Distractions. Temptations. We’ve all got ‘em. But when emotions threaten to lead us astray; how do we keep our focus on what’s most important?
#Religion
#Emotion
#Distraction
#Freedom
#Christianity
#Sin
#Law
#Change
#Flesh
#Fruit of the Spirit
#Andy Stanley
#Galatians 5:13-23
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Show Timecode
Your Move with Andy Stanley | The Beginner's Guide to Predicting Your Future Part 4 | May 15, 2022
- Andy Stanley: Hey, everybody, welcome to "Your Move"
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- where we help people make better decisions
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- and live with fewer regrets.
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- I'm Andy Stanley. I'll be your guide.
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- And as you know, nobody gets lost on purpose,
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- but eventually we all get lost.
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- And nobody gets lost in life on purpose, but a lot of
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- people get lost in life.
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- Are you feeling lost? If so, I'm glad you tuned in.
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- That's what we're talking about right here on "Your Move."
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- ♪♪♪
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- ♪♪♪
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- Andy: So here's something that we all have in common.
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- This isn't like a religious thing or a Christian thing
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- or non-Christian thing, this is just a thing thing,
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- this is just a human thing, and we all have this in common.
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- Our worst decisions--my worst decisions, for sure.
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- Our worst decisions were fueled by something
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- with strong emotional appeal.
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- There's a, you know, a breakthrough thought, right?
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- Duh, right, I mean, your worst decision, my worst decisions,
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- that weekend you wish, you know, that first marriage,
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- that, you know, that purchase, that lease,
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- that whatever it was.
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- The reason you made that decision,
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- the reason I made that decision or that series of decisions,
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- was whatever it was that caused me to decide,
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- it had strong emotional appeal.
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- It was so appealing, you bought it.
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- It was so appealing, you ate it.
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- It was so appealing, you dated it and moved
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- in with it, you know?
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- It was so appealing, you took it.
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- It was so appealing, you smoked it.
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- It was so appealing, I could go on and on and on, right?
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- I mean, the reason you have regrets, the reason we look
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- back on that, "Oh, my gosh, what was I thinking,"
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- there was something on the path that had
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- strong emotional appeal, right?
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- And then something very strange happened.
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- It lost its appeal; and then, for some of you,
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- what began as appealing, over time became a prison.
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- It turned out it was poison to you and now there's a habit you
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- can't break or an addiction that you're struggling with.
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- So I got an idea.
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- We'll keep this short.
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- Let's not do that anymore, okay?
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- Don't you wish it was that easy?
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- But it's a common experience to all of us, right?
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- The things that get our attention, the thing to
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- get us off track, the things that we regret,
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- there's something always emotionally appealing.
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- Before we get to that, a quick review of where we've been.
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- The title of this series actually has a promise built in:
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- the beginner's guide to predicting your own future or
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- predicting your future, which means we believe you can predict
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- your future and the principle that drives this entire
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- conversation, we call it the principle of the path.
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- And the principle of the path says that
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- direction determines our destination.
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- Direction determines the destination.
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- The direction you're on will ultimately
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- determine your destination.
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- You always end up where the path you're on takes you,
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- regardless, we said, of your intention.
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- In fact, the intention thing is such a big deal,
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- we added it to the definition.
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- We said in the second week, the direction,
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- not intention, determines our destination.
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- And oftentimes, there is a big disconnect between what we
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- intend to become, where we intend to end up,
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- and the path that we're on.
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- And the problem is direction trumps
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- intention every single time.
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- Intention does not determine destination.
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- Direction always determines destination.
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- Now, as we wrap up the series, I wanna go back and I wanna talk
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- specifically about things with strong emotional
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- appeal, the power of appeal.
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- And here's why, and again, this is what we have in common.
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- The path or the paths to be avoided--the path to be avoided
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- is always paved with strong emotional appeal.
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- There's no way to avoid this.
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- This is just a reality we all face and we're all challenged
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- with, that the path that is to be avoided, whether it's
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- financial, relational, whatever it might be, is always paved
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- with something with strong emotional appeal: newer,
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- faster, bigger, 25% return.
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- "Honey, it's a guaranteed 25% return," and she's,
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- like, "That's our college money, okay?
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- That's our kid's future, you know.
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- That's what we were saving up for a vacation."
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- "I know, but it's guaranteed and all of--" you know,
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- and suddenly there's conflict, you know.
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- Twenty-five percent return, romance, desire, acceptance,
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- attention, adventure, security, right?
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- I mean, the path--the wrong paths are always paved with
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- one or more of these things; and to be
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- clear, these things aren't bad.
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- In fact, these things are all good.
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- These things aren't bad.
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- These things just aren't enough.
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- These things aren't wrong.
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- These things just aren't enough when it comes to making
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- decisions in life and choosing the pathways that we choose.
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- Because shiny things and appealing things do
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- two things to all of us.
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- They lower our defenses and they raise our defensiveness.
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- These things always lower--it lowers our defenses and it's
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- shiny, new, appealing things lowers our defenses
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- and raises our defensiveness.
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- And friends come along, boyfriends come along,
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- spouses come along, and they say, "Wait, wait, wait.
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- Okay, do you realize where this is headed?
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- Do you realize where this is going?"
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- And we won't listen.
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- In fact, it's like we can't listen.
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- Now, I just wanna talk about this for one second
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- and then we're gonna move on.
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- If you are currently in an ongoing conversation with
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- somebody who has your best interest in mind, and whenever a
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- specific topic comes up you get defensive,
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- you need to pay attention.
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- If when that topic comes up, you become unusually defensive,
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- pay attention to what's going on inside of you, and please do not
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- use their lack of information, their odd attitude,
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- their incorrect approach, as an excuse to miss something that's
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- on your path that they can see that you can't.
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- Because if you are distracted by what's on the path--if you are
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- distracted by what's on the path,
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- you will be distracted from where the path is taking you.
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- And they have an advantage.
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- They are not emotionally involved
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- with him, her, they, or it.
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- If you're distracted by what's on the path, you will be
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- tempted to opt for appealing over satisfying, which isn't
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- satisfying, and we've all lived long enough to know this.
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- Now here's the amazing thing if you're not a Christian,
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- is that the apostle Paul who wrote a lot of the New
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- Testament, actually talked about this 2000 years ago.
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- Now, you know, most of you know, but if
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- you don't, a quick update.
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- The apostle Paul stepped onto the pages of history as someone
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- who hated Christians, who had decided
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- to single-handedly end the church.
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- You may be a person who really doesn't like Christians and you
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- kind of wish he'd been successful,
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- you know, darn it, he was not successful.
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- In fact, not only was he not successful,
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- he actually became a Christian, a spokesman for Christianity,
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- and he planted churches in non-Jewish areas around the
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- Mediterranean rim, and then he would visit these churches,
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- preach to these churches, and then write letters to these
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- churches, and we have several of these letters that make up the
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- documents of the New Testament.
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- And in his letter to 1st century Christians living in Galatia,
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- he talks about this topic.
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- But he talks about it in different terms.
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- He says, "You," he's talking to Christians.
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- Now, if you're not a Christian, that's okay.
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- You get to pick and choose which parts of this you like,
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- dislike, and wanna do or not do, and to let you know,
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- we have, and I have specifically, no
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- right in the world to tell you what to do.
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- I'm just inviting you in on a conversation between Christians.
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- But you're gonna like part of this, so hang on.
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- Here's what Paul said, he said, "To you, my brothers and
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- sisters," talking to believers.
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- "You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free," which
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- is amazing because, you see, if your version of Christianity
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- isn't liberating, you have the wrong version.
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- But we'll talk about that more on another day.
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- He says this, he says, "But do not use this freedom that
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- you have to indulge the flesh," the flesh.
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- Now, I know, it's kind of a Bible word.
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- So it seems kind of ominous.
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- All he's talking about is something that you experience
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- every single day, that your appetites, what you see, what
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- you hear, what you taste, what you touch, and what you see,
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- taste, hear, and touch that elicits desire inside of you,
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- something we all experience, he says, "Don't allow that
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- dynamic--don't feed that dynamic to the
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- point that it gets you in trouble.
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- Don't say yes to every impulse."
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- And here's why, and you know this.
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- If you say yes to every, let's use his term,
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- every fleshly impulse, you will lose your freedom.
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- If you say yes to every temptation that,
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- you know, it lit some desire that's elicited in you because
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- of what you see, hear, taste, or touch,
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- you don't gain freedom, you lose freedom.
- 00:08:39.727 --> 00:08:43.631
- And not only that, and here's the
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- worst part, he's gonna get to this.
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- Not only do you lose your freedom,
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- you infringe on someone else's freedom.
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- Not only do you hurt you, you hurt someone else.
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- And at the epicenter of the New Testament ethic,
- 00:08:56.444 --> 00:08:59.380
- what Christianity is ultimately all about relationally,
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- is how you treat other people.
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- So the apostle Paul says, "Look, you are free,
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- but don't use your freedom to harm you and don't use your
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- freedom to harm anyone else."
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- He says, "Rather," here's the contrast.
- 00:09:13.260 --> 00:09:15.396
- Here's what you're supposed to do with your freedom.
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- "Rather, serve one another humbly," we're gonna come back
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- to that later, "humbly in love."
- 00:09:20.901 --> 00:09:23.471
- That is, leverage your freedom for the sake of others.
- 00:09:23.471 --> 00:09:26.807
- And here's a promise, and
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- some of you have lived long enough to know this.
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- Others of you will figure it out.
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- I just hope you don't figure it out too late.
- 00:09:30.811 --> 00:09:33.014
- That leveraging your freedom for the benefit of other people
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- leads to a very satisfying life.
- 00:09:37.718 --> 00:09:42.657
- And leveraging your freedom to the neglect of other people
- 00:09:42.657 --> 00:09:46.627
- leads to a very dissatisfying life.
- 00:09:46.627 --> 00:09:51.432
- And Christianity is an invitation
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- to freedom and satisfaction.
- 00:09:53.534 --> 00:09:56.504
- Then, moving along, the apostle Paul says this, quoting Jesus.
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- He says, "For," this is an amazing statement.
- 00:09:59.306 --> 00:10:02.009
- "For," or because, "the entire law," and he's
- 00:10:02.009 --> 00:10:05.312
- talking about two things here.
- 00:10:05.312 --> 00:10:06.881
- He's talking about the Jewish law, which was
- 00:10:06.881 --> 00:10:08.582
- 613 different commandments.
- 00:10:08.582 --> 00:10:10.851
- He says, "For the entire law is actually fulfilled in keeping
- 00:10:10.851 --> 00:10:15.222
- this," and I want us to all say this next word out loud together
- 00:10:15.222 --> 00:10:18.092
- because this is remarkable.
- 00:10:18.092 --> 00:10:19.560
- "In keeping this--"
- 00:10:19.560 --> 00:10:22.029
- One more time.
- 00:10:22.029 --> 00:10:23.464
- How many?
- 00:10:23.464 --> 00:10:24.865
- Now, this is remarkable.
- 00:10:24.865 --> 00:10:26.600
- This is why Christianity is liberating.
- 00:10:26.600 --> 00:10:30.271
- He says, "The entire law, any rule you can come up with,
- 00:10:30.271 --> 00:10:34.275
- is actually fulfilled with one rule."
- 00:10:34.275 --> 00:10:39.113
- The one commandment.
- 00:10:39.113 --> 00:10:41.749
- You don't even need a whole tablet.
- 00:10:41.749 --> 00:10:43.084
- You just need, like, a 3 x 5 card.
- 00:10:43.084 --> 00:10:44.952
- The one commandment, right? It's, like, really, yeah.
- 00:10:44.952 --> 00:10:47.755
- It's all fulfilled with this one commandment, and here it is.
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- Drum roll, you've heard it before.
- 00:10:50.357 --> 00:10:52.026
- "Love your neighbor as yourself."
- 00:10:52.026 --> 00:10:54.862
- This is the New Testament ethic.
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- Get this right, you don't need everything else.
- 00:10:58.165 --> 00:11:01.035
- Embrace this as a lifestyle, you really
- 00:11:01.035 --> 00:11:03.037
- don't need everything else.
- 00:11:03.037 --> 00:11:04.705
- And if you get this right and if this becomes the driving ethic
- 00:11:04.705 --> 00:11:07.942
- of your life, you tend to know what to do.
- 00:11:07.942 --> 00:11:10.811
- In other words, if it infringes on their freedom,
- 00:11:10.811 --> 00:11:14.248
- I'm not gonna do it.
- 00:11:14.248 --> 00:11:15.583
- How do you know what sin is? Well, how does it affect them?
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- If it negatively affects them, if it infringes on their
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- freedom, if it sets them up for problems in the future,
- 00:11:19.987 --> 00:11:22.823
- if it undermines their future, their success,
- 00:11:22.823 --> 00:11:24.892
- their future relational success, then absolutely not because I'm
- 00:11:24.892 --> 00:11:29.563
- not gonna use my freedom to infringe on theirs.
- 00:11:29.563 --> 00:11:31.532
- Then Jesus would take it to a whole new level at the end of
- 00:11:31.532 --> 00:11:33.701
- his ministry, when he said, "No, it's even bigger than that.
- 00:11:33.701 --> 00:11:36.370
- You're to love each other the way I have loved you."
- 00:11:36.370 --> 00:11:42.143
- Wow, he keeps going, he says, "So I say," Paul keeps going.
- 00:11:42.143 --> 00:11:45.112
- "So I say, walk by the Spirit," which sounds like,
- 00:11:45.112 --> 00:11:48.816
- you know, you hear strange music in the background that seems so
- 00:11:48.816 --> 00:11:51.485
- intangible and do I look up and,
- 00:11:51.485 --> 00:11:53.521
- you know, is something spooky going on?
- 00:11:53.521 --> 00:11:54.855
- No, this is very simple.
- 00:11:54.855 --> 00:11:56.190
- It means to live or to walk in sync with the internal nudgings
- 00:11:56.190 --> 00:12:00.995
- of your heavenly Father, through his Spirit.
- 00:12:00.995 --> 00:12:03.030
- That God will always nudge you toward others' firstness.
- 00:12:03.030 --> 00:12:06.934
- And the outcome, he says, is this.
- 00:12:06.934 --> 00:12:08.502
- And if you will give in to the internal nudgings of God's
- 00:12:08.502 --> 00:12:12.473
- Spirit in you, "you will not gratify," or say yes to,
- 00:12:12.473 --> 00:12:16.577
- "the desires of the flesh."
- 00:12:16.577 --> 00:12:18.512
- Maybe a better translation for us is you
- 00:12:18.512 --> 00:12:20.481
- will not fulfill selfish desires.
- 00:12:20.481 --> 00:12:23.651
- You will not follow through on selfish desires because you've
- 00:12:23.651 --> 00:12:26.587
- decided to say yes instead to the internal promptings of the
- 00:12:26.587 --> 00:12:29.957
- Holy Spirit that always puts other people's futures first.
- 00:12:29.957 --> 00:12:35.296
- You will be far less susceptible to the emotionally appealing
- 00:12:35.296 --> 00:12:41.202
- things on the paths that criss-cross your path.
- 00:12:41.202 --> 00:12:45.306
- He's not done. He's so good, he's so thorough.
- 00:12:45.306 --> 00:12:47.041
- "For," he says, let me explain it further.
- 00:12:47.041 --> 00:12:48.876
- "For the flesh," we've explained that.
- 00:12:48.876 --> 00:12:50.611
- "For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit."
- 00:12:50.611 --> 00:12:53.614
- Now, again, this is a human thing.
- 00:12:53.614 --> 00:12:55.316
- This is the New Testament version of what you
- 00:12:55.316 --> 00:12:57.718
- experience every single day.
- 00:12:57.718 --> 00:12:59.587
- There is a war within, right?
- 00:12:59.587 --> 00:13:01.355
- There's a conflict within.
- 00:13:01.355 --> 00:13:02.690
- I know what I oughta do, I know what I want to do.
- 00:13:02.690 --> 00:13:06.861
- Now, isn't it interesting that ought to
- 00:13:06.861 --> 00:13:09.063
- and want to are in conflict?
- 00:13:09.063 --> 00:13:11.298
- Isn't it interesting that there is an internal law inside of you
- 00:13:11.298 --> 00:13:16.036
- that conflicts with your bodily and fleshly,
- 00:13:16.036 --> 00:13:18.806
- to use his terms, desires?
- 00:13:18.806 --> 00:13:20.474
- Now, why isn't that--why is that?
- 00:13:20.474 --> 00:13:22.042
- It seems like they would be in sync.
- 00:13:22.042 --> 00:13:23.377
- It seems like I should want to do what I ought to do.
- 00:13:23.377 --> 00:13:27.214
- Now, if you're not a Christian or a religious person or maybe
- 00:13:27.214 --> 00:13:29.316
- from a different religion, I hope you have an
- 00:13:29.316 --> 00:13:32.186
- explanation for that battle within.
- 00:13:32.186 --> 00:13:34.221
- I mean, you experience the battle,
- 00:13:34.221 --> 00:13:36.357
- you should have an explanation.
- 00:13:36.357 --> 00:13:37.758
- The New Testament says there is a law in our hearts written by
- 00:13:37.758 --> 00:13:41.595
- God because you've been made in the image of God,
- 00:13:41.595 --> 00:13:43.530
- and it is in conflict with, oftentimes, with what
- 00:13:43.530 --> 00:13:46.600
- has strong emotional appeal.
- 00:13:46.600 --> 00:13:48.936
- He says they are actually, here's his word: conflict.
- 00:13:48.936 --> 00:13:51.205
- "They are in conflict with each other,
- 00:13:51.205 --> 00:13:54.375
- so that you are not to do whatever you want," or desire.
- 00:13:54.375 --> 00:13:59.346
- You are not to embrace and chase everything that is appealing to
- 00:13:59.346 --> 00:14:03.517
- you, which means, and I hope you know this,
- 00:14:03.517 --> 00:14:07.488
- but let me just state it in terms that we can all kind of
- 00:14:07.488 --> 00:14:10.324
- get our hearts and heads around.
- 00:14:10.324 --> 00:14:12.593
- Strong emotional appeal, even though it is part of the
- 00:14:12.593 --> 00:14:17.164
- goodness of life when in its proper context,
- 00:14:17.164 --> 00:14:20.601
- but strong emotional appeal is actually a
- 00:14:20.601 --> 00:14:23.637
- red flag, not a green light.
- 00:14:23.637 --> 00:14:28.409
- That is when something is emotionally appealing,
- 00:14:28.409 --> 00:14:30.878
- instead of leaning in immediately, we should step
- 00:14:30.878 --> 00:14:33.747
- back immediately and say, "You know what?
- 00:14:33.747 --> 00:14:35.516
- This may be a great thing. She may be the one.
- 00:14:35.516 --> 00:14:37.952
- He may be the one. This may be the job.
- 00:14:37.952 --> 00:14:39.920
- This may be a good investment, but you know what?
- 00:14:39.920 --> 00:14:41.822
- I'm gonna be wise enough to step back.
- 00:14:41.822 --> 00:14:43.791
- It is not necessarily a green light."
- 00:14:43.791 --> 00:14:47.127
- He says, "But," now he's coming back to those
- 00:14:47.127 --> 00:14:48.963
- of us who are Christians, he says, "But if you're led by the
- 00:14:48.963 --> 00:14:51.899
- Spirit," again, this isn't spooky.
- 00:14:51.899 --> 00:14:53.701
- This is just paying attention to that internal nudge.
- 00:14:53.701 --> 00:14:56.570
- He said, "You're to be led by the Spirit, and if you
- 00:14:56.570 --> 00:14:59.573
- do, you're not under the law."
- 00:14:59.573 --> 00:15:00.908
- This is an amazing statement. Why?
- 00:15:00.908 --> 00:15:03.043
- Because the reason you're not under the law is because Jesus
- 00:15:03.043 --> 00:15:05.346
- has given you one command, and when you live by the one
- 00:15:05.346 --> 00:15:07.414
- command, you are no longer accountable to--
- 00:15:07.414 --> 00:15:09.116
- in fact, you don't even need the law.
- 00:15:09.116 --> 00:15:10.451
- You will know instinctively what to do.
- 00:15:10.451 --> 00:15:14.555
- You will know instinctively which path to choose.
- 00:15:14.555 --> 00:15:17.558
- You will know instinctively which path to avoid,
- 00:15:17.558 --> 00:15:22.096
- because Jesus's one command always brings us back to this
- 00:15:22.096 --> 00:15:25.432
- terrifying but clarifying question, and it's this
- 00:15:25.432 --> 00:15:30.938
- question: "What does love require of me?"
- 00:15:30.938 --> 00:15:35.476
- What does love require of me?
- 00:15:35.476 --> 00:15:36.810
- What does other firstness require of me?
- 00:15:36.810 --> 00:15:39.013
- What does selflessness require of me?
- 00:15:39.013 --> 00:15:40.614
- What does "Lay down my life for a friend" require of me?
- 00:15:40.614 --> 00:15:43.283
- What does love require of me?
- 00:15:43.283 --> 00:15:45.953
- Well, if it's not good for him, it's a sin.
- 00:15:45.953 --> 00:15:48.722
- If it's not good for her, defer.
- 00:15:48.722 --> 00:15:51.158
- If it's not good for us, why would I do it?
- 00:15:51.158 --> 00:15:53.927
- If I have to hide it, if I hope they never find out,
- 00:15:53.927 --> 00:15:57.998
- what does love require of me?
- 00:15:57.998 --> 00:16:02.202
- It's appealing, but does this run the risk
- 00:16:02.202 --> 00:16:05.305
- of undermining our relationship?
- 00:16:05.305 --> 00:16:07.107
- Then he goes on, as if he hasn't said enough.
- 00:16:07.107 --> 00:16:08.609
- He says, "Let me be clear," and then, basically, he's about
- 00:16:08.609 --> 00:16:11.145
- to tell us, "I'm gonna tell you something you don't need to
- 00:16:11.145 --> 00:16:12.746
- know because you already know it," but he tells us anyway.
- 00:16:12.746 --> 00:16:14.515
- He says, "The acts of the flesh are obvious."
- 00:16:14.515 --> 00:16:18.852
- Selfishness is obvious.
- 00:16:18.852 --> 00:16:20.187
- Nobody needs to give you a list of what it looks
- 00:16:20.187 --> 00:16:23.257
- like to be self-centered, right?
- 00:16:23.257 --> 00:16:25.192
- Nobody needs to give you a list of all the things that distract
- 00:16:25.192 --> 00:16:27.694
- you from the things you should do, right?
- 00:16:27.694 --> 00:16:30.264
- In fact, if we--he gives us the list anyway.
- 00:16:30.264 --> 00:16:33.133
- I guess he just thought, in case we didn't know.
- 00:16:33.133 --> 00:16:34.868
- And here's the interesting thing about his list.
- 00:16:34.868 --> 00:16:36.403
- We're not gonna look at it, by the way.
- 00:16:36.403 --> 00:16:37.971
- But I'm gonna show you three things on his list.
- 00:16:37.971 --> 00:16:40.307
- And this is gonna be a little tough for some
- 00:16:40.307 --> 00:16:41.775
- of you but, you know what?
- 00:16:41.775 --> 00:16:43.710
- Only the people who love you tell you hard things, right?
- 00:16:43.710 --> 00:16:46.480
- Besides, I get to get in the car and go home.
- 00:16:46.480 --> 00:16:48.582
- Anyway, so, this is a life-changing
- 00:16:48.582 --> 00:16:51.485
- message for somebody today, maybe some somebodies,
- 00:16:51.485 --> 00:16:54.721
- because somebody has already tried to point out what I'm
- 00:16:54.721 --> 00:16:58.425
- about to point out, and you have just had such tunnel vision and
- 00:16:58.425 --> 00:17:01.995
- you have just given in to just what--hearing what you wanna
- 00:17:01.995 --> 00:17:05.299
- hear and seeing what you wanna see.
- 00:17:05.299 --> 00:17:07.167
- So the apostle Paul says, "Let me--in case you've missed it,
- 00:17:07.167 --> 00:17:09.937
- let me tell you what following the flesh looks like as opposed
- 00:17:09.937 --> 00:17:13.807
- to saying yes to God's Spirit in you."
- 00:17:13.807 --> 00:17:16.844
- And he gives us this list, I just wanna show
- 00:17:16.844 --> 00:17:18.178
- you--give you three off the list.
- 00:17:18.178 --> 00:17:20.047
- Here's three: sexual immorality, selfish ambition, and envy.
- 00:17:20.047 --> 00:17:26.520
- Now, if you're not a Christian, maybe one of the reasons
- 00:17:26.520 --> 00:17:29.490
- you left the church or left Christianity
- 00:17:29.490 --> 00:17:30.824
- was this right here.
- 00:17:30.824 --> 00:17:32.292
- It's, like, "Andy, that's the problem.
- 00:17:32.292 --> 00:17:33.660
- Christians are always trying to climb up in everybody's bedroom
- 00:17:33.660 --> 00:17:37.064
- and tell them how to conduct themselves sexually
- 00:17:37.064 --> 00:17:39.366
- and it's none of your business."
- 00:17:39.366 --> 00:17:40.701
- I have some great news for you.
- 00:17:40.701 --> 00:17:42.069
- The apostle Paul who gave us this literature,
- 00:17:42.069 --> 00:17:44.304
- he asked this question: "What business is it of mine," talking
- 00:17:44.304 --> 00:17:47.274
- about himself as a Christian in the church.
- 00:17:47.274 --> 00:17:49.510
- "What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church?"
- 00:17:49.510 --> 00:17:54.615
- To which you would say, "It's none of
- 00:17:54.615 --> 00:17:56.383
- your," fill in the blank, "business."
- 00:17:56.383 --> 00:17:58.819
- And the apostle Paul would say, "You are exactly right,
- 00:17:58.819 --> 00:18:02.756
- it is none of our business to tell you how to conduct your
- 00:18:02.756 --> 00:18:06.960
- sexual life or your morality.
- 00:18:06.960 --> 00:18:08.662
- It's none of our business."
- 00:18:08.662 --> 00:18:10.631
- Paul would agree with that.
- 00:18:10.631 --> 00:18:12.266
- So when Paul talks about sexual immorality, he's not
- 00:18:12.266 --> 00:18:15.068
- trying to tell everybody in the world what to do.
- 00:18:15.068 --> 00:18:17.104
- He's trying to answer the question,
- 00:18:17.104 --> 00:18:18.472
- "What does it look like for a Jesus follower?
- 00:18:18.472 --> 00:18:21.408
- What does it look like for someone who's decided,
- 00:18:21.408 --> 00:18:23.577
- 'I'm going to embrace others' firstness'?
- 00:18:23.577 --> 00:18:26.246
- What does it look like for a man or a woman to decide,
- 00:18:26.246 --> 00:18:28.415
- 'you know what, I don't want to do anything that undermines
- 00:18:28.415 --> 00:18:31.318
- my freedom and I don't wanna do anything that
- 00:18:31.318 --> 00:18:33.720
- undermines your freedom.'"
- 00:18:33.720 --> 00:18:35.222
- That is the essence of the New Testament sexual ethic.
- 00:18:35.222 --> 00:18:40.761
- And so, of course, he's gonna talk about sex.
- 00:18:40.761 --> 00:18:43.564
- C'mon, let's face it.
- 00:18:43.564 --> 00:18:45.199
- When someone comes to see a counselor privately,
- 00:18:45.199 --> 00:18:47.834
- and they sit down with a look of remorse and regret and shame on
- 00:18:47.834 --> 00:18:52.339
- their face, and they whisper, they can barely say it out loud,
- 00:18:52.339 --> 00:18:55.609
- "Pastor or Counselor or, you know, Father, I wanna
- 00:18:55.609 --> 00:19:00.681
- tell you something I've never told anyone."
- 00:19:00.681 --> 00:19:04.017
- It is rarely about a parking violation.
- 00:19:04.017 --> 00:19:10.657
- No, 90-something-percent of the time, it's something sexual.
- 00:19:10.657 --> 00:19:17.030
- Because Paul knew what you know, what I know,
- 00:19:17.030 --> 00:19:19.433
- what we know, that when it comes to our sexuality,
- 00:19:19.433 --> 00:19:22.636
- when it comes to expressions of sexuality,
- 00:19:22.636 --> 00:19:24.538
- nothing has the potential to undermine your future and other
- 00:19:24.538 --> 00:19:26.840
- people's future, nothing has the potential to complicate
- 00:19:26.840 --> 00:19:29.109
- your life and complicate other people's
- 00:19:29.109 --> 00:19:30.744
- life like sexual activity.
- 00:19:30.744 --> 00:19:33.780
- So the apostle Paul says, "C'mon, just about every
- 00:19:33.780 --> 00:19:36.049
- day of your life, there is going to be a path with
- 00:19:36.049 --> 00:19:39.353
- strong emotional, sexual appeal.
- 00:19:39.353 --> 00:19:42.422
- I mean, it's just a part of life."
- 00:19:42.422 --> 00:19:45.025
- But what's appealing is distracting,
- 00:19:45.025 --> 00:19:48.228
- and so it's not a green light.
- 00:19:48.228 --> 00:19:50.964
- It's a red flag.
- 00:19:50.964 --> 00:19:52.899
- And it's a red flag that most of us have lived long enough to
- 00:19:52.899 --> 00:19:55.469
- know we wish we had paid attention to earlier, so
- 00:19:55.469 --> 00:19:59.106
- of course, God mentions it.
- 00:19:59.106 --> 00:20:00.841
- He loves you.
- 00:20:00.841 --> 00:20:03.176
- And it's very--have you noticed this?
- 00:20:03.176 --> 00:20:04.945
- It is very emotionally appealing.
- 00:20:04.945 --> 00:20:08.782
- You should say, "Amen" to that.
- 00:20:08.782 --> 00:20:10.284
- Okay, so selfish ambition, the same thing.
- 00:20:10.284 --> 00:20:13.854
- I'm gonna get ahead, I know it's not legal,
- 00:20:13.854 --> 00:20:15.255
- I hope my boss doesn't find out, I hope the president of the
- 00:20:15.255 --> 00:20:16.990
- company doesn't find out, hope my wife doesn't
- 00:20:16.990 --> 00:20:18.759
- find out, hope my husband doesn't find out,
- 00:20:18.759 --> 00:20:20.093
- hope my parents don't find out, you know?
- 00:20:20.093 --> 00:20:22.562
- Of course it's appealing. Envy, I want what they have.
- 00:20:22.562 --> 00:20:25.532
- I'm gonna do whatever it takes to get and I'll be appealing and
- 00:20:25.532 --> 00:20:27.834
- it's so appealing to me 'cause then they'll look at me and
- 00:20:27.834 --> 00:20:29.503
- they'll have respect for me and they'll wanna be like me.
- 00:20:29.503 --> 00:20:31.705
- I mean, envy.
- 00:20:31.705 --> 00:20:33.073
- Envy is trying to catch up with somebody that doesn't even know
- 00:20:33.073 --> 00:20:35.142
- you're trying to catch up with 'em.
- 00:20:35.142 --> 00:20:36.910
- That's what's so crazy about envy.
- 00:20:36.910 --> 00:20:38.245
- I made it. They didn't even notice.
- 00:20:38.245 --> 00:20:40.013
- Then, he says, "I gotta be honest.
- 00:20:40.013 --> 00:20:43.150
- I warn you," because now, remember, he's been to Galatia.
- 00:20:43.150 --> 00:20:45.319
- They've heard him say all this.
- 00:20:45.319 --> 00:20:46.653
- This is a letter just reminding them, so
- 00:20:46.653 --> 00:20:48.188
- there's so much more detail.
- 00:20:48.188 --> 00:20:49.523
- He said, "I warn you," this is in the letter,
- 00:20:49.523 --> 00:20:51.591
- "I warn you, as I did before," not the first time you've heard
- 00:20:51.591 --> 00:20:54.928
- this, "that those who live like this," that those who make it a
- 00:20:54.928 --> 00:20:58.598
- lifestyle of chasing what's appealing to the neglect of how
- 00:20:58.598 --> 00:21:01.368
- it affects other people, the person that chases what's
- 00:21:01.368 --> 00:21:04.338
- appealing to the neglect of how it undermines their own future,
- 00:21:04.338 --> 00:21:07.407
- their own conscience, their own mind,
- 00:21:07.407 --> 00:21:08.842
- their own heart, their own future.
- 00:21:08.842 --> 00:21:10.844
- For the person, he says, who consistently neglects and
- 00:21:10.844 --> 00:21:13.780
- ignores God's prompting within, to that person who lives like
- 00:21:13.780 --> 00:21:18.652
- that, "they will not inherit the kingdom of God."
- 00:21:18.652 --> 00:21:25.492
- There is loss.
- 00:21:25.492 --> 00:21:28.095
- There's not simply consequence of sin.
- 00:21:28.095 --> 00:21:31.198
- There's loss.
- 00:21:31.198 --> 00:21:33.166
- There's--you'll never experience the kingdom of God in this life.
- 00:21:33.166 --> 00:21:36.536
- He's gonna explain what that looks like in just
- 00:21:36.536 --> 00:21:37.871
- a minute so hang on.
- 00:21:37.871 --> 00:21:39.573
- If you never sense anything in your conscience,
- 00:21:39.573 --> 00:21:44.578
- when you do something that benefits you short-term and
- 00:21:44.578 --> 00:21:46.980
- hurts somebody long-term, if you're able to just chase all
- 00:21:46.980 --> 00:21:51.418
- the emotionally appealing, shiny things and it's never a matter
- 00:21:51.418 --> 00:21:54.121
- of conscience, it doesn't even bother you, if you never sense
- 00:21:54.121 --> 00:21:58.859
- the divide between perhaps what God wants for you and
- 00:21:58.859 --> 00:22:02.529
- what you know you ought to do, you should wonder.
- 00:22:02.529 --> 00:22:06.099
- You should be a little worried.
- 00:22:06.099 --> 00:22:08.802
- You should look up.
- 00:22:08.802 --> 00:22:10.771
- You should, to use a Bible word, repent.
- 00:22:10.771 --> 00:22:13.707
- Or use my word, which is longer.
- 00:22:13.707 --> 00:22:16.309
- You should begin living in a different direction.
- 00:22:16.309 --> 00:22:22.015
- The direction of yes to God's promptings within.
- 00:22:22.015 --> 00:22:28.021
- Living in a direction of yes to when God nudges
- 00:22:28.021 --> 00:22:30.757
- you in a different direction.
- 00:22:30.757 --> 00:22:33.126
- It's time to opt for satisfying over appealing,
- 00:22:33.126 --> 00:22:38.131
- which is far more satisfying.
- 00:22:38.131 --> 00:22:42.436
- "How satisfying?" you say?
- 00:22:42.436 --> 00:22:44.104
- Paul says, "Let me tell you what it looks like.
- 00:22:44.104 --> 00:22:46.540
- And if you're not a Christian, this is the invitation.
- 00:22:46.540 --> 00:22:48.775
- This is the promise, this is the liberty.
- 00:22:48.775 --> 00:22:50.710
- This is the part maybe they didn't tell you about,
- 00:22:50.710 --> 00:22:52.612
- growing up in the church you grew up in.
- 00:22:52.612 --> 00:22:54.581
- But the fruit of the Spirit, in other words,
- 00:22:54.581 --> 00:22:56.516
- the outcome, the outcome of saying yes to God,
- 00:22:56.516 --> 00:22:59.920
- the outcome of saying yes to that internal nudge,
- 00:22:59.920 --> 00:23:03.723
- is exactly what you are after in this life.
- 00:23:03.723 --> 00:23:10.464
- It's love, it's joy, it's peace, it's patience,
- 00:23:10.464 --> 00:23:16.102
- it's kindness, it's goodness, it's faithfulness,
- 00:23:16.102 --> 00:23:19.005
- it's gentleness, and it's self-control.
- 00:23:19.005 --> 00:23:21.074
- Single people, it's who you want to marry.
- 00:23:21.074 --> 00:23:27.347
- It's who you should become.
- 00:23:27.347 --> 00:23:30.650
- It's what God has invited you into.
- 00:23:30.650 --> 00:23:35.856
- And then, here it is, my--one of my
- 00:23:35.856 --> 00:23:38.158
- favorite verses in the New Testament.
- 00:23:38.158 --> 00:23:39.493
- It's not even a whole verse, it's just a phrase, okay?
- 00:23:39.493 --> 00:23:41.328
- Don't judge me.
- 00:23:41.328 --> 00:23:43.430
- "Against such things there is no law."
- 00:23:43.430 --> 00:23:49.569
- See, I knew it. It's, like, "That's it?"
- 00:23:49.569 --> 00:23:53.607
- Let me tell you why this is so brilliant and so inspired.
- 00:23:53.607 --> 00:23:56.643
- Listen to what he's saying, okay?
- 00:23:56.643 --> 00:23:58.211
- He's saying, "Against the--against immorality,
- 00:23:58.211 --> 00:24:00.780
- against envy, against jealousy, against lust,
- 00:24:00.780 --> 00:24:03.049
- against all those things, you have to set up laws,
- 00:24:03.049 --> 00:24:05.185
- you have to set up restrictions or you will self-destruct.
- 00:24:05.185 --> 00:24:07.454
- You'll become addicted to all the wrong things.
- 00:24:07.454 --> 00:24:09.289
- You have to have all these rules, all these laws."
- 00:24:09.289 --> 00:24:11.992
- He says, "When you embrace the one command,
- 00:24:11.992 --> 00:24:14.828
- when you embrace others first, when you embrace 'love people
- 00:24:14.828 --> 00:24:18.064
- like God, through Christ, loved you,'" he says,
- 00:24:18.064 --> 00:24:20.767
- "the result is this, and there are no laws against this."
- 00:24:20.767 --> 00:24:24.337
- In other words, let me illustrate.
- 00:24:24.337 --> 00:24:25.739
- Hey, that's--you have too much peace.
- 00:24:25.739 --> 00:24:27.974
- Let's tone down the peace.
- 00:24:27.974 --> 00:24:30.710
- Hey, hey, hey, hey, quit being so patient.
- 00:24:30.710 --> 00:24:32.379
- You know, the problem with my wife is she's so ridiculously
- 00:24:32.379 --> 00:24:34.714
- patient, she needs counseling.
- 00:24:34.714 --> 00:24:37.851
- Hey, hey, hey, not so--hey, the kindness.
- 00:24:37.851 --> 00:24:39.920
- Kids, kids, knock it off in the
- 00:24:39.920 --> 00:24:41.621
- back seat, you're being too kind.
- 00:24:41.621 --> 00:24:42.956
- You have overdone the kindness. You're too good.
- 00:24:42.956 --> 00:24:46.059
- And you know what the problem with my husband?
- 00:24:46.059 --> 00:24:47.694
- He's just so faithful. I trust him all the time.
- 00:24:47.694 --> 00:24:49.963
- I mean, he's so faithful, I mean, somebody pray for us.
- 00:24:49.963 --> 00:24:55.335
- Paul says, "I'm telling you, this is the freedom
- 00:24:55.335 --> 00:24:57.804
- you've been invited into.
- 00:24:57.804 --> 00:24:59.773
- You don't need any laws.
- 00:24:59.773 --> 00:25:01.608
- You don't need any rules.
- 00:25:01.608 --> 00:25:03.910
- It's powerful.
- 00:25:03.910 --> 00:25:05.946
- It's a life of one rule: no regret.
- 00:25:05.946 --> 00:25:12.185
- It's a life of one rule where you don't create regret.
- 00:25:12.185 --> 00:25:16.089
- It's a life of one rule where you
- 00:25:16.089 --> 00:25:17.857
- don't become somebody's regret.
- 00:25:17.857 --> 00:25:23.496
- Why?
- 00:25:23.496 --> 00:25:24.831
- Why wouldn't everybody be a Christian?
- 00:25:24.831 --> 00:25:28.234
- Why would you resist that?
- 00:25:28.234 --> 00:25:31.171
- You say, "Well, Andy, I've never heard it explained that way."
- 00:25:31.171 --> 00:25:32.772
- I'm so sorry, that's people like me's fault, right?
- 00:25:32.772 --> 00:25:37.143
- The best way to predict where you're gonna end up,
- 00:25:37.143 --> 00:25:41.348
- the best way to predict your future,
- 00:25:41.348 --> 00:25:43.917
- is to pay attention to where you're headed, right?
- 00:25:43.917 --> 00:25:50.757
- So let me ask this awful question.
- 00:25:50.757 --> 00:25:53.226
- And remember, only people who love you
- 00:25:53.226 --> 00:25:54.561
- ask questions like this.
- 00:25:54.561 --> 00:25:56.830
- And if this brings to mind a conversation you've been having
- 00:25:56.830 --> 00:25:59.599
- with somebody else, please, you know, just stay with it.
- 00:25:59.599 --> 00:26:05.005
- Have you become so enamored, have you become so
- 00:26:05.005 --> 00:26:11.111
- enamored with something or someone on your path
- 00:26:11.111 --> 00:26:15.582
- that you have failed to recognize where the path
- 00:26:15.582 --> 00:26:17.784
- you're on is taking you?
- 00:26:17.784 --> 00:26:19.786
- Have you lowered your defenses and have
- 00:26:19.786 --> 00:26:23.657
- you elevated your defensiveness?
- 00:26:23.657 --> 00:26:28.828
- And are you willing to change course?
- 00:26:28.828 --> 00:26:32.265
- Are you willing to change paths?
- 00:26:32.265 --> 00:26:34.534
- Are you willing to begin living in a different direction?
- 00:26:34.534 --> 00:26:40.407
- Now, this has been kind of a negative sermon,
- 00:26:40.407 --> 00:26:41.741
- and people say, "Well, is there a way back?"
- 00:26:41.741 --> 00:26:43.076
- Yes, there's a way back. It's the principle of the path.
- 00:26:43.076 --> 00:26:45.145
- It's a principle. It works for you or against you.
- 00:26:45.145 --> 00:26:47.714
- The principle of the path is a principle.
- 00:26:47.714 --> 00:26:50.050
- Direction, not intention, determines your destination.
- 00:26:50.050 --> 00:26:53.253
- This is why if you change your direction, things change.
- 00:26:53.253 --> 00:27:00.493
- But the choice, you know this, choice is yours.
- 00:27:00.493 --> 00:27:03.263
- And I hope, and we hope, your heavenly Father hopes,
- 00:27:03.263 --> 00:27:09.536
- that you will opt for satisfying over appealing.
- 00:27:09.536 --> 00:27:15.942
- We hope, your heavenly Father hopes,
- 00:27:15.942 --> 00:27:17.944
- that you'll begin, as a habit of life, giving in to that internal
- 00:27:17.944 --> 00:27:21.981
- nudge of the God who loves you.
- 00:27:21.981 --> 00:27:24.951
- And we hope, and your heavenly Father hopes, that you'll
- 00:27:24.951 --> 00:27:29.355
- embrace a life of following Jesus.
- 00:27:29.355 --> 00:27:34.294
- He will take you exactly where you
- 00:27:34.294 --> 00:27:37.397
- ultimately want to be anyway.
- 00:27:37.397 --> 00:27:41.101
- Andy: Well, that's it for this episode.
- 00:27:42.068 --> 00:27:43.403
- As always, thank you so much for staying up late
- 00:27:43.403 --> 00:27:45.305
- or maybe getting up early.
- 00:27:45.305 --> 00:27:46.639
- If you'd like to watch today's episode again or share it with a
- 00:27:46.639 --> 00:27:50.009
- friend, head on over to our "Your Move" YouTube channel,
- 00:27:50.009 --> 00:27:53.279
- where you'll find all the latest "Your Move" content for free,
- 00:27:53.279 --> 00:27:56.850
- and it's all designed to help you make better decisions
- 00:27:56.850 --> 00:27:59.419
- and live with fewer regrets.
- 00:27:59.419 --> 00:28:01.387
- Thanks so much for watching.
- 00:28:01.387 --> 00:28:02.722
- We will see you right back here next time on "Your Move."
- 00:28:02.722 --> 00:28:05.792
- ♪♪♪
- 00:28:05.792 --> 00:28:22.742
- ...
- 00:28:25.979 --> 00:28:30.000
