Finding True Confidence in Christ, Not Ourselves
Summary
Today begins a new journey exploring “Hot Takes”—bold, sometimes controversial truths that God speaks into our lives. In a world obsessed with instant opinions and self-promotion, it’s easy to get caught up in comparison, boasting, and misplaced confidence. But God’s perspective is radically different. The Corinthians, though gifted, struggled with pride and rivalry, believing themselves to be a big deal. Yet Paul reminds them—and us—that no one is truly a big deal before God. Our status, wisdom, and achievements fade with time, just like once-famous names now lost to history. What matters is not our own greatness, but the grace that God has shown us.
Paul calls us to reflect on our calling: most of us weren’t wise, powerful, or noble when God called us. Instead, God chose the foolish, the weak, and the overlooked to display His glory. No one can boast before God, because everything we have is a gift of His mercy. Our confidence should not rest in ourselves, but in Christ alone. When we lose confidence in our own wisdom and righteousness, we gain something far greater—Jesus Himself as our wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.
This is the heart of baptism: a public declaration that we have lost confidence in ourselves and placed all our trust in Jesus. Our own wisdom is limited and often leads us astray, but Jesus is our wisdom, guiding us even when we don’t know the way. Our own righteousness is shattered and insufficient, but Jesus gives us His unbreakable, eternal righteousness. We are united with Him, and nothing can take that away. The journey with God is not about achieving perfection or comparing ourselves to others, but about daily surrender—losing confidence in ourselves and gaining confidence in Christ.
Key Takeaways
- True confidence is found not in self, but in Christ. The world teaches us to boast in our abilities, status, or wisdom, but these are fleeting and ultimately empty. When we honestly assess ourselves, we realize that our value comes from God’s grace, not our own merit. Lasting confidence is rooted in the unchanging love and faithfulness of Jesus. [05:23]
- Comparison and pride are barriers to hearing God’s call. When we measure ourselves against others or boast in our own way, we become deaf to God’s voice and blind to His work. The fingerprints of the world—competition, rivalry, and self-promotion—contradict the humility with which we first came to Christ. God calls us to lay down these attitudes and embrace the unity and humility of His family. [04:44]
- Jesus is our wisdom, not just our teacher. We are not left to figure out life on our own; Christ Himself is our wisdom, present and active in our lives. As we draw near to Him, spend time in His Word, and seek counsel from His people, we gain access to divine wisdom that surpasses our understanding. This means we can trust Him to lead us wisely, even when we don’t have all the answers. [16:18]
- Righteousness is not something we achieve, but something we receive. Our own attempts at righteousness are like shattered glass—insufficient and broken. Jesus doesn’t just top off our goodness; He gives us His own unbreakable righteousness, making us eternally right with God. This truth frees us from condemnation and striving, allowing us to rest in the finished work of Christ. [25:42]
- The journey with God is personal, ongoing, and marked by surrender. There is no “tied in a bow” moment where we arrive; instead, we continually learn to let go of self-reliance and trust in God’s plan. Even in seasons of struggle, anxiety, or feeling lost, God is present and faithful. Our hope is not in our ability to hold it all together, but in Jesus who holds us. [28:54]
Youtube Chapters
[00:00] - Welcome
[00:08] - What is a Hot Take?
[01:28] - God’s Bold and Passionate Perspective
[02:22] - Forgotten Greatness: Jim Thorp, Fanny Bryce, Marie Carelli
[03:58] - The Corinthians’ Comparison Problem
[05:23] - Paul’s Hot Take: You’re Not a Big Deal
[06:21] - Consider Your Calling
[07:33] - Boasting vs. Confidence in Christ
[08:45] - The World’s View vs. God’s View
[10:09] - God Chooses the Lowly
[11:19] - United with Christ: A New Identity
[13:24] - Lose Confidence in Yourself, Gain Confidence in Jesus
[14:21] - Four Brilliant Things to Lose Confidence In
[16:18] - Jesus as Our Wisdom
[21:14] - Jesus as Our Righteousness
[25:42] - The Unbreakable Righteousness of Christ
[28:06] - Caroline’s Testimony
[31:08] - Invitation to Baptism
[32:00] - Baptisms
[36:06] - Closing and Next Steps
Study Guide
Bible Study Discussion Guide: “Hot Takes – True Confidence in Christ”
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### Bible Reading
1 Corinthians 1:26-31 (ESV)
> For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
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### Observation Questions
1. According to Paul in 1 Corinthians 1:26-31, what kind of people did God choose to display His glory? What does this say about the Corinthians’ background? ([06:21])
2. What does Paul say is the reason no one can boast before God? ([06:58])
3. In the sermon, what are some examples given of people who were once considered a “big deal” but are now mostly forgotten? ([02:22])
4. What does it mean that Jesus has become our “wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption”? ([08:00])
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### Interpretation Questions
1. Why do you think God chooses the “foolish,” “weak,” and “overlooked” to display His glory, instead of those who seem impressive by the world’s standards? ([06:47])
2. How does comparison and pride make it harder to hear God’s call or see His work in our lives? ([04:44])
3. The sermon says, “Lose confidence in yourself and gain confidence in Jesus.” What does it look like to actually do this in daily life? ([13:24])
4. How does understanding that Jesus is our wisdom and righteousness change the way we view our own achievements or failures? ([16:18] / [25:42])
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### Application Questions
1. The world tells us to find confidence in our abilities, status, or wisdom. Where do you most often find yourself looking for confidence? How can you shift that confidence to Christ this week? ([05:23])
2. Think about a time when you compared yourself to others or felt prideful about something. How did that affect your relationship with God or others? What would it look like to lay down comparison and pride in that area? ([04:44])
3. The sermon described baptism as a public declaration of losing confidence in ourselves and trusting Jesus. If you’ve been baptized, what did that moment mean for you? If you haven’t, what holds you back from making that declaration? ([14:21] / [31:08])
4. Jesus is described as our wisdom. Is there a situation in your life right now where you need to stop relying on your own wisdom and ask Jesus for guidance? What would it look like to do that practically? ([16:18])
5. The pastor said our own righteousness is like “shattered glass,” but Jesus gives us His unbreakable righteousness. Are there areas where you’re still trying to “earn” God’s approval? How can you rest in what Jesus has already done? ([25:42])
6. Caroline’s testimony reminded us that the journey with God isn’t “tied in a bow”—it’s ongoing and sometimes messy. Where are you struggling to trust God’s plan right now? How can the group pray for you or support you in that? ([28:54])
7. What is one practical step you can take this week to “lose confidence in yourself and gain confidence in Christ”? ([13:24])
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Closing Prayer Suggestion:
Ask God to help each person in the group let go of self-reliance and pride, and to find true confidence and rest in Jesus alone. Pray for the courage to surrender daily and trust in Christ’s wisdom and righteousness.
Devotional
Day 1: Confidence Rooted in Christ, Not Self
True confidence is not found in our own abilities, status, or wisdom, which the world often urges us to boast in. These things are fleeting and ultimately empty, fading away like the names of once-famous people lost to history. When we honestly assess ourselves, we realize that our value and worth come solely from God’s grace, not from anything we have earned or achieved. This grace is unchanging and steadfast, anchored in the love and faithfulness of Jesus Christ. Placing our confidence in Him means resting in something eternal rather than the shifting sands of human approval or accomplishment.
When you begin to see yourself through God’s eyes, you understand that lasting confidence is a gift, not a prize to be won. It frees you from the exhausting cycle of comparison and self-promotion, inviting you instead into a humble trust in Jesus. This trust transforms how you live daily, shaping your identity and purpose around His unshakable love rather than your own fluctuating success or failure. [05:23]
Psalm 62:5-7 (ESV)
For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God.
Reflection:
What is one area of your life where you have been placing confidence in your own strength or achievements? How can you begin today to shift that confidence fully onto Christ’s unchanging grace?
Day 2: Pride and Comparison Silence God’s Voice
Comparison and pride create barriers that prevent us from hearing God’s call clearly. When we measure ourselves against others or boast in our own way, we become deaf to God’s voice and blind to His work in and through us. The world’s fingerprints—competition, rivalry, and self-promotion—stand in direct opposition to the humility with which we first came to Christ. These attitudes fracture the unity of God’s family and distract us from the unique calling He has placed on each of our lives.
God invites us to lay down these divisive attitudes and embrace the unity and humility that reflect His heart. When we stop comparing and boasting, we open ourselves to the freedom of hearing God’s voice more clearly and responding in obedience. This posture of humility restores our ability to see others as God sees them and to walk together in love and purpose. [04:44]
Zephaniah 3:12-13 (ESV)
But I will leave in your midst a people humble and lowly. They shall seek refuge in the name of the Lord, those who are left in Israel; they shall do no injustice and speak no lies, nor shall there be found in their mouth a deceitful tongue. For they shall graze and lie down, and none shall make them afraid.
Reflection:
Identify a recent moment when you found yourself comparing or competing with someone else. How can you intentionally replace that attitude with humility and openness to God’s unique calling for you?
Day 3: Jesus as Our Living Wisdom
Jesus is not merely a teacher who imparts knowledge; He is our living wisdom. Life’s complexities and uncertainties do not leave us to figure things out on our own. Instead, Christ Himself is present and active in our lives, guiding us with divine wisdom that surpasses human understanding. As we draw near to Him through prayer, Scripture, and fellowship with His people, we gain access to this wisdom, enabling us to trust His leading even when the path is unclear.
This wisdom is not theoretical but practical and relational. It shapes how we make decisions, respond to challenges, and live out our faith daily. Trusting Jesus as our wisdom means surrendering our limited understanding and embracing His perfect guidance, confident that He knows the way even when we do not. [16:18]
Proverbs 3:5-7 (ESV)
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.
Reflection:
What is one decision or situation in your life right now where you are tempted to rely on your own wisdom? How can you practically seek Jesus’ guidance and trust His wisdom today?
Day 4: Receiving Christ’s Unbreakable Righteousness
Righteousness is not something we achieve by our own efforts; it is something we receive as a gift from Jesus. Our attempts at righteousness are like shattered glass—broken and insufficient to make us right before God. Jesus does not simply add to our goodness; He gives us His own perfect, unbreakable righteousness. This gift makes us eternally right with God, freeing us from condemnation and the exhausting striving to earn His favor.
Understanding this truth transforms how we live. We no longer labor under the weight of trying to prove ourselves but rest in the finished work of Christ. This freedom invites us into a life of gratitude and obedience, motivated not by fear or performance but by the grace that has already secured our standing before God. [25:42]
Isaiah 61:10 (ESV)
I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
Reflection:
In what ways do you find yourself trying to earn God’s approval through your own efforts? How can you begin to rest more fully in the righteousness Jesus has already given you?
Day 5: The Ongoing Journey of Surrender
The journey with God is deeply personal and ongoing, marked by continual surrender rather than a single moment of arrival. There is no “tied in a bow” moment where everything is perfect; instead, daily life calls us to let go of self-reliance and trust God’s plan. Even in seasons of struggle, anxiety, or feeling lost, God remains present and faithful, holding us when we cannot hold ourselves.
This ongoing surrender is a posture of humility and dependence, recognizing that our hope is not in our ability to manage life but in Jesus who sustains us. It invites us to embrace vulnerability and trust, knowing that God’s faithfulness does not waver even when our circumstances do. [28:54]
Lamentations 3:22-24 (ESV)
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”
Reflection:
What is one area of your life where you are currently struggling to surrender control? How can you invite Jesus to hold that area for you today and trust in His faithfulness?
Quotes
Such boasting, what it does is it tends to deafen our ears to the call of God. It tends to blind us to the work of God. Here's what Paul's going to try to help them and us understand. Here's the hot take. Um, when you self assess, when you assess yourself and and if in your secret heart if no one was to know and you really kind of like I'm kind of a big deal, like I'm really good at this. I'm really the best or I'm better than all these schmos. I don't know about them. I'm kind of the best. When you decide, I'm kind of a big deal. Guess what? You're not. That's what Paul's going to say. It's real simple. It's actually very kind. It's very helpful of him to tell us that you're not a big deal. [00:05:12]
Now, now some of us, we're kind of coming at it the other way. We think other people are a big deal and we are defective or there's something wrong with us or we are less than. And I've got great news for you too. When you self assess, if you think that you're not very much, here's some great news. No one is very much. Men of rank are a lie. Like it's all it's all coming and going, man. It's going to be gone as quickly as Jim Thorp was gone. As quickly as Marie Carelli was gone, it's all going to be gone. [00:05:52]
For consider your calling, brothers, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble. He's talking to them. He's saying, "You guys weren't all that when you first came to know Jesus Christ. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise. And God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong. And the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen the things that are not so that he may abolish the things that are so that no flesh may boast before God. [00:06:34]
He's saying, "Hey guys, just so you know, no one ever is going to be able to stand before God and say, "God, isn't it cool that I'm better than all these other people?" He said, "That's never going to work, guys. That's not how you started and that's you're not like everything you are. God gave you by grace. It was his mercy. He didn't have to do it and yet he still did it. Something we need to know about this boast word though. This should be really helpful to understand this. Boast can also be translated confidence. So it's not just something that you would say kind of proudly like this is my team. It's something you put confidence in. [00:07:07]
But by his doing you are in Christ Jesus. That's so dope right there. Oh my gosh, dude. That's a whole sermon right there. You could chew on that for an hour. By his doing you are in Christ Jesus who became to us wisdom from God and righteousness and sanctification and redemption so that just as it is written let him who boasts boast in the Lord or maybe a different way to say it let him who is confident be confident in the Lord. So let's consider some of the following things he's saying consider consider first y'all aren't like born nobility. [00:08:00]
So, even if you had a little bit of money, if you weren't royalty, you still weren't anybody. And he's saying, you guys remember, you weren't a big deal when God first called you. And even if if you'll notice people listening, you Corinthians, the world kind of considers Christians foolish, base, like kind of dumb, like why do they why do those Christians even do that? You know, God's not really reliable, right? Why would you put so much confidence in him? And yet God says there's going to come a day. It's going to seem like that right now. It's going to seem like there's a certain amount of shame that you might be called upon to take from time to time at the office or at the work site or among your uh group in class. [00:08:41]
You might be called to wear the name of Jesus and even some things are going on and and you feel called to speak up about it a little bit. And there's a shame that comes with that that the world's like, "What are you doing, man? You moo. Get out of here." And that's a call for sure. But what God's going to do at some point, he's going to abolish all the things that seem like they're so important. Everything that everybody values, everyone thinks that this is the thing. God's going to come along at the end. He's going to make the first, last, and the last first. He's going to say, "I know you thought that God was unreliable. And how can you trust God? [00:09:25]
And why would you make your life about that?" But really, God is the only one who is reliable. And that's what he's going to point out at the very end. That's what he's wanting to remind the Christians or the Corinthians in there that um guys, it's not that you guys are so cool. It's that God is so cool. He's ultimately going to shame those who think they are so wise. They're called consider your calling. Your calling was um to come to know Jesus Christ by grace through faith relationally. Be a part of his kingdom. Walk with Jesus. Walk before him and walk with him by the power of the Holy Spirit in the word of God. and of God. [00:09:58]
You are in Christ. God took you, he picked you, and he put you in Christ, not of your own doing. This is weird kind of thing. You chose Jesus if you've decided to follow Christ. But in a different higher way, you didn't choose him. He chose you. He gave you the understanding that you needed him. And so, in his mercy, he chose you to reveal to you that yeah, you you do really need me. And as he did that, he was tremendously gracious and put you in Christ. [00:10:34]
When you've trusted Jesus Christ, you're in. He gives you his name. You are in Christ and you can't get out of it because he picked you and he put you in because of his great favor. And he did this. Paul's want to remind everybody, he did it for the child. Like, he didn't do it for the people that thought they were all that. Usually when you think you're all that, you don't recognize your need for Christ. You're like, I'm I'm good. What What would I need? It's only when maybe the trials of life have brought you a little bit low. It's only when you start to reflect and it's not that you you know, you're you're aware that you're good at things, but you're also aware I'm incredibly needful of a savior because even my good things are not good enough. [00:11:44]
When you get there, that that's when you're kind of that's when you begin to hear the call of God. And so God says there's a day when everybody who appears slick, they're going to be stripped down to nothing. Everybody who appears powerful is going to be demonstrated that they weren't really that effective at all. Everybody who thinks that they were a big deal on planet Earth, if they weren't doing it in Christ, God's going to show this was of no consequence eternally. This didn't really matter because they weren't doing it unto me and for me. And that's a big bold statement, man. [00:12:20]
How does it make sense then that now you're trying to lift yourself high in front of each other? You're supposed to be a family. Why are you boasting about all the things that you do or you think or you're better than this person? That's not the way. The way this is the way is the same way that you heard the gospel. And here it is. This this is a hard lesson, but it's dude, it's so golden. So golden. Lose confidence in yourself. You won't hear the world say this. This is a hot take. Lose confidence in yourself and gain confidence in Jesus. [00:13:06]
Lose confidence in yourself. That doesn't mean you walk around like, I can't do nothing. No. In fact, it's kind of the opposite. You feel so like God is with me. God is so empowering me. Dude, I'm going to run through a troop and leap over a wall. I'll I'll take them on with 10,000. Let's go. I'm ready to fight now because I've got the God of heaven running through my veins. It makes you more confident. But there's also a different sense of but I'm learning to lose confidence in the things that I thought were so important at one point. [00:13:34]
It takes a certain loss of confidence in your own wisdom to embrace the wisdom of the gospel. What did he say? Christ Jesus who has become to us wisdom from God. Wisdom from God. Now there there's a there's a dope awesome version of wisdom that isn't necessarily spiritual wisdom but it is even spiritual wisdom to seek wisdom. So getting understanding like going to school finding out all the stuff you can that is wise that is good that is something we add on to ourselves. But there's also a dark wisdom. The dark wisdom is wisdom that believes its own press and starts to too easily think that it's great. I know everything. See, even when you know a lot, you you only know a little. [00:14:34]
Think about all there is to know. I know a lot about this little thing, but there's all this other stuff. But when you're high on your own wisdom, what does 1 Corinthians 8 say? Knowledge puffs up. It it inflates itself. I'm so awesome. And God does say that's that's messing with how you're approaching life. Rather lose your own wisdom. Your own wisdom might say that you can save yourself. Your own wisdom might say, "I'll just be a really good person and that'll be enough." And God says, "No, the gospel is the wisdom of God. You weren't even wise enough to figure this out." The wisdom of God is you can't save yourself. A savior must be crucified in order to cover you and take the penalty for your sin. [00:15:14]
He is the wisdom of God. And he, if you'll let go of your own wisdom, he'll go with you and be your wisdom from God. Oh, baby, it gets better. He says, "Be careful when you're really tempted to glory or boast or be confident in your own wisdom. Rather, glory or be confident in that Jesus has promised to everyone who has trusted him, I will be your wisdom and I will go with you." Dude, this is so powerful. There's a bazillion questions you're going to have in life. Dude, you don't have the bandwidth to even think through all those questions. You don't know the answer to that. But when you got Jesus as your wisdom, you have a sovereign shepherd who is just doing the right things around you, leading you the wisest way even when you don't know the wisest thing because he's good. [00:15:58]
Jesus, here's what he does. He doesn't just like tell you wisdom from over there. Jesus puts you in Christ and now you two are one. Do do you know that when when you're a Christian, you're one with Jesus. And because you're one with him, you have access to all his wisdom. He says, "I'll never leave or forsake you. I have all wisdom." There’s a gentleman in my life, some of you know him. His name is Adam Bits. And guys, he's a hero. He's like my do-it-yourself carpenter hero because he can do anything in my mind. I have learned over time, I've gained a little bit of wisdom to not try to fix very much at my own house because I'll make it worse. [00:16:44]
When you're united with Jesus and he's in your house, you don't need your own hammer wisdom. Okay? You can go to him and say, "What do we do, Jesus?" He says, "Hold the hammer and I'll help and I'll bring you lots of good ideas and good ways to go because I am your wisdom. Have confidence, my friend. Jesus is your wisdom. Jesus is your wisdom. Now, if if he is my wisdom, then it makes sense that I want to be drawing nearer and nearer to him. So, it's more and more likely that I'm going to discern his wisdom as I'm spending time in God's word. I'm going to see his wisdom out before me. I'm going to be able to sense his wisdom more clearly. [00:17:29]
If I put myself around Jesusfilled people, I'm going to hear the wisdom of God through them because they are also connected and unified with Jesus. And when I hear his counsel, check this out. When I hear his counsel, I ain't going to wait forever to obey it because it's wisdom. Are we hearing that? I don't know, God. I don't know if that's the right way. DOI, uh Jesus is your wisdom. It is wise. If he's commanded you to do it, it's wise. It's helpful to you. Do it because he is wisdom and he is your wisdom. And if you'll just cooperate, you'll find out that goes very, very well. But it also means on one level I'm going to suspect my own wisdom. [00:18:13]
I'm I'm going to lose confidence over time in my own wisdom. I wasn't even wise enough to know that I needed Jesus had he not revealed himself to me. So instead of be all high on my own, well, you don't even know who I am. I know this and that. Sim down now. Jesus is your wisdom. So you don't need all that boasting and all that confidence in yourself. lose confidence in yourself. Surrender to Jesus. God, you're the one and I'm going to seek your wisdom daily. And then I'm going to believe. I'm going to ask for wisdom. I'm going to believe you're putting wisdom in my spirit and in my heart. You're leading me to the wisest things. [00:19:00]
And if you got really, if you're really bold, here's what you do. You ask Jesus, "Would you give me wisdom on the things I'm doing that are unwise and causing damage?" You lay it out before him. You say, "What's wrong with this picture, Jesus? You are my wisdom from God. What could I be doing wiser? Whoa, watch out. That's a scary prayer, but baby, you'll start to walk in more and more and more wisdom. So, what are we saying? We're saying there's too many questions in life. You cannot answer them all, especially in fallen wisdom. But with Jesus as your wisdom, have confidence, glory, and boasting. I have Jesus himself as my wisdom, and he goes with me everywhere I go. [00:19:59]
So four brilliant things to lose confidence in your own wisdom and your own righteousness. That's what the folks getting baptized today have have landed upon. Oh, I'm going to lose confidence in my own righteousness because what I really need is Jesus's righteousness. Think about this way. Sin disturbs everything. Sin causes unpace. If you have a lot of sin in the home, you're going to have a lot of unrest and unpace in the home. If you have a lot of sin in the nation, you're going to have a lot of disunityity in the nation. You're going to have a lot of unpiece in the nation. If you have a lot of sin, you're going to naturally have even as you're born, you're going to have unpiece with God until someone else comes along and reunites you. [00:21:10]
Now, if you could just stay righteous, that'd be great. You could then keep the peace. If you had your own righteousness, you could just stay righteous with God and it it it'd be all good. But the problem is you you and I don't. And we sin all the time, and we constantly start to think, I need to get back better with God. I need to get back to good so peace can come because I feel out of sorts. I feel disharmonious with God because I sinned again and I'm afraid to go to him. Unless someone else is your righteousness unless okay I I don't need to keep the peace because someone already resolved the disharmony. Are we hearing this that what did Jesus do on the cross? He resolved forever the disharmony. [00:21:49]
So, no matter what you did wrong, Yeah. but Jesus is still right. Whatever you did wrong, I do. Yeah, I recognize that. I recognize it was wrong and I turned from it, but I don't have to keep my own righteousness. I don't have to wait till I do more good to feel better. I can feel better right now because he's such a great savior that I have access to his eternal righteousness. It's just always true. Always, always, always, always. No matter what you did, it's there. You can't get it off. Some of us think about it like this. Okay, let's imagine a glass of water and it's half full. And we would say that half full water, that water is my goodness. And then Jesus comes along and tops it off. [00:23:44]
Here's here's what it is. Your glass is shattered into a thousand pieces. It has nothing. It has negative space if that were possible because you didn't just not do good. You did a ton of bad. So, you don't have like a half full. Like, you're not adding anything. The only thing you added to your salvation was the sin. That was it. And the brokenness and the damage that was done by all that. What Jesus does is he comes along and he gives you I'm going to introduce you to this. This is my Stanley thermos. Some of you heard about these. They're a big deal. I guess I'm not into thermoses, but they're a big deal to thermos people. Um, the reason they are is because they're so tough. [00:24:14]
It's not just something you have anymore. It is something that is in you and it doesn't go away. So no matter what comes, no matter what accusations come at you, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. Dude, it can't break you because No, no, no. You don't you don't you don't get it. I've got permanent adamantium righteousness. I can't even affect it. It is on me no matter what I do. That's what it means that Jesus is my righteousness. So, if you say, "Well, you know, I feel like I just feel bad because I didn't pray enough and maybe that's why this bad thing happened." Um, you're you're thinking about it like it's your righteousness that you have. No, you have Jesus's righteousness. [00:24:55]
I'm really stressed out and I feel like God is punishing me. No, no, no. He's not punishing you. You have Jesus's righteousness. Jesus was already punished for you. You don't have to worry about that. I feel like if I could just do more, if I could just keep more people happy, then I'd finally feel good. No, you're not getting it. Feel good now because you have Jesus's righteousness now. You don't need to go get it. It's in your bones, baby. It ain't going away. It's unbreakable and it's untakeable. It is there. So, whatever it is that bugs you during the day and says, "Yeah, but you didn't do this or you didn't do this or you didn't do this." [00:25:38]
You got to like look that thing in the eye and grab it by the neck and say, "Maybe you don't know who I'm united with. I'm united with Jesus." And his adamantium blades about to go through your neck because I don't receive condemnation anymore because I have the righteousness of God in Jesus. And it's mine because he is mine. Come on, somebody. [00:26:13]
So, what are we saying? We're going to invite people to come up and talk about what Jesus did in their life. And what they're saying is, I'm losing all confidence in me. And I'm putting all my confidence, confidence for my righteousness, confidence for my wisdom, confidence for, we'll talk about next week, my sanctification and my redemption. I'm putting all my confidence in Jesus. [00:26:48]
Relationships with God are so personal. They're not linear. They're certainly they don't reach a point where you can say it's tied in a nice bow. That's also the beauty of the journey with God. He is there no matter if you're ready or not. And there were years where I wasn't necessarily ready. In times I'd be frustrated seeing how easy it could be for everyone else I saw. And it can't be compared to anyone else's. So that brings me to today. Almost 2 years ago, uh my depression became difficult to even attempt to mask. Um anxiety was unrelenting. I'd even I'd bought a home 6 months prior. Uh work was great but in emotional overload and I had a supportive family and friends but I just felt lost. [00:28:45]
I was invited to church with my friend and I couldn't get enough of it. I practiced talking to God and soon felt found again. I practiced having faith in God's plan and asked others for prayers and more support. Things felt right and my heart became unbburdened because I I accepted that I couldn't do this alone. Today, I'm choosing to fully commit to follow Jesus and trust in God's plan because without him, I would still be lost. [00:29:19]
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