Latest / Redeemer Students Podcast / Matthew 5:13-48 | What's in Your Heart? | August 23rd, 2026

Transcript

Matthew 5:13-48 | What's in Your Heart? | August 23rd, 2026 · Redeemer Students Podcast

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Uh Zion and I worked at Windshape together a long time ago, all of a sudden.
• 0:04
  SPEAKER_00: Um and I've been good friends since going to seminary together.
• 0:07
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm excited to have him.
• 0:08
  SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna pray for him, um, and then he's gonna bring the word for us.
• 0:11
  SPEAKER_00: So let's pray together.
• 0:13
  SPEAKER_00: Um, Father, I thank you for uh my friends, Zion.
• 0:16
  SPEAKER_00: I thank you for his willingness to come and preach your word.
• 0:19
  SPEAKER_00: I pray that you would help us hear it.
• 0:20
  SPEAKER_00: I pray that you would carry his words into our hearts tonight, um, and that Jesus, your name would be made beautiful.
• 0:27
  SPEAKER_00: Um, we pray all this in the name and grace of Jesus.
• 0:31
  SPEAKER_00: Amen.
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_01: Are we on?
• 0:37
  SPEAKER_01: Good.
• 0:37
  SPEAKER_01: What up, Redeemer?
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_01: How are we doing?
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_01: Let's try that again.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_01: How are we doing, Redeemer?
• 0:45
  SPEAKER_01: That's better.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_01: All the boys are too cool for school, so you know, we'll figure that out as we go on.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_01: As Keel said, my name's Zion Brown, and I'm super excited to be with you guys today.
• 0:55
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, point of privilege since I have the mic, can we give a huge round of applause and make some noise for Keel?
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_01: Alright, y'all.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_01: Alright, so there's some this delayed reaction.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_01: So let's let's just get on the same page.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_01: This is one of my best friends.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_01: You guys have a phenomenal youth pastor, and no, he didn't know I was gonna do any of this.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_01: But truly, Keel, you're wonderful.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_01: You're a great man of God, and I'm grateful to call you my brother.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_01: So, again, give him a huge round of applause.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_01: Truly, I'm stoked to be with you guys and so and continue in your series on the Sermon on the Mount.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_01: So if you have a Bible, would you meet me in Matthew 5, 13 through 20?
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_01: Some people are doing the clapping thing to get attention, it's not gonna work.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_01: So, Matthew 5, 13 through 20.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_01: And if you're able, would you stand for reading God's word?
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_01: I just invite you just to take a deep breath in, just out.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_01: Focus your mind.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_01: That test is still gonna be there tomorrow, but it doesn't matter right now.
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_01: That person who said something mean to you before, they'll still be there after.
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_01: But I just invite you to focus your mind, fix your eyes on the text.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_01: Hear the word of the Lord.
• 2:13
  SPEAKER_01: Matthew five, verse thirteen reads, You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt loses its saltiness, how could it be made salty again?
• 2:21
  SPEAKER_01: It's no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_01: You are the light of the world.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_01: A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_01: Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_01: Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everything in the house.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_01: In the same way, let your light shine before others, so they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_01: Do you not think that I've come to abolish the law of the prophets?
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_01: I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfil them.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_01: For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the law until everything is accomplished.
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_01: Therefore, anyone who sets aside the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least of the kingdom of heaven.
• 3:09
  SPEAKER_01: But whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_01: For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.
• 3:21
  SPEAKER_01: This is the word of the Lord.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_01: Y'all can take your seats.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_01: I want to teach from the subject.
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_01: What's in your heart?
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_01: Would you bow your heads and pray with me?
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_01: Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit, we thank you for this day.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_01: We thank you for the opportunity to gather here today.
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you for Redeemer Students and the faithful, wonderful ministry that it has been on the square.
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_01: Lord, no one in this room needs to hear the thoughts and musings of a 27-year-old with an iPad and a Bible.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_01: Lord, we need to hear from a timeless and eternal God.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_01: So I pray that you would communicate through my personality exactly everything you would have us to know, feel, and do.
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_01: And if you're under the sound of my voice and you're willing, I invite you just to hold out your hands in a posture of surrender, palms to the ceiling, and pray silently as I pray this aloud.
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_01: Come, Holy Spirit, we want to meet with you.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_01: We pray this in the name of Jesus.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_01: Amen.
• 4:22
  SPEAKER_01: So, since you guys don't know me super well, I thought I would tell you a little bit about uh myself.
• 4:26
  SPEAKER_01: Just you know, because we can get a little acquainted.
• 4:28
  SPEAKER_01: You see, I grew up in church.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_01: I'm just gonna rip the cat out of the bag.
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_01: I grew up in church.
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_01: I learned how to read by reading the Bible.
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_01: Um I how was that all the church things?
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_01: I grew up at one of the largest churches in the country.
• 4:41
  SPEAKER_01: And then when I was 17 years old, I thought it was all a scam and I left the faith entirely.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_01: And then I went to this camp, something something similar to what y'all just had at encounter, and I had an encounter with Jesus.
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_01: And I became a follower of Jesus.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_01: And then I went home and I said, Man, I'm so on fire, and everything's gonna be different.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_01: Everything will now change, right?
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_01: And then I went to college.
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_01: And then I started dating atheists my first week of college because I thought she was hot.
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_01: And then, you know, I I started getting this reputation.
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_01: This is funny to me because Faith and I went to school together and she remembers some of this stuff.
• 5:24
  SPEAKER_01: I was the type of guy who would cuss you out, give you a biblical explanation why, and then still not apologize.
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_01: Like I was just mean.
• 5:32
  SPEAKER_01: And I often tell people that I came to know Jesus in 2016, but I really started following Jesus in 2019.
• 5:38
  SPEAKER_01: Why?
• 5:40
  SPEAKER_01: Because I was confronted how I was proclaiming Jesus with my Bible reading plan, but not with my actions.
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_01: Because I realized that my life was disjointed, saying one thing with my mouth, but another thing with my life.
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_01: I was a hypocrite.
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_01: And I know I'm not the only one in this room because we all struggle with this at some level.
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, look at your lives.
• 6:03
  SPEAKER_01: Some of you desire to be great athletes, but you love Coke and chicken wings far too much.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_01: Some of you really want to be really disciplined students in school.
• 6:13
  SPEAKER_01: But Snapchat or Fortnite at 2 a.m.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_01: keeps calling your name.
• 6:18
  SPEAKER_01: Others of you, you just want to be more dateable.
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_01: You're like, this is the year.
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_01: But can I say can I be honest with you?
• 6:26
  SPEAKER_01: You're a little toxic.
• 6:29
  SPEAKER_01: You like being petty.
• 6:31
  SPEAKER_01: Like, no matter who you are in this room, all of us struggle with this idea where we settle for behavior modification, not true transformation.
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_01: We settle for behavior modification, not true transformation.
• 6:46
  SPEAKER_01: We're duplicitous people constantly wrestling with who we are and who we want to be.
• 6:51
  SPEAKER_01: It's easier to settle for the idea of something and not actually allow ourselves to really be changed.
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_01: This is why most of us are pretty okay with what I call bare minimum Christianity.
• 7:03
  SPEAKER_01: God is involved on our Sundays, but not so much so every other day of the week.
• 7:08
  SPEAKER_01: He's a savior, not a Lord.
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_01: He's a judge, not a father.
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_01: He's a God, not a friend.
• 7:14
  SPEAKER_01: So you and I settle for half-hearted religious activity rather than all that God actually has for us, and our lives look exactly the same.
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_01: And if you think I'm kidding, ask the non-believer in the room who knows what we're like.
• 7:29
  SPEAKER_01: The same people who are Jesus freaks are on Sundays, but you're at the same parties on Fridays.
• 7:35
  SPEAKER_01: But you too are also a hypocrite.
• 7:38
  SPEAKER_01: Because your morality is subjective based on your own feelings.
• 7:43
  SPEAKER_01: And so now that I've offended everyone in the room, I'm sure someone's asking, all right, Zion, but like, you have anything constructive to say to us?
• 7:50
  SPEAKER_01: Actually, I'm glad you asked.
• 7:51
  SPEAKER_01: Today I want to work through Matthew 5, 13 through 48.
• 7:55
  SPEAKER_01: Don't worry, I'm not gonna read the whole thing.
• 7:57
  SPEAKER_01: And I just want to see what Jesus has to say to us concerning our lives.
• 8:02
  SPEAKER_01: So put your eyes back on the text, but as you're putting your eyes on the page, notice the behavior Jesus addresses.
• 8:07
  SPEAKER_01: So here's some context.
• 8:09
  SPEAKER_01: Jesus, the Son of God, second person of the Trinity, Father, Son, Holy Spirit, comes in the form of a human being, and he starts his earthly ministry with this long sermon that's documented in Matthew 5 through 7, which we call the Sermon on the Mount.
• 8:24
  SPEAKER_01: And in this sermon, he talks about the kingdom of God being at hand and what it looks like to follow Jesus into that kingdom and work that out in our everyday lives, what we would call discipleship.
• 8:36
  SPEAKER_01: And this is where we get back to Matthew 5, 13.
• 8:39
  SPEAKER_01: Pick me up there.
• 8:40
  SPEAKER_01: You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?
• 8:46
  SPEAKER_01: It is no longer good for anything except for to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
• 8:51
  SPEAKER_01: You are the light of the world.
• 8:54
  SPEAKER_01: A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.
• 8:56
  SPEAKER_01: Neither do the people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.
• 8:59
  SPEAKER_01: Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.
• 9:03
  SPEAKER_01: In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
• 9:10
  SPEAKER_01: Now Jesus is really good about using these metaphors that make perfect sense to farmers in first century Palestine and not so much to 21st century kind of Sabries, kind of city people in Marietta, Georgia.
• 9:25
  SPEAKER_01: What he's trying to tell us is that to be salt, don't lose your flavor, to be light, don't lose the light that God is attempting to put in you day by day.
• 9:38
  SPEAKER_01: Don't just hide the good news in your heart.
• 9:42
  SPEAKER_01: But then he begins speaking about the law.
• 9:44
  SPEAKER_01: Go back to verse 17, where he says, Do not think that I've come to abolish the law or the prophets.
• 9:51
  SPEAKER_01: I've not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them.
• 9:54
  SPEAKER_01: For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the law, until everything is accomplished.
• 10:04
  SPEAKER_01: Therefore, anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven.
• 10:10
  SPEAKER_01: But whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
• 10:15
  SPEAKER_01: Here's some more background.
• 10:17
  SPEAKER_01: In the first five books of the Bible, there's this book called Leviticus, which is the law.
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_01: Six hundred and thirteen commands that God gives to his people so that they would be set apart, a holy nation.
• 10:30
  SPEAKER_01: And then about 200 years before Jesus shows up on the scene, this sect of leaders called the Pharisees rises up and they're trying to restore law, they're trying to restore order and religion to the land, but they keep adding to the law.
• 10:44
  SPEAKER_01: And so I don't know if you've ever tried following 613 commands, much less five.
• 10:48
  SPEAKER_01: Like, it's a burdensome task to have.
• 10:52
  SPEAKER_01: And these Pharisees, these leaders just made it all the more difficult.
• 10:57
  SPEAKER_01: But somehow they were the ones who looked really good on the outside.
• 11:01
  SPEAKER_01: Their behavior was perfect, but everyone else seemed to fall to the wayside.
• 11:06
  SPEAKER_01: But notice what the Bible is saying: Jesus is not here to get rid of the law, He's come to fulfill it himself.
• 11:16
  SPEAKER_01: The law matters because it all points at Him.
• 11:19
  SPEAKER_01: Can we can I level with you guys?
• 11:21
  SPEAKER_01: I know some of y'all do the Bible in a year plan, and I think that's great for you.
• 11:25
  SPEAKER_01: I know the joke is always that like when you get to like Leviticus, everyone's eyes glazes over, they're like, oh my god, the law, it's not really all that important.
• 11:32
  SPEAKER_01: No, listen to me.
• 11:33
  SPEAKER_01: If you don't understand the law, you don't know why Jesus had to come.
• 11:39
  SPEAKER_01: It all points to him, and Jesus gives pretty, pretty great warnings for those who keep making edits.
• 11:46
  SPEAKER_01: And then we go to verse 20, where he says, For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.
• 11:57
  SPEAKER_01: What is Jesus saying?
• 11:59
  SPEAKER_01: Simply this good behavior is meaningless without God.
• 12:03
  SPEAKER_01: Good behavior is meaningless without God.
• 12:05
  SPEAKER_01: These Pharisees are trying to do everything in their own strength to look really good.
• 12:11
  SPEAKER_01: But it's all meaningless without God.
• 12:14
  SPEAKER_01: And this is where Jesus begins riffing off six ways in which our behavior falls short.
• 12:19
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm not gonna read every word of verses 21 through 48.
• 12:23
  SPEAKER_01: But I'm gonna work through these ideas: murder, adultery, divorce, making vows that you don't keep.
• 12:30
  SPEAKER_01: Like, you know, when you tell that person you're gonna pray for them and you end up not doing so.
• 12:34
  SPEAKER_01: Revenge, dealing with enemies.
• 12:36
  SPEAKER_01: These are all sinful behaviors, right?
• 12:39
  SPEAKER_01: Right?
• 12:41
  SPEAKER_01: We would all say these things are wrong, right?
• 12:45
  SPEAKER_01: Y'all are gonna learn to talk back to me, okay?
• 12:48
  SPEAKER_01: But do we actually believe this?
• 12:50
  SPEAKER_01: I'm a lifelong Miami Heat fan.
• 12:53
  SPEAKER_01: I'm a very sad, lifelong Miami Heat fan.
• 12:56
  SPEAKER_01: And the reason I bring this up is not so you would feel bad for me, but because I want to bring up one of the bright points in our history.
• 13:02
  SPEAKER_01: When this guy named LeBron James came and played for the Miami Heat, and now I'm a Christian, and so I believe that Michael Jordan is the greatest player of all time.
• 13:12
  SPEAKER_01: If you don't do so, you can come up to the altar and we will definitely pray for you after.
• 13:16
  SPEAKER_01: But I appreciate LBJ.
• 13:18
  SPEAKER_01: You know, four finals appearances, two championships, should have been three, but he choked in 2011.
• 13:23
  SPEAKER_01: I'm not bitter.
• 13:25
  SPEAKER_01: But there was a special four-year run when LBJ was in town, and I remember during that time, and I know I'm I had the Cleveland jersey up here, but it was all I could find.
• 13:33
  SPEAKER_01: I remember very vividly the slogan.
• 13:36
  SPEAKER_01: As his arms are raised wide, we are all witnesses.
• 13:42
  SPEAKER_01: Essentially speaking, we're all witnesses of greatness in this man.
• 13:46
  SPEAKER_01: And as I got to thinking, that's true of all of us.
• 13:48
  SPEAKER_01: We are all witnesses to the greatness and the fallness of mankind.
• 13:53
  SPEAKER_01: We're people constantly striving for good, but our actions are never good enough.
• 13:57
  SPEAKER_01: Paul, one of the leaders of the early church in Romans 7, has this to say.
• 14:03
  SPEAKER_01: Romans 7, 14 through 17 says, For I we know that the law is spiritual, but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin.
• 14:12
  SPEAKER_01: I do not understand what I do, for what I want to do, I do not do.
• 14:15
  SPEAKER_01: What I hate, I do, and if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good.
• 14:20
  SPEAKER_01: As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.
• 14:26
  SPEAKER_01: What is Paul trying to get at here?
• 14:29
  SPEAKER_01: Paul is trying to get at that your behavior says a lot about you.
• 14:33
  SPEAKER_01: My behavior says a lot about me.
• 14:36
  SPEAKER_01: People look at Christians all the time and they say, You want to sell me on heaven, but you're not even looking good here on earth.
• 14:42
  SPEAKER_01: You know the Prince of Peace, but you're so anxious.
• 14:46
  SPEAKER_01: You know a loving God, but you are so hateful towards everyone around you.
• 14:52
  SPEAKER_01: Everyone around us can see our hypocrisy.
• 14:56
  SPEAKER_01: Again, we're all witnesses to the greatness and fallenness of people's behaviors.
• 15:01
  SPEAKER_01: And in your strength and mind, let me just tell you as someone who's a little older, you just end up looking like a Pharisee.
• 15:08
  SPEAKER_01: The same Pharisees that Jesus are calling out.
• 15:12
  SPEAKER_01: And if you think this isn't you, when someone dies in Marietta, what's your first response?
• 15:17
  SPEAKER_01: Is it apathy?
• 15:20
  SPEAKER_01: Or is it sorrow that another human being creating the image of God is gone?
• 15:26
  SPEAKER_01: When you hear about another divorce in the community, what's your thought process?
• 15:30
  SPEAKER_01: Is it, oh, what's the tea?
• 15:31
  SPEAKER_01: What's the gossip?
• 15:32
  SPEAKER_01: I want to know.
• 15:33
  SPEAKER_01: Or is it care that a marriage has ended?
• 15:38
  SPEAKER_01: When another person wrongs you, what do you do?
• 15:40
  SPEAKER_01: Are you looking to go slash their tires?
• 15:43
  SPEAKER_01: Or do you want to give grace?
• 15:46
  SPEAKER_01: I'm asking because driving our behaviors normally unchange desire.
• 15:51
  SPEAKER_01: Jesus begins to speak to the crowds.
• 15:54
  SPEAKER_01: And he keeps using the law not to expose behavior, but he goes a layer deeper.
• 16:00
  SPEAKER_01: Pick me up in Matthew 5, 21 through 22.
• 16:03
  SPEAKER_01: You have heard it said to the people long ago, you shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.
• 16:09
  SPEAKER_01: But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment.
• 16:15
  SPEAKER_01: Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister Raka is answerable to the court, and anyone who says you fool will be in danger of the fire of hell.
• 16:25
  SPEAKER_01: Do you see what Jesus is doing here?
• 16:27
  SPEAKER_01: Because it he does it five more times.
• 16:31
  SPEAKER_01: He's going a layer deeper than just our normal behavior.
• 16:35
  SPEAKER_01: And honestly, I think it's fair if you guys ask, don't we think Jesus is being a little extreme?
• 16:42
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, dude, gouge out an eye, cut off a hand, I'm going to hell for calling someone an idiot.
• 16:51
  SPEAKER_01: I probably texted Sam that earlier today.
• 16:53
  SPEAKER_01: Like we laugh, but sin is serious to Jesus.
• 16:58
  SPEAKER_01: And that's what the text is getting at.
• 17:01
  SPEAKER_01: As I was preparing this sermon, I was confronted with most of my own hypocrisy.
• 17:06
  SPEAKER_01: Because I work in Atlanta, and when I'm driving and someone cuts me off, I call people a lot worse things than an idiot.
• 17:14
  SPEAKER_01: And my heart feels a lot less empathy when people who I can't stand are in suffering.
• 17:20
  SPEAKER_01: And there's even been times when a person has passed away and I've just kind of been like, eh, what's for dinner?
• 17:28
  SPEAKER_01: That's not the heart of Jesus.
• 17:30
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm a pastor in training.
• 17:34
  SPEAKER_01: And that what that tells me and should tell you is that my desires are fundamentally unchanged.
• 17:42
  SPEAKER_01: And I know I'm not alone.
• 17:44
  SPEAKER_01: Because this is your reality too.
• 17:45
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, boys, all the stuff that we say around the lunch table that we say we don't mean, but you and I both know.
• 17:55
  SPEAKER_01: There's a little bit of truth to what you're saying.
• 17:57
  SPEAKER_01: Or the amount of times, girls, when we say, Oh, I'm gonna pray for so and so, and you don't do so.
• 18:06
  SPEAKER_01: Or you walk down the street and a person of a different race or ethnicity or background comes up to you, and you immediately shrink back because you're like, you're other, and I'd want nothing to do with you.
• 18:19
  SPEAKER_01: We're all hypocrites, especially down here in the Bible Belt.
• 18:23
  SPEAKER_01: We tacked on Jesus to our lives because we don't want to go to hell, but we also don't really want to be with him either, because then that would require us to change.
• 18:31
  SPEAKER_01: And this is why we don't reveal our train our playing cards, but we keep up this face of goodness.
• 18:36
  SPEAKER_01: This is why I like to call southern hospitality.
• 18:40
  SPEAKER_01: And people around us can see the disintegration.
• 18:43
  SPEAKER_01: They can tell when we keep trying to tell people about a savior we don't even know.
• 18:48
  SPEAKER_01: And beneath our shallow behaviors, our corrupted desires, and that's what Jesus came to expose.
• 18:55
  SPEAKER_01: Jesus is not interested in people who are behaviorally moral, but compromised in desire.
• 19:01
  SPEAKER_01: He wants for us to be transformed from the inside out, and that is why the gospel is so scandalous.
• 19:08
  SPEAKER_01: Because the gospel is not just, oh, you know, Jesus came and he died, and he rose again.
• 19:15
  SPEAKER_01: No, no, no.
• 19:16
  SPEAKER_01: The gospel is that Jesus came, showed us how to live a perfect life because he's the only one who's perfect.
• 19:22
  SPEAKER_01: He died a gruesome and unjust death that you and I both deserved.
• 19:28
  SPEAKER_01: He rose again to show that he had power over the grave.
• 19:32
  SPEAKER_01: And then he ascended to the right hand of God.
• 19:35
  SPEAKER_01: Why?
• 19:35
  SPEAKER_01: To go ahead and usher in the kingdom of earth that he and we, through the local church, are meant to partner in bringing to earth.
• 19:45
  SPEAKER_01: That is a scandal of grace.
• 19:46
  SPEAKER_01: And when we surrender to the scandal of grace, Jesus changes us over a lifetime into followers who reflect their teacher's character.
• 19:55
  SPEAKER_01: And this is what I'm arguing tonight.
• 19:57
  SPEAKER_01: Write this point down.
• 19:58
  SPEAKER_01: True transformation comes from a desire for deep discipleship.
• 20:02
  SPEAKER_01: True transformation comes from a desire for deep discipleship.
• 20:07
  SPEAKER_01: And let's be honest, you and I don't normally desire deep discipleship.
• 20:12
  SPEAKER_01: We're kind of okay to go over cool beans, take out our Bible, take a little photo, put it on Instagram or Snapchat or whatever y'all do nowadays, and then half-heartedly read and then move on with our everyday lives.
• 20:27
  SPEAKER_01: But when we allow Jesus to get it after our deeper desires, we see a path to transformation.
• 20:33
  SPEAKER_01: I want to show you guys something that Jesus is trying to teach us by entering into conversation with our friend Paul one more time.
• 20:39
  SPEAKER_01: So flip over to Galatians 5.
• 20:43
  SPEAKER_01: You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free.
• 20:46
  SPEAKER_01: Galatians 5 13.
• 20:47
  SPEAKER_01: But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh.
• 20:50
  SPEAKER_01: Rather, serve one another humbly in love.
• 20:53
  SPEAKER_01: For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command.
• 20:56
  SPEAKER_01: Love your neighbor as yourself.
• 20:59
  SPEAKER_01: Notice that word law.
• 21:00
  SPEAKER_01: If you bite and devour each other, watch out, or you will be destroyed by each other.
• 21:05
  SPEAKER_01: So I say, walk by the spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
• 21:10
  SPEAKER_01: For the flesh desires what is contrary to the spirit, and the spirit what is contrary to the flesh.
• 21:15
  SPEAKER_01: They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.
• 21:20
  SPEAKER_01: But if you are led by the spirit, you are not under the law.
• 21:24
  SPEAKER_01: The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, debauchery, idolatry, and witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, and envy, drunkenness, orgies, and the like.
• 21:38
  SPEAKER_01: I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
• 21:46
  SPEAKER_01: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
• 21:53
  SPEAKER_01: Against such things there is no law.
• 21:56
  SPEAKER_01: Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_01: The flesh with its passions and desires.
• 22:02
  SPEAKER_01: Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
• 22:06
  SPEAKER_01: Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying one another.
• 22:14
  SPEAKER_01: Paul wants us to understand that when we follow Jesus and we surrender to the gospel, we will be transformed.
• 22:22
  SPEAKER_01: There's nothing about us that will stay the same.
• 22:25
  SPEAKER_01: We will live new lives.
• 22:27
  SPEAKER_01: And notice the same person that he's talking about in Galatians 5 is the same person that Keel has been speaking about in the Beatitudes the past few weeks.
• 22:35
  SPEAKER_01: This is not all different people.
• 22:38
  SPEAKER_01: This is all fundamentally one person who looks more like Jesus.
• 22:42
  SPEAKER_01: And that is the person that God is interested in transforming you into through the death and resurrection of the Son and the work of the Spirit.
• 22:50
  SPEAKER_01: The problem is that some of us know Jesus, but we don't know his spirit.
• 22:54
  SPEAKER_01: And we wonder why life is so hard.
• 22:58
  SPEAKER_01: You and I have been given the Spirit of Jesus, the Holy Spirit, so that we can live transformed lives.
• 23:05
  SPEAKER_01: It's like this.
• 23:05
  SPEAKER_01: Look up at me.
• 23:07
  SPEAKER_01: A few years ago, I learned how to fish, specifically fly fish.
• 23:10
  SPEAKER_01: And I don't know if you know what fly fishing is, but it's rather involved.
• 23:14
  SPEAKER_01: And I was I was okay with just casting and whatnot, but I wasn't catching a lot of fish.
• 23:19
  SPEAKER_01: I really wasn't much good.
• 23:20
  SPEAKER_01: And then one of my mentors, his name's Chachi, he's a professional fly fisherman.
• 23:24
  SPEAKER_01: I spent a summer with him, and he taught me how to put the fly how to actually tie my flies, how to actually put my line where fish would actually want to like come up and grab it, how to clean my rod.
• 23:37
  SPEAKER_01: And I went from a novice in a summer to catching fish that some people dream of catching.
• 23:42
  SPEAKER_01: In a very similar way, this is the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
• 23:46
  SPEAKER_01: We come to him having tried to transform ourselves, but through his guidance and work, we become the people God has called us to be.
• 23:56
  SPEAKER_01: Alright, Zion.
• 23:57
  SPEAKER_01: You've given us a lot.
• 23:59
  SPEAKER_01: Thanks.
• 23:59
  SPEAKER_01: Appreciate that.
• 24:01
  SPEAKER_01: What do I do on Tuesday when I see that person in the hallway that I can't stand?
• 24:06
  SPEAKER_01: What do I do when I wish harm on that person?
• 24:10
  SPEAKER_01: Or I'm wrestling with lust at the gym.
• 24:12
  SPEAKER_01: I'm so glad you asked.
• 24:13
  SPEAKER_01: Two points, and I'm in my seat.
• 24:15
  SPEAKER_01: First, stop striving to be perfect and rest in the grace of God.
• 24:21
  SPEAKER_01: Stop striving to be perfect and rest in the grace of God.
• 24:25
  SPEAKER_01: So many of us are striving.
• 24:27
  SPEAKER_01: We're working so hard at these perfect people, and we're stressing out about our sin all the time.
• 24:35
  SPEAKER_01: Y'all, look at me.
• 24:37
  SPEAKER_01: Take a deep breath.
• 24:38
  SPEAKER_01: Just lean in just a little bit.
• 24:40
  SPEAKER_01: Just lean in.
• 24:42
  SPEAKER_01: Stop it.
• 24:44
  SPEAKER_01: God knew what he was doing when he bought you with Jesus' blood.
• 24:49
  SPEAKER_01: Y'all talk about this all the time around here.
• 24:52
  SPEAKER_01: Cheer up.
• 24:53
  SPEAKER_01: You're more wretched than you dare believe, and you're more beloved than you dare imagine.
• 24:59
  SPEAKER_01: You are a son or a daughter of the king, no matter what you do.
• 25:03
  SPEAKER_01: Your identity is already solidified.
• 25:06
  SPEAKER_01: Rest in that.
• 25:07
  SPEAKER_01: Stop striving to be perfect and rest in the grace of God.
• 25:09
  SPEAKER_01: Point number two, surrender your religious activity in exchange for intimacy with God.
• 25:15
  SPEAKER_01: Surrender your religious activity in exchange for intimacy with God.
• 25:18
  SPEAKER_01: You are only going to be transformed to the extent that you stop trying to do for God and you start being with Him.
• 25:27
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm not saying that, oh, well, you know, I just sit back and I don't do anything and I'm just kind of here.
• 25:32
  SPEAKER_01: No, no, no, no.
• 25:33
  SPEAKER_01: The process of becoming more like Jesus is not like a passive sport, okay?
• 25:37
  SPEAKER_01: Dallas Willard once said, grace is not opposed to effort, but it is opposed to earning.
• 25:42
  SPEAKER_01: You don't earn anything, you contribute, and even then you're not really contributing all that much.
• 25:48
  SPEAKER_01: So let me get really practical.
• 25:50
  SPEAKER_01: Instead of going to 15 youth group 15 Bible studies and trying out every youth group on the square, how about this week?
• 25:58
  SPEAKER_01: You go in your room, you turn off the worship music, you put your phone away, and you open your Bible, and you open a journal, and you pray, just like how we prayed at the beginning.
• 26:12
  SPEAKER_01: Come, Holy Spirit, and let the distractions come, and let the scripture come, and let everything that you're thinking about, because the Bible says that when you seek the Lord, He will come and be with you.
• 26:25
  SPEAKER_01: There's never been a time in ten years of following Jesus that when I have said, God, will you come meet with me that I have left and he has not done so.
• 26:36
  SPEAKER_01: Try this practice, see how it transforms your life.
• 26:40
  SPEAKER_01: And the reason I'm bringing this up is because I just want you guys to just imagine a world where you're kinder and you're softer, and you're more meek.
• 26:52
  SPEAKER_01: And so much more because you surrendered to the transformational love of God.
• 26:58
  SPEAKER_01: That world is possible through what God has already done for you, through the grace of Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit.
• 27:07
  SPEAKER_01: And maybe you're in here and you're just checking this whole thing out, or you're kind of burnt out on the whole Christian thing, or you don't really care, but something in this has pricked you and you're like, wait a minute, hold up, hold up.
• 27:16
  SPEAKER_01: That actually sounds different than what I've been given.
• 27:17
  SPEAKER_01: I want in.
• 27:18
  SPEAKER_01: That all you can come join the club today by simply praying this one sentence, Jesus will give you my life, and you will never be the same.
• 27:28
  SPEAKER_01: And so, with that, I want to pray over you guys.
• 27:31
  SPEAKER_01: As you go back into your weeks, as you go back into your lives, that you would truly be salt and light, but first that you would evaluate what's in your heart.
• 27:41
  SPEAKER_01: And so will you bow your heads and pray with me.
• 27:44
  SPEAKER_01: Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit, thank you for this day.
• 27:48
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you for who you are.
• 27:50
  SPEAKER_01: You're a good God, and we are grateful for you.
• 27:54
  SPEAKER_01: Lord, I pray that, God, we would have met we would meet with you.
• 28:01
  SPEAKER_01: We would the deepest desires of our hearts be to meet with you.
• 28:06
  SPEAKER_01: Would true transformation in our lives really come from our desires for deeper discipleship?
• 28:11
  SPEAKER_01: Would we reject the Southern American Christian thing and we actually go for you?
• 28:18
  SPEAKER_01: Lord, I pray for the person who's just ready for me to stop talking, that God, you would meet them in a mighty and powerful way.
• 28:23
  SPEAKER_01: I pray for the person who has been hurt by the church, who is just giving this another try, that God, you would meet them, that you would show them your kindness and mercy.
• 28:32
  SPEAKER_01: Lord, I pray for the person who is here who really wants to know you and is always feeling like you don't want to meet with them.
• 28:39
  SPEAKER_01: God, you know that the enemy will do anything to get us our eyes off of you.
• 28:43
  SPEAKER_01: So, Lord, I pray that you would make good on your word and go be with them.
• 28:47
  SPEAKER_01: And for the person who's just continuing to try to follow you faithfully.
• 28:52
  SPEAKER_01: God, continue to reveal yourself.
• 28:54
  SPEAKER_01: Lord, we are expectant you would continue to do exceedingly and abundantly more than we could ask, think, or imagine.
• 29:00
  SPEAKER_01: We pray this in Jesus' name.
• 29:01
  SPEAKER_01: Amen.