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Romans 9-10, Winning your thoughts and mind in Christ · Goodlife Church Formation Podcast

• Bex: Is it? Jack: Well, welcome back to another episode of the good y Yes it is Bex. ⁓ I'm glad you asked. ⁓ Dave Connett: Ha ha ha It is. It's another episode of the Good Life Formation podcast, Rebecca. I'm Dave. I'll be your host today. Jack, where the in the world are you? Jack: It is. ⁓ yes, I well actually before I answer that, Dave, ⁓ I don't know about your end, but for listeners, when we start a podcast, there's very clearly on my screen a countdown from five, four, three, two, one. I'm sure you saw that. What does that countdown mean to you, Dave? Dave Connett: I s I saw that, Jack. To to it's like be quiet. It's about to start. Jack: Okay. Thank you. Bex: I do not appreciate the mockery. Jack: Okay. ⁓ well, here we are nevertheless. ⁓ welcome, Dave. Where in the world are you? Dave Connett: I'm I'm in my parents' retreat in my house ⁓ in Cameron Park. Jack: Okay, good. And Bex, you're st still in the New York loft? Bex: Yeah. I quite like my new ⁓ my new office in the New York Loft. If only that was my actual office, right? No, I'm in I actually I I am in my actual office. Jack: So so Bex, we've we've we've we've had some feedback on your you Yeah, you're in your office. That's okay. We've now we've had some feedback on your New York loft and ⁓ Yeah, the people have questions. Dave Connett: ⁓ please, I want to hear all of it. Bex: Okay. What are the questions? Dave Connett: The the people. Jack: Well the question the questions are centering around your choice of ornamental ⁓ displays. Over your what appears to be your right shoulder, there's a little Buddha. And so how do you feel about having a Buddha on your bookshelf? Dave Connett: ⁓ wow. Bex: ⁓ there is I thought okay, I thought everyone was gonna talk about the artwork on the wall and so I didn't even know the okay Jack: Yeah, no. No. See this is my role to to ⁓ to to bring some spiritual oversight and ⁓ and make sure we're not letting Dave Connett: You're very sharp, Jack. Thank you for thank you for picking that up. It's ⁓ it's there's definitely some worship of the Lord plus also some high places that need to be torn down. Bex: No. Mm. ⁓ Jack: Right. It's not my honor, but it is my duty. ⁓ yeah. ⁓ thank you, Bex. That looks much better. ⁓ okay. Well, let's get down to business. ⁓ we are into Dave Connett: Let's do it. Down, down to business. Let's do it. Bex: Sorry, I'm hang no, hang on, because not everyone is seeing this on YouTube. So some people who are listening actually think there is a Buddha in my office. Can we just state for the record I do not have a Buddha in my office? It's one of those online fake background things and I didn't know that yes, I will never use this background again for everyone who's now worried about me. Now you make a difference. Jack: Do you think by having a fake Buddha in the background it it lets some sort of spirit like can you can you catch evil spirits like you can catch the cold or covert for that matter? Dave Connett: Yeah, because they're under every chair, Jack. Every demon under every chair. If you sit on the chair in the office with the Buddha, then you got you got problems. This is what the people the people want to know. Jack: This is what people want to know. This is what the people want to know. Bex: Maybe that's why I'm always having maybe that's why I'm always having internet issues. ⁓ but no you can't. Jack: Right, you ca okay. Well no, all right, so we can't catch bad spirits. Bex: Not a not not fake ones anyway. Don't quote me on that. That's a whole other thing. We're not going there now. Jack: I think that's pretty but Dave Connett: Meant to we're meant to be delving into Romans, Jack, like Romans chapter nine, and we're talking about Rebecca Connet's Buddha in her office. Jack: Okay. ⁓ I couldn't let that pass. Okay, Romans nine Romans nine, ten. We are up to week something of this ⁓ this series going chap week week seven, chapter by chapter through Romans, and we've been going chapter by chapter, and then all of a sudden some preacher gets like three chapters to cover in one week. How did that happen, Dave? Dave Connett: ⁓ ha ha Seven. Well, because we had nine weeks to cover the entirety of Romans and there are certain chapters that are crucial to delve through a lot slower. ⁓ even the first one, we only got through half of chapter one. I know exactly. So then then there's certain times where you've got to give the broad brush strokes and certain times you've got to do the focus points. If over the entirety of Romans you're gonna do it in Jack: That was me. Dave Connett: Nine weeks, and we decided with the flow of what's happening with church and how we're serving the people and building disciples that that was the largest time frame we could give to that in the plan. And so you got to do the lead up to six, seven, and eight. ⁓ Romans 12 will be in the coming week, but you got to get from eight to twelve in one week. So it's nine, ten, eleven, and so what's the main theme in nine, ten, eleven? ⁓ means that we're not delving into specific topics in there because you've got to give the broad brush strokes to get to chapter twelve with the right theme and the right understanding for the people. Jack: Right. And I guess that's the reality, right? When you look at a passage chapter or a group of chapters, there's I guess the skilled preacher could find half a dozen, ten, twelve different sermons in there, right? So so how would one choose? D did we give direction to our preacher? You know, it was it was Jace Ward who preached one of the laity, ⁓ not a staff member. You know, do you give direction? ⁓ unbelievable message. We'll get to the specifics, but Dave, do you kind of direct Bex: Phenomenal message can we just say, by the way. Jack: Focus on what specifically to preach, 'cause he he could have preached about the Jews, you know, there's there's stuff in there about you know, this all salvation for Israel, et cetera. So did you give direction on that? Or how much do we let the Holy Spirit guide revelation? Dave Connett: So in this case, look, we we depending on the theme, we do it differently, Jack. But if you're doing expository through the Bible and you're doing either verse by verse or chapter by chapter, someone's got to know if they're preaching in week seven what is happening in all of the weeks beforehand and what they're up to and what's being covered. And so to make sure that we got all the right themes so that people can have the right whole understanding of Romans, Therefore, I gave every preacher at least three kind of cliff notes to hang everything on. And so Jace got the whole thought of God is trustworthy, his ways are higher. you can trust your life in his hands. So that they're essentially the three key things that we would we were talking about. ⁓ and so the way that he unpacked that was picking up a few of the verses, bit of the history. ⁓ it linked it to a psalm just wonderfully. When he was explaining it to me a couple of weeks before, I was like, that is perfect, Jace. It's absolutely perfect. And so I think he got the heart of it but didn't delve into line by line. But that's impossible to do three chapters that way. ⁓ so I I think he nailed the brief really, really well. Jack: Yeah, I mean it it it was phenomenal. ⁓ yeah, I spoke to him later or you know after that message this week and it just just perfect a beautiful, glorious testimony of of God's healing and restoration and victory and ⁓ yeah, maybe to know a couple of the the notes behind the scene was was phenomenal. Bex Bex: Yeah, it was Psalm seventy seven. I won't read it all because it's twenty verses, but Jack: Did you want to maybe unpack the the psalm or the the bits and pieces that he pulled from that psalm, kind of the the first line and the second line that he got to, for the listeners who maybe haven't heard it all? Bex: He he just did this incredible descrip he was talking about our thoughts, right? And so we keep thinking these things. And ⁓ it Psalm 77 is he's actually the psalmist is is not doing well. He's he's in distress, right? And not he cannot be comforted and all those kinds of thoughts and he's just struggling, even questions like will the Lord reject forever? Like, is this it? Am I out of favor? Like, like all those. Crazy thoughts that just gr go round and round in our head and can actually be almost tormenting thoughts. And then there's this beautiful moment that to which Jace called the hinge, the hinge point. And it was just such a great way to describe it. Because in verse 10 he says, Then I thought, To this I will appeal, the years when the Most High stretched out his right hand. I will remember the deeds of the Lord. I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will consider all your works. And it's kind of like that moment where. Suddenly he goes, hang on a second. God is faithful. He is trustworthy. I've got proof in my own life. And right now it might be really bad. And right now my br my my mind and my emotions might just be screaming at me. But I'm actually gonna remember who God is and how faithful he's been and how faithful he has been is how faithful he's gonna be. And I I th I mean, I said it already, but Jay's just unpacked that so brilliantly as a key for our own emotions and our own struggles, our own thoughts, you know, our own mental health battles, that this might be what you're thinking, but then, you know, hinge, that hinge point. And ⁓ he talked in that about, you know, there's the 80% of all the things you can do, you know, ⁓ all the good things you can do in your life and shift around with work or sunshine or vitamins or eating health, you know, and exercise, all those things you can do. And then there's that 20% and that 20% is your thoughts, what's going on in there. You can do everything else, but if you don't deal with your thoughts, the rest of it actually accounts for nothing. That's the thing that's going to get you across the line and and and it was just such a strong message. And and like you say, it was a journey that we've all kind of walked along alongside with Jason and sort of I guess a little bit behind the scenes and for him to be so raw and and ⁓ transparent with that journey and and the the faithfulness of God and victory on the other side. It was it was one of those messages where you're crying and cheering at the same time. I I just yeah so powerful. Dave Connett: Yeah. Look, I I found my eyes ⁓ watering at several times. Part of it is the simple thought that when when Jace did hit the rocks, that was I mean he's a he's a he's a mate and a good mate. ⁓ but also on our team and staff when that happened and to to see his recovery in full flight and to be able to say this is the testimony is remarkable. ⁓ what what a what a What a stellar man, what a fantastic man of God he is, what a great husband and a great dad. ⁓ pity he goes for the paramount of eels, though. That's a r that's a real bad mark on a man's ⁓ character. But the thought that we he's talking about, I thought, and then I thought, is the change, ⁓ that mind that mindset shift that comes out of Romans eight, but then applying it to God's faithfulness when I'm in difficult circumstances, which he referred to with the Roman ⁓ Jews that had been exiled and when they came back things had changed so remarkably. I thought I'd come back to this situation, but then I thought. And so the linking of those two things of trusting God, you can trust his ways even when it looks opposite, upside down, when it looks like everything's fallen through. And I think that was absolutely stellar to link off the mindset shift of Romans eight into, okay, Bex: I think it's just sorry, before you say I was just gonna say it's probably worth mentioning for people who didn't Dave Connett: When you face turmoil, it is still the right thing to do, to shift your mind. Don't focus on the negative. Focus on God's faithfulness despite the situation. Jack: It's interesting, right? So you go back. Bex: get to weren't there on Sunday or didn't know. It this you can go back and you can watch this message. It's online. We have a YouTube channel. ⁓ you know, we're talking about this message, but man, you need to hear the message. It was really, really good. Life-changing message. And so just a little plug for ⁓ the Good Life YouTube head there and ⁓ and it will be there for you to see. Dave Connett: Yeah. Jack: Yeah, I love that. Dave, ⁓ or Bex, I don't know about you, but often when I'm reading ⁓ I'll say secular books or, you know, modern popular books, I'm often looking ⁓ to find the principles. And if there's a good principle, it usually aligns somewhere with scripture. all of the best, all of the good psychology principles are grounded in in scripture in God's word somewhere. And so really there was a there was a lot of this sermon that was around positive mental health. Dave Connett: Yeah. Jack: and good counseling. But that whole principle, Dave, of like I thought, then I thought, it's like it's it's not the first thought that we want to dwell on, right? That that's the practice of bringing every thought captive or setting your mind. It's like the intentional thought has to trump what is the impulse thought. out of the gate, right? May do you want speak to to that, Dave? Maybe I'm sure there's plenty of good life as listeners who would struggle with their thoughts and, you know, the the battlefield of the mind as it has been cliched and how we practically take a hold of the word of God in those circumstances. Dave Connett: ⁓ look, Jack, yes, I certainly can. That's been formative. ⁓ and anyone who wasn't there for me preaching on Romans eight the week before, you'll see that it has been quite formative for me. ⁓ the truth be told, the discipline of actually changing your thought patterns and having a new mindset is crucial. ⁓ if you don't do it, you become victim to it. Almost like when David was ready to take on Goliath. And Goliath says, ⁓ send a man, and if he beats me, ⁓ then we'll serve you. But if if ⁓ if I beat him, you guys are gonna serve us. And it's not just you serve the thought pattern, but other like it affects those around you as well, and vice versa. You beat it, and then it serves you, and it will serve those around you as well. ⁓ and so whether your thought is in regards to an active sin pattern, ⁓ whether you're angry and lash out, whether it's lust, or whether it's something that you feel a bit more victim to, ⁓ a fear and insecurity and anxiety, those are thought patterns where you can actually think about the way that you think and choose a different thinking pattern. It's actually crucial to think a different thinking pattern. And the people that are strong and find a different mindset and stay vigilant with it, it looks like it's easy for them, Jack. They are the ones it looks easy. But you've got to go to the ones that looks easy and go, what is the trick? What the flip did you do? And you'll find there'll be a pattern where they said, I was thinking this pattern, but every single time it comes back, I pivot, I hinge, I say no to that, I give it to God, I choose a different thought pattern. Philippians 4 is amazing for this, Jack. ⁓ be anxious for nothing, Paul says, but in prayer and supplication. Make your request, present that request to God. God of peace will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus. Heart and mind. It's amazing how it actually protects everything. Then whatever things are pure, holy, and just think on those things. So I was thinking anxiety. I gave it to God and then I thought something else. So have a pre-organized thought pattern that you every single time it comes back at me. I pivot, change. Every single time. Pick it up quick, pivot, change. Every single time. And as the enemy comes, you are actually working your spiritual muscle to create a new mindset. And the people that it looks easy for are just the ones that have been vigilant and diligent and have not let it through. If you're struggling with it, that's where you get brothers and sisters in Christ around. This is why we encourage Christian community and connect groups, not just because we want our stats to look good, blow that for a joke. Who freaking cares? We're here to make disciples and be disciples. And that takes being discipled when I need people to help me, but also being the one that helps other people. That's making disciples in Jesus' name. So it's the diligence and the vigilance of staying strong, of staying consistent. And when the battle is raging in that area, tell people, pray with me, hold me to account, hold my feet to the fire. You you you actually get to do that journey. So if you're struggling with it, your godly ⁓ friend. Is your best support. Don't go, don't go alone. Don't go isolated. Talk to the people that are going to help you stay strong in Jesus' name. Jack: Hmm. I like it. Bex, that all sounds good from Dave, I'm sure. But I think ⁓ if I recall maybe a few weeks, month or two ago, you preached around fear and ⁓ overcoming that. How do we how do we think about some of those battles of the mind that aren't just one instantly, that are battles for months or years? How do we think about that? Bex: Yeah. Yeah. ⁓ for me, you know, everything Dave's talking about, he's exactly right. And what I find what really helped me is scripture. Because here's the thing, you've got your thought and then you've got your your other thought, you want to come in that opposite spirit, but what better way? To do it than scripture. So this is this is what I I teach my college students, you know, and ⁓ we just call this spiritual warfare actually. And there's multiple ways you can have spiritual warfare through prayer and all the rest of it. But the Bible says the word of God is the sword of the spirit, it's like the Holy Spirit's weapon of choice. And so why am I not using that? And so replace when those thoughts come, I'm gonna hit that with scripture. And there's so many, so many. I mean, two Timothy, what is it, two Timothy one seven. ⁓ for the spirit God gave you is God didn't give you a spirit of fear but of love, power, and a sound mind, right? I want a sound mind, I don't want fear. And so every time fear comes, I literally will hit back with scripture, but I turn the scripture into a prayer. And so because so okay, so I'm starting to get hit with fear. God, I thank you that you did not give me a spirit of fear, but of love, power, like power and a sound mind, right? And so here's what here's what I think. When I do that, a couple of things that I I do myself and I tell other people to do is you're hitting it back with scripture, number one, right? The word of God does not return void. It accomplishes what the what ⁓ God has set for it to do. That's biblical, that's from Isaiah. But number so number one, I'm praying scripture, right? So I'm praying God's word back to him, and his word does not return void void. But secondly, I'm speaking it out. my ears are hearing it right so i'm actually encouraging myself ⁓ and so by and i mean literally speaking it out loud praying it out loud so that my hear my ears can hear and i get encouraged but also the spirit realm hears and if the devil keeps hitting with me with fear and i keep heading back by praying the word of god out loud he's gonna go well i'm not gonna do this what a waste of time all that happens is she prays more right and so it actually builds my spiritual muscle It has an impact in the spirit realm and it's the word of God. And so for me, I just think, you know, if you're if if you're starting to feel ⁓ like shame and guilt over or or even you know struggling with ⁓ temptation or feeling even bad for even having temptation, you know, just go, God, I thank you. I've been this is Galatians 2.20. Thank you. I've been crucified with Christ. I no longer live, right? That's the old me. I killed them. I was crucified with Christ, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave his life for me. And I just go, every time I'm now hitting back. I'm not coming under that thought. I'm coming, I'm heading back. And I don't even have to think of the positive. I don't have to go, hmm, what's a positive mindfulness thought that I can hit back with? No, no, no. I've actually been given it, right? I can, I can just grab one of these. There's this incredible resource called Who I Am in Christ. Which I've got and I give it out to my students every year. And it's just a list of scriptures that you can just pray over yourself that what God has said about you, you then pray back as as gratitude and thankfulness. And ⁓ Philippians four that Dave just referred to, he was quoting it without looking at it, so he did very, very well, but he missed one thing where it says with thanksgiving. And so ⁓ sorry, that was not he did the whole thing, he was great. Dave Connett: That is that is that is rough. That is that is yeah I mean like yeah ⁓ B minus Pretty good. Not good enough, obviously. Jack: Nice try, Dave. You get a B minus. Bex: No, that is not what I'm saying. It was amazing. There's just a small point that it says when it says present your requests to God, it actually says with thanksgiving. And so all of these scriptures I actually pray back as thankfulness. You know, I also literally start it, God, I thank you, you haven't given me the spirit of fear. God, I thank you, I've been crucified with Christ. It's no longer I that lives, you know, all of that. So that's that's practically how I do it. Jack: Mm. Well, I think th there's two things I'd probably take one from each of you, Dave. You're just as good as Bex. ⁓ but but but specifically Bex: Well. Dave Connett: Look, Jack, I just no, Jack, I just want to say thank you. Your encouragement is ⁓ look, it warms the cockles of my heart. I appreciate it. Jack: Hmm, I see you. ⁓ and so ⁓ scripture memorization, right? It's something that was ingrained in me early on. It's like is is a practice and a discipline that feels wonderful at the time when you do it, but but you need it when it's like you can't start when you need it, right? Bex: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Do you know I was teaching, I've been talking about this a lot recently. I was teaching my students how to do this two weeks ago. And ⁓ I feel like we talked. Have we already talked about this in this podcast? I taught them a I taught them a really easy way to memorize scripture. It's how actors learn their lines. And ⁓ well a lot of actors do. And ⁓ it'll stick with you. And so I got the students to do this. They all had to choose like two verses. Dave Connett: Yeah. Yeah. Jack: Maybe. Bex: And they started doing this method, and they spent like I reckon six minutes, maybe seven minutes in class doing this thing. And then we didn't talk about it the following week. So one week went by, a second week went by. This week I said to the guys, okay, who can do their scripture? And it was wild how much had actually stayed in their minds from this one five-minute exercise, you know. So if you go, ⁓ I can't memorize scripture, I've got a terrible memory, I'm gonna tell you right now, you can, and it's so simple and so cool. Jack: Yeah, you can. And so it's it's scripture memorization, but that obviously Bex, that notion of of quoting scripture, praying through the scripture is literally what Jesus did in the heat of the battle. Right. It is written. It is written. And like that that's that is how we fight our battles, right? Bex: Yeah, yeah. Dave Connett: Well, look, it's not it's you've got to realize that when that happened, Jesus was getting tempted. So there's no problem with temptation. It's a problem with what you do with it. So Jesus said, it is written, just comes back with the word of God. And even when the enemy twisted the word of God, he's like, No, no, no, no, no, no, no. Comes back with the word of God smackdown. And so if you pray according to the scriptures, it'll change the way you read the scriptures. Bex: Mm-hmm. But this is right. Dave Connett: So it's and it's the th it's the things that in my life that I've had to fight with, it's the word that I've had to fight with are the ones that come off the top of my head and I can quote without thinking. I just forget little things like thankfulness occasionally. Jack: Occasionally. You know what something that I've found helpful is ⁓ it is writing out those scriptures or writing out those 'cause it it slows you down and sometimes you can get off the the wheel of, you know, the spinning wheel of death that's going on inside and writing down the scriptures I found super, super fruitful for me. Bex: Yeah. Yeah. Or just put it in front of your eyes. Like I when I was wanting to memorize scripture, ⁓ I did I have my method, but also just I printed out a bunch of scriptures that I actually just needed to get in my head, ⁓ because they were the areas I was struggling with. And I just put them like on the mirror where I'm cleaning my teeth every morning or putting makeup on or, you know, Dave certainly when he's putting his ⁓ makeup on in the morning, he's got scriptures in front that he's written on the mirror with lipstick and no. But Jack: For a head that large, the makeup build must be huge, Dave. Dave Connett: Look, ⁓ and that's why I really appreciate the remarkably exorbitant wages at Good Life Church. Bex: But but here's the thing. second 2 Timothy 3 16 says that all scriptures God breathes, right? Why would you be trying to come up with your own positive thoughts when you've got the God, you know, I mean God breathes stars into existence, right? Let's use his words. Script the word of God is God breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness. Yes, please. Right? That's what I need. So Jack: Make up some industry expense. Dave Connett: Ha ha ha. Jack: Yes, please. Yeah. Dave Connett: So it's so it's it's the it's the battlefield of when you've got a ⁓ a theme of ⁓ temptation ⁓ or a theme of negative thoughts. ⁓ but also just when tough times come, you never thought you you never thought they'd be like that. And that's what Jace was talking about. He was talking about my my life's going this way, I'm up onward and upward, I'm chasing after the call of God. I thought that this would happen and then next thing you know, rug pulled out from underneath him. I thought this would happen, but then I I never thought this would happen. And so it's actually in the middle of that thinking I I still have to change. I j I just didn't think I'd ever be in this situation. I didn't think that would happen. I didn't think that person would turn on me. I didn't think I'd be betrayed. I didn't think any of those things. And so the pattern of having a ⁓ a a a a new thinking pattern. I'm transformed, Romans 12, 2. Watch out. That's coming this week with with Kevin the morning and Joel at night. But Romans 12, 2, be transformed by the renewing of your mind means that I'm going to actually understand because I've had to overcome those thinking patterns that when the random things I never thought were coming, I know how to actually deal with those as well. You are well equipped. Jack: So something else that stood out to me in that passage from the Psalms, right, is you know, obviously the psalmist goes on. Then I thought, ⁓ I'll remember the years when the Lord stretched out his hand, I'll remember the deeds of the Lord, your miracles long ago, all of your works, all your mighty deeds. And the thing that stood out to me was like we have to know God for who he actually is, right? And and Bex, maybe you can speak to this. Like if we have a a false or another gospel that represents God, if we think that God's empathetic and he sits and dwells in our thoughts with us. It's it's unhelpful, right? So how can we maybe discern the the true and accurate proper character of God versus who we might assume him to be, particularly in those tricky moments? Bex: Yeah, I think we have to it's so it's so important that we actually get our concept of who God is from his word. We don't get to decide who God is. We just don't. ⁓ as soon as as soon as you define God, you are now God, right? ⁓ and there's this beautiful verse in Job 42 where he says, My ears had heard of you, but now my eyes have seen you. And suddenly everything shifted. He'd spent, you know, 41 chapter or 38 chapters going rr you know, frustrated and I've done this and I'm good, and why am I getting this and why is this happening? And suddenly he's like, ⁓ okay, yep, now I've seen you. Everything shifts. And I think we're in real danger when we are defining God according to our own idea of compassion or kindness. ⁓ we're in dangerous ground. And the the last thing yeah, it's interesting because if if you're trying to define God, you're putting yourself above God. Well, that's actually the that's actually the sin of Satan. Right? So Dave Connett: Ooh. I look, ⁓ you gotta pause on that sort of stuff, because that's a it's an easy trap to get into and you've just made a heavy claim, but that's the kind of stuff you've got to pause and go, is that is that me? Do I have areas of my life I've let that happen? That's you you can't drop the mic and just keep on talking, Rebecca. You need to give me a second to digest this stuff. That's wild. You're actually right. Bex: Yeah. So if if you look into the sins of Satan, it's actually described in Isaiah 14, and I won't go into it, but there's five I will statements that he makes, that Satan makes, and it's like, I'm going to ascend above God, I'm going to make myself like the most high. Interesting because then he he goes to Eve and he says the exact same thing. That's this, that's the temptation of Eve, is you will be like God, right? And and so he and so therefore we shouldn't be naive. He's gonna try and do exactly the same thing now. You know, every every person's rebellion against God is just us actually trying to put ourselves as on the throne of as God. Satan doesn't need you to worship him, he just needs you to worship yourself, right? And so this is this is where it's really important in Christianity that we have this understanding of God, of Jesus as our savior and our Lord. And a lot of Christians have accepted him as their savior. Jack: Yeah. Bex: The guy that gets them to heaven and forgives their sins and loves them and and just wants them to be happy, but they haven't actually accepted him as their Lord, which is their master. You know, Lord literally means, you know, you are my master. What you say, I will do. And then we have a God who has given us his word, right? And his word is basically him saying, Hey, this is who I am. Read my Bible, and you will discover who I am. You will encounter me in the pages of this book. Jack: Rotten. Bex: And sometimes we're reading this book and we're like, ⁓ I don't like that. That doesn't fit my idea of compassion or my idea of kindness or my idea of my even sometimes he God's too compassionate for our liking. You know, if you think about Jonah, he was mad at God because he was for God, he's like, ⁓ I know what you're gonna do. You're just gonna forgive them. I don't want you to forgive them, right? We don't God doesn't fit our parameters of what should happen necessarily for for for either side. And so that's when I've got to go, okay. Jack: Right. Yes. Bex: Will I submit my ideas and my preferences and my thoughts of what is right and wrong or fair or unfair to the Lordship of Jesus? Will I submit my life to the authority of the Word of God? If it says something that I don't like, am I going to submit to that even if I don't like it? Or am I going to say, I'm actually kinder than God? Am I going to apologize for God? No, I'm not. I'm actually Lordship means I submit my life to God. into his word. Full stop. And and I think that is a challenge. Dave Connett: I w I I was gonna go down the line of Be Bex, when you're talking about that whole deal of God's not fair, the whole point would be it isn't fair because what I deserve is eternal ⁓ is punishment for my sins. I'm so glad it's not fair. And the thought ⁓ then ⁓ then when you went to I was gonna jump to that whole thought of apologizing for God. The thought that we would need to apologise for God's grace and remarkable wisdom. I think it's just a matter of pointing people to going, there's a God who loves you, created the world like this, and it comes with his remarkable values that you can walk in. And if you'll take a moment to understand, he is so wise. You might not like it, but I don't need to apologize for it. I just need to point to that God. He doesn't need a defender. I I I'm not the savior. I'm just a signpost going, he's brilliant. And you are not probably not gonna wrap your head around all of it. If there's a God who can do all of that, it's like he his love is the size of the Pacific Ocean and my brain is the size of a Coke can. You can't define him. You just gotta point to him. I don't have to defend him. He can defend himself. He is fine. And so I think just declaring the lordship of a God that big, he is not fair, but that's the whole stinking point. Bex: Yeah. Yeah. And I think that comes back to what Jace was preaching on Sunday about this whole idea of that God's ways are higher and He's actually trustworthy. And when it comes to things of what we think is fair or unfair. Jack: Yeah. Bex: You know, it reminds me of when my kids were sort of early teens and they'd want to do certain things or go to certain parties or whatever. And I would and I would say no. And they were like, ⁓ this isn't fair, I don't understand, da da da. And at the end I had to say to them, Look, can you just trust that I can see things you can't see? Can you trust that even though this makes no sense to you, I am actually, I love you, I'm protecting you, and I want your greater good. The end of the day, even if you don't like what's happening right now, this is actually for your good. And I think it's the same thing. If we can actually understand that about God, then we go, okay, I don't understand, but I know that God wants what is best for my life and also for just people in general. He actually wants what is best. And so the things that we don't understand or the things we struggle with, we're actually at some point got to go, you know what, God, I don't get it, but I know you are love, I know you are truth, and I know you are trustworthy. And I'm going to choose to trust your ways. entrust ⁓ your word with my future and the future of the people I love. Jack: Yeah. That's why good the good theology matters, right? Bex: ⁓ yeah. Dave Connett: It totally does. It totally does. You can be ⁓ with all of the right heart, all of the right intention completely wrong. You can have all and then work towards those completely wrong goals. It's like putting a ladder up the wrong tree, climbing and being in the wrong destination. You've climbed with all of your heart, but yet you're still up the wrong tree. Bex: Which is why God says there's a greater judgment for teachers. Because if, you know, some random Christian has bad theology, well, that affects them. Maybe it affects their household. But if a teacher gets up and is preaching heresy, bad doctrine that can actually lead people away from God and away from salvation, you better believe there's a higher judgment for that. Jack: Yeah. Dave Connett: Mm. ⁓ What what what do we do to heretics at Good Life Church? Like w when when when the heretics appear in the Bex: Burn them at the stake. Dave Connett: ⁓ look out. I'll hold you to that. Hopefully you don't hopefully you don't get anything wrong, love. Bex: No. Well, do you want me to actually answer that question? I can actually I mean ⁓ no, here's here's what's really important, okay? And I'm gonna be talking about this in a few weeks' time. There's there's ⁓ there's ⁓ different options, right? There's differences of doctrine, right? So there's people that I disagree with doctrinally, but I can look in the word and go, yeah, I can see how you you can with good faith get that doctrine. And we disagree, right? So an example there is women. Preachers, right? I obviously am a women pre woman preacher. My understanding of the word is that that is actually okay. ⁓ we can delve into why later. But there are people I respect who go, No, that's not. And I go, Yeah, I can see where you've got that from. Totally fine, no worries. And then there's, you know, bad doctrine, and that's where I go, okay, that's unhealthy doctrine. It's not gonna help you, and we can wrestle that out, we can debate that out, all that kind of stuff. Then you get heresy, and I will go after heresy so hard. I'm not gonna have ⁓ You know, I'm not gonna have a disagreement with someone or a fight with someone over a difference of doctrine. ⁓ but when it comes to heresy, they are leading people to hell. They are leading people away from from God, from salvation, from the lordship of Christ. They are leading people away from Christianity and it's not Christianity. And I will call that out. I will go to on that one because because people's lives are at stake, people's eternities are at stake. And I think we should be unafraid. ⁓ not get involved in stupid arguments, Paul tells Timothy. But he also says contend for the faith, right? And so that's what we're gonna do. And so yeah, when that when it comes down to heresy, ⁓ we will call that out big time. Jack: Mm-hmm. Bex: It's our job. We're shepherding people, right? It's job. Jack: Okay. Well, I mean, not to make a direct, but perhaps a an in indirect connection. We're we're tackling some ⁓ maybe you don't want to call them heresies, but different ideologies over the coming weeks. What is that series, Dave? Dave Connett: We haven't landed on a name. We nearly did the other day, Bex. Jack: I can I I'm I'm happy to name the series if you'd like, ⁓ like I'm happy to. Bex: No we Dave Connett: ⁓ I'll take your submissions. Jack: Well let let's just call it what it is. Like can we just call it world religions? No. Bex: Yeah, no, we did land on it we did land on one and Jack, you would like it. It wasn't too crazy, but now I just can't remember what it was. So Dave Connett: No. Jack: Too plain. Too boring. Bex: I just can't remember. Dave Connett: Yeah, w y you're way too boring. What what about all the people with ADHD, Jack? Like what are they gonna do with your boring titles? Jack: ⁓ they'll they'll be prayed for and healed in Jesus' name. Bex: Anyway, what was your question, Jack? Jack: ⁓ well we're we're tackling some ⁓ different ideologies. Bex: Everyone's like shaking their head. Dave Connett: this is no, this is probably good, Jack, because we do have a series. We're actually it's gonna be ⁓ a four part series which is gonna end up as two sections of two weeks and Bex is actually going to teach on those where we're gonna actually talk through ⁓ yeah world world religions and and then what's wrong. ⁓ so truth be told a counterfeit religion is really there's no God behind it. There's actually evil spirits behind world religions and so we're gonna tackle first up ⁓ postmodern Secular atheism. That is a religion. Even if you call it no religion, we're going talk about progressive Christianity, which is not Christianity. It is a spirit. It's of evil spirit. Progressive Christianity, ⁓ where we follow our own emotions and we follow c common th theologies and philosophies of the world. ⁓ follow your heart. Anyway, that's not so good. ⁓ then we're gonna come back with we're gonna talk about Islam, is Islam and why Islam is a problem. Historically, it's always been. a problem, but you're probably gonna find that a religion ⁓ founded by a a pedophile warlord is probably gonna have problems all the way through. ⁓ we'll get there, don't you worry. And but then we're gonna talk about Judaism. Now Judaism isn't a counterfeit, it's just complete. It's it's just a complete religion and so it's fulfilled in the new fulfilled in the new covenant. Bex: It's just Jack: Inc incomplete is what you mean, right? Mm-hmm Bex: Sorry? Dave Connett: I well yes, I guess so. So I'm I mean, like fulfilled, it's come to it's come to its position of completion in the New Testament. Is c it is fulfilled in the New Testament. And so for those that are holding on, we are grafted into the vine, which if you read in Romans twelve, we are the wild olives that are grafted into that vine. And so we're never doing away with it. They're God's people. ⁓ but we're gonna deal with that properly in a few weeks. Jack: It is an incomplete religion. Bex: Well Olives grow on trees, not vines, but yes. ⁓ yeah. Dave Connett: What but ⁓ wait a we are the wild olives. We are the as long as you know where the wild olives I'm gonna I'm gonna find the scripture. Jack: Ha ha ha. Bex: think we're the wild grapes. I think we're the wild grapes. But anyway, yeah, so so we're looking at maybe calling it competing kingdoms. Dave Connett: No. Romans, stop. Romans. Romans ⁓ Romans eleven verse something. ⁓ verse seventeen. If some of the branches had have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others, and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, do not consider yourself to be superior to the other branches, where the wild olive shoot. Bex: Beautiful. Love it. Jack: Well, Dave, you left out Th with Thanksgiving, but you did not leave out wild olives. Well played. Bex: So I think we could I Jack: ⁓ okay. Well look look that that'll do us. Rick w ⁓ sorry, Bex. You land the plane for us. Bex: No no ⁓ no, I was just gonna say I found the name. So I don't know if you want me to flag the name here and people can say if they like it or not. I think we landed on competing kingdoms. Competing kingdoms. Was that it Dave? That's what I had written down. Dave Connett: ⁓ ooh. Jack: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Dave Connett: Think that sounds good. What do you think, Jack? Jack: I I will find that easy to explain on your behalf. Dave Connett: Thank you. Bex: Yes, yes. Jack: Which is look, I that's everyone has a r everyone has a part to play. Dave Connett: Le leave look Jack, don't explain it. Just leave it up to their imagination. The people are don't underestimate how clever the people around you are. I I think you Jack: Yeah, but here's the problem is often or not this case, but particularly even for the Romans series. I had the first sermon in that series and I don't want the congregation sitting there for the first fifteen minutes of my sermon trying to figure out what on earth the title was and they miss the first part. So I've got to help the people out. Bex: You can just tell him. Dave Connett: Yeah, I just I'm I'm just not buying. I think I think you're biggin' it up, Jack. I think you're making this too much. It's ⁓ you're focusing on it. Stop giving it oxygen, it'll it'll let it go, let it go in the n in the words of the great prophet Elsa. Jack: Okay, well with ⁓ on that note, we shall we shall let the people go. Dave Connett: Ha ha. Bex: That's a way to land the plane. Dave Connett: Ha ha ha ha Jack: Thank you. Thank you for your contributions. Thank you for this. So I I just, yeah, on behalf of Good Life, thank you, Pastor Daven Bex, for ⁓ leading us through this series. It's been a phenomenal season for Good Life. So really appreciate your your ⁓ apostolic leadership there. Thank you. Listeners, thank you for joining us. Jump in the comments ⁓ if you've got any feedback for Bex background. Actually it kind of poignant that you're preaching about Buddha ⁓ in a couple of weeks, Bex. But never ⁓ well, yeah, well maybe she should. Bex: Mm-hmm. I'm not preaching about Buddha. Dave Connett: ⁓ she's not covering Buddhism. May maybe there's a yeah, maybe we should address it. Jack: Maybe she should. ⁓ listeners, if you have any feedback, send it through. Bex: I I make this I make this promise to the people I will not be in my New York loft anymore. I will find a new location. Jack: Well, positive positive feedback in the comments on Spotify. Negative feedback you can send to ⁓ complaints at goodlifechurch.com.au. Someone will read that one day. And ⁓ we'll see you on another episode again really soon. Bye. Dave Connett: Cheers. ⁓ Bex: Bye. That was good.