The Lord's Favor: Releasing The World's Grip (North OC)

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We are in what we are calling a season of the Lord's favor.

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We had a big giant, LA Jubilee,

, several months ago in August, and

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it was a gathering of our churches

all across the Los Angeles area, and

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we were able to experience a great

thing and we realized, you know what?

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The Jubilee in the old

covenant was a season.

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And we believe that in Christ,

we have not only a season of the

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Lord's favor, but we have daily

opportunities for the Lord's favor.

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But let's take this time to really

embrace the principles that God

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established in the Jubilee today.

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And so we are having this season of the

Lord's favor, and we have some plans to

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help us collectively and individually

experience more and more of God's favor.

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And so we had a prayer and fasting chain

of September, so thank you to all those.

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Who, uh, prayed and fasted in

September and then in October we're

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having our reconciliation night.

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Maybe the better term is the

night of release, and that's

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coming up on October 29th.

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Really excited about that.

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I think our campus ministry won't be

able to join us for that, but, uh,

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you can still have your own release

night and that's gonna be awesome.

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And then we're gonna have a

gratitude wall next month.

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And then we also have a serving project.

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A couple service project opportunities

coming up for us as well.

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And so that's the season that we are

as we finish the year here in: 2025

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And so we are going to continue

in our sermon series, which

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is called "The Lord's Favor.

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And we have a theme verse for our series.

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It's in Luke chapter four, where

Jesus really announces that he is the

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Messiah and that he is the embodiment,

the fulfillment, the one who brings

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the true Jubilee and he quotes a

verse in Isaiah and he says this

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in Luke chapter four and verse 18.

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The spirit of the Lord is on me

because he has anointed me to

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proclaim good news to the poor.

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He has sent me to proclaim freedom for

the prisoners and recovery of sight for

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the blind to set the oppress free to

proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.

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Just as we talked about before in

our previous series, the Lord's favor

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really, , embodies and comprises of

these elements of a reset, a release,

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and a restore, that we as God's people

have a chance to have a spiritual reset.

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And we talked about how we can have

a reset in our relationship with God.

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Sometimes it's, it's a little quick

reboot or sometimes it's a, it's a factory

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reset in our relationship with God.

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And I wanna encourage us if

that's still where we are, to

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take advantage of this season now

and to have that reset with God.

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We have, also talked about having a reset

in our relationships and how we view

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people and seeing people as image bearers

of the divine image, bearers of God

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and how we view each other as spiritual

family, not just a spiritual community.

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And we also talked about how

Jesus resets our pursuit.

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And how we are now pursuing holiness

as opposed to pursuing happiness.

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And really when we have happiness,

I mean when we have holiness,

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that actually leads to happiness.

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And we talked about resetting the

question instead of, is this a sin or not?

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Instead asking ourselves, is this holy?

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And so now we're gonna move from

reset to release because once

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we've reset our hearts toward God.

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We've got to release what

holds us back from God and

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experiencing the Lord's favor.

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And so today's sermon is talking

about releasing the world's

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grip, releasing the world's grip.

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Let's go to our father in prayer.

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Father, thank you so much for this,

uh, this morning, being able to

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worship you, being able to, uh, um,

uh, uh, have a chance to encourage

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and be encouraged, being able to be

introduced to Olivia and excited about

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her being, uh, a part of the fellowship.

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And God, to have your word.

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Your word is powerful.

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God, your word transforms our thinking.

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Thank you so much for Jesus revealing you.

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To us, and God, we pray right now that

as we dig into the scriptures, father,

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we are not just encouraged, but we,

uh, are transformed by your message.

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In Jesus name, amen.

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Have you ever tried to untie a knot

in your shoelace or, or a rope?

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And in the harder you

pull, the tighter it gets.

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We've all been there, right?

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You tried to, you, you tried to, to, to,

you think you're doing the right thing,

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but actually you made the situation worse.

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And it gets tighter.

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You know, you think pulling will

bring freedom, but instead you

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make it actually bound and you

know, that's how the world works.

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It promises freedom, but the

more you pull in its direction,

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the more trapped you become.

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You know, many people, and even some

of us, we can fall victim to this.

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Living this way where we chase what

feels freeing or natural, only to

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realize later that it tied us down.

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But Jesus came to release

us from those knots.

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And so we're gonna look here and be

reminded of this principle before we get

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into our main text here of this reality.

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True freedom is in Christ.

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True freedom is in Christ.

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In fact, look to your person to your

right and to your left and tell 'em

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true freedom is found in Christ.

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I hope you believe you

'cause you just said it.

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Look over.

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Let's go back to Luke chapter four,

our theme passage for our series.

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Let's be reminded of some elements

here and what Jesus is telling.

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Not only them, but telling us

the spirit of the Lord is on me.

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Because he has anointed me to

proclaim good news to the poor.

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He has sent me to proclaim freedom for

the prisoners in recovery of sight for

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the blind, to set the oppressed free to

proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.

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And we know this was an announcement

of who he is, he the embodiment,

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but it also was his ministry.

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Jesus was setting people free,

literally, but most of all spiritually.

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And he goes, and he says, I

want to set the oppressed free.

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We can be oppressed by many

things in life, can't we?

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And we can be a prisoner to many things

in life, but Jesus, and only through

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Jesus, just like as we sing, only

through Jesus can we find true freedom.

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And we see here in this passage,

we see here, by it being a quote of

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Jesus, of from the prophet Isaiah.

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That God's heart has always been to

free His creation from what bounds

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us, he's always had a heart, a desire.

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I don't want you to be bound by things.

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I want you to be free.

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I want you to have life to the fool.

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And so God has always been trying to

release us from everything that hinders

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us from being who we were created.

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To be, and Jesus came to bring true

freedom, but that freedom begins with

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releasing the world's grip on us.

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You see, Jesus came to bring the

freedom, but that freedom really begins

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when we release the grip of the world.

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Let's go on over to our

main text for this morning.

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Church.

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Are you with me first?

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John, chapter two.

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We're gonna read first John chapter two.

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John was an apostle.

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He was a follower of Jesus, a

part of Jesus' inner circle.

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And when Jesus, uh, gave trained,

John and John sends this letter to

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the churches and he writes, writes

something really powerful here that we're

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going to look and study and see how it

applies to us and the freedom that we

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have offered for us in Christ Jesus.

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We take it up in chapter two and verse 15.

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Do not love the world or

anything in the world.

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If anyone loves the world, love

for the father is not in them

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for everything in the world.

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The lust of the flesh, the lust of the

eyes, and the pride of life comes not

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from the Father, but from the world.

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The world in its desires pass

away, but whoever does the

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will of God lives forever.

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Let's stop right there.

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Let's break this passage down some.

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It says, do not love the world

or anything in the world.

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Now that can be confusing if we're

unfamiliar with what he's referring

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to when he says the world, because we

know the most famous passage in the New

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Testament is what, for God so loved the

world that he gave his one and only son

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and whoever will believe in him shall

not perish, but have eternal life.

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And so wait.

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God so loved the world, but now

we're saying, do not love the world.

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Is there a contradiction?

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No.

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Because in John three 16,

what's being referred to is

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the world being God's creation.

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It means mankind, you and me, God so

loved all of us, that he wanted us

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not to perish, but have eternal life.

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But there's also another way in

which we use the term, the world

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and what is it being referred to?

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Many of us are familiar,

but let's get a refresher.

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The world can be defined as this,

as the system of thinking, values

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and lifestyles that go against God.

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So it's the, it's the system.

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It's, it's the paradigm.

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It's, it's the thinking, it's

the values, it's the lifestyle.

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That actually opposes God.

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And so we can think of many things, right?

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The idea of, hey, do whatever

makes you happy, or, Hey, a little

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white lie doesn't hurt anybody.

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Do whatever it takes to get ahead.

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This is what is common in

the world because this is the

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world's value self at any cost.

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This is the world's thinking, and this

is what produces the world's lifestyles.

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But we know that goes against.

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What we were created to be.

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That goes against God's

will and character.

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And so this is what's being talked

about when he says, do not love

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the world or anything in the world.

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Don't love what the world is preaching.

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Don't love what the world advocates,

what the world values, how the

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world lives, or anything in it.

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And you go, well, why not?

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Well, when we understand what

the world is, we, it makes sense

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because loving the world is

basically loving what opposes God.

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Loving the world is

loving what opposes God.

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So it makes sense then why we would be

called to not love the world, because why

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would we love everything that opposes God?

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And anything in it.

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We are called to a holy reset to pursue

holiness, not to pursue worldliness.

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We're called to be holy, not worldly.

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And so this stood out to me and

this, this, this hit me hard

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the other day as I was, as I was

thinking about this, but what you

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love can actually block God's favor.

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What you and I love can actually

prevent God's favor in our lives.

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Not because God is withholding, but

because our hearts and our desires, our

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intentions are all filled with things

that are opposed and against God.

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So it can't penetrate because what

it's filled up with the world.

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It's so we can actually undercut

our own selves from God's favor

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by the things that we love.

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So what do you love?

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Do you love the things of God or do

you love the things of the world?

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The answer for many of us is I

love God, but there are a couple

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things that I still do love from

the world if we're being honest.

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Can we be honest?

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We gonna have a whole time of

front and faking up in here.

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Please don't do that 'cause

you undercut yourself.

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And also what we see in this passage

here is that the world pollutes.

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Think about this for a second.

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Every single one of us,

we were born in the world.

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Whether you were born in a Christian

home or not, you were born in the world

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and you adopted worldly ideologies,

worldly behavior, worldly thinking, and

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you might not have started that way, but

just like me, you adopted it because you

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were in the world and you didn't realize

what the world was doing to your soul.

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I know many of us, we get some nice drinks

and some coffee before we come in here.

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Uh, you know, or some of you

stop at your Starbucks, so you a

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Starbucks fiend, and so you can't

start a day without some Starbucks.

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Now just imagine you had

your cold, what is it?

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Lattes.

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Mochas.

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Is that what those things are?

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I don't drink that stuff, so sorry.

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You know, I go to, I go to

Starbucks and I get water, and so

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I sit up there, me and Daniel, I

get, no, maybe I get apple juice.

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I get, I get, I get

the little apple juice.

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I'm like a little kid.

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I got my little apple juice with

the straw and me and Daniel over

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here talking every other Friday.

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You know what I'm saying?

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And so just imagine you had your

juice from your Starbucks or whatever

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it is, and you have it, and then you

decided to, or somebody else decided to

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sprinkle a little bit of dirt in there.

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What would that do to your

nice little latte mocha?

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What would he do to it?

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He said make it nasty.

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It would pollute it, wouldn't it?

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You see, it's just a little bit.

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Now on the surface, if you look, the

drink was probably, depending on what

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drink it is and what color would probably

still look the same on the outside.

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But when you tasted it,

you, oh, what is that?

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But what if we started adding some

more of that dirt in that drink?

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What would happen?

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And then what if we started

to stir that drink some more?

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What would happen that

dirt now would what?

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Would start to take full,

it would start to what?

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It would start to change that drink.

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It would start to even change

the look of that drink.

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It would start to change

the taste of that drink.

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And in fact, the drink is

no longer what you purchase.

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It is totally something different, and

this is what the world does to our souls.

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It's just a little bit of thinking.

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It's just a little bit of swallowing

in what's being perceived.

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It's a little bit of actions that

relate and that are normal by the

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standard of the world and what happens,

it corrupts the inside and sooner or

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later, it c corrupts our whole being.

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And so, yes, you can see it.

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Yes, you can hear it in our

language and how we behave.

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This is why there's a call.

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Do not love the world or anything

in it because yes, it opposes God,

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but it also pollutes our very souls.

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And God wants us to be what?

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Holy like Him.

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So he wants us to refrain.

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He wants us to release the

things that will corrupt that.

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Brothers and sisters,

are you with me here?

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You know, in our thinking, our actions.

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Can become more worldly, but God calls us

to release our grip of love for the world.

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You see, Jesus comes and we might be

bound and we're chained by the world.

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Jesus comes and he offers release,

but sometimes as those chains

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come off, we actually go and grab

them back and hold onto 'em, and

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we say, yes, I've been released.

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But because of our love,

we actually hold onto 'em.

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Therefore, it still has a grip on us.

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There's a call here to

release the grip of the world.

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Let's go to verse 16.

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Brothers and sisters, are

you still with me here?

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For everything in the world, the

lust of the flesh, the lust of the

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eyes, the pride of the life comes not

from the father, but from the world.

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You know, the world's pool is deceiving.

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It's subtle, but it's strong.

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I mean, look what it says here.

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The lust of the flesh.

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That's living for what feels

good, the lust of the eyes,

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living for what looks good.

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It says the pride of life, living

for what makes me look good.

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These things are all

tempting, aren't they?

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And they have a subtle, but yet

a strong pool upon our hearts.

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You know, the world tells us, be free.

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Follow your desires.

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Do what feels right, but that

freedom always comes with chains.

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It reminds me of the classic

Disney story, Pinocchio.

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You guys remember Pinocchio?

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You guys remember Pinocchio?

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Yeah.

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Now remember, Pinocchio starts all

be little cute little doll, right?

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And then what happens is

Pinocchio, what happens?

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He goes over to Pleasure Island.

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You remember that?

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Remember, pleasure island.

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He goes to Pleasure Island and,

and they're there and they're

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thinking, man, this is awesome.

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We get to do whatever we want.

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And they're going crazy and they're

having what they think is the time

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of their lives, and then all of

a sudden, boop, the ears change.

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Boop.

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They get a tail, they

look up and what happened?

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They turn into donkeys.

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And so they thought this world that was so

enticing, that was so great, they didn't

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realize that it actually came at a cost.

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And turned them in to donkeys.

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You know, this is what the

world does to us spiritually.

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The world promises pleasure island every

single day of our lives, but not telling

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us there's a fine print, you will turn

into a spiritual donkey that you will

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be trapped in, enslaved by the things

that we promised would make you free.

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You see, there's an illusion of freedom.

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However, it's actually a trap.

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: 00:18:34

The world sells its

pleasure island every day.

311

: 00:18:37

But again, that kind of

freedom comes at a price.

312

: 00:18:41

And we can fall into

this thinking as well.

313

: 00:18:44

Some of us, we've been, we've come out of

the world and entered into God's kingdom.

314

: 00:18:48

That means under his reign

and rule of our lives.

315

: 00:18:50

But yet we can still hold on

to the thinking of the world.

316

: 00:18:54

You do, you follow your truth,

live your best life, but that

317

: 00:18:59

freedom often leads to bondage.

318

: 00:19:02

Bondage to sin, bondage to

image, a bondage to approval,

319

: 00:19:09

bondage to possessions, and

just a bondage to pleasure.

320

: 00:19:13

And we look up and we're trapped by it,

feeling like there's no way to get out.

321

: 00:19:19

I thought I was promised

freedom, but now I'm actually

322

: 00:19:23

chained for hallelujah to Jesus.

323

: 00:19:27

Serves even better than Jim e Cricket.

324

: 00:19:30

And Jesus leads out of this trap

of sin and the world's traps.

325

: 00:19:34

And so we continue in verse 17, it says,

the world and its desires pass away.

326

: 00:19:40

But whoever does the will

of God lives forever.

327

: 00:19:45

And here we have a reality check in.

328

: 00:19:47

We have a call to freedom.

329

: 00:19:49

The reality check, Hey, the world

and its desires, it's gonna pass.

330

: 00:19:53

There's gonna be a day in which

when Christ comes back, all

331

: 00:19:56

of that is gonna be passed and

there will be a day of judgment.

332

: 00:20:00

And he says, you know what's gonna be

forever is that those who do the will

333

: 00:20:03

of God, but God's will endures forever.

334

: 00:20:06

And so there's a reality check here,

and there's also a call to freedom

335

: 00:20:11

that when we hold on to the things

that are temporary, we are forfeiting

336

: 00:20:16

the things that Jesus offered.

337

: 00:20:19

See, we can hold on to the temporary

while Jesus offers us something eternal.

338

: 00:20:26

Jesus is offering us the eternal,

and so what do we need to do?

339

: 00:20:31

Then?

340

: 00:20:31

We have to let go of the things so

that we can receive the eternal.

341

: 00:20:35

We have to let go and release

the temporary so we can receive

342

: 00:20:39

all that God is wanting to do and

produce and bring it to our lives.

343

: 00:20:44

But we can't receive it if we're

holding on to the world and

344

: 00:20:48

therefore it's grip on our souls.

345

: 00:20:50

Do you get what I'm saying?

346

: 00:20:51

Brothers and sisters, you see, Jesus

is offering us something greater.

347

: 00:20:57

We need to let go of the temporary.

348

: 00:20:59

And here, here's what's was really cool.

349

: 00:21:01

I read this here.

350

: 00:21:02

It says, every no to the world

is a yes to Jesus' freedom.

351

: 00:21:09

Every no to the world, is

a yes to Jesus's freedom.

352

: 00:21:15

Saying no to that.

353

: 00:21:17

I'm gonna say no to that temptation.

354

: 00:21:19

No to that way of thinking,

no to that behavior.

355

: 00:21:23

And that means I'm saying yes

to Christ's ruling in my life.

356

: 00:21:27

Therefore, being free from all of that

and living out who I was created to be.

357

: 00:21:34

You know, the Lord's

favor is about freedom.

358

: 00:21:36

It's not bondage.

359

: 00:21:38

This freedom isn't

about doing what I want.

360

: 00:21:40

It's about being released

to do what I was made for,

361

: 00:21:49

and so how should we respond?

362

: 00:21:52

We understand here that

Jesus brings true freedom,

363

: 00:21:58

but we in order to experience have in

living that freedom on a day-to-day basis.

364

: 00:22:05

We have to do this.

365

: 00:22:06

We have to release our grip of the world.

366

: 00:22:10

We have to release our grip of the world.

367

: 00:22:14

I wanna read two passages here that

most of you're familiar with here,

368

: 00:22:17

but we're gonna read 'em again.

369

: 00:22:18

Therefore Romans chapter 12 verse one.

370

: 00:22:21

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and

sisters, in view of God's mercy.

371

: 00:22:26

To offer your bodies as a living

sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God.

372

: 00:22:31

This is your true and proper worship.

373

: 00:22:34

Do not conform to the pattern of

this world, but be transformed

374

: 00:22:42

by the renewing of your mind.

375

: 00:22:43

Then you'll be able to test and

approve what God's will is his

376

: 00:22:47

good, pleasing, and perfect.

377

: 00:22:49

Will we jump on over to

James chapter one, verse 27.

378

: 00:22:52

Religion that God our father accepts as

pure and faultless as this, to look after

379

: 00:22:57

orphans and widows in their distress

and check this out, and to keep oneself

380

: 00:23:01

from being polluted by the world.

381

: 00:23:06

And so we see this call to not only

stop and refrain from being polluted,

382

: 00:23:12

but we need to make sure we don't

conform to the patterns of the world,

383

: 00:23:17

but we are renewed in the way we think.

384

: 00:23:21

That will change the way we live.

385

: 00:23:24

And so what does that mean for us?

386

: 00:23:25

That means we need to

release worldly thinking.

387

: 00:23:29

We need to release worldly thinking,

you know, news networks, social media,

388

: 00:23:33

worldly music and TV influence our

thinking, our worldview, our convictions,

389

: 00:23:39

and therefore they lead our lives.

390

: 00:23:42

Some of us, and we're gonna be

honest and not, not fake in front.

391

: 00:23:45

Up in here.

392

: 00:23:46

Some of us, our number one teacher and

trainer and old school term, we like to

393

: 00:23:50

use our number one discipler in our lives

is the news network or social media.

394

: 00:23:58

We say Jesus is Lord, but yet Monday

through Friday, who's really teaching

395

: 00:24:03

and training us, it's the media.

396

: 00:24:08

What we're consuming, whether it's TV

or music, or it's the news networks,

397

: 00:24:13

and therefore, what do we do?

398

: 00:24:14

We start sounding just like them

and how do we process things

399

: 00:24:20

as we deal with each other?

400

: 00:24:21

As we look at life, we start sounding

just like the world because we view,

401

: 00:24:28

we view each other in this sense.

402

: 00:24:30

Oh, you know them.

403

: 00:24:31

They're, they're liberal.

404

: 00:24:34

Oh, you, you know, he's crazy.

405

: 00:24:35

He's a conservative.

406

: 00:24:38

You know, they just do that.

407

: 00:24:39

They're on that race thing again.

408

: 00:24:41

Oh, it's all about gender.

409

: 00:24:45

It's about class.

410

: 00:24:47

What are we doing?

411

: 00:24:48

We sound like what?

412

: 00:24:50

The world.

413

: 00:24:52

We're not processing

this in a spiritual way.

414

: 00:24:55

Things that happen in our

lives, we're processing it

415

: 00:24:58

through the lens of the world.

416

: 00:25:01

We need to release that worldly thinking.

417

: 00:25:03

It's polluting the holiness.

418

: 00:25:06

We have, we need to gain or

maybe regain biblical convictions

419

: 00:25:11

about how we live our lives.

420

: 00:25:14

We have a verse that is inspired

and taken in the right context that

421

: 00:25:18

directs the way we live our lives.

422

: 00:25:21

Not just an opinion that I

formed, but it's based on Jesus

423

: 00:25:26

and the standard of God's word.

424

: 00:25:30

That's our guide and our director

and our leader in our lives.

425

: 00:25:36

If we need to release worldly

behavior, you know, that's how we

426

: 00:25:40

treat people, respond to situations,

427

: 00:25:45

you know, doing what's natural

or normal By society's standards,

428

: 00:25:50

that's not our standards.

429

: 00:25:53

We don't do what's natural

or what's normal by society's

430

: 00:25:56

standards as the people of God.

431

: 00:25:59

We have a standard that's different.

432

: 00:26:02

Our standard is different.

433

: 00:26:03

Our standard is higher.

434

: 00:26:06

Our standard is Jesus.

435

: 00:26:10

That's our standard.

436

: 00:26:12

And so the world says, treat

people how they treat you.

437

: 00:26:15

Jesus says, treat people the

way you want to be treated.

438

: 00:26:19

The world says you fight fire with fire.

439

: 00:26:22

Jesus says, no, God's people

overcome evil with good.

440

: 00:26:27

The world says, do whatever

it takes to get on top.

441

: 00:26:30

Jesus says, no, you wanna be great.

442

: 00:26:31

You actually become, least you

become a slave and you serve.

443

: 00:26:36

See Jesus and the world, they

oppose each other in ideologies,

444

: 00:26:41

staking values and lifestyles.

445

: 00:26:43

And so we need to drop.

446

: 00:26:44

We need to release worldly thinking,

but we need to release worldly behavior.

447

: 00:26:48

And so how we treat others, the

male man, our coworker, our moms,

448

: 00:26:53

our dads, whatever it is, we don't

think I'm gonna do what's natural.

449

: 00:26:56

I'm gonna do what's godly.

450

: 00:26:58

I'm gonna do what's holy.

451

: 00:26:59

Even though that might not

feel like that's natural or

452

: 00:27:02

what I wanna do in the moment.

453

: 00:27:07

If you do what's natural,

guess what you're doing?

454

: 00:27:10

Just doing what everybody else

does, and that is the world.

455

: 00:27:17

Our standard isn't the world,

our standard is higher.

456

: 00:27:20

Our standard is different

because our standard is Jesus.

457

: 00:27:26

And so, yes, it's easier said

than done, but it can be.

458

: 00:27:31

You've had a moment in your life

where you've done the holy thing as

459

: 00:27:34

opposed to doing the worldly thing

that just can't be a one-off, that

460

: 00:27:38

needs to become a continual daily life.

461

: 00:27:42

I know I was challenged

this week with this.

462

: 00:27:44

I was in a situation and, uh, let's

just say somebody was talking to

463

: 00:27:50

me and in a worldly way, and man

everything in my body said, boy, this

464

: 00:27:56

dude don't know who he talking to.

465

: 00:27:58

I was like, oh, you wanna go there?

466

: 00:28:00

Oh, I could go there.

467

: 00:28:02

I trust me.

468

: 00:28:03

I can throw them things now.

469

: 00:28:06

Just 'cause the brother's short.

470

: 00:28:07

I can throw them things.

471

: 00:28:08

You know what I'm saying?

472

: 00:28:10

I was like, oh, you wanna hold a grudge?

473

: 00:28:11

I can hold a grudge with the best of them.

474

: 00:28:13

I don't even need to

deny myself to do that.

475

: 00:28:16

Oh, I'm really good at that.

476

: 00:28:17

That comes natural.

477

: 00:28:19

You get what I'm saying?

478

: 00:28:21

And I was so tempted in the moment to

be like, oh, okay, we can go there.

479

: 00:28:24

'cause I've been waiting to go there.

480

: 00:28:28

Something said, no, if you

do that, you'll be worldly.

481

: 00:28:33

You won't be any different.

482

: 00:28:34

Don't get up there and preach.

483

: 00:28:36

Talk about being holy and is this holy.

484

: 00:28:38

Don't do that if that's what you're

gonna do right now, and then afterwards.

485

: 00:28:43

Well, I was tempted to be worldly

and worldly in my thinking.

486

: 00:28:45

Like, you know, you replay

conversations, you do that right.

487

: 00:28:49

I'm not the only one.

488

: 00:28:50

Okay.

489

: 00:28:50

Whew.

490

: 00:28:51

Hallelujah.

491

: 00:28:51

All right.

492

: 00:28:52

You replay it, right?

493

: 00:28:54

And then I'm going, oh, okay.

494

: 00:28:55

I gotta fight that worldliness.

495

: 00:28:57

'cause it wants to come

back and I gotta be what?

496

: 00:29:00

I gotta be holiness and I

can't justify my worldliness.

497

: 00:29:05

Now I need to share it with

God and get other people.

498

: 00:29:08

I, I need to get all that worldliness out

so that God can feel me with the right.

499

: 00:29:11

You get what I'm saying?

500

: 00:29:13

But I can't respond to people

the way I naturally feel like.

501

: 00:29:20

Brothers and sisters, we can never lower

the standard and justify our behavior

502

: 00:29:24

and say, well, that's just natural.

503

: 00:29:27

That's just who I am.

504

: 00:29:29

God is transforming you not to be who

you are, but for you to be like him.

505

: 00:29:35

And Jesus gives us the opportunity,

he's releases us, and all we have

506

: 00:29:39

to do is let go of the worldliness

that's in us and every day pursuing

507

: 00:29:45

righteousness and holiness.

508

: 00:29:47

Instead of pursuing worldliness

again, the world offers an illusion

509

: 00:29:52

of freedom that leads to bondage.

510

: 00:29:55

Jesus brings true freedom,

but freedom begins when we

511

: 00:29:58

release our grip of the world.

512

: 00:30:00

So let's get real practical

right here, brother and sister,

513

: 00:30:03

are you still with me here?

514

: 00:30:04

All right.

515

: 00:30:05

Action steps here for the week here.

516

: 00:30:07

Write this down.

517

: 00:30:07

Take a picture.

518

: 00:30:08

Here you go.

519

: 00:30:09

First up, identify.

520

: 00:30:11

Ask God to show you any worldly

mindset or habit that's holding

521

: 00:30:15

you back from true freedom.

522

: 00:30:18

Pray about it.

523

: 00:30:18

God show me.

524

: 00:30:19

I was even praying about it,

uh, earlier in this week.

525

: 00:30:22

And then even today, I was like,

man, there's still my reaction

526

: 00:30:26

in my family that's worldly.

527

: 00:30:30

And I realized that this morning.

528

: 00:30:31

I said, you know what?

529

: 00:30:32

I react to my kids in a

worldly way too many times.

530

: 00:30:38

It, it's natural the way I

respond, but it's not godly.

531

: 00:30:43

I need to release that and

I need to repent of that.

532

: 00:30:45

I need to take that serious

and I can't accept it.

533

: 00:30:48

Say, well, that's just a whole thing.

534

: 00:30:50

That's just how we are in the family.

535

: 00:30:51

No, there's no excuse, Marcel, identify,

that's worldliness in you and you need

536

: 00:30:58

to submit to the Lordship of Christ.

537

: 00:31:00

So pray about it.

538

: 00:31:01

Pray God, show me what area.

539

: 00:31:04

Maybe it's a mindset or it's a habit

that's holding me back from true freedom.

540

: 00:31:09

And then second share.

541

: 00:31:12

Talk with a trusted friend this week.

542

: 00:31:13

Pray together to release it

and pure pursue holiness.

543

: 00:31:18

And so I was planning already,

but here you go with some of

544

: 00:31:20

my friends in here, and I just

shared it with the whole audience.

545

: 00:31:22

There you go.

546

: 00:31:23

I shared mine with you.

547

: 00:31:24

All right, but go ahead

and share what it is.

548

: 00:31:26

Okay.

549

: 00:31:27

You know what?

550

: 00:31:27

Here's what I was praying.

551

: 00:31:28

Here's what God revealed to me.

552

: 00:31:30

Hey, you know what?

553

: 00:31:30

Can you pray with me about this?

554

: 00:31:32

Can you hold me accountable for this?

555

: 00:31:35

Or if you have any advice or input

that can help me, I really appreciate.

556

: 00:31:39

Over the next few, few weeks, we're

gonna learn to release others.

557

: 00:31:43

We're gonna learn to release ourselves,

but it starts here, releasing the

558

: 00:31:48

world so that Jesus can set you free.

559

: 00:31:52

We're gonna take commun communion

right now, and this is the time

560

: 00:31:55

in which we reflect to remember

Jesus's sacrifice on the cross, the

561

: 00:31:58

emblems representing his body and

his blood that was sacrificed for us.

562

: 00:32:03

And the Lord's favor isn't just

about blessing, it's about freedom.

563

: 00:32:07

Jesus didn't come to

make you behave better.

564

: 00:32:09

He came to set you free.

565

: 00:32:13

Freedom begins when we release our grip

on the world because the hands that

566

: 00:32:17

clinging to the world can't receive the

freedom that Jesus is trying to give.

567

: 00:32:24

We go back to Luke chapter four.

568

: 00:32:26

The spirit of the Lord is on

him because he is anointed me to

569

: 00:32:29

proclaim good news to the poor.

570

: 00:32:31

He has sent me to proclaim freedom for

the prisoners in recovery of sight.

571

: 00:32:35

For the blind to set the oppressed

free to proclaim the year of the

572

: 00:32:39

Lord's favor, the freedom Jesus

proclaims became reality at the cross.

573

: 00:32:45

Let's pray.

574

: 00:32:46

Father, thank you so much for Jesus.

575

: 00:32:48

Thank you for his example.

576

: 00:32:50

Thank you for, uh, all of the

results and fruit that comes from,

577

: 00:32:54

uh, um, from Christ and his life,

his death and his resurrection.

578

: 00:32:59

Thank you for the reality that we get

a chance to experience, not just once.

579

: 00:33:03

Not just at salvation, but daily in our

lives, the freedom that Jesus offers.

580

: 00:33:08

God, I pray that we can, uh, be that

we, we can be listeners, uh, to your

581

: 00:33:13

Holy Spirit, to as you minister to

us, to hear the message you want us

582

: 00:33:17

to hear, to hear what thing could be

holding us back from experiencing true

583

: 00:33:22

freedom, and then to have the courage

and faith to release that to you so

584

: 00:33:27

that we can again, not only commune with

you, but experience your true freedom.

585

: 00:33:32

God, we are so blessed in Christ.

586

: 00:33:34

Thank you for the freedom that we have.

587

: 00:33:36

Thank you for the salvation.

588

: 00:33:38

Thank you for the hope.

589

: 00:33:39

Thank you for the love.

590

: 00:33:40

Thank you for the joy.

591

: 00:33:41

Thank you for the promise of eternal life.

592

: 00:33:43

It's in Jesus' name we pray.

593

: 00:33:45

Amen.

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