1 00:00:02,080 --> 00:00:04,640 Speaker 1: Hey, this is Stephen Ferdik. I'm the pastor of Elevation 2 00:00:04,880 --> 00:00:07,120 Speaker 1: Church and this is our podcast. I wanted to thank 3 00:00:07,160 --> 00:00:10,480 Speaker 1: you for joining us today. Hope this inspires you. Hope 4 00:00:10,480 --> 00:00:12,520 Speaker 1: it builds your faith. Hope it gives your perspective to 5 00:00:12,560 --> 00:00:17,920 Speaker 1: see God is moving in your life. Enjoy the message. Philippians, 6 00:00:17,960 --> 00:00:20,759 Speaker 1: Chapter three, Verse one. I'll give you my title before 7 00:00:20,760 --> 00:00:23,120 Speaker 1: I read my text. Today we're in a series called Triggered, 8 00:00:23,520 --> 00:00:26,520 Speaker 1: taking back your Mind in the Age of Anxiety, and 9 00:00:26,960 --> 00:00:31,920 Speaker 1: I will keep preaching until you are totally sane, until 10 00:00:32,240 --> 00:00:36,240 Speaker 1: you are no longer hiding Dorito's under your bed because 11 00:00:36,280 --> 00:00:39,160 Speaker 1: of stress, eating and cussing people out in your car 12 00:00:39,200 --> 00:00:41,600 Speaker 1: while you're listening to Elevation Worship at the same time, 13 00:00:41,680 --> 00:00:46,519 Speaker 1: you don't even pause the music. So the series is 14 00:00:46,520 --> 00:00:50,720 Speaker 1: going to go a little bit longer, and this text 15 00:00:50,760 --> 00:00:53,800 Speaker 1: is going to help us today. The apostle paulis in 16 00:00:53,840 --> 00:00:57,200 Speaker 1: his own way, upset and triggered for good reason about 17 00:00:57,240 --> 00:01:00,360 Speaker 1: something that is going on to affect the believer. And 18 00:01:00,440 --> 00:01:02,160 Speaker 1: so the title I want to use, I need you 19 00:01:02,240 --> 00:01:05,200 Speaker 1: to announce this title to the person sitting next to you, 20 00:01:05,240 --> 00:01:06,640 Speaker 1: and you don't have to talk to him another time 21 00:01:06,640 --> 00:01:09,240 Speaker 1: after this, it would be the last time that you 22 00:01:09,319 --> 00:01:11,600 Speaker 1: have to talk to him. But tell him this, say, 23 00:01:12,080 --> 00:01:16,559 Speaker 1: I hate to admit it, but I lost my confidence. 24 00:01:18,440 --> 00:01:23,720 Speaker 1: Hey man, Philippians, Chapter three, verse one. Further, my brothers 25 00:01:23,720 --> 00:01:27,240 Speaker 1: and sisters, rejoice in the Lord. It is no trouble 26 00:01:27,280 --> 00:01:29,120 Speaker 1: for me to write the same things to you again, 27 00:01:29,840 --> 00:01:33,360 Speaker 1: And it is a safeguard for you. Watch out for 28 00:01:33,440 --> 00:01:39,959 Speaker 1: those dogs, those evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh. For 29 00:01:40,040 --> 00:01:43,959 Speaker 1: it is we who are the circumcision, We who serve 30 00:01:44,080 --> 00:01:47,760 Speaker 1: God by his spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus, and 31 00:01:47,800 --> 00:01:57,760 Speaker 1: who put no new, zero, new new confidence in the flesh. 32 00:01:58,360 --> 00:02:03,440 Speaker 1: Though I myself have reasons for such confidence, if anyone else, 33 00:02:03,480 --> 00:02:06,920 Speaker 1: if someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence 34 00:02:06,960 --> 00:02:12,120 Speaker 1: in the flesh, I have more. We're gonna stop right 35 00:02:12,120 --> 00:02:14,640 Speaker 1: there and talk a little, and then we'll work through 36 00:02:14,960 --> 00:02:18,160 Speaker 1: the rest of the passage. But tall you something real quick. 37 00:02:18,160 --> 00:02:22,560 Speaker 1: That seminary professor taught me about preaching when I was 38 00:02:22,600 --> 00:02:25,320 Speaker 1: preaching from the Old Testament Book of First Samuel, and 39 00:02:25,360 --> 00:02:27,400 Speaker 1: there were a lot of names and places that I 40 00:02:27,440 --> 00:02:30,080 Speaker 1: didn't know how to pronounce because they were based on 41 00:02:30,120 --> 00:02:33,120 Speaker 1: Hebrew words. And I took all of them up to 42 00:02:33,200 --> 00:02:35,959 Speaker 1: him to ask him to help me pronounce them correctly, 43 00:02:36,480 --> 00:02:39,600 Speaker 1: because I was preaching in a few days and I 44 00:02:39,639 --> 00:02:41,399 Speaker 1: wanted to make sure I said all the words right. 45 00:02:42,000 --> 00:02:45,480 Speaker 1: And he said, he well, first of all, he laughed 46 00:02:45,520 --> 00:02:48,480 Speaker 1: at my list of words, and he said, it's not 47 00:02:48,560 --> 00:02:52,000 Speaker 1: important that you say it right. It only matters that 48 00:02:52,040 --> 00:02:56,400 Speaker 1: you say it with confidence. He said, don't worry about 49 00:02:56,520 --> 00:03:01,200 Speaker 1: mispronouncing the words. Nobody will know the difference if you 50 00:03:01,280 --> 00:03:05,360 Speaker 1: say it with confidence. Kind of seems to be the 51 00:03:05,400 --> 00:03:10,400 Speaker 1: thing these days. It's like, you know, we're all it's 52 00:03:10,480 --> 00:03:12,600 Speaker 1: kind of like we all found a Bible verse, fake 53 00:03:12,639 --> 00:03:14,480 Speaker 1: it till you make it, only it's not in the Bible. 54 00:03:17,280 --> 00:03:19,120 Speaker 1: That's how I was taught to get girls, you know, 55 00:03:19,160 --> 00:03:22,520 Speaker 1: Harold Staley. He said, it is really doesn't matter. You 56 00:03:22,520 --> 00:03:26,040 Speaker 1: could your car doesn't have to be fast or nice, 57 00:03:26,720 --> 00:03:31,000 Speaker 1: he said. You're not especially good looking or tall, he said, 58 00:03:31,000 --> 00:03:32,880 Speaker 1: But I'm gonna tell you, if you just walk up 59 00:03:32,880 --> 00:03:36,080 Speaker 1: to a girl with confidence, you'd be surprised how much 60 00:03:36,120 --> 00:03:39,640 Speaker 1: better looking confidence can make you. But then that's only 61 00:03:39,760 --> 00:03:41,840 Speaker 1: kind of true, because there's a fine line between confident 62 00:03:41,880 --> 00:03:47,920 Speaker 1: and creepy. Am I right about it? And I'm kind 63 00:03:47,920 --> 00:03:49,560 Speaker 1: of trying to figure that out as a parent, Like 64 00:03:49,600 --> 00:03:52,120 Speaker 1: how much confidence do I really want my kids to have? 65 00:03:53,760 --> 00:03:57,040 Speaker 1: Because you kind of like them being confident when they're younger, 66 00:03:57,040 --> 00:04:00,960 Speaker 1: it's cute. And then in their teenage yeers, when they 67 00:04:00,960 --> 00:04:04,240 Speaker 1: are so confident that they no longer believe that you 68 00:04:04,280 --> 00:04:07,720 Speaker 1: have any knowledge about anything, it's an issue. It's like, 69 00:04:07,760 --> 00:04:10,440 Speaker 1: can we find a middle ground on this this confidence thing? 70 00:04:11,040 --> 00:04:15,760 Speaker 1: Can you be like confident enough to be socially not awkward, 71 00:04:16,600 --> 00:04:19,080 Speaker 1: but then be humble enough to listen to me when 72 00:04:19,120 --> 00:04:24,520 Speaker 1: I'm telling you what's best for you? Is there is 73 00:04:24,520 --> 00:04:26,600 Speaker 1: there like a is there an in between? Is there 74 00:04:26,600 --> 00:04:29,480 Speaker 1: a middle ground on this confidence thing? Like is there 75 00:04:29,480 --> 00:04:33,000 Speaker 1: somewhere between you being intimidated and scared to death and 76 00:04:33,040 --> 00:04:35,799 Speaker 1: feeling the need to apologize for your existence on planet Earth? 77 00:04:36,120 --> 00:04:38,719 Speaker 1: And like Connor McGregor on the other end of the spectrum, 78 00:04:38,800 --> 00:04:42,320 Speaker 1: is there anywhere? But here's what's happening now. It's like 79 00:04:42,880 --> 00:04:49,200 Speaker 1: we we have confidence without competence. Can I preach a 80 00:04:49,240 --> 00:04:51,360 Speaker 1: little bit today before I send you to join any group? 81 00:04:52,960 --> 00:04:57,640 Speaker 1: It's like we are okay, we are We are approaching 82 00:04:57,640 --> 00:05:01,480 Speaker 1: it like they were approaching it in Philippians three, where 83 00:05:01,520 --> 00:05:04,800 Speaker 1: Paul says, you need to watch out for the dogs. 84 00:05:05,360 --> 00:05:07,680 Speaker 1: And I know you're wondering, who are these dogs? It's 85 00:05:07,680 --> 00:05:12,120 Speaker 1: in verse two. Who is Paul calling a dog? Who 86 00:05:12,160 --> 00:05:16,039 Speaker 1: are these dogs? And who let them out? We need 87 00:05:16,080 --> 00:05:21,960 Speaker 1: to know And you would assume that these are people 88 00:05:22,000 --> 00:05:25,320 Speaker 1: who are tempting the church at Philippi, the church that 89 00:05:25,400 --> 00:05:29,400 Speaker 1: Paul founded and fathered in the gospel. Maybe they are 90 00:05:29,480 --> 00:05:34,080 Speaker 1: luring them with sin. Maybe he's talking about drug dealers 91 00:05:34,200 --> 00:05:39,440 Speaker 1: or liberals, you know, all the things that threaten the 92 00:05:39,600 --> 00:05:43,320 Speaker 1: Christian worldview. But really what he's talking about here is 93 00:05:43,760 --> 00:05:50,160 Speaker 1: religious people. They're trying to get the newly converted gentiles 94 00:05:50,160 --> 00:05:57,880 Speaker 1: who weren't Jewish to be circumcised with no anesthesia, because 95 00:05:57,880 --> 00:06:01,000 Speaker 1: that was the outward sign of the covenant with the 96 00:06:01,080 --> 00:06:05,840 Speaker 1: Jewish people before Christ. But Christ came along and changed that. 97 00:06:06,760 --> 00:06:10,559 Speaker 1: And Paul knows that it's not what you can show 98 00:06:10,640 --> 00:06:14,599 Speaker 1: on the outside, but it's what happens in your heart 99 00:06:14,760 --> 00:06:18,480 Speaker 1: that proves the authenticity of your relationship with God and 100 00:06:18,640 --> 00:06:23,760 Speaker 1: validates your relationship with Him by faith. Everybody say, by faith, 101 00:06:24,680 --> 00:06:29,159 Speaker 1: not flesh. It is impossible for you to please God 102 00:06:29,240 --> 00:06:34,960 Speaker 1: with your flesh, with your effort. It is impossible for 103 00:06:35,040 --> 00:06:39,080 Speaker 1: you to impress God with your Bible reading streak. I'm 104 00:06:39,120 --> 00:06:42,320 Speaker 1: sorry he didn't call the angels over today because you 105 00:06:42,360 --> 00:06:46,520 Speaker 1: read a psalm. Wow, check this out. She went a 106 00:06:46,600 --> 00:06:49,760 Speaker 1: whole week without telling anybody off. Didn't impress God a bit. 107 00:06:50,960 --> 00:06:54,159 Speaker 1: On the other hand, we can please God by faith. 108 00:06:54,200 --> 00:07:02,400 Speaker 1: And so Paul is talking about the dogs. Wooooo, whooooooooo, 109 00:07:04,839 --> 00:07:06,560 Speaker 1: how long are you going to do it? Well, no, 110 00:07:09,880 --> 00:07:14,200 Speaker 1: but he's triggered. He says, what they're doing is evil. 111 00:07:14,320 --> 00:07:18,560 Speaker 1: They're evildoers. They're mutilating the flesh. They're making it worse. 112 00:07:19,480 --> 00:07:22,320 Speaker 1: They're telling you all these rules and regulations that will 113 00:07:22,360 --> 00:07:27,360 Speaker 1: make you acceptable to God, and it's making it worse 114 00:07:28,280 --> 00:07:31,280 Speaker 1: because it is teaching you to put confidence in the 115 00:07:31,320 --> 00:07:35,200 Speaker 1: wrong thing. And it is a perversion of the Gospel 116 00:07:35,760 --> 00:07:38,440 Speaker 1: to think that there are things that we can do outwardly, 117 00:07:39,160 --> 00:07:41,840 Speaker 1: or behaviors that we can quit, or habits that we 118 00:07:41,880 --> 00:07:46,880 Speaker 1: can enforce. And sometimes our consistency can become the enemy 119 00:07:46,920 --> 00:07:51,240 Speaker 1: of our humility because we stop doing stuff and start 120 00:07:51,320 --> 00:07:54,680 Speaker 1: doing stuff, and then immediately we start to create categories 121 00:07:54,720 --> 00:07:57,920 Speaker 1: for people who have not yet arrived at the place 122 00:07:57,920 --> 00:08:01,880 Speaker 1: of consistency. That we're at and now, God help us, 123 00:08:02,240 --> 00:08:05,760 Speaker 1: because we're raising a generations that don't have to train 124 00:08:05,880 --> 00:08:09,520 Speaker 1: for their trophies. So it's as if we think that 125 00:08:09,680 --> 00:08:15,320 Speaker 1: confidence is our birthright. We have developed a sick, twisted 126 00:08:15,440 --> 00:08:18,720 Speaker 1: version of confidence that knows nothing in the biblical context. 127 00:08:19,520 --> 00:08:28,800 Speaker 1: We have put our confidence in confidence, But confidence that 128 00:08:28,840 --> 00:08:32,719 Speaker 1: has developed outside of the process that produces true confidence 129 00:08:32,800 --> 00:08:37,160 Speaker 1: is false confidence. And you know, I'm just thinking about 130 00:08:37,160 --> 00:08:42,080 Speaker 1: it now a little differently than age sixteen, when I 131 00:08:42,160 --> 00:08:45,360 Speaker 1: first gave my life to Christ and was very confident, 132 00:08:46,440 --> 00:08:50,000 Speaker 1: very confident in my ability to live for Jesus, very 133 00:08:50,000 --> 00:08:55,600 Speaker 1: confident in my ability to stay away from certain temptations. Oh, 134 00:08:55,720 --> 00:09:01,400 Speaker 1: it's so easy to be confident when you've never lived 135 00:09:01,440 --> 00:09:05,880 Speaker 1: through a crisis. It's so easy to preach faith when 136 00:09:05,920 --> 00:09:08,240 Speaker 1: you never watched your dad take his die and gasping 137 00:09:08,280 --> 00:09:11,559 Speaker 1: breath from als and watched his body completely shut down, 138 00:09:11,640 --> 00:09:14,240 Speaker 1: and prayed every prayer that you knew to pray over him, 139 00:09:14,280 --> 00:09:16,800 Speaker 1: and quoted every scripture that you learned and wrote about 140 00:09:16,840 --> 00:09:22,199 Speaker 1: in a book about sunstands still. And then things happen 141 00:09:22,280 --> 00:09:28,400 Speaker 1: to shake your confidence. Paul is talking here about people 142 00:09:28,440 --> 00:09:33,360 Speaker 1: who have lost their confidence in the gospel, or they 143 00:09:33,400 --> 00:09:36,640 Speaker 1: are on the verge of losing their confidence in the 144 00:09:36,640 --> 00:09:44,120 Speaker 1: gospel and putting their confidence in their performance, and that's dangerous. 145 00:09:45,480 --> 00:09:51,040 Speaker 1: I'm starting to wonder do we need more confidence. It's 146 00:09:51,080 --> 00:09:53,880 Speaker 1: just a question because lately I've been thinking that the 147 00:09:54,000 --> 00:09:57,760 Speaker 1: dangers of overconfidence are just as great as the dangers 148 00:09:57,760 --> 00:10:02,960 Speaker 1: of under confidence, that really, maybe it's not about the 149 00:10:03,000 --> 00:10:06,560 Speaker 1: amount of confidence that we have at all. I wrote 150 00:10:06,559 --> 00:10:08,720 Speaker 1: a little note to my son when he turned thirteen, 151 00:10:09,480 --> 00:10:11,320 Speaker 1: and it wasn't really about him. It was about me 152 00:10:12,240 --> 00:10:16,040 Speaker 1: remembering that age. And one thing I was trying to 153 00:10:16,040 --> 00:10:19,680 Speaker 1: tell him in the note is that everybody, in some 154 00:10:19,840 --> 00:10:23,400 Speaker 1: way is faking it. I just thought I would show 155 00:10:23,440 --> 00:10:25,360 Speaker 1: him that there is no Wizard of Oz, just a 156 00:10:25,360 --> 00:10:28,640 Speaker 1: little short dude behind the curtain, pulling levers and posting 157 00:10:28,640 --> 00:10:31,679 Speaker 1: stuff with filters and captions that are perfectly crafted. And 158 00:10:31,720 --> 00:10:33,120 Speaker 1: they spend an hour and a half to write that 159 00:10:33,160 --> 00:10:35,200 Speaker 1: caption to make themselves sound witty, and they're really not 160 00:10:35,240 --> 00:10:37,120 Speaker 1: that witty off the cuff, And if you compare, you're 161 00:10:37,160 --> 00:10:39,640 Speaker 1: off the cuff to their manufactured caption. You're going to 162 00:10:39,679 --> 00:10:41,800 Speaker 1: always feel like there's something missing and lacking in you. 163 00:10:44,200 --> 00:10:48,240 Speaker 1: But so hard because it's like we're living in a 164 00:10:48,240 --> 00:10:53,120 Speaker 1: culture that projects confidence at all costs, and the cost 165 00:10:53,240 --> 00:11:02,439 Speaker 1: of false confidence is ignorance. The cost of false confidence 166 00:11:03,360 --> 00:11:06,959 Speaker 1: is ignorance. And trust me, some of the people who 167 00:11:07,000 --> 00:11:13,800 Speaker 1: are the most confident are also the most ignorant. Some 168 00:11:13,880 --> 00:11:17,600 Speaker 1: of the wisest people that I've ever talked to in 169 00:11:17,640 --> 00:11:20,720 Speaker 1: my life didn't have a lot of answers. They asked 170 00:11:20,760 --> 00:11:24,560 Speaker 1: a lot of questions. You see what I'm saying. But 171 00:11:24,640 --> 00:11:27,959 Speaker 1: it's tough because we're teaching this to our kids, right 172 00:11:28,080 --> 00:11:32,800 Speaker 1: Just just be confident, you know, be confident. I'm trying 173 00:11:32,800 --> 00:11:36,240 Speaker 1: to find the balance because I do want to raise 174 00:11:36,280 --> 00:11:38,920 Speaker 1: confident kids and I want to be a confident Christian. 175 00:11:38,960 --> 00:11:42,320 Speaker 1: But I'm trying to find I'm trying to find the balance, 176 00:11:42,400 --> 00:11:45,080 Speaker 1: you know, Like our kids are out playing sports, just 177 00:11:45,120 --> 00:11:47,760 Speaker 1: like many of your kids. Someone said to me a 178 00:11:47,800 --> 00:11:49,800 Speaker 1: few weeks ago, stop talking about your kids so much 179 00:11:49,880 --> 00:11:52,480 Speaker 1: in your sermons. We don't come to hear about your family. 180 00:11:52,760 --> 00:11:55,320 Speaker 1: We come to hear the word of God. And I'm like, well, 181 00:11:55,320 --> 00:11:57,280 Speaker 1: I got another solution. Just quit coming and you won't 182 00:11:57,280 --> 00:12:02,480 Speaker 1: have to hear me talk about Anything'll be fine, work 183 00:12:02,520 --> 00:12:05,440 Speaker 1: well for both of us. Let's just agree to. We 184 00:12:05,480 --> 00:12:09,800 Speaker 1: don't share the same interests, but that's my life right now, 185 00:12:09,880 --> 00:12:12,920 Speaker 1: is raising these kids. So it's just like it's just 186 00:12:12,960 --> 00:12:16,000 Speaker 1: what I mean. I'm always out at some baseball field 187 00:12:16,080 --> 00:12:20,000 Speaker 1: or football game or something like that. And now even 188 00:12:20,000 --> 00:12:24,360 Speaker 1: Abviy is playing seven year old softball and she says 189 00:12:24,400 --> 00:12:27,040 Speaker 1: she likes it, but I don't know if she really 190 00:12:27,120 --> 00:12:33,120 Speaker 1: likes softball or dugout cheers, because honestly, no, I'm I'm 191 00:12:33,160 --> 00:12:34,880 Speaker 1: gonna make a plea here, and if anybody's watching this 192 00:12:34,960 --> 00:12:37,560 Speaker 1: online that has any kind of authority in girls seven 193 00:12:37,600 --> 00:12:41,000 Speaker 1: year old softball, I'm begging you, in the name of 194 00:12:41,120 --> 00:12:44,800 Speaker 1: Jesus Christ, whose gospel I preach, could we possibly ban 195 00:12:45,160 --> 00:12:49,440 Speaker 1: dugout cheering for seven year old softball? And I know 196 00:12:49,559 --> 00:12:52,600 Speaker 1: it's cute and it's delightful, but I'm just trying to 197 00:12:52,640 --> 00:12:55,720 Speaker 1: protect these girls because I'm listening to them in the 198 00:12:55,800 --> 00:12:58,840 Speaker 1: dugout and not only is it bad for my hearing, 199 00:12:58,960 --> 00:13:01,880 Speaker 1: not only is it loud and it's rough on their voices, 200 00:13:02,320 --> 00:13:06,680 Speaker 1: but what they're saying in these cheers is not true. 201 00:13:07,679 --> 00:13:11,240 Speaker 1: I heard hat Abby the other day. She was doing 202 00:13:11,240 --> 00:13:13,280 Speaker 1: a cheer. My name is Abby, and you know what 203 00:13:13,360 --> 00:13:16,200 Speaker 1: I got and the whole team said, what do you got? 204 00:13:17,600 --> 00:13:20,559 Speaker 1: Abby said, I got a team that is hotter than hot? 205 00:13:21,240 --> 00:13:26,120 Speaker 1: See right there, we just sought the realm of reality 206 00:13:26,320 --> 00:13:29,520 Speaker 1: because I've been watching all three innings of this and 207 00:13:29,600 --> 00:13:33,040 Speaker 1: y'all are not hotter than hot. Y'all are not even lukewarm. 208 00:13:33,120 --> 00:13:35,600 Speaker 1: Baby girl, you're frozen in the center. You need to 209 00:13:35,600 --> 00:13:45,720 Speaker 1: be in the microwave. About three more. Then she said, 210 00:13:45,800 --> 00:13:49,160 Speaker 1: grand slams and homers too. I'm like, how about a 211 00:13:49,200 --> 00:13:56,920 Speaker 1: base hit? Can we start with a base hit? Praise 212 00:13:56,920 --> 00:14:03,720 Speaker 1: the Lord. It's dangerous to have too much confidence in 213 00:14:03,840 --> 00:14:09,200 Speaker 1: the wrong place, in the wrong place. But the Bible 214 00:14:09,240 --> 00:14:12,840 Speaker 1: says to be confident. You know, in this I will 215 00:14:12,880 --> 00:14:15,000 Speaker 1: be confident. Doesn't the Bible say that? Yes? But the 216 00:14:15,080 --> 00:14:19,160 Speaker 1: question is in what? Will you be confident in? What? 217 00:14:21,400 --> 00:14:25,880 Speaker 1: And sometimes we want to have a confident belief without 218 00:14:26,600 --> 00:14:30,760 Speaker 1: the behaviors that build confidence in our lives, you know, 219 00:14:30,840 --> 00:14:34,200 Speaker 1: Because to have real confidence, you gotta have consistency, don't you. 220 00:14:35,400 --> 00:14:39,880 Speaker 1: I mean to have confidence, you gotta have competence. Competence 221 00:14:39,960 --> 00:14:45,360 Speaker 1: is built through consistency. You gotta if you're gonna have 222 00:14:45,400 --> 00:14:50,760 Speaker 1: real confidence, you gotta have character. Amen. Amen, you know 223 00:14:50,800 --> 00:14:52,680 Speaker 1: what I'm gonna spend the rest of my life preaching 224 00:14:52,720 --> 00:14:55,120 Speaker 1: what I think is true, whether anybody says amen to 225 00:14:55,160 --> 00:14:59,920 Speaker 1: it or not. I'm committing to that. These these little 226 00:15:00,120 --> 00:15:03,160 Speaker 1: ray Harris to keep popping up or trying to tell me, 227 00:15:03,480 --> 00:15:05,400 Speaker 1: you don't have time to get up there in that 228 00:15:05,440 --> 00:15:11,360 Speaker 1: pulpit and just hype people anymore, because while we're hyping 229 00:15:11,480 --> 00:15:16,520 Speaker 1: people in one sense to believe God, we are actually 230 00:15:16,560 --> 00:15:22,760 Speaker 1: making the problem worse because when their circumstance is not 231 00:15:22,920 --> 00:15:28,760 Speaker 1: reflecting their confession, their faith collapses beneath the weight of 232 00:15:28,960 --> 00:15:34,920 Speaker 1: unmat expectations. And so the Lord was really speaking to me, 233 00:15:35,080 --> 00:15:38,480 Speaker 1: you know, because I go back and forth of feeling 234 00:15:38,640 --> 00:15:42,360 Speaker 1: really confident sometimes and then sometimes I feel I can't 235 00:15:42,360 --> 00:15:45,280 Speaker 1: find my confidence anywhere, and so then I think, well, 236 00:15:45,320 --> 00:15:48,120 Speaker 1: I had too much confidence. I need to be more humble. 237 00:15:48,360 --> 00:15:50,800 Speaker 1: And then sometimes I think, well I don't have enough confidence. 238 00:15:51,040 --> 00:15:53,560 Speaker 1: I need to just bump myself in a mirror mirror 239 00:15:53,760 --> 00:15:56,680 Speaker 1: a few times and get out there and put myself 240 00:15:57,000 --> 00:16:03,160 Speaker 1: back in the game. Coach, get out there. And I'm 241 00:16:03,200 --> 00:16:06,440 Speaker 1: back and forth. And God spoke to me this week. 242 00:16:06,480 --> 00:16:09,680 Speaker 1: He said, it's not how much confidence you have, is 243 00:16:09,720 --> 00:16:16,040 Speaker 1: where you put it. That counts. Paul said, I have 244 00:16:16,080 --> 00:16:19,320 Speaker 1: no confidence in the flesh. All of these people who 245 00:16:19,360 --> 00:16:22,160 Speaker 1: are telling you you need to be circumcised, and that's 246 00:16:22,200 --> 00:16:26,000 Speaker 1: how you prove that you have a relationship with God. 247 00:16:26,120 --> 00:16:29,440 Speaker 1: Or you know, this temptation that we all have to 248 00:16:31,680 --> 00:16:36,080 Speaker 1: fake it until we break, that's what really happens. You know, 249 00:16:38,080 --> 00:16:42,720 Speaker 1: you fake it and you never make it because no 250 00:16:42,800 --> 00:16:45,120 Speaker 1: matter how much you work to develop your confidence in 251 00:16:45,160 --> 00:16:49,080 Speaker 1: your flesh, it will always fail you. It will always 252 00:16:49,080 --> 00:16:54,480 Speaker 1: fail you. And all of this behavioral modification that I 253 00:16:54,520 --> 00:16:58,400 Speaker 1: know is necessary for us to make improvements in our lives, 254 00:16:59,200 --> 00:17:01,880 Speaker 1: and maybe it's important and for us to have confidence 255 00:17:01,880 --> 00:17:03,400 Speaker 1: if we're going to stand on stage and give a 256 00:17:03,440 --> 00:17:06,320 Speaker 1: presentation or go into a meeting that we don't feel 257 00:17:06,359 --> 00:17:11,520 Speaker 1: qualified for. I understand that, but my question is have 258 00:17:11,520 --> 00:17:17,520 Speaker 1: have you put that confidence in the right place? And 259 00:17:17,920 --> 00:17:20,760 Speaker 1: the other day I noticed Holly didn't have her wedding 260 00:17:20,800 --> 00:17:26,880 Speaker 1: ring on. Wasn't anything sketchy. We were just at the house. 261 00:17:26,920 --> 00:17:29,880 Speaker 1: She wasn't going out without her wedding ring on. In fact, 262 00:17:30,680 --> 00:17:33,240 Speaker 1: I got that cover too. I made her put a 263 00:17:33,280 --> 00:17:36,879 Speaker 1: tattoo on her ring finger, so even if she wanted 264 00:17:36,920 --> 00:17:40,520 Speaker 1: to take it off, it says H and S. And 265 00:17:40,600 --> 00:17:42,760 Speaker 1: so if she wants to leave me, the dude is 266 00:17:42,800 --> 00:17:45,400 Speaker 1: already going to be narrowed down. His name better start 267 00:17:45,440 --> 00:17:47,880 Speaker 1: with S or she'll have to turn it into an eight. 268 00:17:48,200 --> 00:17:58,960 Speaker 1: But she is mine. But I said, where's your ring? 269 00:18:00,080 --> 00:18:03,400 Speaker 1: And oh, I put it over here. So I watched 270 00:18:03,440 --> 00:18:07,000 Speaker 1: him this is and I asked her question. I didn't 271 00:18:07,000 --> 00:18:09,760 Speaker 1: have to say much. I said, is that a good 272 00:18:09,760 --> 00:18:12,840 Speaker 1: place to put it? Because listen, she lost it once 273 00:18:15,080 --> 00:18:18,600 Speaker 1: and when she lost it, we had insurance she got 274 00:18:18,600 --> 00:18:24,920 Speaker 1: a better one. So now I'm starting to wonder, are 275 00:18:24,960 --> 00:18:29,240 Speaker 1: you trying ask somebody next to you is that a 276 00:18:29,240 --> 00:18:33,320 Speaker 1: good place to put it? Because you keep putting your 277 00:18:33,359 --> 00:18:37,239 Speaker 1: confidence in people, and you keep putting your confidence in 278 00:18:37,280 --> 00:18:41,120 Speaker 1: your performance, and you keep putting your confidence in your 279 00:18:41,160 --> 00:18:44,920 Speaker 1: ability to be disciplined. And ah, I'm a exercise and 280 00:18:44,960 --> 00:18:47,199 Speaker 1: now I'm gonna stay on my diet this time, and 281 00:18:47,320 --> 00:18:50,679 Speaker 1: I'm gonna pray for fifteen minutes every day. You know, 282 00:18:50,800 --> 00:18:54,000 Speaker 1: I hear people say sometimes I gave up on God 283 00:18:54,359 --> 00:18:57,399 Speaker 1: because some people in the church let me down. But 284 00:18:57,520 --> 00:19:00,880 Speaker 1: let me ask you a question. Your relationship with God 285 00:19:01,040 --> 00:19:04,760 Speaker 1: is so precious. Why would you put your confidence in 286 00:19:04,920 --> 00:19:10,080 Speaker 1: God in how people treat you. People will always let 287 00:19:10,119 --> 00:19:14,000 Speaker 1: you down. People will always fall short, even if they 288 00:19:14,040 --> 00:19:17,920 Speaker 1: have good intentions, They have limitability. Do you really want 289 00:19:17,960 --> 00:19:20,919 Speaker 1: to put it in people? Haven't you spend enough time 290 00:19:21,000 --> 00:19:25,840 Speaker 1: trusting in people who meets your needs? I feel like preaching? 291 00:19:31,400 --> 00:19:33,240 Speaker 1: Ask them again, is that a good place to put it? 292 00:19:35,200 --> 00:19:37,240 Speaker 1: Do you really want to put confidence in your flesh, 293 00:19:37,320 --> 00:19:41,760 Speaker 1: your effort, your ability to keep the law? Now, Paul said, 294 00:19:43,040 --> 00:19:45,840 Speaker 1: if you want to play the game of who has 295 00:19:45,920 --> 00:19:49,680 Speaker 1: more reasons to be confident on the basis of lifestyle 296 00:19:50,640 --> 00:19:54,119 Speaker 1: or legality, he says, if you want to play the 297 00:19:54,160 --> 00:20:01,560 Speaker 1: game whose circumcision is better, let's play watch this. He 298 00:20:01,600 --> 00:20:04,880 Speaker 1: starts reading off his resume, and what a weird game 299 00:20:04,920 --> 00:20:09,400 Speaker 1: this is. Watch this? You know people try to top everything. 300 00:20:09,600 --> 00:20:17,280 Speaker 1: Paul's like, my circumcision is better than your circumcision because 301 00:20:17,320 --> 00:20:21,080 Speaker 1: watch verse five. I was circumcised on the eighth day 302 00:20:21,119 --> 00:20:23,120 Speaker 1: when you're supposed to be. A lot of the Judaizers 303 00:20:23,160 --> 00:20:26,920 Speaker 1: the dog who they were circumcised after the fact. Paul said, 304 00:20:26,960 --> 00:20:28,760 Speaker 1: I was circumcised when I was supposed to be circumcised, 305 00:20:28,760 --> 00:20:30,040 Speaker 1: because I was born the way he was supposed to 306 00:20:30,080 --> 00:20:32,159 Speaker 1: be born into the race. That God said that he 307 00:20:32,160 --> 00:20:33,800 Speaker 1: would use to bless all the nations of the earth 308 00:20:33,840 --> 00:20:37,920 Speaker 1: through So I was circumcised before all y'all on the 309 00:20:37,960 --> 00:20:43,240 Speaker 1: eighth day. I don't remember it. I'm glad I got 310 00:20:43,240 --> 00:20:47,159 Speaker 1: that out of the way early in life. I was 311 00:20:47,200 --> 00:20:51,560 Speaker 1: of the people of Israel, so I have connections. I 312 00:20:51,720 --> 00:20:54,560 Speaker 1: was not only of the people of Israel. I was 313 00:20:54,600 --> 00:20:57,960 Speaker 1: of the tribe of Benjamin. That was the tribe that 314 00:20:58,000 --> 00:21:01,800 Speaker 1: the kings came out of, the Benjamin. So he's like, 315 00:21:01,920 --> 00:21:06,240 Speaker 1: I'm already one of God's favorite people because I'm an Israelite, 316 00:21:06,880 --> 00:21:09,600 Speaker 1: and then I'm the favorite tribe within the favorite people. 317 00:21:10,640 --> 00:21:13,879 Speaker 1: Come on, you want to talk about flesh. My flesh 318 00:21:13,960 --> 00:21:18,720 Speaker 1: is impressive. Mm hmm. And I was not only of 319 00:21:18,760 --> 00:21:20,760 Speaker 1: the tribe of Benjamin. It was not only a matter 320 00:21:20,800 --> 00:21:24,399 Speaker 1: of birth. I wasn't only born into fortunate circumstances. But 321 00:21:24,480 --> 00:21:29,959 Speaker 1: I was a Hebrew of Hebrews. Wow, I was. I 322 00:21:30,040 --> 00:21:33,760 Speaker 1: was a Hebrew of Hebrews. I was competent. Watch this, 323 00:21:34,520 --> 00:21:39,080 Speaker 1: I was connected. I was competent in regard to the 324 00:21:39,160 --> 00:21:43,200 Speaker 1: law of Pharisee. That's the strictest order of religious law 325 00:21:43,240 --> 00:21:47,159 Speaker 1: for the Jewish people. So he says I was on 326 00:21:47,200 --> 00:21:51,879 Speaker 1: a scholarship. I was a prize pupil of Gamalio. He 327 00:21:51,920 --> 00:21:55,080 Speaker 1: doesn't mention that in Philippians three. He mentions it elsewhere 328 00:21:55,119 --> 00:21:58,280 Speaker 1: that he sat underneath the tutelage of one of the 329 00:21:58,280 --> 00:22:02,000 Speaker 1: greatest teachers of his day. This is like you interned 330 00:22:02,119 --> 00:22:07,639 Speaker 1: under Elon Musk. Paul said, let's talk. You want to 331 00:22:07,680 --> 00:22:10,800 Speaker 1: talk to me, You dogs that think you're so much 332 00:22:10,840 --> 00:22:13,480 Speaker 1: better than other people. He said, I had all of that. 333 00:22:14,600 --> 00:22:17,280 Speaker 1: I was so good at it that I was promoted 334 00:22:17,760 --> 00:22:21,520 Speaker 1: to the highest level. I was so zealous Verse six. Please, 335 00:22:22,040 --> 00:22:26,600 Speaker 1: I was persecuting the church as for righteousness based on 336 00:22:26,800 --> 00:22:30,159 Speaker 1: the law faultless. So stop, make sure we got this. 337 00:22:30,880 --> 00:22:36,480 Speaker 1: He's connected. He's competent. And his character, he says, according 338 00:22:36,840 --> 00:22:40,000 Speaker 1: to human law and what you can measure and what 339 00:22:40,040 --> 00:22:45,720 Speaker 1: you can see and what you can judge faultless. Connect 340 00:22:45,760 --> 00:22:51,760 Speaker 1: it competent and his character is faultless. And he build 341 00:22:51,840 --> 00:22:56,000 Speaker 1: his confidence to a certain level. But then something happened 342 00:22:56,000 --> 00:23:01,040 Speaker 1: to Paul. Paul saw a contrast, and sometimes what we 343 00:23:01,119 --> 00:23:03,560 Speaker 1: need when we get a little too full of ourselves, 344 00:23:04,960 --> 00:23:09,920 Speaker 1: come on. Happens to all of us. Quiet people, loud people, 345 00:23:10,600 --> 00:23:14,280 Speaker 1: flashy people, low key people. It can happen to every 346 00:23:14,280 --> 00:23:19,040 Speaker 1: one of us that we start to trust in our flesh. 347 00:23:19,200 --> 00:23:21,960 Speaker 1: And about the time you think you get it figured out, 348 00:23:22,040 --> 00:23:25,760 Speaker 1: you know how we do. We get our categories exactly right. Okay, 349 00:23:25,960 --> 00:23:28,359 Speaker 1: here's the kind of people that are going to heaven, 350 00:23:28,920 --> 00:23:31,360 Speaker 1: and here's the kind of people that are going to hell. 351 00:23:32,080 --> 00:23:34,359 Speaker 1: And the way I know is there are certain things 352 00:23:34,400 --> 00:23:36,919 Speaker 1: that people who are going to heaven do and don't do, 353 00:23:37,600 --> 00:23:40,040 Speaker 1: and certain people who are going to hell. Here's what 354 00:23:40,080 --> 00:23:42,960 Speaker 1: they do and they don't do. The only problem that 355 00:23:43,000 --> 00:23:45,920 Speaker 1: I'm finding with this is a lot of our confidence 356 00:23:46,280 --> 00:23:50,040 Speaker 1: that we put in our judgments, and our assessment is 357 00:23:50,119 --> 00:23:54,080 Speaker 1: based on our external observations of people, and we can 358 00:23:54,200 --> 00:23:57,440 Speaker 1: never really know anyone's heart. And now here's a case 359 00:23:57,480 --> 00:23:59,920 Speaker 1: in point. And I told this story the wrong way 360 00:24:00,080 --> 00:24:01,600 Speaker 1: last night, so if you were here last night, I 361 00:24:01,680 --> 00:24:04,040 Speaker 1: messed it up. But here's how it actually happened. That's 362 00:24:04,080 --> 00:24:05,800 Speaker 1: why I put no confidence in the flesh, because I 363 00:24:05,800 --> 00:24:07,639 Speaker 1: can't even tell my own stories right while I'm preaching 364 00:24:07,640 --> 00:24:09,879 Speaker 1: about confidence. That's how much I need the Holy Spirit. 365 00:24:10,640 --> 00:24:13,040 Speaker 1: But I was watching a sermon with my father in 366 00:24:13,119 --> 00:24:16,520 Speaker 1: law when I was first starting in ministry, and he 367 00:24:16,680 --> 00:24:19,480 Speaker 1: was telling me how the person preaching the sermon was 368 00:24:19,560 --> 00:24:22,840 Speaker 1: cocky and arrogant. He said, look at him. You can 369 00:24:22,920 --> 00:24:26,720 Speaker 1: tell he's strutting around that stage. He's wearing a five 370 00:24:26,760 --> 00:24:31,000 Speaker 1: thousand dollars suit. Look at him. He's cocky and he's arrogant. 371 00:24:31,400 --> 00:24:35,280 Speaker 1: Even his tie is loud. He's cocky and he's arrogant. 372 00:24:35,560 --> 00:24:38,560 Speaker 1: He's so cocky and he's arrogant. Of course, I asked 373 00:24:38,560 --> 00:24:40,520 Speaker 1: my father in law, have you met him? No, but 374 00:24:40,600 --> 00:24:43,879 Speaker 1: you can tell he's cocky and he's arrogant. Do you 375 00:24:43,920 --> 00:24:45,959 Speaker 1: know anybody who's met him? No, but I don't have to. 376 00:24:46,040 --> 00:24:49,760 Speaker 1: You can tell he's cocky and he's arrogant. And I said, 377 00:24:49,840 --> 00:24:53,240 Speaker 1: just kind of innocently, well, who's somebody that you think 378 00:24:53,320 --> 00:24:56,359 Speaker 1: is not cocky and arrogant? That would be better to 379 00:24:56,359 --> 00:24:59,560 Speaker 1: model my ministry after, because he was in ministry and 380 00:24:59,600 --> 00:25:01,680 Speaker 1: I wanted to hear his wisdom. And he named the 381 00:25:01,760 --> 00:25:04,280 Speaker 1: name of somebody that I knew. It was a man 382 00:25:04,320 --> 00:25:11,120 Speaker 1: who had the Greek New Testament memorized. No, not the 383 00:25:12,160 --> 00:25:16,600 Speaker 1: not the Little Philippians four thirteen, in the whole New Testament. 384 00:25:16,760 --> 00:25:18,399 Speaker 1: He would show up. I took the class with him 385 00:25:18,400 --> 00:25:21,960 Speaker 1: one time. He would say the Bible verse without looking 386 00:25:22,000 --> 00:25:25,120 Speaker 1: at the Bible. But he wouldn't say it in our translation. 387 00:25:25,200 --> 00:25:27,399 Speaker 1: He would be translating it in his mind from Greek. 388 00:25:29,119 --> 00:25:31,439 Speaker 1: He never looked at the Bible to teach us the Bible. 389 00:25:33,040 --> 00:25:35,960 Speaker 1: And my father in law said, that guy, that's a 390 00:25:36,000 --> 00:25:38,960 Speaker 1: man of God. That's a humble man of God. That's 391 00:25:39,000 --> 00:25:41,840 Speaker 1: a man of God who knows what matters and what doesn't. 392 00:25:42,160 --> 00:25:44,520 Speaker 1: That's a man of God who is understated. That's a 393 00:25:44,520 --> 00:25:50,040 Speaker 1: man of God. And twelve months later, the man of 394 00:25:50,080 --> 00:25:53,240 Speaker 1: God who knew the Bible in Greek had left his 395 00:25:53,320 --> 00:25:56,720 Speaker 1: wife for a woman in Russia. He had been taking 396 00:25:56,800 --> 00:26:02,440 Speaker 1: mission trips to Russia, mission trips to Russia, but one 397 00:26:02,520 --> 00:26:06,000 Speaker 1: mission he went for and he never came back. And 398 00:26:06,119 --> 00:26:10,000 Speaker 1: the man that was cocky and arrogant is still serving 399 00:26:10,040 --> 00:26:13,600 Speaker 1: God today, and his kids are in ministry too. And 400 00:26:13,680 --> 00:26:16,679 Speaker 1: here's what I'm trying to say. Let's stop being so 401 00:26:16,920 --> 00:26:21,000 Speaker 1: quick to categorize people based on what we see with 402 00:26:21,160 --> 00:26:25,040 Speaker 1: our eyes or where they are in certain behaviors in 403 00:26:25,119 --> 00:26:29,240 Speaker 1: their lives. Judge nothing before the appointed time. You don't 404 00:26:29,280 --> 00:26:31,679 Speaker 1: even know what battles they're fighting, and you don't know 405 00:26:31,720 --> 00:26:33,960 Speaker 1: how far they've come. And you don't know what has 406 00:26:34,000 --> 00:26:36,720 Speaker 1: taken them, just to keep running the race, and they 407 00:26:36,800 --> 00:26:39,119 Speaker 1: might be limping, but they might make it to the 408 00:26:39,119 --> 00:26:48,399 Speaker 1: finish line because they lived. I don't know anymore. I 409 00:26:48,520 --> 00:26:52,879 Speaker 1: put no confidence in the flesh. I don't have categories. 410 00:26:52,880 --> 00:26:55,919 Speaker 1: They're not as clear anymore for who's a godly person 411 00:26:56,000 --> 00:27:00,119 Speaker 1: and who's not, and who God has favored, and oh 412 00:27:00,200 --> 00:27:02,880 Speaker 1: God hasn't because some of the people that I thought 413 00:27:02,880 --> 00:27:05,720 Speaker 1: were walking in the favor of God were faking it. 414 00:27:07,880 --> 00:27:11,639 Speaker 1: But I know it till they fell apart. Paul's writing 415 00:27:11,640 --> 00:27:16,280 Speaker 1: to Damascus one day a Hebrew of Hebrews, a Pharisee 416 00:27:16,320 --> 00:27:21,680 Speaker 1: of Pharisees, in regards to the law, righteousness, connected and competent, 417 00:27:22,280 --> 00:27:25,719 Speaker 1: connected and competent, And all of a sudden he was 418 00:27:25,760 --> 00:27:29,560 Speaker 1: blinded by a light on his way to imprison Christians 419 00:27:29,880 --> 00:27:33,560 Speaker 1: in Damascus and bring them back to Jerusalem to be sentenced. 420 00:27:34,160 --> 00:27:36,400 Speaker 1: And something happened to him that will happen to all 421 00:27:36,440 --> 00:27:39,520 Speaker 1: of us in one way or another. If it hasn't 422 00:27:39,520 --> 00:27:43,120 Speaker 1: happened to you yet, send me a text message when 423 00:27:43,119 --> 00:27:47,480 Speaker 1: it does. God in his mercy and God in his 424 00:27:47,640 --> 00:27:52,359 Speaker 1: wisdom knew that if I allow Paul to remain confident 425 00:27:52,920 --> 00:27:56,760 Speaker 1: in his flesh. He will not fulfill my purpose for 426 00:27:56,840 --> 00:27:59,560 Speaker 1: his life. He will live the rest of his life 427 00:28:00,119 --> 00:28:05,360 Speaker 1: putting his confidence in himself and his competence and his character. 428 00:28:05,920 --> 00:28:07,720 Speaker 1: And so all of a sudden you can read it. 429 00:28:07,720 --> 00:28:11,760 Speaker 1: In Acts chapter nine, a blinding light throws Paul from 430 00:28:11,760 --> 00:28:14,879 Speaker 1: his horse. He is thrown to the ground on the 431 00:28:14,880 --> 00:28:19,840 Speaker 1: way to exercise his gift with authoritative letters from the 432 00:28:19,920 --> 00:28:23,480 Speaker 1: Jewish Ruling Council. He falls off of his horse, and 433 00:28:23,560 --> 00:28:27,159 Speaker 1: a voice from heaven asks him, Saul, who do you 434 00:28:27,240 --> 00:28:29,800 Speaker 1: think you are? And Saul said back, I don't know 435 00:28:29,840 --> 00:28:31,960 Speaker 1: who are you? And the voice said I am Jesus. 436 00:28:32,480 --> 00:28:35,399 Speaker 1: And Paul spent three days blind and someone had to 437 00:28:35,480 --> 00:28:37,640 Speaker 1: lead him by the hand. You know, that's when life 438 00:28:37,680 --> 00:28:41,440 Speaker 1: gets really interesting. When you're used to leading others, when 439 00:28:41,480 --> 00:28:44,120 Speaker 1: you're used to knowing what to do, when you're used 440 00:28:44,160 --> 00:28:46,800 Speaker 1: to making it happen, when you're used to smiling and 441 00:28:46,840 --> 00:28:49,400 Speaker 1: getting through it. But then every once in a while, 442 00:28:49,640 --> 00:28:52,000 Speaker 1: something will come along in your life and you'll say, 443 00:28:52,440 --> 00:28:55,400 Speaker 1: I didn't take a class on this, I didn't read 444 00:28:55,440 --> 00:28:58,920 Speaker 1: a book about this. Nobody told me it would feel 445 00:28:59,040 --> 00:29:02,360 Speaker 1: like this. I wasn't prepared for this. I didn't know 446 00:29:02,400 --> 00:29:08,520 Speaker 1: it would be like this, and Paul said, I lost 447 00:29:08,640 --> 00:29:16,040 Speaker 1: my confidence. I lost my confidence and I had to 448 00:29:16,080 --> 00:29:20,760 Speaker 1: start all over. And I had to I had to 449 00:29:20,760 --> 00:29:23,320 Speaker 1: give up all my connections because everybody hated me that 450 00:29:23,360 --> 00:29:26,840 Speaker 1: I used to serve with. And I had to start 451 00:29:26,880 --> 00:29:28,840 Speaker 1: all over because I didn't know how to preach Jesus 452 00:29:28,840 --> 00:29:31,600 Speaker 1: because I just met him, and I had to humble 453 00:29:31,640 --> 00:29:34,280 Speaker 1: myself and I had to reevaluate my character because I 454 00:29:34,280 --> 00:29:37,760 Speaker 1: had been comparing myself to others. You know how we do. 455 00:29:38,920 --> 00:29:42,000 Speaker 1: Holly preached this brilliant message to the ladies a couple 456 00:29:42,080 --> 00:29:48,160 Speaker 1: weeks ago, and everything about it was good. But I 457 00:29:48,200 --> 00:29:53,240 Speaker 1: just want to correct one thing she said. She said, 458 00:29:53,280 --> 00:29:56,600 Speaker 1: we need to stop comparing ourself to others, and I 459 00:29:56,600 --> 00:29:59,560 Speaker 1: think she's wrong about that. I think we need to 460 00:29:59,560 --> 00:30:04,000 Speaker 1: compare ourself to others every chance we get, until we 461 00:30:04,040 --> 00:30:08,600 Speaker 1: are so sick of comparing ourself to others. You know, 462 00:30:08,680 --> 00:30:12,560 Speaker 1: because if you compare yourself to others long enough, you 463 00:30:12,600 --> 00:30:14,680 Speaker 1: will come to the place eventually. If you're not there yet, 464 00:30:14,720 --> 00:30:16,960 Speaker 1: you'll get there. Just keep doing it, keep comparing yourself 465 00:30:16,960 --> 00:30:19,560 Speaker 1: to others. Just keep right on doing it, and do it. 466 00:30:19,760 --> 00:30:22,240 Speaker 1: Do it to make yourself feel better. Do it. When 467 00:30:22,240 --> 00:30:24,800 Speaker 1: you see somebody whose kids are on drugs, you just 468 00:30:24,840 --> 00:30:28,560 Speaker 1: silently tell yourself, my kids would never do that. Go ahead, 469 00:30:28,600 --> 00:30:30,680 Speaker 1: go ahead and go ahead and do that. Just go 470 00:30:31,080 --> 00:30:32,959 Speaker 1: ahead and do it. Just go ahead and do it. 471 00:30:33,080 --> 00:30:35,040 Speaker 1: When you see somebody who's not married, I'll tell you 472 00:30:35,080 --> 00:30:37,480 Speaker 1: if they go ahead and compare yourself to them, because 473 00:30:37,480 --> 00:30:39,120 Speaker 1: you know you're better than them. That's why you're married, 474 00:30:39,160 --> 00:30:40,720 Speaker 1: they're not. Just go ahead, compare yourself. Go ahead and 475 00:30:40,720 --> 00:30:42,360 Speaker 1: do it. Go ahead and do it too. The other 476 00:30:42,400 --> 00:30:44,000 Speaker 1: way to go ahead and compare yourself to people that 477 00:30:44,040 --> 00:30:46,600 Speaker 1: are better than you all the time, just all the time. 478 00:30:46,760 --> 00:30:49,440 Speaker 1: Look at everybody sucking in on the ground, and then 479 00:30:49,480 --> 00:30:52,520 Speaker 1: compare yourself bloated after a whole day of running your 480 00:30:52,560 --> 00:30:55,520 Speaker 1: kids around, and then compare yourself who didn't have time 481 00:30:55,560 --> 00:30:57,600 Speaker 1: to eat healthy because you actually care about other people 482 00:30:57,640 --> 00:30:59,360 Speaker 1: and that's why you had to go through McDonald's. But 483 00:30:59,400 --> 00:31:01,840 Speaker 1: compare yourself to them, you won't even know that they're 484 00:31:01,840 --> 00:31:03,840 Speaker 1: selfish and that's why their body looks like that because 485 00:31:03,880 --> 00:31:05,880 Speaker 1: they never they never have time for anybody else and 486 00:31:05,880 --> 00:31:07,560 Speaker 1: all their things going. Here's what I want you to do. 487 00:31:07,600 --> 00:31:09,960 Speaker 1: I want you to completely compare out of context for 488 00:31:10,000 --> 00:31:12,120 Speaker 1: as long as you can, and don't ask the question. 489 00:31:12,160 --> 00:31:13,880 Speaker 1: You know, like, they're real successful on their job, but 490 00:31:13,920 --> 00:31:16,240 Speaker 1: I wonder are they happy? Don't ask that question, because 491 00:31:16,280 --> 00:31:18,360 Speaker 1: if you can compare across all the categories, you might 492 00:31:18,400 --> 00:31:21,520 Speaker 1: see that their success is costing them their fulfillment. But 493 00:31:21,600 --> 00:31:24,400 Speaker 1: don't do that. Just compare, Just completely take it all 494 00:31:24,400 --> 00:31:27,160 Speaker 1: out of context and compare what people show you to 495 00:31:27,920 --> 00:31:30,200 Speaker 1: what you can see, and don't take time to wonder 496 00:31:30,200 --> 00:31:32,240 Speaker 1: what's really going on, and don't take time to stop 497 00:31:32,280 --> 00:31:34,520 Speaker 1: and think about how they're so gifted and they're so wonderful. 498 00:31:34,560 --> 00:31:37,360 Speaker 1: Just compare yourself to them until you feel so terrible 499 00:31:37,600 --> 00:31:41,400 Speaker 1: that the only place left for you to go, the 500 00:31:41,440 --> 00:31:44,560 Speaker 1: only thing left for you to conclude, the only thing 501 00:31:44,680 --> 00:31:47,640 Speaker 1: left for you to do, is to fall down off 502 00:31:47,720 --> 00:31:52,640 Speaker 1: your horse and say, God, I'm sick of myself. I'm 503 00:31:52,720 --> 00:31:57,200 Speaker 1: sick of false standards, I'm sick of worldly measurements, I'm 504 00:31:57,240 --> 00:32:01,240 Speaker 1: tired of my flesh, I'm tired of keeping I'm tired 505 00:32:01,280 --> 00:32:04,960 Speaker 1: of falling short, I'm tired of looking around. And in 506 00:32:04,960 --> 00:32:09,440 Speaker 1: that moment, you will come to the point that Paul 507 00:32:09,480 --> 00:32:12,760 Speaker 1: came to in verse seven, where he said, I compared 508 00:32:12,800 --> 00:32:18,360 Speaker 1: myself to everyone else so long, and it finally brought 509 00:32:18,400 --> 00:32:21,880 Speaker 1: me to a point, not because I hit the bottom, 510 00:32:22,120 --> 00:32:26,960 Speaker 1: but because I was on top. And then something happened 511 00:32:27,000 --> 00:32:34,520 Speaker 1: in my life. I compared myself to Jesus. And when 512 00:32:34,560 --> 00:32:38,200 Speaker 1: I compared myself to him, I didn't have anything left 513 00:32:38,200 --> 00:32:48,320 Speaker 1: to brag about. When I compared myself to him, I 514 00:32:48,360 --> 00:32:52,000 Speaker 1: wasn't such a good person after all. When I compared 515 00:32:52,000 --> 00:32:55,440 Speaker 1: myself to him, I lost my confidence in me. I 516 00:32:55,480 --> 00:32:58,200 Speaker 1: lost my confidence and how nice I am, and how 517 00:32:58,240 --> 00:33:01,200 Speaker 1: sweet I am, and how polite I am, and how 518 00:33:01,320 --> 00:33:03,720 Speaker 1: educated I am. When I compared myself to the fullness 519 00:33:03,720 --> 00:33:06,920 Speaker 1: of wisdom that was revealed in Jesus Christ, I didn't 520 00:33:06,920 --> 00:33:08,880 Speaker 1: bring up my IQ anymore, and I didn't show them 521 00:33:08,880 --> 00:33:12,040 Speaker 1: my sat scourse. When I compared myself to him. My 522 00:33:12,120 --> 00:33:15,280 Speaker 1: posture changed. When I compared myself to him, I quit 523 00:33:15,320 --> 00:33:17,160 Speaker 1: trying to be first place in a race that I 524 00:33:17,200 --> 00:33:20,040 Speaker 1: realized I couldn't win. When I compared myself to him, 525 00:33:20,200 --> 00:33:22,440 Speaker 1: I fell off my horse and I was led by 526 00:33:22,480 --> 00:33:26,680 Speaker 1: the hand. And Paul says in verse seven, Now whatever 527 00:33:26,720 --> 00:33:33,560 Speaker 1: were gains to me, I consider loss. I lost my confidence. 528 00:33:33,600 --> 00:33:40,680 Speaker 1: But watch this, I gained Christ. Speak this message today 529 00:33:41,800 --> 00:33:46,400 Speaker 1: in the hopes that someone who has lost your confidence 530 00:33:47,080 --> 00:33:51,160 Speaker 1: in yourself would realize that this is a necessary step 531 00:33:52,360 --> 00:33:56,040 Speaker 1: for you to receive the righteousness that comes by faith. 532 00:33:56,960 --> 00:33:59,640 Speaker 1: And that's what Paul says here. He says, I lost 533 00:33:59,640 --> 00:34:03,680 Speaker 1: my cane actions. I lost my sense of competence. I 534 00:34:03,720 --> 00:34:05,520 Speaker 1: found out I wasn't so good at everything. You know 535 00:34:05,560 --> 00:34:07,320 Speaker 1: how life is, man, just about the time you master 536 00:34:07,400 --> 00:34:11,000 Speaker 1: a set of skills, the whole game changes. By the 537 00:34:11,040 --> 00:34:12,799 Speaker 1: time I figure out how to get my kids to 538 00:34:13,320 --> 00:34:17,480 Speaker 1: you know, sh then they are teenagers and I'm trying 539 00:34:17,520 --> 00:34:19,080 Speaker 1: to get them to talk to me, you know, the 540 00:34:19,280 --> 00:34:25,279 Speaker 1: whole opposite changes. So it is designed that way, is 541 00:34:25,320 --> 00:34:29,320 Speaker 1: designed that way. I wonder if God is trying to 542 00:34:29,320 --> 00:34:31,480 Speaker 1: strip you of your confidence today so that you can 543 00:34:31,520 --> 00:34:36,799 Speaker 1: gain something greater. I lost my confidence to preach to 544 00:34:36,840 --> 00:34:39,000 Speaker 1: people and tell them, you know, if you do this, 545 00:34:39,080 --> 00:34:41,600 Speaker 1: God's going to do that. I don't make those kinds 546 00:34:41,640 --> 00:34:45,080 Speaker 1: of promises anymore because now I have a different kind 547 00:34:45,200 --> 00:34:49,239 Speaker 1: of confidence. It's a kind of confidence that doesn't come 548 00:34:49,239 --> 00:34:55,000 Speaker 1: from circumcision and changing your behavior, getting it right, knowing 549 00:34:55,000 --> 00:34:58,520 Speaker 1: all the answers. It's it's in inward confidence. I wonder 550 00:34:58,560 --> 00:35:01,440 Speaker 1: if that's the real contrast here, is that we are 551 00:35:01,440 --> 00:35:05,399 Speaker 1: trying to project confidence and God is trying to impart it. 552 00:35:07,560 --> 00:35:10,000 Speaker 1: I wonder if we're so busy trying to be confident 553 00:35:10,760 --> 00:35:15,400 Speaker 1: and seem confident that we have isolated ourselves so we 554 00:35:15,440 --> 00:35:18,279 Speaker 1: stay in places where no one really knows us and 555 00:35:18,280 --> 00:35:21,280 Speaker 1: no one can really touch us, because we have gotten 556 00:35:21,320 --> 00:35:24,400 Speaker 1: so good at looking confident, but on the inside, we 557 00:35:24,560 --> 00:35:28,120 Speaker 1: have lost a sense of ourselves, and we have lost 558 00:35:28,200 --> 00:35:31,279 Speaker 1: touch with our humanity as we project into the world, 559 00:35:31,360 --> 00:35:33,920 Speaker 1: pretend images of who we wish we were and who 560 00:35:33,920 --> 00:35:36,560 Speaker 1: we think we should be. But Paul said, I lost 561 00:35:36,600 --> 00:35:39,840 Speaker 1: all that. I lost all that, and you know what, 562 00:35:40,320 --> 00:35:43,760 Speaker 1: I'm glad I lost it. I'm glad I got knocked 563 00:35:43,760 --> 00:35:47,680 Speaker 1: off my horse. Glad I got my heart broken, Glad 564 00:35:47,719 --> 00:35:50,880 Speaker 1: I got my plans disrupted. I'm glad I found out 565 00:35:50,960 --> 00:35:54,319 Speaker 1: that the world wasn't flat. I'm glad I found out 566 00:35:54,320 --> 00:35:57,279 Speaker 1: that it didn't revolve around me. I'm glad that I 567 00:35:57,320 --> 00:35:59,040 Speaker 1: didn't know what to do, because if I'd have kept 568 00:35:59,080 --> 00:36:01,919 Speaker 1: trusting in my flot, I would have spent the rest 569 00:36:01,960 --> 00:36:05,960 Speaker 1: of my life measuring myself against an irrelevant standard. But 570 00:36:06,080 --> 00:36:11,080 Speaker 1: something wonderful happened when I lost my confidence. I gain Christ. 571 00:36:12,000 --> 00:36:15,360 Speaker 1: And what is more versea, I consider everything a loss 572 00:36:15,440 --> 00:36:19,000 Speaker 1: because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ, Jesus, my Lord, 573 00:36:19,040 --> 00:36:22,120 Speaker 1: for whose sake I have lost all things. I'm letting 574 00:36:22,120 --> 00:36:24,760 Speaker 1: it go. I'm not trying to get back on my horse. 575 00:36:25,040 --> 00:36:27,480 Speaker 1: I don't even want to ride in that direction anymore. 576 00:36:27,719 --> 00:36:30,920 Speaker 1: I've been down that road, and I'm ready for something better. 577 00:36:31,760 --> 00:36:35,960 Speaker 1: I consider them garbage that I may gain. Christ. Take 578 00:36:36,040 --> 00:36:40,200 Speaker 1: the whole world, Take my skills, take my knowledge, take 579 00:36:40,280 --> 00:36:44,640 Speaker 1: my insight, take my appearances, take my youth, But give 580 00:36:44,680 --> 00:36:48,879 Speaker 1: me Jesus. I want to be found in Him, not 581 00:36:48,960 --> 00:36:51,960 Speaker 1: having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, 582 00:36:53,200 --> 00:36:57,640 Speaker 1: but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness 583 00:36:57,680 --> 00:37:00,960 Speaker 1: that comes from God on the basis of faith. Stand up. 584 00:37:01,000 --> 00:37:05,200 Speaker 1: It's not about how much confidence you have, it's about 585 00:37:05,200 --> 00:37:11,080 Speaker 1: on what basis you've built it. And the answer to 586 00:37:11,120 --> 00:37:25,120 Speaker 1: our anxiety isn't just more confidence, it's more Christ. He 587 00:37:25,160 --> 00:37:28,080 Speaker 1: says Verse ten. I used to know a lot of 588 00:37:28,120 --> 00:37:31,040 Speaker 1: things about the law. I used to know a lot 589 00:37:31,080 --> 00:37:34,839 Speaker 1: of things about life. But now look what happens after 590 00:37:34,880 --> 00:37:39,520 Speaker 1: you lose your confidence and your arrogance and your prejudice 591 00:37:40,160 --> 00:37:45,400 Speaker 1: and your presuppositions. He said, now that I've lost my confidence, 592 00:37:46,560 --> 00:37:51,080 Speaker 1: I want to know Christ. I don't want to know 593 00:37:51,120 --> 00:37:54,640 Speaker 1: about him. I don't want to know what I think 594 00:37:54,680 --> 00:37:59,319 Speaker 1: I know about him. I want to know Christ. Yes, 595 00:37:59,480 --> 00:38:06,840 Speaker 1: to know the power. Watch this of his resurrection. So 596 00:38:07,040 --> 00:38:12,520 Speaker 1: after you have lost your confidence, you can expect a resurrection. 597 00:38:18,160 --> 00:38:20,879 Speaker 1: I told my friend what I was going to preach 598 00:38:20,920 --> 00:38:22,320 Speaker 1: to you today. I said, I'm going to preach on 599 00:38:22,400 --> 00:38:24,440 Speaker 1: I lost my confidence. And he texted me after I 600 00:38:24,520 --> 00:38:27,840 Speaker 1: preached it the first message, and he said, did you 601 00:38:27,840 --> 00:38:31,840 Speaker 1: get it back? And I said no. I told the 602 00:38:31,840 --> 00:38:37,799 Speaker 1: people to let it die. To let that confidence that 603 00:38:37,840 --> 00:38:41,200 Speaker 1: we put in what we can see and then what 604 00:38:41,239 --> 00:38:44,719 Speaker 1: we can know, and then what we can feel, let 605 00:38:44,719 --> 00:38:48,880 Speaker 1: it die. Let it be nailed to the cross. You know, 606 00:38:48,960 --> 00:38:51,799 Speaker 1: God will allow certain circumstances in your life, and he 607 00:38:51,840 --> 00:38:58,600 Speaker 1: will use those circumstances to crucify your false confidence. And 608 00:38:58,640 --> 00:39:02,920 Speaker 1: if we don't understand this, we will try to pray 609 00:39:03,200 --> 00:39:05,520 Speaker 1: our confidence back down off the cross, and we'll try 610 00:39:05,520 --> 00:39:07,560 Speaker 1: to get it back, and we'll go back into those 611 00:39:07,600 --> 00:39:12,239 Speaker 1: same modes. But only after it dies can it be resurrected. 612 00:39:13,040 --> 00:39:18,560 Speaker 1: As faith. I lost my confidence, and I'm glad I did, 613 00:39:19,640 --> 00:39:23,520 Speaker 1: because while I was confident in me, I could not 614 00:39:24,160 --> 00:39:29,520 Speaker 1: have faith in him. And I wonder if today God 615 00:39:29,520 --> 00:39:33,200 Speaker 1: brought you here not to give you back your confidence, 616 00:39:34,480 --> 00:39:38,319 Speaker 1: you know, so you can get the girl and win 617 00:39:38,360 --> 00:39:42,480 Speaker 1: the bid. I wonder if God brought you here to 618 00:39:42,520 --> 00:39:47,720 Speaker 1: give you something better then, now that we have buried 619 00:39:48,600 --> 00:39:51,160 Speaker 1: your need to prove that you're better than everybody, helps 620 00:39:51,200 --> 00:39:56,000 Speaker 1: because you realize that all of our righteousness is like 621 00:39:56,000 --> 00:40:01,240 Speaker 1: filthy rags. Are you ready now for a resurrection of faith? 622 00:40:01,520 --> 00:40:04,879 Speaker 1: That's what had to happen to the disciples. They were 623 00:40:04,960 --> 00:40:09,520 Speaker 1: so confident in Jesus as an earthly king. When he 624 00:40:09,560 --> 00:40:14,440 Speaker 1: went to the cross, it killed their confidence because they 625 00:40:14,440 --> 00:40:16,719 Speaker 1: couldn't understand how he could set up a kingdom and 626 00:40:16,760 --> 00:40:21,399 Speaker 1: die on a cross. But he had to crucify their 627 00:40:21,480 --> 00:40:26,319 Speaker 1: confidence in order to give life to their faith. The 628 00:40:26,360 --> 00:40:32,160 Speaker 1: same thing is happening in your life right now. You're 629 00:40:32,160 --> 00:40:37,080 Speaker 1: getting older, or you got rejected, or something's happening in 630 00:40:37,080 --> 00:40:39,040 Speaker 1: your body and it's not working like it used to. 631 00:40:40,680 --> 00:40:44,840 Speaker 1: God is trying to give you something greater than confidence 632 00:40:44,880 --> 00:40:49,120 Speaker 1: in your flesh. I've seen what my flesh can do, 633 00:40:50,239 --> 00:40:53,479 Speaker 1: and I put no confidence in it anymore. I've seen 634 00:40:53,480 --> 00:40:56,680 Speaker 1: what my effort can accomplish. I don't want to preach 635 00:40:57,000 --> 00:41:01,719 Speaker 1: based on my opinions anymore. I'm ready now for the 636 00:41:01,800 --> 00:41:05,920 Speaker 1: righteousness that comes on the basis of faith. Will you 637 00:41:06,000 --> 00:41:08,200 Speaker 1: lift your hands in God's presence, Father, I thank you 638 00:41:08,280 --> 00:41:11,320 Speaker 1: for the word that you sent forth from this pulpit today. 639 00:41:13,400 --> 00:41:17,239 Speaker 1: While I understand God that there's a deep need in 640 00:41:17,239 --> 00:41:20,440 Speaker 1: all of our hearts to feel assured that everything is 641 00:41:20,480 --> 00:41:22,680 Speaker 1: going to be all right, I understand that also there 642 00:41:22,680 --> 00:41:25,680 Speaker 1: are times that are necessary for us that we have 643 00:41:25,760 --> 00:41:30,600 Speaker 1: to question everything, and sometimes we have to be shaken 644 00:41:30,680 --> 00:41:33,719 Speaker 1: to our core in order to find a foundation that 645 00:41:33,800 --> 00:41:36,880 Speaker 1: is worth building on. And I just believe today that 646 00:41:36,920 --> 00:41:40,359 Speaker 1: you didn't give me this word so that I could 647 00:41:40,600 --> 00:41:43,640 Speaker 1: preach it for myself. I believe that there is a 648 00:41:43,680 --> 00:41:47,760 Speaker 1: brother or a sister who has lost their confidence because 649 00:41:47,800 --> 00:41:51,720 Speaker 1: their circumstances have changed, or they've come to a place 650 00:41:51,760 --> 00:41:55,120 Speaker 1: where something that used to work for them doesn't work anymore, 651 00:41:55,239 --> 00:41:57,680 Speaker 1: or they have not been affirmed in certain ways. And 652 00:41:57,719 --> 00:42:00,919 Speaker 1: I believe that you sent me here to tell them today, 653 00:42:01,000 --> 00:42:05,319 Speaker 1: let it go and receive something better. And so as 654 00:42:05,360 --> 00:42:07,200 Speaker 1: their hands are lifted to you, and their hearts are 655 00:42:07,239 --> 00:42:12,040 Speaker 1: open to you. God, would you in each and every 656 00:42:12,040 --> 00:42:18,080 Speaker 1: heart in this place fill our perspectives with faith, take 657 00:42:18,080 --> 00:42:21,920 Speaker 1: away our confidence and our flesh. God, even if we 658 00:42:21,960 --> 00:42:24,600 Speaker 1: can do it in our own strength, we can't sustain 659 00:42:24,640 --> 00:42:29,320 Speaker 1: it in our own strength. We need you, We need you. 660 00:42:29,320 --> 00:42:34,719 Speaker 1: You are our righteousness, and you are the only confidence 661 00:42:35,320 --> 00:42:40,480 Speaker 1: that we have. Well, I hope you enjoyed the podcast today, 662 00:42:40,560 --> 00:42:42,480 Speaker 1: and if you did, there are just a couple things 663 00:42:42,560 --> 00:42:45,680 Speaker 1: I'd love for you to do. Number One, subscribe to 664 00:42:45,719 --> 00:42:48,880 Speaker 1: our show. That way, the most recent episode will always 665 00:42:48,920 --> 00:42:52,120 Speaker 1: be in your feed, waiting for you ready when you are. 666 00:42:52,520 --> 00:42:55,680 Speaker 1: And Secondly, if this ministry has impacted you and you'd 667 00:42:55,719 --> 00:42:58,000 Speaker 1: like to help us continue to reach others, you can 668 00:42:58,000 --> 00:43:00,279 Speaker 1: click the link in the description and you can give 669 00:43:00,360 --> 00:43:04,280 Speaker 1: now and I'll see you next time on the Elevation podcast. 670 00:43:06,160 --> 00:43:10,920 Speaker 1: M m HM