Which Side of the Cross - Lesson 5
Mike Doyle · Mar 12, 2017
Which Side of the Cross, No. 10
Holly Hills Bible Church
https://www.hollyhillsbiblechurch.org/teaching/messages/4926550247119

Transcribed from the recording by SermonAudio, so expect the occasional misheard word.

Okay, we are in Lesson 5, and I think we had worked our way down 6, 7, like that. Question 6 and 7. Those of you who are new, if you want, there's Lesson 6's back there if you want. Is that right? It does sound like 6 is where it ought to be. We've been talking about the law arrived to accomplish one thing regarding sin and that was to cause your sin nature to abound, to get really, really sinful so that you would recognize that it was really, really sinful and you would have to turn to the Lord for His solution rather than your own strength.

And then question six says, how does grace superabound or overabound where sin is abounding. So the premise is here. Law comes in alongside the sin nature. The sin nature goes nuts. Yet the word of God says as crazy and as nuts as it gets, grace superabounds over it. So where sin abounded, grace overflowed. What does that look like? How does grace superabound? What do you think? Sin can't overpower it. Sin can't overpower it. Why can't it?

I mean, grace has been something that God has, maybe for a better way to say it, had in his quiver all along. And even though, like the Jewish nation was under a lost system, they would bring their sinfulness to the table and God always brought grace. But the difference was that they did not live in an atmosphere or an environment of grace, which we do. At first we're very ignorant about what that's all about, but as we grow in Christ we begin to realize that, boy, there is a new system in play which is called grace. And as we have talked about in the past, The best definition of grace, the one that I like the most, is the one that Chester McCauley came up with, which was that grace is the unlimited and unmerited, emphasis on those two words, blessings from God based on the totally adequate work of the cross. So the point being here is that The result of the work of the cross brings in this new environment called grace. It's unlimited, which means there's nothing left to be done. It super abounds everywhere it is and everywhere it goes.

And it's unmerited. You can't do anything to merit it. Sounds crazy, doesn't it? Nobody lives like that, do they? You don't live like that in the world, that's for sure, but when it comes to dealing with sin itself, the sin nature, grace is the only answer that works, because God has done everything.

So when I say that grace is unlimited, what do I mean by unlimited? I'm asking questions like that because I want to get across the point. The point is that we don't really understand grace very well. We don't really understand how it implements and works very well. That's why that definition is such a good one because how long does it take us as believers to even get a concept of something that's unlimited? There's no limits to grace. There's nothing that can hold it back. There's nothing that can overcome it. There's nothing that can stop it. And it's totally unmerited. It means that you cannot earn it. You cannot cause God to be more gracious than he already is.

We may be ignorant about it, about how gracious he is, but he is showering us and having us live within a grace environment. I've likened it to, if you've ever been to Cape Canaveral, Cape Kennedy, or ever seen a film of that shuttle going off, and there's a couple of rockets on the side, and then the rocket motor and the shuttle itself, and the energy that's right below that thing on the launch pad is the most energy you'll ever see in one place any time. and they have to flood that launch pad with water to keep it from vibrating and the roar of those things would shake that thing apart. That's what living under grace is like. That's what superabounding means. So it's important for us to know and to learn about grace and to see things as we go forward in what grace is really like and the environment that it is. It's not a commodity that comes in a mayonnaise jar. It's the whole environment that we live in is under God's grace. We frustrate that grace by, one, not knowing it, and two, when we see it, we don't believe it.

Agree with that? Okay. So, how does grace superabound when it's in the bounds? Your turn. How does it? Or, here's a better question, the next question is, sin reigned, how is grace to reign now? So all of you who live under the Constitution of the United States, do you know what reign means? I used to. R-E-I-G-N? Helps the flowers grow. Helps the flowers grow?

What is a reigning principle? Give me an example of something that reigns. Gravity. Gravity reigns. It's a principle. Give me another one. Something that's... If you lived in Cuba ten years ago, you live under a reigning principle of to Del Castro. He controlled everything. He reigns in rules. Whatever he says is so. We Americans think that we're free and nobody tells us what to do, which is nonsense. We reigned over too. A reigning principle, this word reign means to have absolute control over your behavior. sin had absolute control over our behavior. Now, everybody buy that? So, let me put it in context.

When God told Adam, don't eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, what was he really telling him to stay away from? Did Adam have knowledge of good? Well, let's do it backwards. Did he have a knowledge of evil? No. Did he have a knowledge of good? No. Did he have a contrast about it? What was the ruling principle, the reigning principle in the Garden of Eden? What was it? Adam was innocent. God gave him everything and gave him authority or dominion over it. Grace. What's that? Grace. In a sense it's grace, right?

But then he gave him a law. don't eat this fruit." And he gave him a warning. He said, if you do, you will surely die. In other words, there will be a new reigning principle. Guess what that would be? Death! Up until that time, there was no death. He eats, now there's death. Reigning principle. Death. Everything's dying, and there's the fear of death everywhere. Everywhere. Creatures Every creature is afraid to die. It's a reigning principle.

Sin, Romans 5.12 that we talked about a couple of weeks ago, by one man sin entered the world. Shows up, Adam. And death came along with sin. And death passed upon all men for all men's sin. There's the reigning principle, sin. controls you.

And we think, well, I do some good stuff. The problem with goodness in the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, it's still under the umbrella of sin. Because the goodness is your own. Do you see that? You shouldn't, under this life of grace, think about what's good and what's evil. Because if you're doing good out of yourself, it's not under grace. Because you're doing it. and you're doing it out of a nature that's sinful. Do you see that?

The Lord Jesus very simply said, there's none good but the Father. None, zero, nada. So here comes grace, this reigning principle under which everybody lives, where God is doing everything and we're to receive. And that principle is to reign over the principle of sin. It's supposed to be in charge. So God's grace should have a kingdom where death used to have its kingdom. And of course through righteousness. That is that all divine claims should be first righteously met at the cross. Every issue about sin was met at the cross. and thus it all should be through the Lord Jesus Christ our Lord. Every human being is condemned because of Adam's sin and because we sinned in him.

If we are to be justified, we've got to somehow get out of there. Do you see that? You've got to leave this environment called death reigning. You've got to get out of there. Because if you're in there, You're under the control of death. You just are. So, not only for our sins, but also for the condemnation that belongs to Adam. The justification that Christ brings must cover every type of condemnation that there is. And it must totally take care of it. Totally eliminate it.

Well, God doesn't fix, change the system. I mean we think that way sometimes, that God entered the world, that's what the reformers think, that God came to reconstruct the system, to do a rehab on the system so that we could live righteously and keep the law, but that's not what he did. What did he do? What was the system? What did God do?

He crucified us. Crucified us. Buried us. And then we did this little cool thing called Rose Again in Christ. So really what he did was he took us out of this dominion, this reigning principle, and brought us up into a brand new one. If any man be in Christ, what is he? He's a new creation. Behold, everything has become new. All the old is gone. Not a rehab. a brand new environment, a brand new creation, a brand new person in Christ that graces the reigning principle. That's our position. Is it true? Is it true? Are you sure? Are you sure that it's true? How much do you know about it? How much do you know about this resurrected side? How much do you know that grace reigns in there? It's an infinite amount. It's hard to grasp how big it is. Is it just to be information that is stored in our brains so we can regurgitate that information?

Or are we to live in it? walk and function in it, an everyday normal existence in this environment of resurrection and grace? Answer, yes we are. So to get there, we've got to come to a couple of conclusions. Let's go to Romans chapter 6 verse 1. We're moving right here, very close. So question 7 says, in Romans 6 verse 1, what does continue in sin really mean? Somebody read 6-1.

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? Should we or may we? Or we could say, are we to continue in sin, are we to go down such a path, are we to live over here, because we have just discovered that where sin explodes, grace explodes more. Are we to keep on living in the old man, in the old environment? That's the question, right?

And we think, well, gee, there's a real benefit for being a major league sinner. What is it? Somebody like Courtney. What are the benefits of being a big time sinner? According to this verse. Big time grace. Oh, the logic's not very hard right there. Oh, gee, I got it figured out finally. The more I sin, the more grace there is. I'm going for that dance. We've got a brand new God. What shall we say then? Should we keep on this sinning thing so that grace may abound? Who came up with an idiotic question like that? Apostle Paul did, because he knows what you're thinking. He knows that that's the thought that goes in your mind. Well, gee, I think I got this figured out.

I'm going to sin so that grace might abound. God's really going to be happy with me. I was doing a real estate deal one time with a guy who was a member of the Church of the Nazarene over here, and he tried to screw my client. I said, well, that's a sin. He said, oh, I don't sin anymore. I said, really? Is that one of those grace may abounding deals? So the question comes up both in unintentional, uninstructed believers and blind unbelievers. The message is, a simple grace, apart from all works, to the poor natural heart of man, seems wholly inconsistent and impossible.

Why? People say, if where sin abounds, grace overflows, then the more sin, the more grace. So what happens? Unbelievers reject the plan of grace. I mean, they're smart enough to realize, what are you offering me? Sin more so there will be more grace? They're not going to go for that.

The uninstructed Christian is afraid to move into grace, for he says, if we are in a reign of pure grace, what's going to control our conscience and our evil tendencies? That's a great question. What is going to control your conscience or your evil tendencies? I'm scared to death of that kind of freedom. How would you answer that?

Christ with the end, the Spirit with the end. What's that? The Spirit of God with the end will help us when He's living through us. So what you're saying is just give us these rules for holy living and we can get along? That's the same question. Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Since we don't have law now we can do whatever we want? Realistically what you find out when you start approaching this idea of grace, I mean I even need a speed limit sign to keep my car under 35. because I'm going to put the pedal down. My problem is if it's 35, I'm going 40.

Don't we have this mentality that if I don't have the rules, how's my behavior going to be controlled? Don't you think like that? If you don't tell me what to do, I don't know what to do. If you don't give me the rules, I don't know how to live. If Paul comes along and says, well listen, you're under this Kingdom of Grace, there aren't any rules. Oh, is that a little scary? How does that work? How is that going to work? Well, if you stick with us through the whole class, we'll answer that about four months from now.

But right now, we want to answer the question that Paul supposed in verse 1. So read verse 2. May it never be, how shall we who died in sin still live in it? So, he's given us another piece of information. What's the new piece of information? What's that? We died. Yeah, oh my goodness, we died. What the heck does that mean? He said, it can't be. No way is it logical, no way does it fit with the plan of God. How can we, who have died, live any longer in sin? Now you have a new question to deal with, and the new question to deal with is, I died? Did you? Did you? Well, I read it, I must have. Did you?

Did you really die? What's death mean? Did you really get separated from sin? It doesn't sound like anybody in this class is too sure about that. Did you really? And he does it in the form of a question. How shall we, who have been separated from sin, have died to sin, how can we possibly live any longer in it? I mean, he answers the question with the question. Pretty slick, I think. So it brings up that question, did I really die? From whose perspective did I die? From God's perspective I died, but what if I don't buy into it?

Does it change the fact? No, it doesn't change it at all. But the fact may be true, but if I don't believe the fact, I don't ever get to live in it. Isn't that interesting? I don't get to live in it because I didn't believe it. It's true of me. Again, back to the question. Let me go back on that one. Please. If we don't believe it, we don't live in grace? Positionally you do. You're under grace. But your experience may not be gracious. How many Christians died? Only the ones that know it? How many Christians died? All of them.

What did we get separated from? What is the deal about dying? The deal is that with regard to our relationship to sin, We've all died. We don't have a relationship to sin anymore. So you say to me, well that's easy for you to say. I'm sinning all the time. I don't know what you're doing. I'm asserting concerning Christians that they died, not for sin, but unto it. Do you see that? I don't know about you, but when you see these statements in Romans 6, 1 and 2, don't a sort of One, confuse you.

Two, take the top of your head off in terms of, really? And are they true? Are they true? Did this really happen? So what do I have to do with that information? That's it. I have to take my father's word for it. Whether my experience lines up with it or not, I have to take his word for it.

He's so gracious, though, he's going to, through what we call spiritual growth, we're going to live in that environment of dead to sin and alive unto God. So question 11 is why is living any longer in sin not just the norm for a believer? Is verse 2 Paul making a a plea to believers to not sin anymore? Is he saying, hey, come on guys, let's not sin anymore.

Is that what he's doing? What's he doing? He's stating a fact. Yeah, he's stating a fact about us that might be a brand new fact to us. With most believers it is a brand new fact. If you ever have an opportunity to spend some time with a believer that's never been exposed to this, then you just start down the verses with them. If the Spirit of God begins to show them what's there, they're going to blink more than once. They are really going to blink.

Because what does it say? It says that I died. Well, I don't remember when that happened. I don't remember that experience. I'm still walking around, I don't remember anything about my own personal death, but he makes that statement, and he makes it in regards to my relationship to the sin nature, and in relationship to living under grace.

So again, why isn't living any longer in sin the norm for the believer. That's normal for the believer. That's the assumption that these two verses say. Why isn't it normal? Because we still have a sin nature that's trying to draw us always back. Now listen to the question. Why isn't it normal for the believer to live in sin? Because it's not who we are anymore in the community.

Better question, is it normal for us to continue in sin? Is it normal for us to say, oh well I've got this sin nature and I'm not sure about what God is saying about my death and that sin nature is pretty strong. So it's kind of okay that I'm living in sin. It's kind of okay that I sin once in a while, only 400 times a day, it's not too bad. So, does it enter your mind the thought that it's not normal for me to sin as a Christian?

Do you think about that? Is it normal for us to sin as a believer? Well, I hope so. What's that? I hope it is normal. For me to be sinning. I mean, if I don't sin, I'd be the only person living that hasn't sinned. Okay? So help. Help. Is it okay if I pick on you? You go right ahead. Why should you stop now? Don't hold back, Wanda. No, I'm serious. I'm kidding. I know you are.

The point being that God says something in his word that how shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? And I look back at him and say, I hope I don't stop sinning. He says, it's totally inconsistent what my grace has done to you for you to even consider sinning. And you say, yeah, but you don't know when I'm living and how I'm experiencing and how strong this sin is.

He says, yes, I do. Why do you think I crucified you? I don't think sin is something we consider. I think it's spontaneous. Well, it is with me. It just happens. Helma Loy, who used to be the pastor here, had this really cool class out of James about how sin works practically.

He defined it as, the temptation comes, it's like dangling the bait. And he'd go on for about five or ten minutes about dangling the bait. And I would look at the bait and consider it, and I was tempted. And he'd say, as long as that's as far as it goes, you don't sin.

But then the next step is, is I reach out and take it. And when I take it, there's a conception that takes place. And the conception is, is that there is a sin is conceived in me. And then after that is a birth, and the birth is death. Forty-five minutes of that class, I raised my hand and I said, that whole thing you spent forty-five minutes talking about, I do in less than two seconds. Bang, I'm there. That's what you're talking about, right?

So what is sin? What is sin? Missing the mark. So what's the mark? Jesus. What is the mark? Christ is the mark. So anything that's not of Christ is sin, right? So can I go to God and say, hey, listen, you don't understand. You put the mark in place and I don't have the wherewithal to not only hit the mark but to stay on the mark. Don't I get a break? Do you get a break? Yeah, grace, that's a break. So does, and that's the point about grace, does grace allow you to continue sinning? No, but it doesn't keep you from sinning. Why shouldn't it? I just haven't reached the point that it seems everybody here in this church has reached. I still have anger, I still have, as you know, as you know, So, you know, I've been very confused.

Why, what was the, what's the purpose that God did all this and brought grace in? Why did he do it? Why would he implement such a system as this? So we'd be totally dependent on him. When it comes to sin, why do you do it? There's this little cool verse that says, sin will no longer have dominion over you. Why? Because we're now not under law, but under grace. So what's grace designed to do? Eliminate sin having dominion over you. That's what it's all designed to do. So what do I say? I say, well listen, Lord, I'm following the rules and it's not working out. And he says back to you, that's because you're not living under grace. You're not living like I've laid out the plan here. You're not trusting me.

Now listen, I'm not talking about spiritual growth. Sanctification is not sinless perfection. That's not what I'm talking about because that would mean I'm perfecting the flesh not to sin anymore. What we're talking about is in Romans 6, 1-10 is the mechanics by which God has put into place that we do not have to sin and that we can be free from sin.

That's what he's doing. Because he knew He knows. He's known Wanda and me since the foundations of eternity and he's known how strong the sin nature is. Why do you think he had to crucify us? If it wasn't so strong, we wouldn't have been crucified. He could have done something. But the way his remedy for all of this was to crucify us and separate us from that entire arena existence, creation of sin and recreate us in the Lord Jesus Christ in which there is no sin. So my job is not to try not to sin, my job is to abide by faith and where God tells me I am.

Right? Does that make sense? It's kind of lonely, isn't it? No, we're just learning and listening the same as you, and we have different personality types, so some of us don't speak out what we're thinking, but I guarantee you, we're all sitting there saying, yeah, we've got... And the thing is, you know, Mike, you're talking about what's normal.

And we almost think, well, sin is the normal state of being. Well, no, that's abnormal. That's not how God created us to be. So the sinful world is the abnormal state. What is normal is how God designed us to be, if you want to get specific. However, we all have these pet sins that we're thinking about in the back of our mind as Mike's talking. We're thinking, yep, that's the one. Those are the ones that I've got hanging around me and preventing me from living in the freedom of God's grace. And so we all have those little pet sins that we're sitting there thinking are nagging at us and keeping us from taking hold of what God has given to us. And I think each of us are either ready or not ready in different degrees to believe what we're all talking about. Even Mike is in that boat.

Have you been tapping my phone? No, I just hang out with you. Trust me, I got a notebook on me. Yeah, and Nick's got the notebook. And I also wanted to say that too, you know, one, it's exactly the same thing. I mean, it's every one of us. We're all perfect and wonderful. We're not. I mean, there are sins and things. I keep thinking it was a thorn in my side. Some of the little bad things. humbling me by reminding me of these things.

And I go back to 2 Peter 3.18.

We are to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus. So we're growing in grace and we're growing in the knowledge. And that's the process. We're growing in grace, trying to understand what that is. We have to be taught what grace is. It's a learning process throughout my entire life and until he takes me home, I'll be learning about that all through eternity. I'll be appreciating that, but don't ever think that any of us have reached anything that's more than you. He's taken each and every one of us through a process.

There are people who come to know the Lord at 10 years old and 80 years old and he knows your life through 80 years and then reveal something to you. And that's his plan. I go back to the things he's sovereignly in control. And he's brought you through. And me through a life that has many different circumstances than yours. But he's taken me through this process to get me to this point and to keep leading me on.

And we're not all the same. We're not all Charlie Brown. You know, I go back to the body concept. You know, some of us are feet, some of us are arms, legs, eyes, ears, you know, and differences. So don't ever think that we all have to look alike and be alike and have the same circumstances. Well, you know, I just have to learn not to act out here. It doesn't matter. Then I'll get that one done, then I'll... Good luck with that.

Here's the thing, we all have sins that bug us. We all recognize about spiritual growth, but listen to what God has done. God recognized, and if you learn anything from the scripture, you recognize that in the Old Testament, up until the cross of Christ, God always had plans in place for men to stop sinning, and they couldn't do it.

He gave them responsibility about sins, and they couldn't do it. He gave the Jews the Mosaic Law, and rather than fix sin, it made it worse. So he sends Christ, who totally takes care of the sin issue, totally takes care of the sin issue, before the Father. This great word, propitiation, the Father is satisfied about the penalty and the guilt of all the sins of all time of all people everywhere.

Done. Then he decides, I'm going to offer this salvation, this satisfaction of sins to mankind. And he offers it through belief in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. But what does he teach us? It's very basic. He said, look, I want you to believe that Jesus died on the cross for your sins. He was buried and resurrected according to the scriptures. And if you do that, I will save you for all eternity. Okay? So I do. I'm saved. Wonderful. There's still this issue that JD and Courtney are talking about and we're talking about.

I've got this sin nature and it is the source of my sinful behavior. At some point you look at God and say, well did you do something about that on the cross? Thank you for fixing the penalties so I don't have to pay them, but I'm getting tired of this sinning dance. I'd like to be free. He says, yes I did. I crucified you with my son. You were buried with him and you rose with him to newness of life. And I have given you a position in Christ that is totally sinless. And you say, well that's pretty exciting. When do I get to do that?

Enter spiritual growth. So what is spiritual growth? What is this growing in the knowledge and grace of the Lord Jesus? What does that entail? It entails understanding sin, grace, position. What's the position? Can I say of everybody in this room, from a positional standpoint, there's no such thing as you being a sinner anymore. Is that a correct statement? Is that a correct statement, Wanda? No. Is it a correct statement, J.D.? It is. Is it a correct statement?

From a positional standpoint, and how God looks at you. And I'm in Christ. Which one's reality? The fact that I'm struggling with sin or that I'm positioned in Christ? The reality is here. So what is spiritual growth all about? Spiritual growth is really coming into what's already true of me.

I think too, you know, knowing that we're going to be alive on this earth until we die and have those little sins that we deal with, the big sins, I mean ultimately it keeps us dependent on Him through our entire life as the Spirit is working in us. Sure. And the dependency is where? Where does that dependency go? To keep me from sinning? Is that where the dependency is? So, Lord, I don't want to do this again and I'm trusting you that I won't do this again?

I think if you get all the way through Romans 6, 7, you get to 8 and you find out that there's an entirely new principle of life in Christ Jesus. Romans 8. And what did this new principle of life already do? It has set me free from the principle of sin and death.

There's another stupendous announcement about sin and me. Well, I'm starting back here in 5 somewhere. Sin is an issue. I'm learning all about identification. But then I find out not only have I been crucified, but I've got this new life. And this life has its own principles. And the principles of this new life are greater than the principles of sin and death. And the Spirit of God is taking me there experientially. That's where I'm headed. And I think the key there is that it's a person. It's Christ. He's the jewel. He's the focus. We live in this condition and, you know, it's kind of like poor me, but I live alone and then I know all these things that are going on. Not all of them.

In the world, I mean, is this man that is a liar that's leading our country? I mean, what kind of trouble is he going to get us into? What will happen to my children? And so, that's a sin, I guess, that I worry about that. What do you think? Is that a sin? Whatever is not a faith is sin. This is the mark. Yeah. Do we all worry? Absolutely. You know what we did yesterday? We went to Greeley looking at round properties. What for? Because we're worried that my son isn't going to get a nice place to live.

Rather than saying, Lord, it's up to you. Well, that's encouraging. The other thing from your worry too, whether your political belief, whether the last president or this president or whatever, You know, and I like politics and all that, but remember who puts that person in place. You doubt that God put either Obama in or... I think it was Satan. Is that what the scripture says?

No. He will raise up those... And he's the one who puts rulers in. So whether you're on the left or the right, it doesn't matter. And I'm not. I'm not anywhere. But you've got to rest in the fact that he's in control of all things. And that he even says he puts rulers into place. So even though I may be left, right, center, whatever, I ultimately rest in the fact that he's done that.

Regardless of that fact, where does Philippians 3.20, where is our citizenship?

In heaven. This is all superfluous. And all the things of the world, it's a fallen world. And all the worry and everything. He is still in control. He is a sovereign God. And he put him in control for a reason. I may not have liked the last guy, but I realize that God put him in control. He is in control.

And the scripture says it. This all comes back to what we're going to get to in the last part of this class is faith. That what he says is true. And our citizenship's in heaven. He's in control of who puts in the rulers and all that. And I have to rest in that fact. And that's where the rest comes, is by faith. That he's still in control. And he's allowed these things.

You don't have that rest if you don't know. So I want you to call Comcast and tell them they want the heavenly station on your case. So in the morning you can get up and turn the Lord on. You think about it, the Lord even crucified us, separated us from the world. So everything you see going on in the world around you, what is it? What's the Bible call the world? Death. We think death is not moving in a coffin. Death is walking down Colfax Avenue right now. Death is on TV right now. You do not see life on television. It's death functionality.

Sometimes you do. Where? I want to know because I'm going to go to that place. I'll tell you, there are people on Daystar that are talking the same way that you are talking here. I mean, they're beginning to get it. That we live, we are in Christ, in the heavenlies. They do. Daystar? I'll check them out. I don't know anything about this. It makes it seem like that this is the only place there is that people really believe.

No, we're not trying to. Here's what we're trying to do. Well, look what we did this morning. We looked at two verses in Romans chapter 6 and tried to extrapolate out of those two verses what they really said. What did they say? How shall we, who are dead to sin, live any longer in it? Great question. Sin abounded, so I've got my opinion. My opinion is I'm going to sin so that grace may abound. And Paul says, now wait a minute. How can you, who died to sin, live any longer in it? That's just one little thing.

So do I look at God and accept what he's telling me? I can look at him and say, boy, I really don't understand what you're saying, but it's true because you've said it, but I have no idea how this is going to work out practically in my life. Well, you'll have to trust him for that. And as you go along and learn more and more, you'll find out he's not kidding.

He's serious about this so that we can live heavenly. I can't think of, but the definition, there's this little, first it's, is it Philemon? Grace has appeared, teaching us to live righteously and soberly in this evil world. That's what grace is, a teacher. It teaches us to live righteously and soberly in this evil world. How is this to do? It doesn't say that. It just teaches us how to do it.

And we do it, as Katie's saying, dependence on the Spirit. Because when you find out what the Spirit's going to do, and is doing every day, you learn to depend on Him to do it. Because you can't do it. You can't get up in the morning and change your mind about what's going on in the world. You can't.

It's there. It's stuck there. But this is the last second of... But anyway, last week when I said that the Holy Spirit comforts me, guides me, whatever, and then you say no. Now to me, it would have been nice... You're still mad at me about that. Yes, I am mad at you. I'm still sinning, I guess. But I think it would have been better had you said, Well that's true, the Holy Spirit does do that. But the main reason that God sent him was to, now I can't remember. So you said.

So did you get my email? Did you get mine? Yes, I responded to it. Well, you got mine and you didn't send me one first. Yes I did. I sent you one. I know you did. Did you read my response? Isn't that in essence what I just said in my response? Boy, you really are mad at me. I am. But I'm getting over it. So I publicly ask you forgive me for making you angry. Well, I publicly say that I do accept that and it is It helped me very much that you said that. I thought this was... we were teaching that no one has to say they're sorry. No one ever has to.

I don't know. It's very confusing. It's like we live in grace and that's it. And we're in the heavenlies and none of this down here really is that important. I don't get it. But I will. You will. We don't get it either. Where would I go? This is it. I agree. Go back to the Catholics. No, I'd go to the Baptists. Let's close. That's right. Let's close.

Dear Father, how we thank you. Thank you for the Your Spirit allows us to be open about this issue of sin. Sin is the issue, initially as we grow, that we find out how powerful it is. But we recognize, too, as we learn, that You've done something about it. And so we're thankful for that. And we look forward to increasingly understanding exactly what You have done. And we thank You for the grace that we live under. We pray in Your Son's precious name. Amen.