Scripture Reading Romans 7:15-25

1. Scripture Reading Romans 7:15-25 15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18 For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature.[c]For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. 21 So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 23 but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? 25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!

3. *Why do we not do what we should but we really want to • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0Ow6lhvPNk

4. Key Points: Why do we not keep our resolutions? 1. We were knit together for greatness 2. But then what happens come Feb or March or April 3. The most excellent way 4. A surefire resolution that will solve all your problems in 4 easy steps

5. We were knit together for greatness • Scripture Psalm 139 Knit together in the womb • Psalm 139:13New International Version (NIV) • 13 For you created my inmost being;    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

6. We were knit together for greatness • What is it about us that when we see excellence we want to be a part of it? Why is that? • Simone Biles 2016 • Burrelsworth from Greater • Or rooting for Alabama or Clemson

7. The Parable of the Talents • Matthew 25:14-30New International Version (NIV) • 14 “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. 15 To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag,[a] each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16 The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. 17 So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. 18 But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. • 19 “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20 The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’ 21 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ • 22 “The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’ • 23 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ • 24 “Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’ 26 “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.

8. The Parable of the Talents • Matthew 25:14-30New International Version (NIV) • 28 “‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. 29 For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 30 And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

9. Then what happens come Feb or March or April • Parking lot of Planet Fitness • What happens to diets come February • Buying exercise equipment • Scripture Psalm 139 Knit together in the womb

10. Then what happens come Feb or March • We fall short • Scripture we know what we should do but yet we don’t do it Romans 7 again • 15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18 For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature.[c]For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. • 21 So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 23 but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me.24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? 25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! • So what do you do with that

11. Then what happens come Feb or March • Do you despair, what is the use to even try? • Parable of the Talents speaks to this, why did the person hide their talents? They believed the opposite of this quote: “Nothing ventured nothing gained.” I guess it would go something like, “Let’s play it safe nothing ventured nothing failed, therefore I am not a failure.” Or like the guy in the video let me even be sarcastic about my pending failure.

12. Then what happens come Feb Then there are folks on the other end of the spectrum, let me pick myself up and in my own strength do it harder, try harder. I can do this…… John 6:63New International Version (NIV) 63 The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life. • John 5:19New International Version (NIV) • 19 Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.

13. Then what happens come Feb or March The flesh that keeps betraying us…… The Cow story

14. The most excellent way The counter current, the flesh that keeps betraying us…..but we have more power over this than we thought! Sow a thought reap a action, reap an action reap a habit, reap a habit reap a destiny.

15. The most excellent way The counter current, the flesh that keeps betraying us…..but we have more power over this than we thought! Anatomy of soul premise of the book and how habits get formed.

16. The most excellent way But memory is in fact not like that locked metal box. Every time we remember something, the memory itself changes, for the neural networks that are associated with that mental image are either reinforced to fire in a similar but slightly different fashion, or they are shaped and altered to fire differently……..This is important given how much weight many people give to what they perceive as the past, as if it were an objective reality apart from what their brains are constructing in the present moment. So while you may have viewed the events of your life story as if they were irrevocably chiseled in granite, you have more power than you thought. You can begin to respond to this “objective reality” quite differently if you embrace the deeper reality that in some respects your past as you have viewed it doesn’t even exist.

17. The most excellent way What voices are you listening to allowing it to shape those beliefs? 3 Voices: • Voice of the flesh • Voice of the Holy Spirit • Voice of the evil one

18. The most excellent way The solution: A conversational intimacy, a true relationship with Christ. The names of God, this is who wants a relationship with you Elohim = Powerful God Adonai = Lord El Elyon = Good Most High El Shaddai = Almighty God Yahweh = I AM WHO I AM Jehovah Jireh = The Lord Provides Jehovah Rophe = The Lord Heals Jehovah Nissi = The Lord is my Banner Jehovah Mekadesh = The Lord who Sanctifies You Jehovah Shalom = The Lord is Peace Jehovah Tsidkenu = The Lord is our Righteousness Jehovah Rohi = The Lord is my Shepherd Jehovah Shammah = The Lord is There

19. The most excellent way Wisdom from Chas Morris: What do you mean to communicate that greatness is? How do you define it? How is that worldly paradigm of greatness different than the Godly one? Swimming up the stream some begs the question is what do you hope happens in people's heart from the sermon? How do they walk away with a new vision of greatness and how the great one accomplished it for us?

20. The most excellent way Wisdom from Chas Morris: You see we want greatness, our goals reflect it. We are attracted to greatness, why do we want to be surrounded by it? No one grows up wanting to be average when they grow up. But why do we want it? What does that point to? It points to something that is an echo from Eden.  Because the bible starts in a garden where the first two human beings were designed to be God's image on earth to spread his glory. The problem is, they chose their definition of greatness (self focus, control, God out of the picture). Because of sin, our desire for greatness is bent inward. Its bent towards making ourselves great and it falls short.  

21. The most excellent way Wisdom from Chas Morris: Most of our depression and shame in life comes from living with a constant sense of our lack of greatness. No matter how many resolutions you make, no matter how many new habits you develop, no matter how successful you are, you will always live with a question “Am I great enough yet?“ Rockefeller said “Just one more Million and I will be ok." 

22. The most excellent way Wisdom from Chas Morris: Jesus left the greatness of heaven to restore us. His incarnation could be described as anything but great. He came to serve his people as their king and yet was rejected and handed over to be killed. He did that to make us great because greatness is being told 'well done good and faithful servant' which only can happen because Jesus accomplished this for us. Christianity points us to a greatness that is wrought out of something outside of us that comes into us. Our greatness is His greatness, which means, the greatness I must seek in this life is not how to make myself great, but Him greater (I must decrease, He must increase). Greatness comes from living for a kingdom that’s His, not mine, but yet I have been invited to spread on this earth.

23. A Resolution that will solve all your problems in 4 easy steps After hearing from our wise Pastor you know right away that there are no 4 easy steps. So instead of easy steps I have 4 questions as homework for us all.

24. Our Homework So what are your habits and are they really serving you well and were they chosen? Ask God to reveal to you where he wants to work with you. Have you allowed sinister voices to sway you to misinterpret some of your story? What were you knit together to do? Are your habits serving that cause and purpose? Do you have a conversational intimacy/a relationship with Christ? Because those 4 questions can never be truly answered resulting in true long term change without that. Romans 8 has the answer to this whole quandary of how we can keep God’s resolutions for us.

25. A Resolution that will solve all your problems in 4 easy steps There is no crutch other than Christ but I will leave you with something that has helped me and my family What is your one word this year, use this to allow God to work through you to create better habits that make us better stewards of the talents Christ gave us? http://getoneword.com/jimmy-pages-one-word-video/ We are better together working out. We are all better when in a community.