Living Wisely: Spiritual Investments and Daily Decisions

### Summary

Good morning, Menlo Church! Today marks the conclusion of our nine-week series, "Beyond the Basics," where we've delved deeply into Romans 8. Although we finished reading the chapter last week, today we will draw parallels from another letter by Paul to the churches in Galatia, which offers a concise and impactful application of the themes we've explored in Romans 8.

We live in a unique economic environment with high inflation and interest rates, which can make financial management challenging. However, there's an interest rate we can control—the interest rate of our decisions. Paul’s letters remind us that our choices accrue interest, and we must be mindful of whether our decisions are yielding positive or negative returns in our lives.

Paul emphasizes living beyond condemnation, a theme he introduces in Romans 8:1, where he states that there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. This freedom should not just be a belief but a lived reality that influences our daily decisions. In Galatians, Paul counters false teachings that add legalistic requirements to faith, urging believers to walk by the Spirit rather than the flesh. This choice impacts not just our eternal destiny but our daily lives.

Our decisions have weight, and waiting to make decisions can sometimes have even greater consequences. Paul’s message in Galatians is clear: whatever we sow, we will reap. If we sow to the flesh, we reap corruption; if we sow to the Spirit, we reap eternal life. This principle of sowing and reaping is akin to the concept of compound interest in finance, where small, consistent investments yield significant returns over time.

Finally, we must assess our spiritual retirement plan. Just as we periodically review our financial investments, we should regularly evaluate our spiritual investments. Paul assures us that our justification comes through faith in Jesus Christ, not by works of the law. This assurance should shape our daily lives and decisions, leading us to live in light of eternity.

### Key Takeaways

1. **Live Beyond Condemnation**: Embrace the freedom from condemnation that comes through Christ. This freedom should not just be a belief but a lived reality that influences our daily decisions, helping us to live in the grace that God provides. [28:22]

2. **Walk by the Spirit**: Paul urges us to walk by the Spirit rather than the flesh. This choice impacts not just our eternal destiny but our daily lives, empowering us to live differently and make decisions that align with God's will. [30:43]

3. **Sow and Reap Wisely**: Our decisions have weight, and whatever we sow, we will reap. If we sow to the flesh, we reap corruption; if we sow to the Spirit, we reap eternal life. This principle is akin to compound interest, where small, consistent investments yield significant returns over time. [38:10]

4. **Assess Your Spiritual Investments**: Just as we review our financial investments, we should regularly evaluate our spiritual investments. Paul assures us that our justification comes through faith in Jesus Christ, not by works of the law. This assurance should shape our daily lives and decisions. [45:30]

5. **God’s Grace and Time**: Even if it feels like you've squandered your spiritual investment, God's grace provides time to turn back to Him. The fact that you are still here means there is still hope and time to make changes that align with God's will. [51:13]

### YouTube Chapters

[0:00] - Welcome
[20:18] - Special Welcome to Bay Area Campuses
[20:54] - Recap of Romans 8
[21:22] - Introduction to Galatians
[21:56] - Prayer and Humility
[22:31] - God's Grace and Our Shortcomings
[23:00] - The Parent Tax and Economic Environment
[24:10] - Decisions and Interest Rates
[25:17] - The Interest Rate of Our Decisions
[25:52] - Living Beyond Condemnation
[28:22] - No Condemnation in Christ
[30:43] - Walking by the Spirit
[33:19] - Choosing Your Investment Strategy
[38:10] - Sowing and Reaping
[45:30] - Assessing Your Spiritual Investments
[51:13] - God's Grace and Time
[53:18] - Upcoming Series: Storytellers
[53:55] - Closing Prayer

### Bible Study Discussion Guide

#### Bible Reading
1. Romans 8:1-2 (ESV) - "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death."
2. Galatians 6:7-8 (ESV) - "Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life."

#### Observation Questions
1. What does Paul mean when he says there is "no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" in Romans 8:1? How does this connect to the idea of living beyond condemnation? [28:22]
2. In Galatians 6:7-8, Paul talks about sowing and reaping. What are the two types of sowing he mentions, and what are their respective outcomes? [38:10]
3. How does Paul describe the conflict between the desires of the flesh and the desires of the Spirit in Galatians 5:16-17? [30:43]
4. What analogy does the pastor use to explain the concept of sowing and reaping in our daily decisions? How does this relate to compound interest? [38:10]

#### Interpretation Questions
1. How does the freedom from condemnation in Christ (Romans 8:1) influence a believer's daily decisions and overall lifestyle? [28:22]
2. What does it mean to "walk by the Spirit" according to Galatians 5:16-17, and how does this impact our daily lives and decisions? [30:43]
3. How can the principle of sowing and reaping (Galatians 6:7-8) be applied to our spiritual lives? What are some practical examples of sowing to the Spirit versus sowing to the flesh? [38:10]
4. The pastor mentioned assessing our spiritual investments regularly. How does this practice help in aligning our lives with God's will? [45:30]

#### Application Questions
1. Reflect on your daily decisions. Are there areas where you feel condemned or guilty? How can embracing the truth of "no condemnation in Christ" change your perspective and actions? [28:22]
2. Identify one decision you made recently. Was it influenced by the desires of the flesh or the Spirit? How can you make more Spirit-led decisions in the future? [30:43]
3. Think about a time when you "sowed to the flesh." What were the consequences? How can you start sowing to the Spirit in that area of your life? [38:10]
4. Assess your current spiritual investments. Are there practices or habits you need to start, stop, or continue to align more closely with God's will? [45:30]
5. The pastor mentioned the importance of making intentional time for God and family. What specific steps can you take this week to create margin in your schedule for these priorities? [33:57]
6. How can you use the principle of compound interest in your spiritual life? Identify one small, consistent practice you can start today that will yield significant spiritual growth over time. [48:43]
7. Reflect on the concept of God's grace providing time to turn back to Him. Is there an area in your life where you need to make a change? What steps will you take this week to align with God's will? [51:13]

Day 1: Embrace Freedom from Condemnation
Living beyond condemnation means embracing the freedom that comes through Christ. This freedom is not just a theological concept but a lived reality that should influence our daily decisions. Paul’s message in Romans 8:1 is clear: there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. This assurance should empower us to live in the grace that God provides, free from the guilt and shame that can often paralyze us.

In Galatians, Paul counters false teachings that add legalistic requirements to faith, urging believers to walk by the Spirit rather than the flesh. This choice impacts not just our eternal destiny but our daily lives. When we live beyond condemnation, we are free to make decisions that align with God's will, knowing that we are justified by faith in Jesus Christ, not by our works. [28:22]

Galatians 5:1 (ESV): "For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery."

Reflection: Think of an area in your life where you feel condemned or guilty. How can you embrace the freedom that Christ offers in this area today?


Day 2: Walk by the Spirit
Walking by the Spirit means making daily choices that align with God's will rather than our fleshly desires. Paul urges us to walk by the Spirit, emphasizing that this choice impacts not just our eternal destiny but our daily lives. When we walk by the Spirit, we are empowered to live differently, making decisions that reflect God's love, grace, and truth.

In Galatians, Paul contrasts the works of the flesh with the fruit of the Spirit, urging believers to choose the latter. This choice is not always easy, but it is essential for living a life that honors God. Walking by the Spirit requires intentionality and a willingness to submit to God's guidance in every aspect of our lives. [30:43]

Galatians 5:16-17 (ESV): "But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do."

Reflection: Identify one decision you need to make today. How can you ensure that this decision aligns with walking by the Spirit rather than the flesh?


Day 3: Sow and Reap Wisely
The principle of sowing and reaping is a powerful reminder that our decisions have weight. Paul teaches that whatever we sow, we will reap. If we sow to the flesh, we reap corruption; if we sow to the Spirit, we reap eternal life. This principle is akin to compound interest in finance, where small, consistent investments yield significant returns over time.

In our daily lives, we must be mindful of the seeds we are planting. Are we investing in things that lead to spiritual growth and eternal life, or are we sowing seeds that lead to corruption and decay? This principle encourages us to make wise decisions that align with God's will, knowing that our choices have long-term consequences. [38:10]

Galatians 6:7-8 (ESV): "Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life."

Reflection: Reflect on the "seeds" you are planting in your life today. Are they leading to spiritual growth or corruption? What changes can you make to sow more wisely?


Day 4: Assess Your Spiritual Investments
Just as we periodically review our financial investments, we should regularly evaluate our spiritual investments. Paul assures us that our justification comes through faith in Jesus Christ, not by works of the law. This assurance should shape our daily lives and decisions, leading us to live in light of eternity.

Assessing our spiritual investments involves examining how we spend our time, resources, and energy. Are we investing in things that have eternal value, or are we focused on temporary, worldly pursuits? Regularly evaluating our spiritual investments helps us stay aligned with God's will and ensures that we are living a life that honors Him. [45:30]

Matthew 6:19-21 (ESV): "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Reflection: Take a moment to evaluate your spiritual investments. Are you investing in things that have eternal value? What changes can you make to align your investments with God's will?


Day 5: God’s Grace and Time
Even if it feels like you've squandered your spiritual investment, God's grace provides time to turn back to Him. The fact that you are still here means there is still hope and time to make changes that align with God's will. God's grace is abundant and available to all who seek it, offering a fresh start and a new beginning.

This assurance should encourage us to make the most of the time we have, investing in things that have eternal value. No matter how far we may have strayed, God's grace is sufficient to bring us back into alignment with His will. This is a powerful reminder that it is never too late to turn back to God and make decisions that honor Him. [51:13]

2 Peter 3:9 (ESV): "The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance."

Reflection: Is there an area of your life where you feel you have squandered your spiritual investment? How can you turn back to God and make changes that align with His will today?

Well, hey, good morning, Menlo Church.

And welcome back to the final weekend of our series, Beyond the Basics. We kind of thought, like, with the Summer Olympics happening this summer, that we would kind of compete in a marathon of our own. So today marks nine weeks that we have been studying a single chapter in the Book of Romans. If you've been with us for it and you've done it together, great job. We don't have like a marathon badge for you to wear, but you can make one of your own, maybe with one of those cards you got on your way in.

A special welcome to our Bay Area campuses in Saratoga, Mountain View, Menlo Park, San Mateo. Actually, San Mateo, I got to hang out with some of you last week after services. It was great to be with you. And welcome to those of you joining online. I know that the rhythms as we get ready for fall to start and squeezing in maybe one last trip out of town, that this investment really is that. It's an investment of your time and maybe your family's time. I just want to say thank you for investing it here.

Now, if you were with us last week, you know that we actually finished Romans chapter eight last week. Like, we read all of the verses to get to the end of Romans eight. So maybe you're wondering, like, Phil, if we finished that, what are we going to study this week? And I just thought, like, it might be a good week for me to start my standup comedy career. So that's how I'm going to use—just kidding.

Actually, I want to draw some parallels from our series as a whole today that I hope will be helpful for you. In particular, there is another letter that the same author that wrote the letter of Romans wrote to a region of China, churches in the first century, that offers a more concise picture of what we see in Romans. And it offers some really impactful application into Romans eight that we maybe haven't seen already. Even if you aren't a church person, you don't have faith of your own just yet, it could be really helpful.

I want to draw some of those parallels and leave you with some applications from this series that you can take into the year ahead. But before we get started, I'm going to pray for us. And if you've never been here before or never heard me speak before, I pray kneeling. And part of the reason that I do that is because God tells us that he opposes the proud, but he gives grace to the humble. And I want to align my life and our community to the grace that God has available for us. So in your own heart, maybe would you humble yourself as we go to God together?

God, thank you so much. Thank you that even though if we're honest, we recognize no matter our faith background that we've fallen short. Even of our own standards, even of our own expectations for life. And so as we're reminded of your love and the intervention of your son for us, God, would you help us to see Romans 8 and the study we've had, whether it was one week or all of them or somewhere in between, or maybe this is our very first time, God, that you would help us to shape our life moving forward by the things you've done on our behalf. It's in Jesus' name. Amen.

So I do this thing with our kids where I will tell them I will take a bite out of the food that I'm about to give them. Or if I'm gonna give them something to drink, I will often take a sip of it before I give it to them. And I call it a parent tax. You ever done that before? Maybe you have a parent tax or you offer a grandparent tax. Honestly, I feel like they need to be prepared for the regulatory environment of their future. So I just feel like it's good parenting, do whatever you will with it.

But seriously, I don't want us to glaze over the fact—speaking of regulatory environments—that we are living in a very unique economic environment. Regardless of your politics, we are experiencing high inflation, stubbornly high interest rates, very expensive normal prices, which can compound the challenges of living within our financial means. That lots of us, whether we want to be honest or not about it, we're feeling that.

And the thing about the numbers that we see all around us is we actually can't do much to control those. We can live within the broader economic conditions with which we find ourselves and try to prepare for potential future issues. But buying less milk this week is not going to make the price go down. But there actually is an interest rate you have control over. And that's what I want to spend some time talking about today.

Sprinkled throughout Romans 8, and as you'll see in a minute through the letter to the churches in Galatia, we are shown that our decisions accrue interest. The question is, are you interested in the interest of your decisions? It's easy to look at the news or whatever we are entertaining ourselves with to be consumed with people that we will never meet. But you have influence over an interest rate in your life.

Actually, in all my accounts, I can quickly see the interest rate. For those that I'm carrying a balance that I owe, it's the interest rate that I will pay on top of the interest that I owe. On the other side, it's the interest that is paid to me for value that I hold in that account. And I wonder, what if our decisions functioned that way, where we could see it at a glance? What if floating over every thought that you had or I had was a red or green bubble with a percentage that showed us instantly, if I make that decision, this is what it's going to take from me. And if I make this decision, this is what's going to give to me.

I bet for some of us, if we could see that, we might make different decisions—or maybe, maybe not. Maybe we would do the same things with our time that we do with our money, even though our time is a more limited resource than our money. The question that we'll see Paul whisper in Romans, but we'll see Paul shout in Galatians, is how would you rate the interest rate of your decisions? And do you care?

See, today might be an uncomfortable conversation because without an intentional focus on a question like this, our lives can begin to drift without us even realizing it. I was recently reading an article about a new trend in travel where people go as long as they possibly can on long flights, doing absolutely nothing. No books, no movies, no headphones, no sleeping, no drinking, no bathroom break. Just sitting there and staring as a tool to judge how tough you are. Crazy. People have done this for 15-hour flights and documented it. Doctors, of course, suggest that this may not be wise. I'm not sure you need a medical degree to know that that's not a good idea.

And anyone sitting next to anyone trying to do this has also told me that they're super weirded out by it. So don't do that, right? Can you imagine in our conspiracy theory-driven world what someone next to you would think if you were just, like, this is a robot next to me? Like, I can't possibly feel safe in my seat right now. And I'm sure it's coming for me. This is a legitimate trend in travel.

And we might laugh at something like this, but if you're not a Christian, maybe you look at that and you go, well, I actually feel like sometimes Christians in life are just staring forward, that what they believe isn't actually impacting their life very much. That if you're a Christian, we can look pretty strange because we believe something, but we don't believe enough of it to do something with it. A lot of times, if you're a Christian for a long time, what we can do actually is we can make our life about what we don't do.

But we can restrict ourselves and restrict ourselves and restrict ourselves. And eventually, we are way more known for what we're against than what we're for. And we're so concerned about making the wrong decision that we make no decision. And that disconnect between what we believe and how we love God and love people and the way we live, that disconnect can be devastating. And that disconnect is why some of you aren't followers of Jesus today.

So the first choice that you and I have to address the interest rates of our decisions is to live beyond condemnation. Not to just know it, but to live beyond condemnation. If you were with us throughout the series, this is actually kind of where Paul started in chapter eight of this incredible letter. If you were with us, maybe you remember this part of the passage. He says, "Now, no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Remember, we spent a lot of time talking about this connection. He says, "For the law of the Spirit has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death."

And this connection that we see from Paul about no condemnation is actually not only going to affect our someday, but affect our decisions today, right now. And hopefully, this rings some bells. This one, it feels so encouraging, so helpful in the midst of our world that can condemn us so regularly. But a lot of us, we stop at just maybe believing this, which isn't inaccurate. It's just inadequate. There's more to it that God wants for you and me.

I wonder if sometimes people see us as that blank group of travelers whose faith decisions are way more about what we don't do and what we're against than anything else. Paul, he writes to a church, a group of churches in the region of Galatia in the first century. And it's kind of like a Cliff Notes version of the book of Romans. Not only that, but in this version, he's writing to counter a group of false teachers called Judaizers. And they were influencing the churches in Galatia into believing that you couldn't really be a Christian just by grace, undeserved favor, through faith, believing that Jesus is who he says he is and did what he said he did.

You actually had to add hundreds of legal requirements to it. And if you don't believe that, you know, you know, in order to maintain one of those requirements, adult men had to get surgery. Like, it was a problem that Paul had some very strong thoughts about. And so some of what we see here injected into that, Paul is offering counter-cultural teaching to this concept when he says this to the churches in Galatia. He says, "But I say, walk by the Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh, for the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh. These are opposed to each other to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law."

You can see how the Judaizers, this group of people that are saying, you have to live under the law if you really want to be there. If you want to make sure that you're saved forever, you can see them kind of squirming as Paul makes it very clear. You have to pick one or the other. Paul, he counters the ideas of the false teachers and he wants to make sure that they understand there is a choice for those of us who choose to follow Jesus, that we can walk every day empowered and informed by the Holy Spirit of God living inside each and every one of us.

Jesus, when he left earth from his earthly ministry, after he was resurrected, he said that he was doing it in part so that the helper or the Holy Spirit of God himself could come live inside of followers of Jesus, that we would be supernaturally empowered to live differently, that we couldn't do this before, but after we could. He also highlights that we will continue to live in tension with the desires of our fallen, broken flesh, which is exactly the tension that Paul expounds on throughout Romans 7, the chapter before the one that we studied this summer.

When he says, look, there's things that I want to do that I don't. There's things that I don't want to do that I do. Even if you aren't a Christian, you believe this. You might call it something different, but we all have these set of choices that we want to make and the ones that we want to make, but we know they aren't good for us or won't be good for us later. And we know that our decisions carry interest. We wish we could make different decisions sometimes than the ones that we make. All of us know that.

The irony of so many Silicon Valley scams, and not just the impact that we see in culture or financially for investors, but the irony of so many Silicon Valley scams is that they crop up with a group of people who want to live above the law. And actually, Paul gives you and me the key idea. If you want to live above the law, here's how you do it. If you want to live above the law, put yourself under the Spirit. That actually, the Spirit does the thing that the law could never do on its own. It offers you and me everyday intentionality. Not only self-examination, but God-examination of our motives, of our actions, of our investments.

We've been spending time all summer hopefully demystifying some of these ideas of Bible study where you can go, look, I can highlight on my Bible. I can spend a few minutes every day digging into and exploring what God might have for me to think differently or do differently because of it today. We spent time during this series looking at the fruit of the Spirit, what it produces, and the fruit of the flesh. And I wonder, which one are you choosing? Have you examined your schedule for this fall? Which one is it choosing? Which investment is your life deciding to follow? The flesh of busy, maybe? Or the spirit of intentional?

And look, I get it. My schedule this fall is extremely full. Maybe the most full it's ever been in ministry. But I'm asking myself the question, where can I make pockets for God and me every single day? For my family and me? What am I saying no to? A helpful discipline that I'm incorporating into my life this fall, again, I've done it a few times in my life, is that I'm saying no to something every single day. At least one thing every single day. So if I've recently said no to you, I'm sorry. But I think it matters.

For each and every one of us, when we live without margin, we make bad choices. And it's not because the things I'm saying no to are bad things. It's just because there are better things that are already on my calendar that help and feed my soul, my family, and our community. You have the same thing for you, no matter what your job is, no matter what your season of life is. And really, I'm asking myself that question, and I'm putting that discipline into my life because I didn't like the answer to this question for me.

How would you rate the interest rate of your decisions? Those poor decisions and that unintentional time, it was costing me interest that my other decisions weren't making up for. If you're honest, I bet for some of you, that's the case. That leads me to the second decision from this parallel study in Romans 8 and Galatians, which is that you need to choose your investment strategy.

Every year, my primary retirement account sends me an email notification, and it asks me to go revisit my account and confirm my investment strategy. Now, I did that a year earlier, and things may have changed or they may not, but typically, there's something underlying our decision. We make decisions about our retirement, right? Our investment strategy, we say, hey, the more time I have before I need this, the greater the risk I'm willing to take because I know that the ebbs and flows of a market I have time to make up for.

And the less time that I have before I need to tap into those funds, the less risk I'm willing to take into my portfolio because I don't have time for those gains to be made back. And the cheat code of investing is to start early, investing the right way in the right thing. Someone told Alyssa, my wife, as a high school student about this idea, and so she started investing in her retirement as a high school student for her time. Isn't that amazing?

Paul gives us these ideas about investing in our study through Romans, and some of you, it's like you're hearing about retirement in high school because you're young and you're trying to figure this out. And the good news is, like, this is the perfect time to start investing. You know, the perfect time to start investing was probably in high school. The second best time to start investing is today. And the same thing, it's true for our spiritual decisions to follow Jesus in our day-to-day life.

As a matter of fact, when we were in the book of Romans, Paul put it this way. He said, "For those who live according to the flesh set their mind on things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on things of the Spirit. For those who set their mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law. Indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God."

And we talked about how easy it is to justify decisions without realizing the consequences of those daily decisions, right? They all lead somewhere. And if we're not careful, they lead to a place we don't want to be. See, we talked about this idea that our decisions have weight. And waiting to make our decisions sometimes has even greater weight. And this is about investing for our life. Paul isn't primarily talking about heaven or hell here. He's actually talking about the waves that our decisions make in our lives, fueled by the control of the Holy Spirit inside is what Paul is calling you and me to.

Maybe when we studied this, this was really hard because you didn't like the implications that the choices you were making were feeding to a life that was breaking your connection to God, or it felt like maybe your connection to God was unavailable. Maybe that was a tough topic for you when we covered it in Romans 8. Well, Paul, he makes it really simple in Galatians. It's one of my favorite passages, actually. He says it this way. He says, "Do not be deceived. God is not mocked. For whatever one sows, that he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life."

Now, there's some of us, when we read a passage like this, that we don't necessarily think we're doing what Paul is telling us we're doing, but we really are. Like, when we think, I'm getting one over on God. I've tricked him. I can do this my own way. Even though God has said, this is how life works, I'm gonna do it my own way. And so then he says, look, don't be tricked. And he's talking specifically about the Judaizers. He's saying, like, don't let them trick you. Don't be tricked.

And then he says, God's not gonna be mocked, which means the way that you're tricked into thinking you can sprinkle something onto your own life or that you can live disconnected from these principles, not only are you tricked, but you think you're tricking God. You think you're going, God, I hold one over on you. And he says, look, if your decisions are from the flesh, they're reaping corruption, death, destruction, poison. And if your decisions are coming from the Spirit, they are bringing about eternal life.

And that's not heaven, primarily. This is about the kingdom of heaven coming into the real world, daily needs of your life. That every single day is an opportunity for his kingdom to enter our world. Paul has been telling the churches throughout Galatia to be careful, to test what they've been hearing, and not just settle for the easy route of believing what anyone happens to be telling them. It was Paul's way of saying that if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Then he goes on to counter it in a way that every person hearing him would have understood, which is that the plant you grow comes from the seed you sow. They have been probably instantly visualizing, when Paul makes metaphors like this, the wheat or barley crop. And they thought about all the conditions that would need to be right and assessed correctly of the soil and the weather conditions and when to put those seeds and where to put them.

And then he tells them that when they plant seeds of investment with their time, money, passion, interest, into compromise with their flesh, that they will reap corruption. It's actually poisonous. The crop is deadly. And on the flip side, that if they sow according to the Spirit's work in their life, what God is showing them, that they will reap eternal life. That hope can even make its way into the hopeless parts of their circumstances.

See, the first thought that they would have had is that crops were eaten, but they didn't. They were eaten by them and by others. They were about nutrition for more than just one person. Nobody planted crops for one. And I wonder, how often do you consider the impact of your decisions on other people? How is the investment that you are making at work, not just with money, but in character, feeding your family, not just in food, but in fruitfulness?

You might think that you're getting away with something right now, but remember what he said. You aren't. In the way that others experience you and the impact of your decisions around you, through you, and with eternity in front of you, the bill is coming due. And I'm not telling you that to make you feel ashamed or to make you feel guilty. I'm telling you that because there's still time. There's still hope because you still have another day.

Even though the bill is coming due, don't mistake financial interest for character interest. I've met plenty of people who have lost count of their money, but where it counts, they're bankrupt, and you have too. How would you rate the interest rate of your decisions today? If you think about it in terms of a crop that others will enjoy too, how would your coworkers rate that? How would your family rate that? Don't nudge somebody next to you. How would your spouse rate that? How would your neighbors rate that? What are you sowing seeds in with your life? Because all of us, Christians or not, we are doing it.

Some of the best credit card offers that come our way, they come literally, leading with a short-term interest rate. And we say yes because of the short-term interest rate. Some of our decisions feel that way too. And Paul is saying that even if it hasn't cost you much yet, it will. And there is still time to change before the bill comes due. What a hopeful message of Jesus.

Which leads us to the third decision we should all make in terms of our connection to God, which is to assess your retirement. Look, you want to choose your investment strategy, but you need to assess your retirement. You need to assess how it's going. Even though that we're living longer and we have medication to help us that's rapidly advancing, there is an inevitability to what comes after this life. And central to the claims of Jesus is the promise of a secured future forever.

And some of you, you're exploring faith for the first time or for the first time in a long time because of this core reality, because you or somebody you love is facing the implications of the fact that this life is not forever. In Romans 8, Paul really encapsulates this well when he says this, he says, "Who shall bring any charge against God's elect?" We spent some time talking about that. "It is God who justifies, makes legally right through Jesus. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died. More than that, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who is interceding for us."

And we talked about how important this idea is. Jesus didn't come to just set a good example. For you and me, Jesus came to be the substitute for you and me, which only he could do. Remember that for Paul, he had lots of people who were making lots of charges against him. And so when we read this passage, this idea of like, who's there to condemn me? Who's to bring charges against me? Like Paul, there's a lot of people doing that.

As a matter of fact, he's basically waiting for more condemnation, assuming what would eventually be his own martyrdom, where he would give his life to God. He would give his life as a follower of Jesus. But the judgment that he's most concerned about wasn't that. He wasn't talking about condemnation there. He was talking about his eternal retirement plan. He trusted God with where he was going, no matter how he got there.

And some of us, we live entirely for today, and we don't think about tomorrow at all. When Jesus says, it's actually when we seek that kingdom first, when we live in light of forever, that today makes so much more sense. And then we bounce over to Galatians 2, and he's making a similar point, but with this backdrop of the false teaching of the Judaizers, when he says this, he says, "Yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law," which again, they're kind of squirming because that's exactly the point they're making, "but through faith in Jesus Christ. So we have believed in Christ Jesus in order to be justified by faith in Christ, in case you didn't hear me the first time, not by works of the law, because works of the law, just in case you didn't notice, no one will be justified," right?

This is Paul sort of double-clicking for those listening and for the Judaizers that are teaching them false teaching. This is not true. There is one way for us to have our eternal retirement, this picture of what it means to walk with Jesus today and forever, not because of what we've done, but because of what he's already done. That's the good news of the gospel.

Paul just mentioned the fact that he's Jewish in the letter to the churches in Galatia, which if you think about it, the Judaizers are saying, like, you have to behave as both a Jewish person and a Christian person. And if you don't know this, the Apostle Paul, before he was working to help start the church in the first century, he wasn't just like Jewish, he was like varsity Jewish. He was a part of a group of Jewish leaders called Pharisees. He had the bulk of the Hebrew scriptures, what we call the Old Testament, memorized. He was following hundreds of people, hundreds of laws, simultaneously, all the time.

And so he's kind of like, look, it wouldn't be that big of a change for me if all of a sudden I needed to go back to following those laws. The reason that I'm not doing that is because it's not helpful, it's not true, that we are not justified by works of the law, but only by grace, God's undeserved favor, through faith, us trusting that Jesus is who he says he is. That's why he had to come.

In another place, Paul says that if the law was capable of saving us, then Jesus died for us. He died for nothing. And if you wanna try to live by the law, he says, go for it. Bad news, though, if you fail in even one part of it, you've failed in all of it. So if you don't think you can adhere to all the law, spoiler alert, you can't. The other option is that you would live by grace, through faith, that you would trust that Jesus has done all of it for you.

So when you consider your own retirement plan, if there were pie charts of where you're investing and where your trend lines are for your accounts, are those decisions funding the retirement plan you want, or are they draining from a future you thought you were preparing for? Even if it's not the Hebrew scriptures, right? Maybe you have a plan of what it means to be a good person, and in your head, you just think that there are like these scales with God, that one day I'm gonna stand and hopefully I've done enough good to outweigh my bad. I'm telling you, you haven't. None of us have. The scales will never measure up. That's why we need Jesus.

Look, the open secret of retirement is something called compound interest. It's a financial concept in which a small deposit early on can compound. It can grow over time because there is time for that investment to keep doubling over the decades. And that's not just true for our finances. Even if you're not a follower of Jesus, this quote might help you. Author and speaker John Mark Comer, he puts it this way. He says, "The small daily decisions you make compound over time, shaping your character and your life in ways you can't always see in the moment. Just as compound interest grows wealth over years, consistent spiritual practices build a rich and flourishing soul."

Some of you have experienced that exact idea. And if we go back to the idea of sowing and reaping that Paul is talking about, there would have been farmers that had second-guessed before they saw the growth above the soil, did I put the seeds in the right place? Did I put them in at the right time? Are they really gonna grow? They're doing all the things that they should do. But there's just a part of it that's like, compound interest hasn't shown up yet, it seems like. And you just have to keep being faithful even when you don't feel like it.

Some of you, that's the thing you need to walk away with. The breakthrough you're waiting for, the thing you're hoping changes in your life, it hasn't come yet. It hasn't changed yet. But it doesn't mean you're doing the wrong thing. It just means don't quit. This same author, the apostle Paul, he says that in good season, you will bear fruit. A harvest will come, but don't grow weary in doing good. Keep going.

Some of you have been following Jesus faithfully, not perfectly, but faithfully for decades. And your life hasn't been perfect, but God has been more than faithful to you. And your life is a testament. It's a story of God's goodness, even in the midst of hardship. And you telling that story is really important because it can give confidence and hope to people that are where you were.

For others, when things got hard—and this isn't everybody, but for some of you—it's why you left your marriage. It's why you left the job that you were at before and the job before that one. It's why you left that relationship. Maybe it's even why you left God. But the good news is that it's not too late for you. It's not too late to turn back. God's given us time to turn back to him. And that's the fact of God's grace. That's exactly why you may be here today. God loves prodigals.

And the picture of his eternal retirement account that has already been given the necessary amount you need to retire with God forever is the picture of the good news that Jesus came and lived a perfect life for you and died on your behalf and came back from the grave so that even now what Paul was talking about 2000 years ago can be true for you today and 2000 years from today. God has given us time. It's time to turn back to him. And the fact that you're still here means exactly that.

See, maybe for you it feels like you've squandered your spiritual investment. Maybe it feels like you did that years ago. You think, Phil, if you knew what I've done or where I've been or how long it's been, you wouldn't be making some of these claims about me. But I'm just telling you, you're in really good company with people who have come back to God, including in the room you're in right now.

But it starts by honestly asking and assessing that question, right? How would you rate the interest rate of your decisions? Do you like the direction and impact that your life is headed and leaving in its wake? If so, then keep doing what you're doing. But I want you to remember these principles and regularly revisit it because it's easy for it to drift.

During COVID, there was this unique thing where student debt got deferred for some people for as much as three years where no additional amount or interest got added to the principal. And three years later, because of the national crisis, global crisis that was taking place, the newfound financial margin, it was this lifeline for a whole bunch of people, a lifeline that they got very used to. And in part because of political talking points, they hoped the balance of their debt would be forgiven or at least deferred indefinitely.

Now, the problem was that didn't happen. Eventually, eventually the debt came back. Eventually, the payments resumed. And for some of you, you have waited, right? Some of you, you're living in the illusion of a forever deferment. You aren't feeling the consequences of your choices yet. And you've convinced yourself that you never will. But the deferment on the interest of your decisions is simply God's grace extended to you in this moment to still turn to him.

As a matter of fact, starting next week, we're gonna begin a new series called Storytellers, where we'll talk about the hope of seeing God's work in your story, even when you haven't been looking for it, even when you think that the invitation is long gone. And it's really an invitation to those who maybe have walked away or never considered faith to reconsider hope.

And for some of you, maybe you've been believing a certain way about faith, but that belief to behavior barrier, that idea of what you could live with, this series is gonna challenge you to. If you have someone in your life who is convinced that the end of their story is already written, that they've already done too much or gone too far, that the interest on the decisions they've made is already too great and they're on the wrong side of the ledger, this is the perfect series to bring them to.

Can I pray for you?

God, thanks so much. Thanks for the gift that it is to walk with you. For some of us, for decades, generations. For others of us today, I believe that today is gonna be the first day in a long story of choosing to set aside what I can do, to believe and receive what you've done for me, and to choose to walk according to the Spirit in our life.

Thanks for these words that you've preserved for thousands of years. Would you preserve them in our hearts? Would you demonstrate them in our lives? That no matter what our story of faith is today, because of our study together, you would help it to grow. That the seeds we've planted here would bring a harvest of faithfulness and hope, not just in our lives, but through our lives, to many more. It's in Jesus' name, amen.

1. "Sprinkled throughout Romans 8, and as you'll see in a minute through the letter to the churches in Galatia, we are shown that our decisions accrue interest. The question is, are you interested in the interest of your decisions? It's easy to look at the news or whatever we are entertaining ourselves with to be consumed with people that we will never meet. But you have influence over an interest rate in your life." [24:10] (26 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


2. "The question that we'll see Paul whisper in Romans, but we'll see Paul shout in Galatians is how would you rate the interest rate of your decisions? And do you care? See, tonight, today might be an uncomfortable conversation, because without an intentional focus on a question like this, our lives can begin to drift without us even realizing it." [25:17] (23 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


3. "If you're a Christian, we can look pretty strange because we believe something, but we don't believe enough of it to do something with it. A lot of times, if you're a Christian for a long time, what we can do actually is we can make our life about what we don't do. But we can restrict ourselves and restrict ourselves and restrict ourselves. And eventually, we are way more known for what we're against than what we're for. And we're so concerned about making the wrong decision that we make no decision." [27:13] (26 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


4. "The first choice that you and I have to address the interest rates of our decisions is to live beyond condemnation. Not to just know it, but to live beyond condemnation. If you were with us throughout the series, this is actually kind of where Paul started in chapter eight of this incredible letter. If you were with us, maybe you remember this part of the passage. He says, Now, no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." [28:22] (29 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


5. "Paul, he counters the ideas of the false teachers and he wants to make sure that they understand there is a choice for those of us who choose to follow Jesus, that we can walk every day empowered and informed by the Holy Spirit of God living inside each and every one of us. Jesus, when he left earth from his earthly ministry, after he was resurrected, he said that he was doing it in part so that the helper or the Holy Spirit of God himself could come live inside of followers of Jesus, that we would be supernaturally empowered to live differently, that we couldn't do this before, but after we could." [31:19] (39 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


6. "How would you rate the interest rate of your decisions? Those poor decisions and that unintentional time, it was costing me interest that my other decisions weren't making up for. If you're honest, I bet for some of you, that's the case. That leads me to the second decision from this parallel study in Romans 8 and Galatians, which is that you need to choose your investment strategy." [34:28] (24 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


7. "Paul gives us these ideas about investing in our study through Romans, and some of you, it's like you're hearing about retirement in high school because you're young and you're trying to figure this out. And the good news is, like, this is the perfect time to start investing. You know, the perfect time to start investing was probably in high school. The second best time to start investing is today. And the same thing, it's true for our spiritual decisions to follow Jesus in our day-to-day life." [36:15] (27 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


8. "The small daily decisions you make compound over time, shaping your character, and your life in ways you can't always see in the moment. Just as compound interest grows wealth over years, consistent spiritual practices build a rich and flourishing soul. Some of you have experienced that exact idea. And if we go back to the idea of sowing and reaping that Paul is talking about, there would have been farmers that had second guessed before they saw the growth above the soil, did I put the seeds in the right place? Did I put them in at the right time? Are they really gonna grow?" [48:43] (35 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


9. "Some of you have been following Jesus faithfully, not perfectly, but faithfully for decades. And your life hasn't been perfect, but God has been more than faithful to you. And your life is a testament. It's a story of God's goodness, even in the midst of hardship. And you telling that story is really important because it can give confidence and hope to people that are where you were." [49:52] (24 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


10. "God loves prodigals. And the picture of his eternal retirement account that has already been given the necessary amount you need to retire with God forever is the picture of the good news that Jesus came and lived a perfect life for you and died on your behalf and came back from the grave so that even now what Paul was talking about 2000 years ago can be true for you today and 2000 years from today. God has given us time. It's time to turn back to him." [50:28] (28 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)