1 00:00:00,694 --> 00:00:03,261 When people want to come and talk, 2 00:00:03,261 --> 00:00:05,769 want counsel for a particular struggle 3 00:00:05,769 --> 00:00:07,714 against a certain sin, 4 00:00:07,714 --> 00:00:11,195 one thing that has changed over the years 5 00:00:11,195 --> 00:00:13,879 is what people want to do 6 00:00:13,879 --> 00:00:16,877 is they want to talk about their sin 7 00:00:16,877 --> 00:00:18,135 and their struggle 8 00:00:18,135 --> 00:00:19,925 and how defeated they are. 9 00:00:19,925 --> 00:00:21,203 And, no matter what it is, 10 00:00:21,203 --> 00:00:23,630 they just want to go on and on about it, 11 00:00:23,630 --> 00:00:26,651 but I don't even go there now. 12 00:00:26,651 --> 00:00:29,267 What I talk about is 13 00:00:29,267 --> 00:00:30,478 their position in Christ, 14 00:00:30,478 --> 00:00:31,641 what Christ has done, 15 00:00:31,641 --> 00:00:34,593 that that's not them anymore. 16 00:00:34,593 --> 00:00:38,049 It just doesn't help going on and on with the sin. 17 00:00:38,049 --> 00:00:40,446 It's just stirring up more sin anyway. 18 00:00:40,446 --> 00:00:43,330 The obsession with it. 19 00:00:43,330 --> 00:00:46,112 When you get off of that, 20 00:00:46,112 --> 00:00:49,830 onto realizing who you are now. 21 00:00:49,830 --> 00:00:51,430 It's not me anymore. 22 00:00:51,430 --> 00:00:55,500 An example I use to describe this 23 00:00:55,500 --> 00:01:01,308 is if you were adopted into a royal family - 24 00:01:01,308 --> 00:01:04,440 which we essentially are as Christians - 25 00:01:04,440 --> 00:01:07,706 I don't know about your upbringing, 26 00:01:07,706 --> 00:01:09,940 but mine, I would be expected to behave 27 00:01:09,940 --> 00:01:11,018 in different ways. 28 00:01:11,018 --> 00:01:13,387 Even things like eating at the table 29 00:01:13,387 --> 00:01:15,123 and putting your knife and fork, 30 00:01:15,123 --> 00:01:17,573 and saying things different. 31 00:01:17,573 --> 00:01:19,347 You're taught that. 32 00:01:19,347 --> 00:01:21,270 That's not who you are anymore. 33 00:01:21,270 --> 00:01:23,002 Well, in the same way, 34 00:01:23,002 --> 00:01:24,959 not with our knife and forks, of course, 35 00:01:24,959 --> 00:01:28,296 but in our life set apart for God as Christians 36 00:01:28,296 --> 00:01:32,321 we're told that's not us anymore. 37 00:01:32,321 --> 00:01:34,831 But realizing someone's position in Christ, 38 00:01:34,831 --> 00:01:36,812 and also realizing the gospel there - 39 00:01:36,812 --> 00:01:38,800 what Christ has done for us. 40 00:01:38,800 --> 00:01:40,860 Because when you're thinking of that, 41 00:01:40,860 --> 00:01:42,262 how glorious Christ is 42 00:01:42,262 --> 00:01:46,526 and how glorious our position is, 43 00:01:46,526 --> 00:01:48,104 what He's done for us, 44 00:01:48,104 --> 00:01:51,825 you're not thinking about going on in sin next. 45 00:01:51,825 --> 00:01:53,448 You're just thankful. 46 00:01:53,448 --> 00:01:56,105 So getting the person away from 47 00:01:56,105 --> 00:01:58,217 that obsession with whatever. 48 00:01:58,217 --> 00:02:01,013 That just tends to keep dragging them 49 00:02:01,013 --> 00:02:02,568 under and under. 50 00:02:02,568 --> 00:02:05,186 I've said this to people before. 51 00:02:05,186 --> 00:02:09,523 If someone's recommending a book or a sermon 52 00:02:09,523 --> 00:02:14,389 about how to defeat a sin that you don't struggle with, 53 00:02:14,389 --> 00:02:15,437 don't even go there, 54 00:02:15,437 --> 00:02:17,529 because you might end up struggling with it. 55 00:02:17,529 --> 00:02:19,964 You know, if you try and put all that into practice 56 00:02:19,964 --> 00:02:21,660 when it's not even relevant to you, 57 00:02:21,660 --> 00:02:24,702 but you might end up struggling with it afterwards, 58 00:02:24,702 --> 00:02:27,519 because it becomes the wrong approach 59 00:02:27,519 --> 00:02:29,339 getting obsessed with the sin 60 00:02:29,339 --> 00:02:31,954 and talking about how defeated we are, 61 00:02:31,954 --> 00:02:34,348 rather than what Christ has done for us 62 00:02:34,348 --> 00:02:36,487 and our position in Him.