01:42 Understanding Romans 1:16-17

05:11 Confidence in God's Power

05:58 Evangelism and God's Power

11:41 Trusting God's Power for Salvation

16:35 The Struggle with Assurance

18:10 Living by Faith, Not by Effort

19:26 Seeing God Through the Bible

24:00 Faith and Obedience

29:58 Experiencing Eternal Life Now

34:24 Concluding Prayer and Reflection

normally I do something kind of fun at the beginning,

2

but this is a more serious story.

3

Okay.

4

I, I met a youth pastor, um, and he

used to have pictures of his former

5

students on his walls in his office.

6

Like, oh yeah, this person graduated.

7

And, you know, they were, they

were awesome in high school.

8

They were the worship leader in,

in, in high school, or, or they,

9

they were on fire for their faith

and, and he, you know, they went

10

off to college and whatever.

11

They'd stay in touch.

12

He used to put pictures of

all his former students.

13

On, on his walls.

14

But one day he told me, he said I

had to take all the pictures down.

15

And I was like, why?

16

Why'd you have to do that?

17

Why?

18

Why did you take all the pictures down?

19

He said, I couldn't stand looking at

'em anymore because so many of those

20

students walked away from the faith.

21

So many of those students

don't love Jesus anymore.

22

So many of these faces staring

back at me from the wall in

23

my office, don't know God.

24

They don't trust the Bible.

25

They don't.

26

Go to church.

27

They don't pray.

28

They don't have a relationship with God.

29

They walked away.

30

And what we're gonna be

talking about today is how to

31

not be one of those students.

32

Right?

33

We don't, you don't wanna be the

student on someone's Instagram where

34

they're like, oh yeah, remember

that guy don't know where he is at

35

anymore or what happened to her.

36

Oh, well, we never heard from her.

37

When she graduated, she

went off to school and.

38

She doesn't come to church anymore.

39

You don't wanna be that student.

40

So we're gonna be learning today how to

make it to the end, how to not drop out,

41

how to not walk away from the faith.

42

And the good news is that God

is the one in charge of that.

43

God's power protects Christians.

44

So turn with me in your Bibles to

Romans chapter one, verses 16 and 17.

45

Romans one 16 and 17.

46

These are some famous verses, right?

47

You've probably heard these verses

before, but what I want you to

48

see is that these verses aren't

just about sharing the gospel.

49

They're also about how to stay

Christian, how to not lose your

50

faith, how to not walk away from God.

51

Like how do you know that

when you stand before God?

52

He won't say, I never knew you.

53

How do you know that when you move outta

your parents' house, you're gonna keep.

54

Loving Jesus and you won't just give up.

55

How do you know that that's you?

56

You won't make it without God's power.

57

God's power in the gospel is not just

what saves you, but what keeps you saved.

58

So look with me verses

59

So Paul said, I'm really excited to

preach the gospel to the people in Rome.

60

Verse 16.

61

Why for I am not ashamed of the gospel.

62

For it is the power of God for

salvation to everyone who believes to

63

the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

64

For in it.

65

The righteousness of God

is revealed from faith.

66

For faith as it is written, the

righteous shall live by faith.

67

So how do you keep living by faith?

68

Well, the answer here in this passage

is that God's power and can is,

69

is what keeps you believing God's

power through the gospel is what

70

keeps you believing, and your faith

is what connects you to that power.

71

Your faith is what connects you to

God's power that will keep you safe.

72

So our main point tonight is that

trusting in Jesus is the key to

73

rescue from God's wrath and unlimited

happiness with him trusting in Jesus

74

and I, I put it that way, trusting

in Jesus, not having trusted

75

because it's an ongoing action.

76

I want you to think of it

ongoing trust in Jesus.

77

Not one time trust in Jesus.

78

Not well.

79

One time I trusted in Jesus

and turned for my sin.

80

Ongoing trust in Jesus is the

key to rescue from God's wrath

81

and unlimited happiness with him.

82

So Paul, he's not ashamed

to preach the gospel, right?

83

He's he's, he says, I'm not ashamed.

84

I'm not embarrassed.

85

I'm excited about it.

86

Right?

87

That's where he was in verse 15.

88

This is kind of how I like to

visualize these verses because.

89

It helps me see Paul's logic, right?

90

He's writing this letter to the Romans.

91

I'm eager to preach the

gospel to you in Rome.

92

Why four?

93

That means because whenever you

see four in the Bible, like not,

94

not little four, this kind of four,

four, I'm not ashamed because I'm

95

not embarrassed about the gospel.

96

Why not Paul?

97

Because it's the power

of God for salvation.

98

It's God's power.

99

God's power, right?

100

Not just the emperor's power, not

just the president's power, not just.

101

A big truck's power.

102

God's power for salvation.

103

God's power is what gives

Paul confidence in the gospel.

104

So that's why he's not embarrassed about

it, and that's why he wants to preach it.

105

That's why he's excited to tell people

about it, because it's God's power.

106

So point number one tonight, be

confident in God's saving power.

107

That's the opposite of

being ashamed, right?

108

Being confident.

109

God's power is what makes Paul confident.

110

It makes him excited.

111

The obvious application of this

passage that you've probably

112

heard before is evangelism, right?

113

You probably heard this

passage quoted like, well, why?

114

You know, what motivates

people to share their gospel?

115

What motivates people to,

to tell people about Jesus?

116

Well, it's, it's.

117

I'm not ashamed of the gospel, right?

118

There's a, there's a rap group that uses

this as their theme verse, and they,

119

they talk about how they're unashamed

and they talk about Romans one 16, right?

120

God's power gives Paul confidence in

evangelism, and I think sometimes, right?

121

If you're, if you're a Christian

and you've tried to share their

122

gospel with someone, it's easy

to to be embarrassed, right?

123

It's easy to, to feel awkward.

124

It's easy to feel uncomfortable.

125

It's easy to, to be unsure.

126

It's easy to, to just not wanna do it.

127

Right.

128

So how do you get someone like Paul

who's eager to, to preach the gospel?

129

How do you be like that?

130

Well, here's what Paul says.

131

He says, I think about God's power.

132

I think about God's power.

133

If you think about with evangelism,

are you the one that's really doing

134

the heavy lifting in evangelism?

135

Like who's the one that's actually

doing the, the saving in evangelism?

136

God is right.

137

So it's not like you're

just coming in there.

138

Okay, cool.

139

Like I'm trying to convince this person to

believe Jesus and that the Bible's true.

140

Whenever.

141

It's like, well, God uses

you, but it's God's power.

142

God's doing the saving

in evangelism, not you.

143

So maybe if you're scared to evangelize,

this is a great thing to think about.

144

Right?

145

God's the one who's

gonna save that person.

146

Maybe there's that person in your life you

say, you know, I don't, I just don't see

147

how they're ever gonna believe the gospel.

148

They're so hardhearted.

149

They, they hate Jesus.

150

They don't like Christians.

151

Or you think of that, that classmate,

you're like, man, I would be so

152

embarrassed if they found out I was a

Christian, or there's no way they're,

153

they're, they would ever look at me the

same way if they knew I was a Christian.

154

Paul says, I think about

God's power, right?

155

I think about who God is.

156

God could squish that

person in an instant, right?

157

God made the world, God, you've been,

been outside in a thunderstorm like God.

158

God does that right?

159

You, you watch like a storm on the news.

160

God does that.

161

You read scenes in the

Bible about God's power.

162

I think God is powerful and it helps

put everything in perspective, right?

163

God is the one who's,

who's gonna save them?

164

Not, not my presentation

of the gospel, right?

165

Not how eloquent I am or, or the

Bible verses I quote, or how I, how I

166

share it or, or the timing, you know?

167

Well, it's an awkward time.

168

Maybe I won't share the gospel.

169

God's power is, is is better

than awkwardness, right?

170

God is much stronger than

than your awkwardness.

171

Your awkwardness is not gonna hinder

God's power to save that person, right?

172

So if you're embarrassed about sharing

the gospel, you're not sure if you

173

could share the gospel with that person.

174

Just think about, look, God's

the one doing the heavy lifting.

175

I'm just here to, to spread

the message, but God's power is

176

gonna be what goes through me.

177

And maybe you're thinking about.

178

I just don't know if I'm smart enough.

179

'cause what if they come up

with an objection, right?

180

Then I'd be embarrassed.

181

What if they said something

that I didn't know?

182

What if they come up with some

question like, well, did you know that?

183

You know that the, actually at the

time of Jesus, there was another

184

cult that actually said all the same

things and whatever, and the early

185

church copied that, and that's why

we have Christmas trees, right?

186

That's not true.

187

But what if someone just said

something like, really smart and I

188

didn't know what, how to, what to say.

189

Well, think about.

190

You're, you're on the winning team, right?

191

No one's gonna outsmart God.

192

No one's come up with an argument

that's like, Hey, you know what?

193

I've debunked God, I've come up

with this argument that's, that's

194

smarter than, than, than God.

195

I've come up with this, this final

proof that's going to prove that

196

Christianity's fake because God

is the one who made it right?

197

No one's gonna outsmart God.

198

So you don't have to be worried

that someone says something to

199

you and they ask you a question.

200

Maybe it's a really good question.

201

Maybe it's something you've

never thought about before.

202

You can say, you know what,

that's a great question.

203

Let me get back to you.

204

And then you talk with them again.

205

You do your research, do your homework.

206

You join Aquip and you talk to

them and you come back and you

207

say, oh, here's what I learned.

208

Or you say, Hey, let's

research this together.

209

'cause guess what?

210

If God's, if God's real, do you

think their question is gonna

211

debunk everything, it's God.

212

Right?

213

No matter how smart this person is

that you're talking to, they're not

214

gonna be able to to overcome God.

215

And so that gives you confidence.

216

'cause you know, oh, I'm on the,

you ever heard this phrase, I'm

217

on the right side of history.

218

People say that sometimes, like,

oh, well you wanna be on the

219

right side of history, right?

220

That's why you should support

whatever our culture says.

221

'cause you wanna be on the right.

222

Yeah, you don't, you don't wanna

be like one of those people

223

who supported slavery, right?

224

So you should also support X, Y, and Z.

225

Be on the right side of history.

226

Well, guess what?

227

God's on the right side of history

so you don't have to be worried.

228

About being wrong about something.

229

If you're saying what the Bible says,

even if everyone else around you opposes

230

you, you don't have to be worried

because you know that God's on your team.

231

It's kind of like.

232

When we play games here in true North,

like when we play football, we used to

233

play football outside and I always, you

know, junior high versus high school.

234

I always had Mr.

235

Clancy on my team and I was like,

if we're playing football and Mr.

236

Clancy's on my team, we're good.

237

Right?

238

We're good.

239

I don't care.

240

You can have Josh, you can have Jacob, you

can have Weston, you can have everyone.

241

But if we got Mr.

242

Clancy, we're good.

243

Right?

244

That's how, that's how I feel going

out there on the football field.

245

In a much bigger way.

246

That's how you should feel when,

when you share the gospel, right?

247

Who's on your team?

248

God's on your team.

249

It's God's message.

250

You're on God's team, right?

251

God's not on your team.

252

You're on God's team.

253

You're gonna be okay, right?

254

You've got, you've got

God's message, God's power.

255

You don't have to be

embarrassed about it, right?

256

And it helps just to

put it in perspective.

257

Just think about it.

258

Sometimes it's easy to get overwhelmed.

259

You know, someone says something

or they look scary or whatever,

260

and just think about it.

261

Pause and think about it, man.

262

God's on.

263

Like, this is God's message.

264

This is God's power, not mine, not my

skill, not my eloquence, not my whatever.

265

This is God's power at work, not me.

266

So that's one way to gain

confidence in God's saving power.

267

Maybe another way you don't

have confidence in God's

268

saving power is because you're

scared to become a Christian.

269

'cause you think, oh,

what if it doesn't work?

270

Like, what if, uh, I pray and ask God

to save me, and then nothing happens.

271

What if I try to repent on my

sin and then nothing happens?

272

Right?

273

I've heard this so many

times from students.

274

It's like, well, I tried

to become a Christian.

275

It didn't work.

276

Or I, I prayed this prayer

and nothing happened.

277

What that shows is a lack of trust

in God's power because you're

278

asking what if, what if, what if?

279

What if?

280

What if?

281

It's like, you know, when, when like the

little kid is trying to learn how to swim

282

and dad's like, jump in the pool, and he's

like, well, what if you don't catch me?

283

What is the kid, what is that

kid saying about their dad?

284

I don't trust you.

285

I don't trust you to catch me.

286

And so if you're on the fence,

if you're saying, well, I tried,

287

I don't know if it's gonna work.

288

I tried this.

289

I'm not sure if it, if

anything didn't happen.

290

Just God's power saves people.

291

And God is much more

powerful than your sin.

292

And so you can trust him to save you.

293

You can, you can jump

into the pool and trust.

294

Trust him to catch you.

295

God does the saving, not you.

296

Right?

297

If you're saying, well, I tried

and it didn't work, who are

298

you counting on to save you?

299

You?

300

Because you're saying, I did

something and it didn't work.

301

Not, oh God did something.

302

That's that.

303

When you get saved, that's the

whole point is God does it not you.

304

So, and this also works with assurance.

305

Maybe you're, you are a Christian,

you're, sometimes you're like,

306

I'm not sure if I'm a Christian.

307

I'm not, I don't know.

308

I'm struggling with his sin.

309

Or I, I'm not sure if

I'm really a Christian.

310

Maybe my intro scared.

311

The, the living daylights

outta you as they say.

312

And you're like, oh my goodness.

313

I don't know if I'm a Christian anymore.

314

God's power, God's Christians.

315

I want you to see something.

316

This verse right here, verse 16,

I'm not ashamed of the gospel.

317

For it is the power of God for salvation.

318

For who?

319

For people who don't believe.

320

For people who do believe and remember.

321

Remember who Paul's

preaching the gospel to.

322

He's preaching the gospel to

the Romans, not Roman soldiers.

323

Roman Christians who may

be worse soldiers too.

324

But Roman Christians, Paul's

preaching the gospel to Christians.

325

He's saying the gospel is the

power of God to save Christians.

326

How do Christians get saved?

327

Well, salvation, right?

328

You're, you're saved in a sense

of you're justified, right?

329

And that happens as soon as

you put your faith in Jesus.

330

But the way the Bible talks about

salvation is that salvation is sometimes

331

a future thing when you get to heaven.

332

We learned about this in

our main service, right?

333

Christians who by God's power,

see, that are being guarded

334

through faith for a salvation.

335

Ready to be revealed in the last time.

336

So there's present salvation, right?

337

You're justified and

there's future salvation.

338

You're glorified, right?

339

You're in heaven with God.

340

So if you're saying, oh, I don't know

if I'm gonna make it right, I don't.

341

I know if I'm gonna make it to heaven.

342

I'm not sure.

343

I don't know if God will keep me saved.

344

I don't know if I'm a Christian.

345

God guards Christians, God's power

guards Christians and keeps them saved.

346

Put your confidence in

God to keep you saved.

347

Don't put your confidence in,

well, if I try really hard,

348

then I'll make it to heaven.

349

If I keep reading my Bible, if I keep

praying, if I keep coming to, like,

350

God uses those things to save you.

351

Yes, but God's power is what guards you.

352

God's power is what guards you.

353

But what does God use?

354

His power.

355

How does he use his power?

356

How, what does that actually look like?

357

Right?

358

Because you don't, you can't see God

using his power to keep people saved.

359

Well, look, God, God's power guards people

through faith, through that's like means.

360

That's like how something happens.

361

God's power, God's people through faith.

362

God uses your faith.

363

To keep you safe, and that's what

Paul is talking about in this passage.

364

Salvation for everyone who

believes and the righteousness

365

of God is revealed from faith.

366

For faith as is written, the

righteous shall live by faith.

367

Your faith is what God uses to guard you.

368

That's why our main point was trusting

Jesus is what gets you to heaven.

369

Trusting Jesus is also what keeps

you saved because God's the one who

370

does it, so you trust God to do it.

371

God uses your faith to guard you.

372

And so that's where your confidence

needs to be because if your confidence

373

that you're gonna stay Christian is

in your Bible reading plan, or what

374

church you go to, or who your parents

are, your confidence isn't in God.

375

Your confidence is in yourself

and you're gonna let yourself down

376

because you're not good enough.

377

But God is God's power guards people

and he uses your faith to do it.

378

So that's why.

379

Your confidence has to be

in God to keep you saved.

380

'cause a lot of times when we

struggle with like assurance, right?

381

I'm not sure if I'm a

Christian, it's because we're

382

thinking about what I'm doing.

383

I need to do this, I need to do this.

384

I'm not doing this.

385

And maybe it's because you have

unconfessed sin in your life and maybe

386

God's using that to show you something.

387

But a lot of times it's because you're

focusing on, well, I'm not seeing enough

388

fruit, or I'm not like this person.

389

It's all about you.

390

So God uses your faith in

him to, to keep you saved.

391

God's power is for salvation to

everyone who keeps on believing, right?

392

The people who who keep on believing

are the ones who stay saved, right?

393

Because they keep trusting Jesus.

394

They keep doing the same

thing that got them saved.

395

They trusted Jesus, and you keep trusting

Jesus all the way to the end, right?

396

Trusting Jesus isn't

just a one time thing.

397

You don't just trust Jesus for

salvation and then do the rest of

398

your Christian life by your works.

399

You don't just trust Jesus to get to

get you saved, and you say, all right,

400

now that I'm saved, I trusted Jesus.

401

Take away my sin.

402

Now I'm gonna try really

hard so I can grow a lot.

403

No, no.

404

You trust Jesus to get you

saved, and then you keep trusting

405

Jesus the rest of the way.

406

The righteous shall live

by faith, not by effort.

407

Faith is what God uses to

guard you and also to grow you.

408

And so our second point tonight is

to keep looking to God for faith.

409

Keep looking to God for faith.

410

And again, this is an

ongoing thing, right?

411

It's not just, well, I trusted

Jesus once and now I'm good.

412

And that's what I think Paul is talking

about when he says the righteousness

413

of God is revealed from faith.

414

For faith.

415

He's saying that initial faith in the

gospel leads to more faith down the road.

416

Your initial faith in the gospel

then keeps growing and you keep

417

trusting Jesus and then you end up

living your whole life by faith.

418

That's how you make it to the end.

419

That's how you're, you're finally saved.

420

That's how you reach to heaven because

God keeps you saved using your faith.

421

You keep trusting him.

422

And so what we need to do

is we need to live by faith.

423

We need to keep, keep trusting God.

424

So well, it's like,

well, how do I get faith?

425

Right?

426

How do I get faith?

427

Well, it's right here.

428

The righteousness of God is revealed,

and that's what leads to faith.

429

So you see God and you get faith.

430

That's how the, that's how God works.

431

That's how God gives you faith.

432

You look at God and that gives you faith.

433

Well, how you see God, right?

434

I, I haven't seen God.

435

Uh, most people who

lived haven't seen God.

436

Where do you see God?

437

Right here.

438

That's why we tell you to read

your Bible, not because if you read

439

your Bible, you'll go to heaven.

440

Because you read your Bible, you see God.

441

You see God, and you get faith.

442

And faith is how you live as a Christian.

443

Faith is the key to being a

Christian, and so that's why we

444

care about you reading your Bible.

445

That's why your parents

tell you to do your rivalry.

446

That's why at our church,

Bible's literally our middle

447

name because the Bible's where

you see God and it's objective.

448

It's like, well, no, this is what it says.

449

'cause imagine.

450

'cause some people are like,

oh well I want a vision of God.

451

Right?

452

I wish, I wish I could see God like in my

head and have a, have a dream about him or

453

a vision of him, and that'd be super cool.

454

'cause then I know for sure

that I was a Christian, right?

455

Well, guess what?

456

Let's say you had a dream about God and

then in like five years you're like,

457

well, did I really have that dream?

458

Or was I just kind of hallucinating?

459

Or what if, what if it wasn't really God?

460

What if it was someone

else that looked like God?

461

See how unreliable that is.

462

You, you can't count on

like a, a vision or a dream.

463

What you can count on is this.

464

'cause guess what, if you're not sure

what she read, guess what you can do?

465

You can look right back at it and

say, oh yeah, that is what God said.

466

And then the next week when

you forgot what you read, you

467

can say, okay, what did I read?

468

And you look right back at it.

469

Here's what God said.

470

It's objective.

471

And that, that's why God gave us a book.

472

That's why God just doesn't give everyone

a vision or a, a burning in their bosom

473

to tell them that they're a Christian.

474

He gives you a book to help you

see him because it's objective and

475

you can always come back to it.

476

And that's where you look to get faith.

477

You look at, you look at God

through his word, and you get faith.

478

That's what Paul's gonna

say in Romans chapter 10.

479

Faith comes from hearing and

hearing through the word of Christ.

480

That's the Bible.

481

That's how you get faith.

482

Where does faith come from The Bible?

483

Because you see God.

484

God gives you faith.

485

That's how anyone gets saved, right?

486

That's what this, that's what

this passage is about in context.

487

How are they gonna believe

if they've never heard?

488

Well, they're gonna hear

the gospel from God's word.

489

That's how you initially got faith is

someone preached the gospel to you.

490

But that's also how you

live as a Christian.

491

You, you keep hearing God's word.

492

That's why we care about sermons, right?

493

That's why I don't just come up

here and give you life advice.

494

That's why I give you a sermon because

the, the Bible is where you meet God,

495

and that's where you get faith and

that's how you survive as a Christian.

496

It's kind of like, you know when Jesus

was walking on the water and then Peter

497

wanted to walk out to Jesus on the water,

Peter's like, oh yeah, it's super cool.

498

I wanna try that.

499

Right?

500

And then Peter started to sink.

501

Why did Peter start to sink?

502

Because he stopped looking at Jesus.

503

He started looking at the wind.

504

He started looking at the water.

505

What would give Peter more faith?

506

Look at Jesus.

507

Look at him.

508

He's walking on water.

509

He can surely, he, he made water.

510

He can definitely keep you above water

too, Peter, but he didn't do that.

511

And so then he didn't trust Jesus as much.

512

But looking at Jesus is

what gives you faith.

513

That's, that's why we care about

memorizing the Bible, right?

514

Because how are you gonna look to Jesus

if you don't have God's word ready?

515

If it's not, if it's not

there for you to grab onto.

516

How are you gonna get your faith?

517

And that's why we want you to, to

internalize God's word, to memorize

518

it, to think about it, to know

what it says, because that's how

519

you get, that's your lifeline.

520

That's how you get faith.

521

If you, if you don't know God's

word, you're not able to get

522

faith because you can't see God.

523

And you're gonna be so concerned

with everything else that's going on,

524

so you keep looking.

525

And that's why also, it's not just,

oh, read the Bible, check the box, and

526

forget about it for the rest of my day.

527

Because you live by faith.

528

You don't check the box and move on.

529

So living by faith, right?

530

We hear that all the time.

531

Live by faith.

532

What does that mean?

533

Well, it means that faith is the

key to all of Christian living.

534

There's two verses that I I want

you to see, and they're kind of

535

crazy when you think about it.

536

First one, Hebrews 11, six.

537

Without faith, it's

impossible to please God.

538

If you don't trust God,

you can't please him.

539

You do something without trusting God.

540

God is not pleased with that.

541

That's what this passage is saying.

542

Anything you do apart from

faith is not pleasing to God.

543

God's not excited about that.

544

And then Romans 1423, whatever does

not proceed, that means come from

545

whatever doesn't come from faith.

546

Whatever's not generated by faith is sin.

547

Which is even crazier, right?

548

Not just that God isn't pleased with it,

it's actually you're sinning and, and

549

that's also why we care so much about your

heart, because faith isn't just external.

550

This is why you might not be

pleasing God with your Bible reading.

551

You might not be pleasing God

with how you serve at church.

552

You might not be pleasing God

with how you obey your parents.

553

Because if you're not doing

it as an act of trust,

554

then you're sinning.

555

And don't get mad at me.

556

You can't mad at God.

557

That's what God's saying.

558

Every act obedience is an expression

of trust dependence in the Lord.

559

It's a, it's a heartfelt thing, right?

560

Remember Romans one, five, we

talk about obedience of faith.

561

Faith and obedience are connected.

562

They're always together.

563

Real obedience is always connected.

564

To trust in the Lord.

565

One pastor, he put it like this,

you obey because God is for you

566

not to get God to be for you.

567

The difference between those is

if you're obeying by works, right?

568

To earn something you're trying to

get God to, to do something for you.

569

You're trying to to obey so that

maybe God will like you more.

570

Or you're trying to obey so that

maybe God will let you pass the math

571

test or you're trying to obey so that

maybe God will make your life better.

572

That's not from faith.

573

That's you being selfish and

trying to earn something from God.

574

Or maybe it's, well, I want to, I

want to do all these things for God so

575

that I feel really good about myself.

576

So I'm like, oh, look at me.

577

I'm such a great Christian.

578

That's not from faith.

579

That's the opposite of faith

because you're building yourself up.

580

Faith says.

581

I need God, I trust him.

582

I depend on him, not myself.

583

So living by faith means that you obey

out of an expression of your faith, right?

584

Every time you read the Bible,

it's because I need God.

585

I am helpless without him, right?

586

Jesus says in John 15, apart

from you, I can do nothing.

587

And he's talking about God, right?

588

Apart from God, I can do nothing.

589

So

590

without faith, you, you cannot please God.

591

So if, if your obedience is all

surface level, external, right?

592

If your Bible memory, if your kindness

to other people, if, if it's all

593

external, if it's all just going

through the motions to get things done,

594

to make yourself feel good or earn

God's approval, that's not from faith.

595

And God would say that that's

not pleasing to him because

596

that's about you, not about God.

597

And that's why we care about your heart.

598

We, faith is more than

just just a decision.

599

Faith involves all of you.

600

It involves your desires,

it involves your emotions.

601

Because if so, think about it like this.

602

If, let's say, um, your parents

ask you to unload the dishwasher.

603

You say, okay, fine, I'll do it.

604

And you're super grumpy and in

your head you're like, I can't

605

believe to make you do this.

606

I don't know why.

607

This is what younger siblings are for.

608

Why do they make me do this?

609

This is the worst.

610

My parents are the worst.

611

Why is this happening?

612

Are you really obeying them externally?

613

You are right, but internally, you're not.

614

Internally, you kind of hate them.

615

If you're honest in that

moment, you're hating them.

616

Sometimes we say, oh, I'm obeying God

because I'm, I'm doing the right things.

617

It's like, well, you're, you're,

yes, externally, you're obeying

618

God, but internally you're not.

619

Right?

620

Internally, you're still unloving.

621

You're still not kind.

622

You're still not patient.

623

You still don't trust God.

624

You still don't love God.

625

So faith is not just a.

626

External decision.

627

Oh, like I placed my intellectual trust

in Jesus that he is the only way to

628

save me faith is also loving Jesus.

629

Treasuring Jesus saying, I, I want Jesus.

630

Like we talked about this, I

don't know when, before we talked

631

about how you don't wanna just

be a Christian to get outta hell.

632

Right?

633

That's like dating someone just

'cause you don't wanna be single.

634

Right?

635

That's the worst.

636

That's called rebounding, right.

637

Uh, don't make your relationship

with God like that either.

638

Like, oh, I'm just a Christian

so I don't have to go to hell.

639

Right?

640

It's not loving God.

641

That doesn't say, that doesn't, that

doesn't make God look good, right?

642

It doesn't glorify God.

643

It has to come from the heart.

644

So keep looking to God for faith

because faith is how you live, right?

645

When we talk about living by faith.

646

That idea of live in the Bible.

647

Such a big word.

648

You think about John's gospel,

he talks about eternal life.

649

He says that when you, when you become a

Christian, you get eternal life right now.

650

Like it starts now.

651

And I think he, he doesn't just mean

in terms of number of years, like, oh,

652

you're gonna live forever, eternal life.

653

I think he also means eternal, like

abundant, like vibrant, like you're

654

really living, you know, like, you know

when you listen to a song on your phone.

655

I remember the first time someone showed

me, Forrest Frank, and they showed me on

656

their phone and I was like, okay, cool.

657

Then they showed me in their

car and I was like, oh, okay.

658

I get this now.

659

This makes, I understand

why this guy's so popular.

660

Because there's a, it's like

fundamentally different, right?

661

The, the, the phone speaker

versus the car speaker, right?

662

Or like when you're playing a

video game and someone turns up the

663

sensitivity on your controller, right?

664

I didn't know you could do that.

665

And then someone showed me, we

were playing, I think Star Wars

666

Battlefront, and they were like, you

know, because they started playing

667

and they were like, what is this?

668

And I was like, what's what?

669

And they're like, they go to the settings.

670

And I was like, I've never

even seen this before.

671

And they turned sensitivity up.

672

And I was like, whoa, this

is like, like, I'm alive now.

673

You know?

674

Or like.

675

My in middle school, my favorite ride

at Disneyland was the star tourist,

676

the 3D like flight simulator thing.

677

And my friend, he hated the 3D

stuff 'cause it made him nauseous.

678

So he did the whole ride

without the 3D glasses and I

679

was like, what are you doing?

680

Like you might as well not go on the ride.

681

Right?

682

That's kind of like when you

become a Christian, you put the 3D

683

glasses on and you're like, whoa.

684

That's what everything's for.

685

Like this makes so much sense now.

686

This is so much better.

687

This is so much more full.

688

This is like your, your

joy is so much more full.

689

Your peace is so much deeper.

690

Your heart is so much more alive.

691

Your friendships are, are so much

better because you're living.

692

That's why God says that you're

dead in your sin because it's,

693

you're just, you're just walking

around with, with a cold heart.

694

You're just looking for all these

things to satisfy you, and they're not

695

going to, they're leaving you empty.

696

So you're not just living by faith in

the sense of you're existing by faith.

697

You're alive.

698

You're really alive,

like figuratively, right?

699

The things are brighter, the things

are jumping off the screen at you.

700

They're, it makes sense, it's

deeper, it's fuller, it's vibrant.

701

It's the illustration I was gonna

use, but you guys are probably

702

way too young to get it, which is

crazy because I'm not that old.

703

But there's this really old

movie called The Wizard of Oz,

704

and what was so big about this movie

is it, it starts off in all black and

705

white, and then there's this scene.

706

She opens the door, she opens the

door, and then it's all color.

707

That's, that's what

we're talking about here.

708

When you, when you have a

relationship with Jesus, it's

709

like, oh, it's all here now.

710

Like eternal life starts as a Christian.

711

Jesus offers you joy, satisfaction,

peace, all, all these things that are

712

just, they're black and white, two

dimensional, low sensitivity when you

713

don't have a relationship with him.

714

And so that's the kind of.

715

Christianity that that's real is

when you've really experienced

716

like Psalm 34 taste and see

that the Lord is good, right?

717

It's, it's an experience of I know

God, not just, I did things for God.

718

I know God, I, I trust him.

719

He's, he's real to me.

720

So what, what gets people to

heaven is persevering faith.

721

They keep looking to God for faith.

722

It's an ongoing pursuit of

God, ongoing dependence of God.

723

Because if, if, if you just trust in your

decision, then you're not trusting God.

724

You're trusting your decision.

725

So I know my prayer for all of you,

and I know your leaders as well, is

726

that, is that you don't, you're not

one of the students where, where we

727

take your picture off the wall, right?

728

We want you to make it to the end.

729

And the way to do that is genuine,

ongoing, continual faith in Jesus.

730

And that's what you're gonna

talk about more in small groups.

731

So let's pray and we'll

get to small groups.

732

God, we are so grateful

that your power guards us.

733

We couldn't ask for

anything more from you.

734

Um, but this the same power that.

735

Created the world, the same power

that flooded the Earth, the same power

736

that raised Jesus from the dead is

guarding us if we really are saved.

737

And so I pray that for those of us who are

Christians, that that we would continue

738

to just lean into you, that we would

continue to put our, our confidence in

739

you to save us, to grow us, and that

we would show that confidence in you.

740

Buy our relationship with you, that

we would live out that confidence in

741

you by doing things like praying and

reading the Bible and coming to church

742

because we trust you not to, not to

puff ourselves up, but because we need

743

you and we want you, and we love you.

744

I pray for anyone here

who's who's not saved.

745

God, I pray that you use

your power to save them.

746

I pray that as Almighty God, you

would raise them from their spiritual

747

deadness and give them new life.

748

We pray all this in Jesus name.

749

Amen.