willtheorangeguy/All-LICRC-Transcripts · Datasets at Hugging Face

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[918.28 --> 923.20] real faith thinks about what it means to be holy.
[923.20 --> 936.60] You see, God is interested in making you holy. And before you say that holy is the same thing as
[936.60 --> 941.78] moral, hold on a minute, because it's not, right? That's what holiness has become in our sort of
[941.78 --> 946.64] common language. It's mischaracterized that way, right? Especially when you think of the language of
[946.64 --> 950.28] holier than thou. What does that mean, right? Well, it means they try to be a goody two-shoes,
[950.28 --> 956.70] right? It means they're a little sanctimonious or pietistic. And sure, a part of holiness is
[956.70 --> 966.40] righteousness, but holiness, first and foremost, is being set apart, right? God sets you apart.
[966.80 --> 974.02] God calls you out of darkness into his wonderful light. God calls you out on a mission, right? God
[974.02 --> 983.04] transplants you. God takes you out of death and gives you life. And God fills that life with a purpose.
[984.34 --> 993.68] When we say that God is holy, the first thing that we mean, right, is that God is wholly other.
[993.68 --> 1004.52] So when we say God is holy, H-O-L-L-Y, we mean he is wholly other, W-H-O-L-L-Y, right? He is transcendent.
[1004.76 --> 1010.96] He is eternal, incomprehensible, invisible, unchangeable, infinite, almighty. He is totally
[1010.96 --> 1020.52] set apart. He is other than all of creation. There is no one like him. That's holiness. And God calls you
[1020.52 --> 1031.60] to the same. Set apart for a purpose. That's the paradigm shift to approach real faith from.
[1033.02 --> 1040.20] And so instead of asking how far is too far, maybe ask what does it look like to be set apart
[1040.20 --> 1045.56] from the world who doesn't know God in my relationship to my girlfriend or my boyfriend?
[1045.56 --> 1052.62] Instead of asking how much is too much, ask what does it look like to have a purpose to glorify God
[1052.62 --> 1059.32] with alcohol or food or whatever? Instead of asking what am I supposed to do in this moment,
[1059.62 --> 1065.98] maybe wonder what does it look like to image Jesus here, right? If Jesus were living the life that I
[1065.98 --> 1071.66] am living, doing the job that I am doing, parenting the kids that I am parenting, whatever the circumstance
[1071.66 --> 1080.04] may be, how would he live it? Instead of focusing on the behavior that is wrong or even right,
[1080.52 --> 1085.46] instead of focusing on the temptation or desire that gives birth to sin, we need to look at what
[1085.46 --> 1095.04] it means to be holy. And look, I really love the way Tim Chester puts it in his book. The book is
[1095.04 --> 1101.18] titled You Can Change. The subtitle of that book is really telling. The subtitle is God's Transforming
[1101.18 --> 1107.16] Power for Your Sinful Behavior and Negative Emotions. And I reread that book in preparation for this
[1107.16 --> 1113.00] message, and it was really impactful even the second or third time for me reading it. But he says, and I
[1113.00 --> 1124.20] love this, the essence of holiness is not new behavior, activity, or disciplines. Holiness is new
[1124.20 --> 1134.20] new affections, new desires, and new motives that then lead to new behavior. Holiness consists not in heroic
[1134.20 --> 1150.48] acts, but in a thousand small decisions. Maybe you need to hear this this morning. You are holy.
[1150.48 --> 1163.16] God has made you holy. Look, there's a beautiful couple verses in Hebrews 10 that talks about how
[1163.16 --> 1172.16] Jesus' sacrifice is once for all, how the sacrifice in the temple and tabernacle before him were done
[1172.16 --> 1179.02] in order to fill up the meaning of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross. What they were a shadow of, Jesus is the
[1179.02 --> 1186.90] fulfillment of. The author of Hebrews writes in verse 10 of chapter 10, we have been made holy through the
[1186.90 --> 1196.40] sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Right? We have been made holy. We have been set apart
[1196.40 --> 1202.76] and granted a righteousness that comes from God through faith in Jesus. And then in verse 14, same chapter,
[1202.76 --> 1210.64] just a couple verses later, the author says, for by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who
[1210.64 --> 1224.78] are being made holy. You are holy and you are being made holy. It's a both and relationship, an and both,
[1224.78 --> 1232.84] right? That's faith made real. That's being hearers and doers. You are holy and you are being made
[1232.84 --> 1244.02] holy and so in your life of faith together be holy. As you face temptation, be who you are. Live in the power
[1244.02 --> 1254.12] of his new birth. James writes, he chose to give us birth through the word of truth that we might be a kind
[1254.12 --> 1264.84] of first fruits for all he created. This is who you are born to be. Listen to these words from John Piper.
[1266.60 --> 1274.92] Conversion is the creation of new desires, not just new duties. New delights, not just new deeds. New
[1274.92 --> 1282.70] treasures, not just new tasks. Right? When you face temptation, and you will face temptation if you are
[1282.70 --> 1291.12] generally a Christian, know that you are new. Your desires are new. Your delights are new. Your treasures
[1291.12 --> 1299.78] are new. You have new love and you love newly. You are not a slave to sin. You are not a slave to old
[1299.78 --> 1305.30] desires. You are not a slave to old nature. You are not a slave to the world or to the flesh. You are not
[1305.30 --> 1312.38] a slave to alcohol or to drugs or to porn or to sex or to lust or stealing or gossip. You might still
[1312.38 --> 1318.04] struggle with them. You might still struggle with all of them. But struggling with is different than
[1318.04 --> 1327.34] being defined by. You are something new. That's the gospel of Jesus. You are holy.
[1329.98 --> 1333.30] Again, I'm going to quote Tim Chester here. He says,
[1333.30 --> 1342.44] I need more than an example. I need help. I need someone to change me. Right? Trying to imitate
[1342.44 --> 1348.76] Jesus on its own leaves me feeling like a failure and I can't be like him. I can't match up. I need
[1348.76 --> 1354.98] sorting out. I need rescuing. I need forgiveness. The great news is that Jesus is not only my example,
[1354.98 --> 1364.26] but also my Redeemer. Because you see, there is a danger in a sermon like this. There is a danger
[1364.26 --> 1370.48] in a sermon like this that says, you need to change your behavior and you need to try harder to be
[1370.48 --> 1379.08] better at this. The reality is Jesus has done all the trying. Jesus has done all the better. Jesus has
[1379.08 --> 1387.22] lived life perfectly in righteousness for you, obeying all the demands of God's law. And by grace through
[1387.22 --> 1399.04] faith, he gives you his righteousness, gives you his obedience. And Jesus has died the death that we deserve.
[1399.04 --> 1413.66] My sin was granted over and given over to him. Your sin was given and put on him. And he bore it on the cross
[1413.66 --> 1428.98] for you and for me. And by his life and death and resurrection over sin and death, we have new life.
[1429.04 --> 1437.64] That's the new reality for us. Not that we need to try harder, but that Jesus has accomplished it.
[1439.08 --> 1448.16] Jesus has made you holy and he is making you holy. And so we get to live holy lives for him.
[1449.02 --> 1456.14] That's the first tool here, right? Reframing the conversation around sin and temptation by the gospel,
[1456.14 --> 1463.12] right? Moving it out of a category of behavior into an understanding of holiness. And this really
[1463.12 --> 1468.94] isn't a tool so much as it's a new reality, one that we need to be reminded of in our lives over and over
[1468.94 --> 1478.26] and over again. Live that new reality. The second tool is like it. We've already seen it. Maybe you caught
[1478.26 --> 1487.24] it as we read it, but James wrote, he chose to give us birth through the word of truth.
[1488.34 --> 1498.10] Look, over and over and over and over again in the Bible, this is true, right? God's word for you
[1498.10 --> 1504.88] is the power of salvation for all who believe. Romans 10, where we've already heard from,
[1504.88 --> 1510.88] says that the preached word is necessary for salvation. Romans 10, 17 says,
[1511.28 --> 1517.68] faith comes from hearing the message and the message is heard through the word of Christ.
[1517.88 --> 1527.38] The word of God is the means of regeneration. You are born by the word and the word of God is the means
[1527.38 --> 1536.76] of your sanctification. You are set apart in life by application of and obedience to God's word.
[1538.68 --> 1545.88] Think about it. Think about the power of God's word. Matthew 4, there's this really incredible story,
[1546.38 --> 1551.94] right? Jesus goes out into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil himself.
[1551.94 --> 1559.26] And when Jesus, the son of God incarnate, the word made flesh, the eternal son of the father who has
[1559.26 --> 1565.50] existed in Trinitarian fellowship with him and the spirit forever, when this Jesus was tempted in his
[1565.50 --> 1573.28] life by the devil, what did he do? Right? Jesus, who could have called down angel armies, Jesus,
[1573.42 --> 1577.48] who could have expelled the devil from his presence, Jesus, who could have just walked away,
[1577.48 --> 1584.56] Jesus quoted the Bible in the moments of his temptation, right? It was the Bible that pushes
[1584.56 --> 1591.54] the devil back. Jesus says, it was written, man does not live on bread alone, but on every word
[1591.54 --> 1599.04] that comes from the mouth of God. Get back, devil. It was also written, do not put the Lord your God to
[1599.04 --> 1606.86] the test. Back off, demon. For it is written, worship the Lord your God and serve him only. Jesus is saying,
[1606.94 --> 1614.28] you have no place here, Satan. The same is true for me and for you. The same is true for us. There is a
[1614.28 --> 1617.36] power to God's word when we face temptation.
[1617.36 --> 1624.72] But that power is most effective when you immerse yourself in it.
[1626.00 --> 1631.84] You can't use the power of God's word in your struggles if you aren't in the pages of God's word
[1631.84 --> 1639.64] on your best days. Right? When the language of the Bible just pours out of you as your own language,
[1639.64 --> 1647.94] there is a power and an impact to those words. All Scripture is God-breathed, we read,
[1648.76 --> 1654.38] and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness so that the servant
[1654.38 --> 1661.60] of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. When you breathe and speak Scripture,
[1661.86 --> 1665.60] it is like God breathing and speaking through you.
[1665.60 --> 1674.72] And in the moment of our temptation, you better believe that matters. You better believe that makes
[1674.72 --> 1687.96] difference. And then the third tool, and this one struck me more and afresh this week than it has
[1687.96 --> 1695.50] previously. Notice what James writes, and pay attention here to the pronouns. He chose to give
[1695.50 --> 1709.42] us birth, that we might be a kind of first fruits. Did you hear it? He chose us, that we, fruits,
[1709.90 --> 1718.96] plural, right? These are collective plural pronouns. Community, church, body, brothers and sisters on the
[1718.96 --> 1729.62] same journey of faith together. Are you getting it? Make it real, be hearers and doers, right? And making it real,
[1729.76 --> 1739.00] and being hearers and doers happens together. Fighting temptation happens in community. Learning, hearing,
[1739.00 --> 1751.32] applying the word happens in community. Many of you know this is the first Sunday of Lent, and Lent

[918.28 --> 923.20] real faith thinks about what it means to be holy.

[923.20 --> 936.60] You see, God is interested in making you holy. And before you say that holy is the same thing as

[936.60 --> 941.78] moral, hold on a minute, because it's not, right? That's what holiness has become in our sort of

[941.78 --> 946.64] common language. It's mischaracterized that way, right? Especially when you think of the language of

[946.64 --> 950.28] holier than thou. What does that mean, right? Well, it means they try to be a goody two-shoes,

[950.28 --> 956.70] right? It means they're a little sanctimonious or pietistic. And sure, a part of holiness is

[956.70 --> 966.40] righteousness, but holiness, first and foremost, is being set apart, right? God sets you apart.

[966.80 --> 974.02] God calls you out of darkness into his wonderful light. God calls you out on a mission, right? God

[974.02 --> 983.04] transplants you. God takes you out of death and gives you life. And God fills that life with a purpose.

[984.34 --> 993.68] When we say that God is holy, the first thing that we mean, right, is that God is wholly other.

[993.68 --> 1004.52] So when we say God is holy, H-O-L-L-Y, we mean he is wholly other, W-H-O-L-L-Y, right? He is transcendent.

[1004.76 --> 1010.96] He is eternal, incomprehensible, invisible, unchangeable, infinite, almighty. He is totally

[1010.96 --> 1020.52] set apart. He is other than all of creation. There is no one like him. That's holiness. And God calls you

[1020.52 --> 1031.60] to the same. Set apart for a purpose. That's the paradigm shift to approach real faith from.

[1033.02 --> 1040.20] And so instead of asking how far is too far, maybe ask what does it look like to be set apart

[1040.20 --> 1045.56] from the world who doesn't know God in my relationship to my girlfriend or my boyfriend?

[1045.56 --> 1052.62] Instead of asking how much is too much, ask what does it look like to have a purpose to glorify God

[1052.62 --> 1059.32] with alcohol or food or whatever? Instead of asking what am I supposed to do in this moment,

[1059.62 --> 1065.98] maybe wonder what does it look like to image Jesus here, right? If Jesus were living the life that I

[1065.98 --> 1071.66] am living, doing the job that I am doing, parenting the kids that I am parenting, whatever the circumstance

[1071.66 --> 1080.04] may be, how would he live it? Instead of focusing on the behavior that is wrong or even right,

[1080.52 --> 1085.46] instead of focusing on the temptation or desire that gives birth to sin, we need to look at what

[1085.46 --> 1095.04] it means to be holy. And look, I really love the way Tim Chester puts it in his book. The book is

[1095.04 --> 1101.18] titled You Can Change. The subtitle of that book is really telling. The subtitle is God's Transforming

[1101.18 --> 1107.16] Power for Your Sinful Behavior and Negative Emotions. And I reread that book in preparation for this

[1107.16 --> 1113.00] message, and it was really impactful even the second or third time for me reading it. But he says, and I

[1113.00 --> 1124.20] love this, the essence of holiness is not new behavior, activity, or disciplines. Holiness is new

[1124.20 --> 1134.20] new affections, new desires, and new motives that then lead to new behavior. Holiness consists not in heroic

[1134.20 --> 1150.48] acts, but in a thousand small decisions. Maybe you need to hear this this morning. You are holy.

[1150.48 --> 1163.16] God has made you holy. Look, there's a beautiful couple verses in Hebrews 10 that talks about how

[1163.16 --> 1172.16] Jesus' sacrifice is once for all, how the sacrifice in the temple and tabernacle before him were done

[1172.16 --> 1179.02] in order to fill up the meaning of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross. What they were a shadow of, Jesus is the

[1179.02 --> 1186.90] fulfillment of. The author of Hebrews writes in verse 10 of chapter 10, we have been made holy through the

[1186.90 --> 1196.40] sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Right? We have been made holy. We have been set apart

[1196.40 --> 1202.76] and granted a righteousness that comes from God through faith in Jesus. And then in verse 14, same chapter,

[1202.76 --> 1210.64] just a couple verses later, the author says, for by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who

[1210.64 --> 1224.78] are being made holy. You are holy and you are being made holy. It's a both and relationship, an and both,

[1224.78 --> 1232.84] right? That's faith made real. That's being hearers and doers. You are holy and you are being made

[1232.84 --> 1244.02] holy and so in your life of faith together be holy. As you face temptation, be who you are. Live in the power

[1244.02 --> 1254.12] of his new birth. James writes, he chose to give us birth through the word of truth that we might be a kind

[1254.12 --> 1264.84] of first fruits for all he created. This is who you are born to be. Listen to these words from John Piper.

[1266.60 --> 1274.92] Conversion is the creation of new desires, not just new duties. New delights, not just new deeds. New

[1274.92 --> 1282.70] treasures, not just new tasks. Right? When you face temptation, and you will face temptation if you are

[1282.70 --> 1291.12] generally a Christian, know that you are new. Your desires are new. Your delights are new. Your treasures

[1291.12 --> 1299.78] are new. You have new love and you love newly. You are not a slave to sin. You are not a slave to old

[1299.78 --> 1305.30] desires. You are not a slave to old nature. You are not a slave to the world or to the flesh. You are not

[1305.30 --> 1312.38] a slave to alcohol or to drugs or to porn or to sex or to lust or stealing or gossip. You might still

[1312.38 --> 1318.04] struggle with them. You might still struggle with all of them. But struggling with is different than

[1318.04 --> 1327.34] being defined by. You are something new. That's the gospel of Jesus. You are holy.

[1329.98 --> 1333.30] Again, I'm going to quote Tim Chester here. He says,

[1333.30 --> 1342.44] I need more than an example. I need help. I need someone to change me. Right? Trying to imitate

[1342.44 --> 1348.76] Jesus on its own leaves me feeling like a failure and I can't be like him. I can't match up. I need

[1348.76 --> 1354.98] sorting out. I need rescuing. I need forgiveness. The great news is that Jesus is not only my example,

[1354.98 --> 1364.26] but also my Redeemer. Because you see, there is a danger in a sermon like this. There is a danger

[1364.26 --> 1370.48] in a sermon like this that says, you need to change your behavior and you need to try harder to be

[1370.48 --> 1379.08] better at this. The reality is Jesus has done all the trying. Jesus has done all the better. Jesus has

[1379.08 --> 1387.22] lived life perfectly in righteousness for you, obeying all the demands of God's law. And by grace through

[1387.22 --> 1399.04] faith, he gives you his righteousness, gives you his obedience. And Jesus has died the death that we deserve.

[1399.04 --> 1413.66] My sin was granted over and given over to him. Your sin was given and put on him. And he bore it on the cross

[1413.66 --> 1428.98] for you and for me. And by his life and death and resurrection over sin and death, we have new life.

[1429.04 --> 1437.64] That's the new reality for us. Not that we need to try harder, but that Jesus has accomplished it.

[1439.08 --> 1448.16] Jesus has made you holy and he is making you holy. And so we get to live holy lives for him.

[1449.02 --> 1456.14] That's the first tool here, right? Reframing the conversation around sin and temptation by the gospel,

[1456.14 --> 1463.12] right? Moving it out of a category of behavior into an understanding of holiness. And this really

[1463.12 --> 1468.94] isn't a tool so much as it's a new reality, one that we need to be reminded of in our lives over and over

[1468.94 --> 1478.26] and over again. Live that new reality. The second tool is like it. We've already seen it. Maybe you caught

[1478.26 --> 1487.24] it as we read it, but James wrote, he chose to give us birth through the word of truth.

[1488.34 --> 1498.10] Look, over and over and over and over again in the Bible, this is true, right? God's word for you

[1498.10 --> 1504.88] is the power of salvation for all who believe. Romans 10, where we've already heard from,

[1504.88 --> 1510.88] says that the preached word is necessary for salvation. Romans 10, 17 says,

[1511.28 --> 1517.68] faith comes from hearing the message and the message is heard through the word of Christ.

[1517.88 --> 1527.38] The word of God is the means of regeneration. You are born by the word and the word of God is the means

[1527.38 --> 1536.76] of your sanctification. You are set apart in life by application of and obedience to God's word.

[1538.68 --> 1545.88] Think about it. Think about the power of God's word. Matthew 4, there's this really incredible story,

[1546.38 --> 1551.94] right? Jesus goes out into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil himself.

[1551.94 --> 1559.26] And when Jesus, the son of God incarnate, the word made flesh, the eternal son of the father who has

[1559.26 --> 1565.50] existed in Trinitarian fellowship with him and the spirit forever, when this Jesus was tempted in his

[1565.50 --> 1573.28] life by the devil, what did he do? Right? Jesus, who could have called down angel armies, Jesus,

[1573.42 --> 1577.48] who could have expelled the devil from his presence, Jesus, who could have just walked away,

[1577.48 --> 1584.56] Jesus quoted the Bible in the moments of his temptation, right? It was the Bible that pushes

[1584.56 --> 1591.54] the devil back. Jesus says, it was written, man does not live on bread alone, but on every word

[1591.54 --> 1599.04] that comes from the mouth of God. Get back, devil. It was also written, do not put the Lord your God to

[1599.04 --> 1606.86] the test. Back off, demon. For it is written, worship the Lord your God and serve him only. Jesus is saying,

[1606.94 --> 1614.28] you have no place here, Satan. The same is true for me and for you. The same is true for us. There is a

[1614.28 --> 1617.36] power to God's word when we face temptation.

[1617.36 --> 1624.72] But that power is most effective when you immerse yourself in it.

[1626.00 --> 1631.84] You can't use the power of God's word in your struggles if you aren't in the pages of God's word

[1631.84 --> 1639.64] on your best days. Right? When the language of the Bible just pours out of you as your own language,

[1639.64 --> 1647.94] there is a power and an impact to those words. All Scripture is God-breathed, we read,

[1648.76 --> 1654.38] and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness so that the servant

[1654.38 --> 1661.60] of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. When you breathe and speak Scripture,

[1661.86 --> 1665.60] it is like God breathing and speaking through you.

[1665.60 --> 1674.72] And in the moment of our temptation, you better believe that matters. You better believe that makes

[1674.72 --> 1687.96] difference. And then the third tool, and this one struck me more and afresh this week than it has

[1687.96 --> 1695.50] previously. Notice what James writes, and pay attention here to the pronouns. He chose to give

[1695.50 --> 1709.42] us birth, that we might be a kind of first fruits. Did you hear it? He chose us, that we, fruits,

[1709.90 --> 1718.96] plural, right? These are collective plural pronouns. Community, church, body, brothers and sisters on the

[1718.96 --> 1729.62] same journey of faith together. Are you getting it? Make it real, be hearers and doers, right? And making it real,

[1729.76 --> 1739.00] and being hearers and doers happens together. Fighting temptation happens in community. Learning, hearing,

[1739.00 --> 1751.32] applying the word happens in community. Many of you know this is the first Sunday of Lent, and Lent