 --> 00:26:37,090 I'm such a great Christian. 578 00:26:38,379 --> 00:26:39,250 That's not from faith. 579 00:26:39,669 --> 00:26:41,770 That's the opposite of faith because you're building yourself up. 580 00:26:42,280 --> 00:26:42,970 Faith says. 581 00:26:44,274 --> 00:26:45,955 I need God, I trust him. 582 00:26:45,955 --> 00:26:47,695 I depend on him, not myself. 583 00:26:50,634 --> 00:27:00,415 So living by faith means that you obey out of an expression of your faith, right? 584 00:27:00,415 --> 00:27:04,495 Every time you read the Bible, it's because I need God. 585 00:27:05,064 --> 00:27:06,955 I am helpless without him, right? 586 00:27:06,955 --> 00:27:10,134 Jesus says in John 15, apart from you, I can do nothing. 587 00:27:11,815 --> 00:27:12,955 And he's talking about God, right? 588 00:27:12,955 --> 00:27:14,754 Apart from God, I can do nothing. 589 00:27:15,985 --> 00:27:16,435 So 590 00:27:20,275 --> 00:27:22,495 without faith, you, you cannot please God. 591 00:27:22,495 --> 00:27:25,465 So if, if your obedience is all surface level, external, right? 592 00:27:25,465 --> 00:27:29,725 If your Bible memory, if your kindness to other people, if, if it's all 593 00:27:29,725 --> 00:27:33,595 external, if it's all just going through the motions to get things done, 594 00:27:34,015 --> 00:27:37,585 to make yourself feel good or earn God's approval, that's not from faith. 595 00:27:38,439 --> 00:27:41,649 And God would say that that's not pleasing to him because 596 00:27:41,800 --> 00:27:43,750 that's about you, not about God. 597 00:27:43,780 --> 00:27:44,830 And that's why we care about your heart. 598 00:27:44,830 --> 00:27:49,959 We, faith is more than just just a decision. 599 00:27:51,429 --> 00:27:53,020 Faith involves all of you. 600 00:27:53,110 --> 00:27:55,810 It involves your desires, it involves your emotions. 601 00:27:56,980 --> 00:27:58,540 Because if so, think about it like this. 602 00:27:58,570 --> 00:28:05,215 If, let's say, um, your parents ask you to unload the dishwasher. 603 00:28:06,879 --> 00:28:08,740 You say, okay, fine, I'll do it. 604 00:28:08,740 --> 00:28:10,840 And you're super grumpy and in your head you're like, I can't 605 00:28:10,840 --> 00:28:11,530 believe to make you do this. 606 00:28:11,530 --> 00:28:12,160 I don't know why. 607 00:28:12,370 --> 00:28:13,720 This is what younger siblings are for. 608 00:28:13,750 --> 00:28:14,710 Why do they make me do this? 609 00:28:15,280 --> 00:28:16,030 This is the worst. 610 00:28:16,240 --> 00:28:17,170 My parents are the worst. 611 00:28:17,200 --> 00:28:18,070 Why is this happening? 612 00:28:19,000 --> 00:28:22,840 Are you really obeying them externally? 613 00:28:22,840 --> 00:28:25,990 You are right, but internally, you're not. 614 00:28:26,320 --> 00:28:27,760 Internally, you kind of hate them. 615 00:28:28,510 --> 00:28:31,030 If you're honest in that moment, you're hating them. 616 00:28:35,800 --> 00:28:40,450 Sometimes we say, oh, I'm obeying God because I'm, I'm doing the right things. 617 00:28:41,170 --> 00:28:43,750 It's like, well, you're, you're, yes, externally, you're obeying 618 00:28:43,750 --> 00:28:44,830 God, but internally you're not. 619 00:28:45,730 --> 00:28:45,940 Right? 620 00:28:45,940 --> 00:28:47,320 Internally, you're still unloving. 621 00:28:47,350 --> 00:28:48,250 You're still not kind. 622 00:28:48,730 --> 00:28:49,660 You're still not patient. 623 00:28:52,240 --> 00:28:53,050 You still don't trust God. 624 00:28:53,920 --> 00:28:54,670 You still don't love God. 625 00:28:56,440 --> 00:28:59,055 So faith is not just a. 626 00:28:59,664 --> 00:29:00,715 External decision. 627 00:29:00,774 --> 00:29:06,715 Oh, like I placed my intellectual trust in Jesus that he is the only way to 628 00:29:06,715 --> 00:29:11,034 save me faith is also loving Jesus. 629 00:29:11,154 --> 00:29:13,404 Treasuring Jesus saying, I, I want Jesus. 630 00:29:14,814 --> 00:29:17,784 Like we talked about this, I don't know when, before we talked 631 00:29:17,784 --> 00:29:21,264 about how you don't wanna just be a Christian to get outta hell. 632 00:29:21,475 --> 00:29:21,685 Right? 633 00:29:21,685 --> 00:29:23,424 That's like dating someone just 'cause you don't wanna be single. 634 00:29:24,144 --> 00:29:24,475 Right? 635 00:29:24,475 --> 00:29:25,195 That's the worst. 636 00:29:26,394 --> 00:29:27,804 That's called rebounding, right. 637 00:29:30,030 --> 00:29:33,175 Uh, don't make your relationship with God like that either. 638 00:29:34,555 --> 00:29:36,475 Like, oh, I'm just a Christian so I don't have to go to hell. 639 00:29:37,345 --> 00:29:37,495 Right? 640 00:29:37,495 --> 00:29:38,215 It's not loving God. 641 00:29:38,245 --> 00:29:40,945 That doesn't say, that doesn't, that doesn't make God look good, right? 642 00:29:41,485 --> 00:29:42,475 It doesn't glorify God. 643 00:29:45,175 --> 00:29:46,375 It has to come from the heart. 644 00:29:46,375 --> 00:29:51,205 So keep looking to God for faith because faith is how you live, right? 645 00:29:51,205 --> 00:29:53,995 When we talk about living by faith. 646 00:29:55,689 --> 00:29:57,550 That idea of live in the Bible. 647 00:29:57,580 --> 00:29:58,659 Such a big word. 648 00:29:58,720 --> 00:30:01,300 You think about John's gospel, he talks about eternal life. 649 00:30:01,600 --> 00:30:04,689 He says that when you, when you become a Christian, you get eternal life right now. 650 00:30:05,679 --> 00:30:06,760 Like it starts now. 651 00:30:07,629 --> 00:30:11,379 And I think he, he doesn't just mean in terms of number of years, like, oh, 652 00:30:11,379 --> 00:30:12,850 you're gonna live forever, eternal life. 653 00:30:13,120 --> 00:30:17,560 I think he also means eternal, like abundant, like vibrant, like you're 654 00:30:17,560 --> 00:30:22,090 really living, you know, like, you know when you listen to a song on your phone. 655 00:30:23,470 --> 00:30:26,920 I remember the first time someone showed me, Forrest Frank, and they showed me on 656 00:30:26,920 --> 00:30:29,770 their phone and I was like, okay, cool. 657 00:30:30,520 --> 00:30:33,460 Then they showed me in their car and I was like, oh, okay. 658 00:30:34,030 --> 00:30:34,840 I get this now. 659 00:30:34,990 --> 00:30:37,180 This makes, I understand why this guy's so popular. 660 00:30:37,840 --> 00:30:40,389 Because there's a, it's like fundamentally different, right? 661 00:30:40,394 --> 00:30:43,029 The, the, the phone speaker versus the car speaker, right? 662 00:30:43,029 --> 00:30:44,799 Or like when you're playing a video game and someone turns up the 663 00:30:44,799 --> 00:30:46,149 sensitivity on your controller, right? 664 00:30:46,149 --> 00:30:47,169 I didn't know you could do that. 665 00:30:47,350 --> 00:30:49,179 And then someone showed me, we were playing, I think Star Wars 666 00:30:49,179 --> 00:30:51,999 Battlefront, and they were like, you know, because they started playing 667 00:30:51,999 --> 00:30:52,899 and they were like, what is this? 668 00:30:52,899 --> 00:30:53,799 And I was like, what's what? 669 00:30:53,799 --> 00:30:55,299 And they're like, they go to the settings. 670 00:30:55,299 --> 00:30:56,679 And I was like, I've never even seen this before. 671 00:30:56,799 --> 00:30:57,729 And they turned sensitivity up. 672 00:30:57,729 --> 00:31:01,269 And I was like, whoa, this is like, like, I'm alive now. 673 00:31:01,779 --> 00:31:02,289 You know? 674 00:31:02,620 --> 00:31:02,979 Or like. 675 00:31:03,610 --> 00:31:06,699 My in middle school, my favorite ride at Disneyland was the star tourist, 676 00:31:06,759 --> 00:31:08,560 the 3D like flight simulator thing. 677 00:31:09,519 --> 00:31:12,759 And my friend, he hated the 3D stuff 'cause it made him nauseous. 678 00:31:12,820 --> 00:31:15,459 So he did the whole ride without the 3D glasses and I 679 00:31:15,459 --> 00:31:16,330 was like, what are you doing? 680 00:31:16,719 --> 00:31:18,729 Like you might as well not go on the ride. 681 00:31:19,570 --> 00:31:19,899 Right? 682 00:31:20,919 --> 00:31:24,279 That's kind of like when you become a Christian, you put the 3D 683 00:31:24,279 --> 00:31:25,570 glasses on and you're like, whoa. 684 00:31:26,350 --> 00:31:27,879 That's what everything's for. 685 00:31:27,909 --> 00:31:29,290 Like this makes so much sense now. 686 00:31:29,530 --> 00:31:30,520 This is so much better. 687 00:31:30,729 --> 00:31:31,929 This is so much more full. 688 00:31:32,050 --> 00:31:34,179 This is like your, your joy is so much more full. 689 00:31:34,300 --> 00:31:35,830 Your peace is so much deeper. 690 00:31:36,969 --> 00:31:38,919 Your heart is so much more alive. 691 00:31:38,979 --> 00:31:43,780 Your friendships are, are so much better because you're living. 692 00:31:44,260 --> 00:31:48,520 That's why God says that you're dead in your sin because it's, 693 00:31:48,669 --> 00:31:53,620 you're just, you're just walking around with, with a cold heart. 694 00:31:55,105 --> 00:31:57,595 You're just looking for all these things to satisfy you, and they're not 695 00:31:57,595 --> 00:31:58,885 going to, they're leaving you empty. 696 00:32:00,835 --> 00:32:03,895 So you're not just living by faith in the sense of you're existing by faith. 697 00:32:03,895 --> 00:32:04,765 You're alive. 698 00:32:04,885 --> 00:32:09,595 You're really alive, like figuratively, right? 699 00:32:09,595 --> 00:32:12,025 The things are brighter, the things are jumping off the screen at you. 700 00:32:12,445 --> 00:32:16,195 They're, it makes sense, it's deeper, it's fuller, it's vibrant. 701 00:32:18,300 --> 00:32:20,274 It's the illustration I was gonna use, but you guys are probably 702 00:32:20,274 --> 00:32:22,524 way too young to get it, which is crazy because I'm not that old. 703 00:32:22,825 --> 00:32:25,435 But there's this really old movie called The Wizard of Oz, 704 00:32:28,284 --> 00:32:32,965 and what was so big about this movie is it, it starts off in all black and 705 00:32:32,965 --> 00:32:35,304 white, and then there's this scene. 706 00:32:35,304 --> 00:32:39,804 She opens the door, she opens the door, and then it's all color. 707 00:32:41,485 --> 00:32:43,435 That's, that's what we're talking about here. 708 00:32:44,095 --> 00:32:46,165 When you, when you have a relationship with Jesus, it's 709 00:32:46,165 --> 00:32:49,284 like, oh, it's all here now. 710 00:32:49,314 --> 00:32:52,135 Like eternal life starts as a Christian. 711 00:32:52,135 --> 00:32:58,375 Jesus offers you joy, satisfaction, peace, all, all these things that are 712 00:32:58,375 --> 00:33:05,304 just, they're black and white, two dimensional, low sensitivity when you 713 00:33:05,304 --> 00:33:06,504 don't have a relationship with him. 714 00:33:08,304 --> 00:33:11,360 And so that's the kind of. 715 00:33:12,475 --> 00:33:16,375 Christianity that that's real is when you've really experienced 716 00:33:16,375 --> 00:33:19,284 like Psalm 34 taste and see that the Lord is good, right? 717 00:33:19,284 --> 00:33:25,195 It's, it's an experience of I know God, not just, I did things for God. 718 00:33:25,495 --> 00:33:28,254 I know God, I, I trust him. 719 00:33:29,274 --> 00:33:30,685 He's, he's real to me. 720 00:33:32,695 --> 00:33:39,025 So what, what gets people to heaven is persevering faith. 721 00:33:40,299 --> 00:33:42,370 They keep looking to God for faith. 722 00:33:42,609 --> 00:33:47,049 It's an ongoing pursuit of God, ongoing dependence of God. 723 00:33:47,529 --> 00:33:52,629 Because if, if, if you just trust in your decision, then you're not trusting God. 724 00:33:52,629 --> 00:33:53,589 You're trusting your decision. 725 00:33:55,179 --> 00:33:59,559 So I know my prayer for all of you, and I know your leaders as well, is 726 00:33:59,559 --> 00:34:04,509 that, is that you don't, you're not one of the students where, where we 727 00:34:05,379 --> 00:34:07,239 take your picture off the wall, right? 728 00:34:08,094 --> 00:34:09,654 We want you to make it to the end. 729 00:34:10,764 --> 00:34:16,975 And the way to do that is genuine, ongoing, continual faith in Jesus. 730 00:34:16,975 --> 00:34:18,264 And that's what you're gonna talk about more in small groups. 731 00:34:18,264 --> 00:34:20,395 So let's pray and we'll get to small groups. 732 00:34:24,984 --> 00:34:29,455 God, we are so grateful that your power guards us. 733 00:34:29,964 --> 00:34:31,734 We couldn't ask for anything more from you. 734 00:34:32,154 --> 00:34:34,074 Um, but this the same power that. 735 00:34:34,375 --> 00:34:38,245 Created the world, the same power that flooded the Earth, the same power 736 00:34:38,304 --> 00:34:43,194 that raised Jesus from the dead is guarding us if we really are saved. 737 00:34:44,154 --> 00:34:49,194 And so I pray that for those of us who are Christians, that that we would continue 738 00:34:49,194 --> 00:34:53,665 to just lean into you, that we would continue to put our, our confidence in 739 00:34:53,665 --> 00:34:57,984 you to save us, to grow us, and that we would show that confidence in you. 740 00:34:58,915 --> 00:35:02,154 Buy our relationship with you, that we would live out that confidence in 741 00:35:02,154 --> 00:35:05,785 you by doing things like praying and reading the Bible and coming to church 742 00:35:05,785 --> 00:35:10,464 because we trust you not to, not to puff ourselves up, but because we need 743 00:35:10,464 --> 00:35:11,964 you and we want you, and we love you. 744 00:35:12,624 --> 00:35:14,334 I pray for anyone here who's who's not saved. 745 00:35:14,334 --> 00:35:17,035 God, I pray that you use your power to save them. 746 00:35:17,245 --> 00:35:23,694 I pray that as Almighty God, you would raise them from their spiritual 747 00:35:23,904 --> 00:35:25,734 deadness and give them new life. 748 00:35:26,439 --> 00:35:27,370 We pray all this in Jesus name. 749 00:35:27,640 --> 00:35:27,970 Amen.