Well listen, I am the oldest of three boys. I'm also the shortest, which I have never forgiven the Lord for.
I have two younger brothers that are both six foot two. The true story, when I was in college, I would come home from college and people would ask my younger brother how school was going at college. I used to get so mad. I'm like, it's me, I'm in college.
You know, my lovely nasal tone voice. And you know, there's something about boys that if you leave them alone long enough, without parental supervision, the worst ideas become brilliant. Does any parent know what I'm talking about? Like, you know, I heard a story James Dobson was talking about where he was talking about this kid who decided they wanted to see what would happen if they poured gasoline down in a manhole.
They pulled a manhole cover off a sewer and dumped gasoline down and blew up every toilet in every house on the whole street, right? Well my brothers and I, we grew up in Pennsylvania. I'm originally from upstate New York, but we grew up most of my life in Pennsylvania. We lived out in the country. My parents were a one income family, one car. I mean, we had electricity and running water. But you know, summertime we were just bored and so we had to come up with things to do. So one day my brother Tim and I decided we would have a competition over who could jump the furthest down the stairs. Because we were brilliant like that.
We were smart, smart kids. And my parents had a bi-level so you open the front door, there's a landing and you either go up or you go down. So we decided we would jump down the stairs from the top of the landing and I was in the lead. And the rule was where your feet landed, that's what counted. So one of us would stand at the bottom of the stairs and jump and we'd measure it off and you know, think of this, right?
Well my brother Tim was very competitive, the three boys the most competitive. And so I remember he would have none of it. So he opened the front door and ran out in the yard. And he's like, I'm gonna get a running start. And he's like, hey, watch this. Now listen, if you have sons, nothing good happens after the words hey, watch this. So I remember saying to him, I don't know if that's a good idea.
And he took a running start and he launched beautifully, got in perfect pike position like a gymnast and drove both feet through the wall at the end of the stairs. And my dad, my poor dad who was just working so hard for the family came home to a hole in the wall this big at the bottom of the stairs. And my dad said to us, what were you thinking? What were you thinking?
Man, what were you thinking? Well we're in Romans today and Paul in Romans 8 talks about thinking. He talks about the mind. And Paul wrote the letter to the church in Rome around A.D. 57. He's probably in Corinth at the time which is in modern day Greece.
It's a little isthmus of land that sat on between northern and southern Greece or Achaia and Macedonia back in those days. And Paul wanted to go to Rome. He'd heard about these Jewish believers who were following Christ.
And this was about 25 years after the death and resurrection of Jesus. And so he writes this letter, that's the book of Romans, to the church in Rome. And he wants to introduce himself. He's hoping to go there and visit.
He eventually does under arrest but he does go there. And because he's not met them before he writes a very long letter of all of his letters, one of the longest he writes, in order to clarify the gospel. And because they were Jewish believers he wrote a lot about the law because they knew about the law, Mosaic law.
The first five books particularly of the Old Testament, the Old Covenant, the Pentateuch as they would call them. And how they lived under the law but now they were no longer under the law but they were under the spirit, they were under grace. And so a lot of Romans compares the law and living under all these rules and trying to be perfect by rules versus living under the spirit or under grace. And then he gets to this passage and he starts to talk about the mind. And he starts to talk about how the mind can either submit to the flesh or to sin or it can submit to the spirit. And if it submits to the sin or the flesh then it results in death but if it submits to the spirit, if it submits to Christ it results in life and peace. And he's writing to them about that because I think just like it was back then, it is now, there is a spiritual war going on over how we think in our culture.
There's a spiritual war going on. It used to be that truth, which the definition of truth most philosophers will hold to is that it's that which corresponds to reality. Is that the way you would discover truth is you would observe the world, you would observe others and from looking out and observing out you would infer truth. What's happened now in our culture is that we've stopped looking out and we're looking within. We're looking at how we feel, what our emotions are. That's why we have a gender identity issue in our culture, right?
Because we're looking inside. And Paul says you can either look to yourself or you can look to God's standard. You can submit your mind and the way you think to God or you can live under sin and the flesh.
You can have one of two dispositions. You can lean towards the things of the flesh and be a carnal person who is at enmity with God. Or you can incline towards the things of the spirit and be a spiritual Christian or follow Christ. And Paul uses opposite extremes of the spectrum to illustrate the two ways of living in God's world. One way is to live according to the desires and directives of the flesh, a way that produces hostility toward God and ultimately death. The other way is to live life according to the desires of God as revealed and empowered by his Holy Spirit and lay a way that leads to life and peace.
Two spheres, two ways of living. We're gonna read about this here in a moment. It's a long passage so bear with me. Would you be so gracious whether you're here in this room or Benson or North Raleigh.
So good to have you guys with us online. Would you please stand with me and we're gonna be reading out of Romans chapter 8 verse 1. I encourage you to have your Bible with you. You know our church app, the cross assembly app actually has a Bible in it. So if you don't have a Bible on your iPad or your tablet or your phone you can get it that way.
Or the old school way, bring the paper back. We're gonna be in the New Living Translation. New Living Translation is more thought for thought than word for word. So Romans chapter 8 verse 1 and we're gonna read this and then we're gonna read together verses 5 and 6. So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus, right. Cause Paul's been talking about living under the law but not under the law but under the spirit now so we're not condemned. And because you belong to him, to Christ, the power of the life giving spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin's control over us by giving his son as a sacrifice for our sins, right. The cross is the center point of all human history.
He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, not by us. Who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the spirit. Now he begins to talk about the mind. Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things. But those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the spirit. So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to what? Death. But letting the spirit control your mind leads to life and what?
Peace. For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God's laws and it never will. That's why those who are still under the control of the sinful nature can never please God. You're either with God or you're against him. But you are not controlled, verse 9, by your sinful nature, speaking to believers. You are controlled by the spirit, right, Father, Son, Holy Spirit, if you have the spirit of God living in you. And remember that those who do not have the spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all. And Christ lives within you. So even though your body will die because of sin, the spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. The spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you.
That's powerful, isn't it? And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by the same spirit living within you. Let's read out loud together, verses 5 and 6.
We'll put it here on the screen. So go ahead and read with me. Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things. But those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the spirit. So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. Amen.
You may be seated. May God add his blessings to the reading of his word. The ESV puts that word sinful nature, they call it the flesh. You'll see that particularly in like the King James.
I love the way the New Century version says this. It says those who live following their sinful selves think only about things that their sinful selves want. But those who live following the spirit are thinking about the things that the spirit wants them to do. If people's thinking is controlled by their sinful self, there is death. But if their thinking is controlled by the spirit, there is life and peace.
If I was to paraphrase verses 5 and 6, I would say it this way. Your mind cannot serve two masters. You either follow sin or you yield to the spirit. There are just two ways of living in this world.
A mindset of the things of God or a mindset on the things of the world. The spirit led living, it leads to life and peace. The self led, sin led, flesh led living leads to death.
Your mind cannot serve two masters. You either follow sin or you yield to the spirit. Jesus himself talked about this in Matthew 6 24 when he talks about the desires to gain money and to gain success. He says this in verse 24 of Matthew 6. No one can serve two masters. For either he will hate the one and love the other or he'll be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. Matthew 9 4, Jesus said this, knowing your thoughts, said, Why do you think evil in your hearts?
Right? God cares not only about our actions, but our intentions as well. That's why Jesus said, you've heard it said, don't commit adultery. But I tell you, don't even think lustful thoughts about someone because even that's adultery to God.
Wow, God's standard is perfection, not just in our actions, but in our thought life. Well, what is the mind? Why does it matter what we think? James says a double minded man in James 1 8 is unstable in all his ways. You can only think one way. Your mind cannot serve two masters.
You either follow sin or you yield to the spirit. Now, bear with me here because I'm not a philosopher, but the mind is the place of our thought and understanding our consciousness. It is how we think about life and make decisions. The mind is what separates us from the rest of creation. What we think is of utter importance as it determines the course of our life and eternity. What we believe is how we behave.
What we think leads to action. The word for mind, nos, N-O-U-S, it literally meant the seat of the understanding. Paul understood in the Greek world that the mind was distinct from the spirit of man.
It was the seat of intelligence. A man's actions flow from the inclinations of their minds. Whether a man is good or evil depends on the state of his mind. Jesus was summarizing all the law and all the prophets and saying to someone who asked him, hey, what is the most important thing to pay attention to? What does God really want from you? He says this, you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your what?
Mind. And your neighbor is yourself. Jesus said that's what God wants.
He wants a relationship with you. Later on in Romans, Paul writes this and he talks about really how we're transformed, how we become more like Christ. He says do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind. That by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. I love what Paul wrote to the church in Corinth in 1 Corinthians 2, 16. He said for who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him but we have the mind of Christ.
The what? The mind of Christ. Your mind cannot serve two masters. You either follow sin or you yield to the spirit. But that leads to the question what is the difference between sin-led living and spirit-led living? What is the difference between self-led thinking and Godly-led thinking?
Well the first thing I'd say is that one sets its own standard, the sin-led way, while the other lives by God's standard. I'm gonna give you an illustration that I totally messed up in the first service. You know I'm public school educated so just bear with me here. It's an illustration about the chromosomes and I got it totally wrong in the first service. So technically I'm having some type of gender issue.
Obviously it goes on because I don't know what's happening here. I'm joking. I'm joking.
Wow. Pastor Jeff, Pastor Christian, he's having a gender issue. So our culture says, a part of our culture and not just the American culture but the world says that you can decide as an individual whether or not you're a male or female.
Right? Now I don't adhere to that but that's what our culture says. What's interesting is that science says that DNA of which create our chromosomes that there is, let me make sure I get this right, this service, the XX chromosome means you're what? Female. Thank you. I said totally opposite on the service.
Just don't tell Pastor Chad. Okay. And if it's XY, you're male. Doesn't matter if you take hormone treatments or have gender transitioning surgeries.
You still have XX or XY. There's just two genders. Now I don't say that to pick on those who struggle with gender dysphoria.
That's a real issue. I understand that. But I say that to say our culture is saying you make up your own truth. You look inside yourself. Jeremiah says the heart is wicked and deceitful above all things and beyond cure, who can understand its ways? The Chris Connell version is, your heart's an idiot, don't follow it. So, what is the difference between sin-led and spirit-led thinking? One sets its own standard while the other lives by God's standard. 1 John 2.15, do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, that's the ideals of the world, the love of the Father is not in him. The love of all that is in the world, the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes and pride of life is not from the Father, but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. One way of thinking sets its own standard, the other lives by God's standard. John 8.31, Jesus said, if you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you what? Free.
Let's set you free. God's truth. You see, there is a standard of right and wrong in life.
You may not agree with it, but it exists. John 17.17, Jesus said, sanctify them in the truth. Your word is truth. Your mind cannot serve two masters. You either follow sin or yield to the Spirit. What is the difference between sin-led and Spirit-led thinking? One sets its own standard, while the other lives by God's standard. One lets self have its way, and the other denies itself. Proverbs 25.28, a man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.
Sheer chaos. It's why our culture has such a challenge with the mental health crisis, because everybody is just saying, go find your own truth, and just follow your heart, and follow yourself. Let yourself have its way. Discover who you are.
No. The human heart is too fickle for that. God comes along and says, you need to deny yourself. In fact, John 8.34, Jesus said, truly, truly, and when he said that, he was like, listen, really listen to me. I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. They are following their master of sin. What's the difference between sin-led and Spirit-led thinking?
One lets self have its way, the other denies itself. Romans 6.6, we know that our old self was crucified with him. In order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. Jesus said in Luke 9.23, to the masses, if anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. Is it easy being a follower of Jesus? No.
Because it requires death to self. Is it a blessed life? Yes. Is it purpose-filled? Yes. Should there be joy in it? Yes. But is it easy?
No. Because it's a denial of yourself. For Jesus went on to say, for whoever would save his life will lose it. If you try to keep life for yourself, you'll lose it.
But whatever loses life for my sake will save it. Then he says, what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? You see, what's the difference between sin-led and Spirit-led thinking? One let self have its way, the other denies itself.
One achieves its identity, the other receives its identity. Saint Corinthians 5.17, therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old has passed away, behold, the new has come. When you follow Christ, you receive an identity in him.
You're not achieving it. It's not about what you do, it's about what he has done for you, for me. In fact, John 1.12, it says, but to all that did receive him, who believe in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. We are adopted in a new identity, who were born not of blood, nor the will of the flesh, nor the will of man, but of God. In fact, Peter writes in the church of 1 Peter 2, verse 9, and he speaks of their identity, and he says, but you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession.
You may not think that about you, that's what God thinks about you. That you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Galatians 3.27, for as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. What is the difference between sin-led and spirit-led thinking? One achieves its identity, it strives to accomplish something. It strives to be perfect, it strives to be right.
The other receives its identity. One seeks to please itself, the other seeks to please God. 2 Timothy 3, Paul writes, but understand this, in the last days, that's where we are, there will come times of difficulty. For people, listen to this description, will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. In fact, Paul goes on and says this in Galatians 1.10, for am I now seeking the approval of man or of God?
Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ. You see, sin-led thinking seeks to please itself. Spirit-led thinking seeks to please God. The trouble with trying to please self is the heart is never satisfied because we have selfish, sin-filled hearts. In fact, Jesus said in Matthew 6.33, but seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added unto you.
What is the difference between sin-led and spirit-led thinking? One lives for this life and the other lives for the next. Philippians 3.18, for many of whom I have told you now, and tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction. Their God is their belly.
Don't look at my belly because I could be accused of that. And they glory in their shame with mindset on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven.
Where is it? Heaven. See, sin-led thinking says this life is all there is. Spirit-led thinking says, no, no, this life is passing.
Real life is in the next life. In fact, St. Corinthians 4.16, we do not lose heart though our outer self is wasting away, right? It's decaying. Our inner self is being renewed day by day for this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal way of glory beyond all comparison as we look not to the things that are seen, but to the things that are what? Unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, they're temporary.
The things that are unseen are eternal. What is the difference between sin-led thinking and spirit-led thinking? One lives for this life, the other lives for the next.
In fact, in Colossians 3.2, Paul says, set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on the earth. Your mind cannot serve two masters. You either follow sin or yield to the Spirit. What is that difference between sin-led and spirit-led thinking?
One leads to eternal death, and the other leads to eternal life. Proverbs 14.12 is a brilliant proverb. It says, there is a way, listen to these words, that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death. It feels so right, it can't be wrong. It is.
It is. You see, the human heart is selfish, and if we try to please it, it will only bring us to a place of death and destruction. You and I may feel that we understand what's best for our lives, but the reality is we don't know what's best for our lives. Romans 6.21, but what fruit were you getting at the time for the things of which you are now ashamed? Before you became fathers of Christ, Paul says. For the end of those things is death, but now that you've been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification, becoming more like Christ, and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is what? Death. But the free gift of God is eternal life, and Christ Jesus is our Lord. John 3.16, Jesus said to Nicodemus, For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have what? Eternal what?
Life. What's the difference between sin-led and spirit-led thinking? One leads to eternal death, and the other leads to eternal life. In fact, Jesus in Matthew 25 gives a story of the end times, a great white throne room judgment we talk about in eschatology. And he says at the last days, at that last judgment, God will separate human beings into two categories.
Not three categories, not ten categories, two categories. Sheep and goats, following Christ, not following Christ. And he says in verse 46 of Matthew 25, And these will go away into eternal punishment, sin-led thinking, but they're righteous into eternal life.
This is serious stuff. Your mind can only serve one of two masters. You can either follow sin, or you can follow the Spirit. Why does sin-led thinking lead to death?
Well, really quickly, a couple of things. One, there is a price for sin. Romans 6, 23, we already read it, for the wages within is death. Because we have also fallen short of God's standard.
There is a standard, it is perfection, both of thought and mind, intention and action, and we're not able to do that because of a sin-fallen world that we live in. We've all fallen short of God's standard. It says that in Romans 3, 23, For all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Why does sin-led thinking lead to death? Because there's a price for sin, because we have fallen short of God's standard, and because sin separates us from God, Isaiah 59, 2. But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God. When we live in sin, we are hostile toward God.
We are not subject, submitted to God. We are not able to please God, and we are spiritually dead, which will result in eternal death. Well, that's why sin-led thinking leads to death. Why does spirit-led thinking lead to life? The Holy Spirit moves in our life, and it does not take away human initiative or make it impossible for believers to sin. However, as the most powerful force in believers' lives, the Spirit makes it possible for us to resist the continuing power of sin, and how many know it is a daily battle, right?
Dying to yourself. But praise the Lord, we have the Holy Spirit that can give us life. Why does the Spirit-led thinking lead to life and peace? Because Christ paid the price for our sin. 1 John 2, 2. He is the propitiation for our sin, the payment for our sin. And not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
Why does Spirit-led thinking lead to life and peace? Christ paid the price for our sin, and because Christ met the standard on our behalf. Jesus said in Matthew 5, 17, Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets.
I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them. Christ met the standard on our behalf. Finally, Christ reconciled us to the Father. 2 Corinthians 5, 18. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself. In Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself.
There's only two ways of thinking. Sin-led or Spirit-led. Sin-led leads to death. Spirit-led leads to life and peace. And we have a world that is struggling to find peace.
Just take five minutes and drive on 540. You'll find a world struggling to find peace. If you see a guy driving by in a green Miata that looks like me, it's not me.
It's a guy that had a midlife crisis. Because nobody needs a Miata. All right. Why do we have peace?
This is very important. We have peace because in Christ we know we are right with the Lord. Peace, that Greek word Irenae, it's where we get the name Irene.
Also shalom in the Hebrew, right? We have peace when we have Spirit-led thinking because we know we are right with the Lord. Romans 5, 1 and 2. Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Peace refers to the reconciliation with God. Why do we have peace? Because our place is secure in heaven. The challenge with trying to earn our way into heaven, or whatever religion somebody follows, is that you never know when you've done enough. Even in Islam, they'll tell you, you never know when you've done enough. In Christ, our place is secure.
We can be sure. We can have peace because of that. John 5, 24. Truly, truly, I say to you, Jesus said, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. Jesus said in John 27, my sheep, a reference to people who follow him, hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.
I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. Why does Spirit-led thinking lead to life and peace? Because we know we're right with the Lord, because our place is secure in heaven, and because we do not need the approval of others.
Why do you need the approval of others when you have the approval of the only one that matters? 1 Thessalonians 2, 4. But just as we've been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts. Psalm 5, 12.
For you blessed the righteous, O Lord, and cover him with favor as with a shield. Jesus said this about the world in John 15, 18. If the world hates you, and they will, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. But because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
You're never going to have the world's approval being a follower of Christ. Remember the word that I said to you. A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.
If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me. Spirit-led thinking leads to life and peace, because we are right with the Lord, our place is secure in heaven, and we do not need the approval of others. Your mind cannot serve two masters. You either follow sin or yield to the Spirit.
Finding the question, whose voice are you listening to? Are you being led by the Spirit or being led by self? In Romans 12, too, it says, don't be conformed, be transformed.
It meant, the Greek was metamorphomai, where we get the word metamorphosis. We literally get changed. How do we become like Christ? Well, it's a miraculous thing by his Spirit, but there are daily disciplines that help us walk with him, right? Prayer, reading the Word, right? Getting baptized, that doesn't get you saved, but it tells the world that you follow Jesus.
Gathering with other saints that help you to grow in your knowledge of him, being a part of a small group, witnessing to others, asking the Holy Spirit to fill you and be baptized. These are the ways in which we follow the leading of the Spirit and not the flesh. Finally, have you been adopted by the Father? In Romans 8, verse 12, Paul writes about adoption, a new identity, and he says, therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urged you to do, for if you live by its dictates, you will die, but if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live, for all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.
They're what? Children of God. When we become fathers of Christ, we are adopted and we receive a new identity, and with it, a new way of thinking by God's Spirit. So you have not received the Spirit that makes you fearful slaves, Paul goes on to say. Instead, you receive God's Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him Abba Father, Daddy Father, for his Spirit joins with our Spirit to affirm that we are God's children.
Your mind cannot serve two masters. You either follow sin or yield to the Spirit. Have you been adopted by the Father? Have you made a decision to follow him? Does following Jesus make your life better? Yes. Does it make it easier?
Not necessarily. There's a lot of death to self, meaning the power of Christ, but there's purpose. There's a lot of death to self, but there's joy. There's a lot of death to self, but there's peace. You can lay your head down at night and know to whom you belong. If you've never made that decision, whether you're here in this room, or you're at Benson, or North Raleigh, or online, I want to challenge you. You're not promised tomorrow. So take seriously this question.
Have you been adopted? Who are you following in your thinking? The sin, yourself, or the Spirit? And if you want to become a follower of Christ, it's a simple thing because he paid the price for you. You don't have to do something.
He's done it for you. You simply need to say a prayer. With every head bowed and every eye closed, you can just simply say this. You say, Jesus, I ask you to forgive me of my sin.
I'm a sinner. I ask you to come into my life and be my Lord, be the master of my life. I ask you to fill me with your Spirit, that I may live the life you've called me to live. I ask you to give me a new identity in you. And I ask you that when I die, you would take me to heaven with you. I give my life to you. I turn from all others. I repent of my ways, and I turn to you. In Jesus' name, amen. You can look up.
Your mind cannot serve two masters. You either follow a sinner or yield to the Spirit. If you said yes today, I want to give you a couple quick instructions. If you're online, you can click the I said yes button.
There's also a QR code, or you can text the word CROSS to 919-551-3036. We want to give you a book. It's called You Said Yes, and it will help you grow in your walk with the Lord. Right now, I'd like to go ahead and close out the service by releasing to the campuses for ministering communion. So if you've got your communion, I want you to take those right here. If you don't have one, lift up your arm.
The ushers will bring one to you. If you're online, get your bread and juice and be ready. And let's peel off that first layer. If you can't get it, it's because you're not right with the Lord. Really. This is a spiritual test.
Not really. I know, sarcasm is a sin. Paul wrote to the church in Corinth, and he talked to them about how to receive communion. It's a holy thing and a sacred thing. It's something that Jesus instituted at the Last Supper. And it's a remembrance of what Christ did for us.
In 1 Corinthians 11, 23, Paul writes, For I have received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me. Receive the body of Christ. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Father.
Thank you. In the same way, also he took the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new covenant, the new contract, the New Testament, in my blood. Do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.
Receive. Thank you, Jesus. Would you please stand with me? The worship is going to come and lead us out.
And I'll come back right in a moment and close out the service. And what can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. And all the precious years of love that makes me white as snow.
No other fount I know. Oh, nothing but the blood of Jesus. And this is all my hope and peace. Oh, nothing but the blood of Jesus.
And this is all my righteousness. Nothing but the blood of Jesus. And all the precious years of love that makes me white as snow. No other fount I know. Oh, nothing but the blood of Jesus. We're singing all precious years of love that makes me white as snow.
No other fount I know. Oh, nothing but the blood of Jesus. Isn't it good to know? It's not by what we've done.
It's by what he has done through his blood. Amen. Can we give him praise for that?
We don't have to have stinking thinking anymore. Amen. We can yield our minds to the Holy Spirit and have a life that leads to life and peace. Amen. We've had 14 people today receive Christ. Can we give God praise for that?
That's amazing. Let me lift your hand to receive his blessing. Father, I pray for those within the sound of my voice online here in this room.
Benson, North Raleigh. And Lord, especially for those who've made decisions for you today. Lord, I pray on their behalf that out of and according to the glorious riches of Christ Jesus, that you would strengthen them with power through your spirit in their inner beings so that Christ would dwell in their hearts through faith. And that they, being rooted and established in love, would have power to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.
And that they would know this love that surpasses knowledge, that they may be filled to the measure of all the fullness that is in you. In Jesus' name. Amen. Love you guys. Have a great week. Pass today. I'll be back next Sunday.
