Episode Transcript
[00:00:01] Speaker A: And that's for me. Every time I come across the word faith, I begin to replace it with the word trust, just for my sake of helping me to understand what the verse is saying, because they are really interchangeable words. If I have faith in something, I'm putting my trust in that thing.
So there is an action, I guess, there. That's part of what trusting is, that I don't just believe it, but I have faith in it. That means I'm taking a step into it. Like I'm. I'm trusting this reality, and that's a difficult thing to do. Hello, and welcome again. This is let's Talk life. And today we're talking our identity statement. Our identity statement. This is part two, last week.
[00:00:40] Speaker B: Part two. All right.
[00:00:41] Speaker A: Yeah. It's the first time we've done a part two, I think, Carl. Maybe not. I don't really remember.
We started last week discussing Galatians 2:20.
I think we had an intention of getting to 21, but I don't even think we're gonna get that far today. So a discussion for another time, maybe a part me. Maybe we'll surprise ourselves. But just to throw out a little review, you know, we asked these questions a little bit last week and talked about, what does it mean to be crucified with Christ? Because that's Galatians 2:20. I've been crucified with Christ. What does it mean that I no longer live? What does it mean that Christ lives in me? Those are all good questions to dialogue about. If you missed it or you want to listen, go Back to episode 79, because that's part one. Continuing on, the verse Galatians 2:20 says, the life I live in the body I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself up for me. So those are the parts of the verse that we're going to dialogue a little bit about today. Carl, how do you feel about that? And how you doing?
[00:01:42] Speaker B: Yeah, no, that's good. I like some of the questions that you're bringing up here. And, you know, we definitely did not get to finish this last week, so I think that's a good call. Good call by you. Captain in the ship.
[00:01:54] Speaker A: Awesome.
[00:01:56] Speaker B: We're still in the waters. We didn't get out of it right.
[00:01:59] Speaker A: Yeah, it's a fun place to be, just journeying through this stuff. And I love that. That's the culture, I mean, even of our church. I love it.
You know, we have a kind of a teaching. We have a teaching team that we talk about. Okay. What's next? What's coming up? What do you feel compelled to share? But we're going through the book of Galatians actually right now, and we're just getting into chapter three this last week. But I love it when we only get so far and we don't just changed next week to just like, oh, we're just going to skip over those verses. We actually changed the whole schedule. And you say, no, we're going to still talk about these verses because that's. They're in there and what do they mean? And let's process it all. That's a whole different mindset, I think, than I've ever had before. So I'm really pleased and happy. And I'm going to be preaching on the. What is it, 3:15 through 18 in a few weeks. And that might change depending on how the next couple of weeks go.
And I just, I love that sort of. That's, that's living really the life of Christ in me and by faith in the Son of God who's in me, and allowing him just to speak and to work. And does it rattle your cage a little bit? Like, oh, I have this in mind and I want to teach that. But then all of a sudden, you know, things change and it's like, well, it's still Christ in me. Right. Can I trust him?
[00:03:15] Speaker B: Right. Right.
[00:03:16] Speaker A: So it's kind of a neat place
[00:03:17] Speaker B: to be and the freedom of trying to control or manipulate. So just even for a second here, I'm going to say something sort of heretical to the ministry leaders that are here. But if someone came to me and said, hey, will you help me with the preaching calendar for 2027? I would probably slap him in the face because. But that's what we were trained, right? To have all these plans, to plan all these things out and ask God to bless instead. Just saying, what would it look like to just, just pour over Scripture? I mean, I love our, our friend. I mean, you're closer to him. But Brett down in Florida with you pastoring.
[00:03:51] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:03:51] Speaker B: Who said, you know, I just, I like to marinate. I'll just read one verse and just marinate over it. And I'm like, yeah, I love that. Me too. Just. Just processing it. So Galatians 2:20. Processing it. That's all right. You know, like, that's good. It's good. Just let it marinate.
Let it soak in.
[00:04:10] Speaker A: Yeah. So good. Well, I mean, we spent 25 minutes or whatever it was last week on an episode talking about just the first half of Galatians student.
And we're back here to talk about the other half because there's. There is just so much to talk about.
[00:04:24] Speaker B: Well, yeah. And so when you think back to it, you think we, you think we covered the first half of it pretty well?
[00:04:32] Speaker A: That's a good question. I mean, I know that we did begin talking about all of it, but I feel like I'm pretty confident. We talked about, I've been crucified with Christ, I no longer live, and Christ lives in me. Yeah, we did answer those questions.
[00:04:47] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah. Just even as I'm looking at it, it is no longer I who live. That's. What a great identity statement that is. No longer my life is Christ in me. And it's. And it's not that I'm trying. Right. It's. It's like, this is my reality, listener. This is your reality in Christ. It is no longer yours. Therefore, honor God with your body. Right. 1 Corinthians 6. Even bought with the price, all these things and all my life is kind of like trying harder verses, you know, that just a merit based, performance based. And it's like. No, no, no, no. Your point of reference has changed. It is Christ.
[00:05:22] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:05:23] Speaker B: Who lives in me. Right? Yeah. So I just wanted to say, man, what a great truth that is for each person. Each person is no longer you who live. It is Christ in you.
[00:05:34] Speaker A: Right. Right. Yeah. It's so good. And just even thinking about faith, I mean, faith was always something that I thought that I had to put on to do better at, to grow my faith, to be better, to have more faith or stronger faith. And I'm still processing all that. What does that look like? Because there is. There is an element of. In my mind, in my matur. Things are changing, but my faith is my faith. It is putting less faith in my own abilities and trusting the one in me. So there's, you know, and I think maybe that's what we're going to be talking about next week. What does it mean? You know, I'm going to scroll back up here to, to deny, to take up.
[00:06:09] Speaker B: Oh, yeah.
[00:06:10] Speaker A: To follow.
[00:06:11] Speaker B: Yeah, right.
[00:06:12] Speaker A: You know, maybe we'll get there, maybe we won't.
[00:06:14] Speaker B: But. Right.
[00:06:15] Speaker A: It's all just really beautiful stuff to ponder and to think about. But even when I think about it. Just tell me. I don't know where you're at with this even too, Carl. Like what you just said about it is no longer I who live. Well, what. What about the me that is here?
[00:06:29] Speaker B: Right? Does it.
[00:06:30] Speaker A: Am I just nothing Then, yeah, I think that's a lot of times the, the mistake that people.
It's hard to process that it's no longer I, but what's the I. And I think you did a pretty good job last week of explaining that.
[00:06:44] Speaker B: Maybe you're bringing up a great point because guess what? Paul still had his personality. Like the unique personality that was, you know, pretty, pretty hell bent on arresting followers of Jesus was the same personality that was now, you know, pursuing Christ and correcting, you know, false doctrine or chasing after, you know, whatever it is.
So it's still Paul, still, you know, solitaris personality still came out. And, and Paul. So there are things that God's created in us that just don't go away, you know. And I think, I think you brought. I think even you alluding to that is a good, It's a good conversation.
[00:07:30] Speaker A: Like it is. Well, it's like, I think that every time we come up with questions or things to ponder, it's not just for us to, like, let's dialogue about this and answer this question for everybody. It's. No, let's. Us and anyone that's listening, let's ask. Father.
[00:07:44] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:07:45] Speaker A: What, what do you say about this God? Who do you say that I am?
[00:07:48] Speaker B: Right.
[00:07:48] Speaker A: How do you see in the midst of all this? Like, let's get some wisdom from him. And I think that's the most crucial point for anybody that you're counseling, coaching, walking beside, just journeying with, what does God say? What do you have for me? God? Because what God might say to you might be something completely different than what he say for me in the same given situation, 100%.
[00:08:07] Speaker B: And here's what's so great. And we have a hard time with this because both of us are coming out of histories where it was about uniformity, not unity.
[00:08:18] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:08:18] Speaker B: Unity is you and me are in the body of Christ because of Christ. Like we are in his church. Capital C. Like, that's the, you know, the, the body of Christ is. And so, so uniformity means we all have to think the same, look the same, act the same. And if you don't, then you go somewhere else.
And that's, that's my background. That's your background?
Yeah. It's like, no, no, no, that's.
[00:08:46] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:08:47] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:08:47] Speaker A: Well, man, just, just thinking about that. What if I don't look the part? I think of so many people, I think of myself in certain instances too, that you can't feel alone. You're out in the left field, just kind of rejected because I don't fit. I mean, most of my life I felt like I didn't really fit, you know, And I've seen it with other people. I've seen it with some. Some of our very own family.
[00:09:10] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:09:11] Speaker A: Just the dynamic, the difference of growing up in the same context but going completely different directions with their lives. And why? You know, because they were rejected. They were condemned, basically. There's no condemnation for those in Christ, but we can condemn ourselves and we can condemn other people.
[00:09:27] Speaker B: Right.
[00:09:28] Speaker A: And unfortunately, we've hurt. We've been hurt and we've hurt other people. And that. That's just the reality of what we can do, even as believers, even as Christ ones. But I like where you were going. Just you brought up the, you know, the point of reference. I think that's how you said it.
[00:09:41] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:09:42] Speaker A: And the rest of the gospel talks about this. And I think Fr. Friedman has really helped me to understand even the way that the rest of the gospel explains we have Christ in me, but the rest of the gospel goes so far to say it's Christ as me. And I was like, man, that's weird.
Help me understand that. And Frank, when he lined me up to do some teaching at a weekend thing in North Florida, I posted a little thing about just saying, hey, pray as I go in to do this. And he wrote on there, and I think he had already written to me anyways to say, go and be the Zach, Erasmus and expression of Jesus Christ.
[00:10:17] Speaker B: Christ.
I like that.
[00:10:20] Speaker A: And it was like that, him saying that just. It just clicked in my mind. Like I connected that to the rest of the gospel. Christ in me as me. Like, I'm still me, right. But I have Christ in me and he can express through me. So. So I don't lose my personality. I don't lose who I am, but I'm not. I'm no longer living according to that old man because the old man is dead. And so really processing that is crucially. And then we still haven't even gotten to this next part of the verse. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in this. The Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.
[00:10:55] Speaker B: Yeah. And I think.
[00:10:55] Speaker A: So I think we.
[00:10:57] Speaker B: We said.
I don't even know which version. Which version did you just read?
[00:11:00] Speaker A: I think that's actually the niv.
[00:11:02] Speaker B: Yeah, I think. I think there's another. I think there's one that says body, right? Is that the one you read? Life in the body, which is important because, like, yes, ESV says flesh, and so it's important to just remember that he's. He's referring there to now as your physical body. So it's the life I'm living now.
Because we also differentiated between the spirit and the flesh when it comes to, you know, who. Who am I? You know, Because. Because what? To answer the question, why do we sin? Like, why do we sin? So I'm. I'm new. I have a new heart, and I sinned. Well, there's something wrong with me. Right? I mean, that's.
[00:11:38] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:11:38] Speaker B: So anyways. But here he's saying, hey, now. So now you belong to God. Jesus is living his life in you. And through you've been sealed with the spirits, we see the triune God at work in each one.
And he's saying, all right, so the life you live without faith is impossible. Please, God. So the life I live now is defined by dependence, not independence. It's defined by faith. Trust. One of those beautiful, rich words that you and I love.
[00:12:06] Speaker A: Yeah. Oh, absolutely.
And that's. That's for me, every time I come across the word faith, I begin to replace it with the word trust just for my sake of helping me to understand what the verse is saying. Because they are really interchangeable words. If I have faith in something, I'm putting my trust in that thing. And so it's like the chair that we're sitting in, you know, I have faith in it, and I'm trusting that it's not going to crumble and cause me to fall on the floor.
So there is an action, I guess there that's part of what trusting is, is that I don't just believe it, but I have faith in it. That means I'm taking a step into it or I'm putting my full weight into the chair. Like I'm. I'm trusting this reality, and it's a difficult thing to do. You know, we've talked about that a lot, and I'm just going to kind of jump to the next phrase because
[00:12:54] Speaker B: I think, yeah, I think let's go. Go for it.
[00:12:57] Speaker A: It all kind of relates for me in what I. The way that I'm processing, because there is. Well, first of all, just again, by faith, I think that first you believe and then you receive and then you do. And I think our emphasis has always been so heavy on the doing.
It's like as long as I do this, as long as I. I might believe first, but I have to do this in order to receive. And the reality is it's only when I actually receive. So I. I believe by faith. And I receive by faith. And then how do I do it? I also do it by faith. And it's not like I'm doing it because I need to earn something. It's just the overflow of who I am. And so when I first believed, I didn't clean up my act. First I received, I believed, and then I received. And upon receiving, I. My actions began to change because I had a new heart within me. I had a new spirit.
[00:13:49] Speaker B: And change is always eternal. It's always inner.
[00:13:52] Speaker A: Yeah, right. So that's, I think, a crucial understanding there.
And I like the last part of the verse that says, who loved me and gave Himself up for me?
And one of our favorite books also is He Loves Me by Wayne Jacobson. And not that I'm really pulling from there or going there, but it's just the first thing that I wrote down when I read this verse in my notes, because I was. This was actually Brett and I teamed teaching this a couple of weeks ago, and that's where this all kind of started to come from. And I wrote down this. I said, this is pretty straightforward. He loved us and gave Himself up. Most believers agree, you know, that God loves Him. And the proof of that he loves us is that he gave His Son for us. Most believers are going to agree with that. So if you ask them, they're going to say, yep, I agree. And so I just kind of threw this off. Like, yes, it's pretty straightforward. But then I went on to have, you know, a page and a half more of notes as God was just kind of stirring in me to say, well, there's so much. There's a whole book on he loves me that we love so much, that is all about the Father's love and his affection for us. And so there's something so much more significantly powerful that he loved me and he gave Himself up for me than just even what I. Right away just. I almost kind of wrote it off. And so I don't know how you feel and where you're at with that, Carl.
[00:15:06] Speaker B: Yeah, well, I think. I think that what you and I, what you just alluded to, we do it so naturally. So naturally. Oh, I've read that before. Or, you know, I know what it says at the end, and it's like, man, those are powerful words. That he loved me and gave Himself for me. I mean, that's pretty personal. Like, I mean, that's. That's that personalized scripture where you say, that's me. Like, Jesus loves me and he gave Himself for me. I mean, That's. That's what Paul's saying. Paul's saying that. That Christ died in his place, that. That he gave himself for Paul. And again, I alluded to that personality of Saul. Tarsus is for Paul to experience the gravity of the great exchange, the great substitute of his sins for Christ's blood for his sins.
This is beautiful. This is beautiful.
[00:16:02] Speaker A: Yeah, thank you for sharing that. Because I do. I think about John 3:16. God so loved the world. That can be a very broad thought of. Yeah, he loves the world, but he doesn't really care too much me. Or like, he might love me, but he doesn't like me. So I love how you brought that point out that Galatians 2:20 says, he loved me and he gave Himself up for me. Like there's something so personal there.
[00:16:28] Speaker B: Right.
[00:16:28] Speaker A: And it's not personal just for you, Carl, or just for me.
[00:16:32] Speaker B: Good, good. Yes.
[00:16:34] Speaker A: It's for every believer, everyone who believes, everyone who has received because of their belief. And we're saints. And the reason we're saints is because he loved us and he gave Himself up for us. And it's an individual love. It's an individual giving himself up.
So that's just really amazing. So I just. I put this. The hardest part of God's love isn't believing it.
The hardest part of God's love is receiving it.
So it kind of goes back to what I just said. There's a broad form of God so loved the world. Okay, so I can believe that. But can I really believe that he loves me? Can I receive that? Can I Trust this truth? 1 John 4. We love because he first loved us. Romans 5. 5. God's love has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 3. That you would know, experience, and comprehend the love of Christ, that you may be filled with that love.
John 13. The new commandment, to love one another just as I have loved you. So there's a lot, you know about love, and it's very relatable and it's very personal. I really appreciate and love that. And God just opened the eyes there to understand that. And the biggest question I think that I put in our notes is that why is receiving God's love more difficult to do? I don't know if you're tracking with me there, Carl.
[00:18:01] Speaker B: Yeah, well, it is difficult to believe. It's true for me.
[00:18:07] Speaker A: Right?
[00:18:07] Speaker B: That's it. That's it Is like, is it really true that he loves me? Because. Because loves, you know, the. The love that we see in this, in this, all the relationships around us are based on performance or conditions. And that we. So we bring our experiences spiritually to God and think that it's the same with him, that he loves us if we're really good and perform well. And if he doesn't, then he doesn't actually love Me. And so I think, at least that's my per of. Why is receiving it so difficult?
Because most of Scripture is an information, a mental ascent. It's an. It's an idea I agree with. And it hasn't really transformed.
[00:18:52] Speaker A: Yeah.
Wow, that's so good. I love how. How God just aligns our thinking often, too. And because I have. I actually have it written here because this is why it's more difficult. Receiving isn't mainly an information problem. It's a trusting in the present problem.
[00:19:10] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:19:11] Speaker A: It's like in this present. And the problem with the present moment is that the present moment is really loud, you know, shaking up your world. I mean, so it's. It's very difficult when things are really noisy, when desperation comes, when hurt comes, when financial hardship comes, when a relationship breakdown comes. You know, like, that's men.
[00:19:32] Speaker B: That's tough.
[00:19:32] Speaker A: That's a tough place to trust in the midst of that, in the midst of the heat of the moment. And so just knowing about something isn't enough. It's actually a more relational understanding and being able to draw on and to pray differently.
[00:19:46] Speaker B: Right.
[00:19:48] Speaker A: It used to be that I would just pray, God help me with this, or take this away from me so that I don't have to deal with it.
That prayer was all about me. It wasn't about God doing his will to grow me through that.
[00:20:00] Speaker B: No.
Right.
[00:20:01] Speaker A: So now it's now different.
Yeah, now my prayer is so different now. It's like, God, thank you that you are my sustainer. You are my protector. And I don't know what this is going to look like, but I'm trusting you. I'm trusting you to be my provider. I'm trusting you to be the patient in me. I'm trusting you to, you know, whatever the situation is that you're going through. Yeah, he's everything. He's in us. And receiving really kind of. It's an attack on our old default thinking. We think that we need to earn things. And so it's. We can't even receive a gift. You know, it's like, oh, here, you give me a ride. Let me give you $5 for gas. Like, oh, no, no, no, you don't need to. It's like, we always feel like on both ends that we need to. You know, every time you receive something, you need to give.
[00:20:47] Speaker B: Right.
[00:20:48] Speaker A: To make up for it. And so it's very difficult then to just. For me, just to sit back and to receive the love of God was.
That's. That's new for me. You know, it's new for most people. And it's unfortunate because that's the true gospel.
[00:21:03] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:21:03] Speaker A: So I think I lost you, Carl.
[00:21:06] Speaker B: I'm here.
[00:21:07] Speaker A: You cut out.
I can't even tell if you're there because you're like, frozen.
Technical difficulties. So I don't know if you can hear me or not, Carl. But what makes receiving so tough?
This is kind of maybe the resolution to it all. Receiving means that you keep saying in the middle of real life, God's love is not only true in theory, it's true for me right now because Jesus finished my cleansing. That's why receiving is harder. It requires you to live from a new identity. And even though I have a new identity, my old reactions keep talking. And a lot of times they keep talking a lot louder. And so it's just, who am I trusting? So that sums up our time together because Carl is gone, thanks to some Internet issues. So over and out with let's talk life.
