Living Unhooked: Embracing Freedom in Christ

### Bible Study Discussion Guide

#### Bible Reading
1. Romans 6:1-14
2. Romans 7:15-25
3. Romans 8:1-17

#### Observation Questions
1. According to Romans 6:6, what happens to our old self when we are baptized into Christ Jesus?
2. In Romans 7:15, what internal conflict does Paul describe?
3. What does Romans 8:1 declare about those who are in Christ Jesus?
4. How does Paul describe the relationship between the flesh and the Spirit in Romans 8:5-6?

#### Interpretation Questions
1. Why is it important to know and understand our identity in Christ according to Romans 6:6-7? How does this knowledge impact our daily lives? [01:05:15]
2. What does Paul mean when he says, "reckon yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin" in Romans 6:11? How does this concept of "reckoning" influence our actions? [01:10:50]
3. How does Paul’s struggle in Romans 7:15-20 reflect the ongoing battle between flesh and spirit in a believer’s life? What does this reveal about the nature of sin and grace? [01:26:45]
4. In Romans 8:12-14, Paul talks about living by the Spirit. What practical steps can believers take to live according to the Spirit and not the flesh? [01:28:47]

#### Application Questions
1. Reflect on your current understanding of your identity in Christ. How has this knowledge influenced your actions and decisions recently? What steps can you take to deepen this understanding? [01:05:15]
2. Paul emphasizes the importance of "reckoning" ourselves dead to sin. Think of a specific area in your life where you struggle with sin. How can you apply the concept of "reckoning" to overcome this struggle? [01:10:50]
3. The sermon discussed the balance between legalism and lawlessness. Are there areas in your life where you tend to lean towards one extreme? How can you find a balance that honors God? [01:23:00]
4. Paul candidly shares his struggles with sin in Romans 7. How can you relate to his experience? Share a personal struggle and discuss how you can find strength in Christ to overcome it. [01:26:45]
5. The sermon mentioned the importance of living a fruit-filled life by walking in the Spirit. Identify one aspect of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) that you want to cultivate this week. What specific action will you take to develop this fruit in your interactions with others? [01:37:44]
6. Reflect on a recent situation where you felt the tension between your flesh and the Spirit. How did you respond? What can you do differently next time to ensure you are led by the Spirit? [01:28:47]
7. The sermon highlighted the importance of biblical knowledge in protecting against deception. What is one practical way you can increase your biblical knowledge this week? How will you ensure this knowledge translates into action? [01:07:05]

1. "We don't want to be so sin-focused that we end up not recognizing that we are free from sin but we are free for God." [01:01:55]


2. "True freedom has to involve growing in what you know about Jesus. You have to grow in what you know about this faith that you have proclaimed." [01:05:15]


3. "What you don't know can hurt you. But what you do know can keep you unhooked." [01:07:05]


4. "If you have some output in your life that you don't like, I encourage you to take a look at the input in your heart." [01:14:47]


5. "Salvation has already made us free from the penalty of sin, but God wants to move us forward and be free for Him." [01:16:17]


6. "There is a component of walking in freedom that's up to us. There is a part. And let me be clear. We're not talking about legalism here." [01:19:57]


7. "Just because sin or your flesh calls does not mean you have to answer it. You've been unhooked. It's been severed." [01:32:14]


8. "If you walk by the Spirit, you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. They are opposed to each other." [01:30:34]


9. "Everywhere you go, there's going to be fruit. Every conversation, the Holy Spirit will say, this is where you give love." [01:37:44]


10. "We listen, we obey, we get full, we leave fruit. And that is the process of staying unhooked." [01:39:46]

Day 1: The Armor of Biblical Knowledge
Knowing God's Word is essential for true freedom. It protects us from deception and helps us stand firm against the enemy's lies. Without this knowledge, we are vulnerable to being misled and entangled in falsehoods. The Bible is not just a book of stories or moral guidelines; it is the living Word of God, a powerful tool that equips us to discern truth from lies. When we immerse ourselves in Scripture, we build a foundation that can withstand the storms of life and the attacks of the enemy.

In a world filled with conflicting messages and deceptive philosophies, biblical knowledge acts as our compass, guiding us toward God's truth. It is through this knowledge that we can identify and reject the lies that seek to entangle us. As we grow in our understanding of God's Word, we become more adept at recognizing the enemy's tactics and standing firm in our faith. [01:07:05]

Ephesians 6:14-17 (ESV): "Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."

Reflection: Think about a time when you were deceived or misled. How might a deeper knowledge of God's Word have helped you in that situation? What steps can you take today to deepen your understanding of Scripture?


Day 2: Faith in Action
It's not enough to intellectually know the truth; we must believe it deeply and act on it. Paul uses the term "reckon" to describe this deep-seated belief that leads to action. Trusting God's promises should result in a life that reflects that trust. Just as we would trust a gift from a wealthy benefactor, we must trust and act on God's promises.

This means that our faith should be evident in our daily lives. Our actions, decisions, and attitudes should reflect our trust in God's Word. When we truly believe in God's promises, it changes the way we live. We become more courageous, more loving, and more willing to step out in faith. [01:12:51]

James 2:17-18 (ESV): "So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, 'You have faith and I have works.' Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works."

Reflection: Identify one area of your life where your actions do not fully align with your beliefs. What practical steps can you take today to bring your actions in line with your faith?


Day 3: Freedom with Responsibility
True freedom in Christ doesn't mean we can do whatever we want. It means we are free to live a life that honors God. Paul warns against letting sin reign in our mortal bodies and encourages us to present ourselves as instruments of righteousness. This balance between legalism and lawlessness is crucial for living a life that truly reflects our identity in Christ.

Freedom in Christ is not a license to sin but an invitation to live a life that glorifies God. It is about using our freedom to serve others, to love deeply, and to pursue righteousness. This kind of freedom brings true joy and fulfillment, as it aligns us with God's perfect will for our lives. [01:23:00]

Galatians 5:13-14 (ESV): "For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'"

Reflection: In what ways have you misunderstood or misused your freedom in Christ? How can you use your freedom to serve others and honor God today?


Day 4: The Inner Struggle
Even as believers, we will face internal conflicts between our flesh and spirit. Paul candidly shares his struggles in Romans 7, reminding us that the answer to this struggle is found in Christ, who frees us from condemnation. This ongoing battle is a part of our spiritual journey, but we are not left to fight it alone.

Christ has given us the Holy Spirit to empower us and guide us in this battle. By walking in the Spirit, we can overcome the desires of the flesh and live a life that pleases God. This requires daily surrender and reliance on the Holy Spirit, who helps us to live out our new identity in Christ. [01:26:45]

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: Reflect on a recent struggle between your flesh and spirit. How did you respond, and what can you learn from that experience? How can you rely more on the Holy Spirit in your daily battles?


Day 5: Bearing Spiritual Fruit
By walking in the Spirit, we can live a life full of the fruit of the Spirit, leaving evidence of our faith wherever we go. This involves listening, obeying, getting filled, and leaving fruit in every aspect of our lives. The fruit of the Spirit is the visible evidence of a life transformed by Christ.

As we walk in the Spirit, we become more like Christ, and our lives begin to reflect His love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. This fruit is not something we can produce on our own; it is the result of a life surrendered to the Holy Spirit. [01:37:44]

John 15:4-5 (ESV): "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing."

Reflection: Consider the fruit of the Spirit in your life. Which fruit do you see most evident, and which do you struggle with? How can you more fully abide in Christ to bear more fruit in your daily life?

**Morning, Clc. My name is Jason Parks. I'm one of the pastors here. Uhsoul did a good job just prepping the crowd for me because, in case you didn't know, there are some new folks in here. I'm the really churchy pastor, which means I might jump, I might yell, I might do a cartwheel. I just like to let the Holy Spirit flow up here. Is that okay? Yeah. And I just can't wait to see you there.**

**I'm Jason Parks. I'm one of the pastors here, and I'm three shots of caffeine, so I don't know what's about to happen. I do want to make one small announcement that I think is really, really important. It actually applies to me as well. On September 6th, we're having something special for parents. If you are a parent in the room, regardless of age, you know August is usually the month where we're just dealing with all the kids' stuff. I just dropped off my two oldest kids at college for the first time. They're freshmen. Praise the Lord! I lost my Uber drivers because they usually run to the store real quick and get me, you know, it was that. But you know, it's a transition time for me, and it's a transition time for my wife. She's FaceTiming them four times a day. Pray for her. Four times a day.**

**But we want to do something special for the parents. It's just an opportunity for you to be able to just let your hair down or to do something special for the parents. Take your wig off, whatever you prefer, and relax. Let us kind of pour back into you because over the next couple of weeks, you've been doing everything for the kids. So we just want to have a good time together, play some games, eat some wings or something. And that's on September 6th. We're going to have the information to register for that in the newsletter, so make sure you're looking out for that in our newsletter this week. Again, you just show up. It's here at the church. We want to feed you, and we want to create a support group, especially for those of us who, for the first time, have our children outside of the house. So please join us on September 6th.**

**Now, here's why I am excited, and my caffeine is kicking in. Because over the last two weeks, we have talked about sin. We've talked about being hooked. But if it's okay with you, I want to talk about being unhooked. Because we don't want to be so sin-focused and mistake-focused that we end up not recognizing that we are free from sin, but we are free for God. That make sense? We have been freed, and now we have to do something because we have a new identity. And so you have to know both sides of that because if you don't, you'll run the risk of running back or just being in limbo. And if I can be frank with you, that's where some of us in this room are at today. You're not alone. You're not alone. You're not alone. You're not alone. You don't know what it's like to be unhooked or free. You have been saved, but you're not free. You have figured out that Christ is your Savior, but you don't know how to walk in the Spirit. That's what it is to be unhooked. You are able to walk in the Spirit, and you are full of fruit from the Spirit.**

**And so I want to walk through Romans 6, 7, and 8, and I'm going to do my best job to get through it because it's a meaty text. And I want everyone in this room to just promise to yourself—don't promise to me because you might not be able to keep the promise—but promise to yourself that you will walk through Romans. It is essential for every believer. Even if you're a new believer, it is full of doctrine and theology. But even if you've been saved a while, like me, it's good to return to it because the Word of God can come to you in a different way you've never seen it before. Because of the Word of God, it's good to return to it because the Word of the Holy Spirit will show you the same text you read a year ago, and all of a sudden, it just pops up off that page. So revisit Romans 6, 7, and 8. But today, let's talk about being unhooked, which really simply means I want to walk by the Spirit in a way that is God-honoring, in Christ-reflecting. My daily walk honors God, reflects Jesus, and is led by the Holy Spirit.**

**I'm no longer a slave to sin. I'm alive, and now I'm walking in my faith. And I don't know about you, but I want to be full like that. The Bible talks about men of God who were full of the Holy Spirit, and they did some incredible things. But I just want to experience that fullness of life so that whenever the Holy Spirit wants to use me, if I'm at work and there's a little fruit He wants me to leave there, I do it. In my home, it's full of fruit, love, and joy, and peace. That's the type of unhooked we're talking about today. Now, let's look at Romans 6. If you have your Bibles, my wife literally has a Bible in her purse. She's going to pull it out too. She has it on her lap already. I wish the camera can show that. If you have your Bibles or your phones, let's look at Romans 6. The process to walking a Spirit-led life and being unhooked starts with freedom and being unhooked in your mind. What you don't know can hurt you. What you don't study would never be applied to you. And so Paul, in Romans 6, he says things like, 'Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?' In verse 6, he says, 'We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing.' In verse 9, we know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again. That Greek word, we just read it as 'know.' It is self-explanatory. It's gaining knowledge of, getting more information about. And Paul is telling the church in Rome that true freedom has to involve growing in what you know about Jesus. You have to grow in what you know about this faith that you have proclaimed. You have to know what God says about you.**

**Because if you are not knowledgeable about that, the enemy can begin to send fiery darts of deception your way. And all of a sudden, you twist up, tie it up, and tangle it up into something that is not biblical. It happens all of the time. But when we stay in the Word, we recognize that this scripture, it's just not random words. It's inspired by God. The hand of men wrote it, but the Holy Spirit is who gave them what to write. And it is useful to teach us what is true, make us realize what is wrong, teaches us, corrects us, and helps us do what's right—all in this Bible, this Word of God. What you don't know can hurt you. But what you do know can keep you unhooked. I remember one time I was walking through Target. Excuse me, Target. I was walking through Target, and this young man walked up to me, and he says, 'Do you have a few moments?' I'm like, 'Sure.' He says, 'Well, I want to talk to you and introduce you to Mother God.' I said, 'Wow, Mother God?' He says, 'Yes. I want to show you all about a Mother God.' And then I said, 'Well, you picked the right day. Let me bring out my phone because I want to teach you about faith. I want to teach you about faith. I want to teach you about faith. I want to teach you about faith. I Father God.' It was a short conversation because he knew that I knew and that I was going to stand on that truth. Because the Bible I read says, 'Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed, holy, wonderful is thy name. Thy kingdom come.' Y'all know the rest. What you don't know can't hurt you. And there's all types of deception out here. So, Paul says, 'Listen, don't you know the truth? Because if you don't know the truth, you can't walk out the truth.' Jesus said the Holy Spirit will lead us into all truth. He will bring back to your remembrance everything that Jesus said, everything in the Word. But you can't remember something you never knew. Makes sense, right? You can't remember and recall when you needed something that you never studied. So Paul is saying, 'Listen, get biblical truth.' And so when we're talking about sin, the truth is that once we come to Christ, we are a new creature. Biblical knowledge begins to nourish this, and it replaces the old information. You begin to feed on what's good for your spirit, man. And you begin to replace the structures intellectually that were placed there way before you even knew about Mother God, people talking about Michael or Jesus being Michael, the archangel. This is doctrine that's out here. The Holy Spirit is a force or energy. They're not acknowledging that the Holy Spirit is the third person of the triune God, that He sanctifies us and renews our mind and moves us forward in sanctification. But what you don't know can hurt you.**

**So it's just not intellectual, though, because there's another step. Because guess what? A Muslim can quote the Bible. Yeah. He can tell you about Jesus using your Bible. There are other denominations. There are other religions that can simply take information and quote it back to you better than you can. So Paul moves us forward. He says, now, it's not just about what you know in your mind. You have to know it in your heart. In verse 8, he says this: 'Now, if we have died with Christ, we believe we will also live with him.' In verse 11, he says, 'You must also consider yourselves dead to sin.' If we're not careful, we will diminish the true value and the definition of those two words, 'believe' and 'to consider.' Here's what believe means: to think and know to be true, to be persuaded of, to have full credit in, to place complete confidence in. I like how the King James Version gives us verse 11. He says this: 'Likewise, reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin.' Now, I know reckon seems pretty country, but it's not. There was no Texas when Paul wrote this. I mean, it wasn't. But the word reckon or to consider, the Greek word means to deem, to determine, to purpose, to decide, to take it to the bank. You can depend on it with your entire life. That's what reckon means. That's a heart posture that even if I don't capture the entire understanding of it, I will just move forward in knowledge. I will make the steps because I believe it is true. This is knowing in our heart. I'll put it to you like this. If a rich man walked in here, let's say, let me see, Elon wouldn't walk in here. Who would walk in here? Okay, let's just say Bill Gates walked in here. And Bill Gates walked up to you with a $500 gift certificate or a gift card to Gucci or to Bloomingdale's or Nordstrom. I see some Ross people in here or some TJ Maxx. I want to speak your language because you may not like Gucci. You like Ross. You're on your own with that. But if Bill walked up to you with a $500 gift card and he said, 'I just want to do this because I love you,' most of us would look at who gave it to us. We wouldn't have to fast or pray and consecrate ourselves for a week and, 'Oh God, is it you?' Bill Gates is rich, rich. You would take that gift card, and not only would you accept it, you would then go on over to Gucci. 'Hi, I have a gift card for $500. What can I get for $500 exactly? I don't want, including the tax, actually. I don't want to go above $500 because he gave it to me.' That's what it means to reckon. You accept it based upon who said it and who gave it, and then you move on that information. So, Paul is saying, 'Reckon this. Accept it fully and operate on it because your belief will lead to action.' I like how Psalm 119 says it. It won't be on the screen. It says, 'How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to your word. With my whole heart, I have sought you. Your word have I hidden in my heart so I won't sin against you.' I will put it so far deep. I will meditate on your word. I want it to be in me so that I walk it out without even thinking about it. Proverbs 4 says, 'Keep thy heart with all diligence because out of it are the issues of life.' Let me put it to you simply. If you have some output in your life that you don't like, if you have results in your life that just, you don't know why it's happening, I encourage you to take a look at the input in your heart. Everyone's not a hater. Everyone is not conspiring against you. The algorithm is just not sitting there waiting to trip you up. But there is something in the heart that has to be addressed. So keep that heart by filling it with the Word of God so it can begin to change every structure that you've been operating. It will give you truth that you never knew, and the Holy Spirit will then take it and turn your heart. The Bible talks about that God will make a heart a heart of flesh. That means it is sensitive to His words. It is sensitive to His guidance. And so when we begin to listen to the Holy Spirit, when we look at this Word and we begin to allow it to change us, we then step out because the knowing in our heart is not superficial. It is tied to and considered your soul, the very seat of your will, the very seat of your emotions and passions. So if you're not satisfied with what's going on outside of you, the way you get unhooked and stay unhooked is, let me get this Word, and I need to allow this Word to change me. I'm going to read it. I'm going to confess it. I'm going to believe it. I'm going to accept it, and I'm going to do it all over again. I'm going to read it. I'm going to confess it. I'm going to believe it, and I'm going to accept it. I'm going to do it all over again. I'm going to read it. I'm going to confess it. I'm going to believe it is true based upon who said it, and I'm going to accept it. And that's how we feed our spirit man. That's how we begin to walk out a life that's truly unhooked because, again, salvation has already made us free from the penalty of sin, but God wants to move us forward and be free for Him, sanctified, holy for Him, from sin for God. So you just begin to walk it out when the enemy sends his fiery darts, which are accusations because he's still a liar. He's the father of lies. And I don't care how long you have been saved. Sin is always going to be there. The enemy will still be there to say and help you remember who you used to be. Help you remember what happened last week, last month. Your marriage is messed up. You shouldn't have done it. Oh, look at you now. Look at your kids. You're saved, but they're not. He's going to throw those fiery darts at you. And you begin to recite, 'I am dead to sin. I'm alive to God.' And just because it happened, just because I did it then, that is not who I am now. Who I was is not who I am. Old things have passed away. Old habits have passed away. Old addictions have passed away. Behold, I am a new creature. You have to activate the word that you believe. It goes without saying that there is some action behind it as well. And I'll put it to you like this. We move from the information to the heart to the action. And there has to be alignment in those things. What I read, what I believe, and what I do. Does that make sense? Practical example. I'm married. Boo is right there. Hey, babe. Right there. Front row. Lover. That's my girl. 20 years this year. Hey! Ooh, it's just like fine wine. It just gets better with time. I wouldn't know. I don't drink. I'm just saying, don't, don't, don't. I said that, right? I can read every marriage book ever created. I can walk around with that marriage book and keep saying, 'Ooh, I love some Jennifer Parks. Woo, that's my girl. We married almost 20 years. Oh, I tell you, we've been together.' But then if you see me popping bottles in the club—popping bottles, for some of the older people, that means you're in a club and buying drinks and making it kind of an event. You see me popping bottles, surrounded by ladies, whispering sweet nothings into somebody's ear over here and kind of kissing a little bit, not just a little petting over there. You're going to walk up to me in that club, and I'm going to first say to you, 'Why are you here?' See, y'all was quick to judge me. Yeah, you was about to, yeah, I'm going to get there, but I'm going to first ask you, 'Why are you here?' But then you're going to say, 'Um, pastor, on stage you said, the books you read say, but the man I see in front of me doesn't line up with all of that.' There is a component of walking in freedom that's up to us. There is a part. And let me be clear. We're not talking about legalism here, where my salvation is based upon my work. That's legalism. See, when I grew up and I first got saved, I would get up, pray, because if you didn't, it was a sin. I would go to work, go in there, look down. If a lady walked by because I didn't want to see it, Lord, keep me. Go home. Make sure I say my grace over my dinner because if I didn't, it's a sin. I will read the Bible for an hour because if I didn't, it was a sin. I was going to hell. You better read that Bible some more. 30 minutes wasn't enough. You got to have a whole hour. And if you have a whole hour, you real holy, you real safe. After reading the Bible, got to go pray. Then I got to get on my knees. You can't pray standing up. You can't pray sitting down. You got to get all the way down on your knees. Legalism, adding to the Word of God, adding things to it. And the children of Israel ran into this problem. Had all types of laws that they added to what it meant to be the seed of Abraham. And there are denominations that still do it today. I'm not talking about legalism. And Paul is not talking about legalism either. When we get to Romans 6 in the 12th verse, it's not about that. And I want to add, we're not talking about lawlessness either because some of us will say, 'As long as I'm not legalistic, I've been made free. I can do what I want to.' And then while we in the club popping bottles together, you're going to be like, 'Oh, it's so good. It's nice to be saved together, pastor.' No, no, no, no, no, no. Salvation does not create the opportunity to let your liberty be a stumbling block to yourself or other people. You cannot act like Christ didn't die for you and had such a high cost for you. And then all of a sudden, you can just do what you want. Remember, He saved you from sin for Him, from sin for Him. He didn't want you in the middle. He wants you for Him. And Paul talks about that in Romans 6. He says, 'Listen, let not sin reign in your mortal body.' He's talking about the actions that we do in this body. We can make it ethereal and mystic, but Paul says your mortal body, do not present your members or your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness. Present yourselves to God. For God. He says, 'Listen, present your members as slaves to righteousness that leads to sanctification and growth and purity.' He's saying there are some decisions we can make that help us walk out our faith. It's some websites that you need to block. It's some social media that you don't need to be on. And the Holy Spirit will begin to talk to you. He will say, 'Um, sis, maybe not.' He won't say sis. That man don't want to just Netflix and chill. He wants something more from you. Don't go. He will tell you, 'Listen, you can make the decision not to answer that text.' He will tell you while you're at work, when you want to give somebody a piece of your mind, keep your peace. Don't give them a piece of your mind because that mind is actually mine. And so we make those decisions that align with our faith. Does that make sense? Because I need to teach this because a lot of times we are on these extremes. We want to be overly spiritual about everything or on the other side as far as lawlessness. But if we are truly unhooked, we understand that we are set free from sin for God. And so I want to spend the rest of this time to talk about the unhooked life, the fruit-filled life. I want to make sure that we are clear that we are supposed to walk with the Spirit to be led by the Spirit in truth. I'm going to tell you the truth because when you get to Romans 7, Paul gives us the truth about the experience of a believer for believers. I want you to remember that because once I read this, you're going to think it's for or about someone else. Romans 7, verse 15, Paul the Apostle: 'I don't really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don't do it. Instead, I do what I hate. And I know that nothing good lives in me. That is in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can't.' In verse 20, he says, 'It is sin in me that does it.' Here's the reality of what Paul is showing us. There are two natures fighting for position in our bodies. When I was growing up, nobody explained this to me. And I was saddled with guilt and shame every time I messed up. I was saddled with guilt and shame every time a temptation came my way because I thought my mind was supposed to be perfect. I thought everything I did was supposed to be perfect. But the Apostle says, 'Listen, I know, you know, I know you are putting it in your heart, but you got to know about the warfare that you are still in. There is nothing good in this flesh.' And what he's masterfully doing is separating who we are in our spirit man from the flesh. What happens with salvation, we're no longer a slave to this flesh. And I love how he begins to cap it off so we can move towards walking in the Spirit. He says, 'Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?' Verse 25, there is an answer for us. Thank God! The answer is in Christ our Lord. What the enemy will have you doing is resting around your problems. He'll just have you sitting there, wallowing in everything that you have done, all of the narratives that he's sending, the fiery darts, the Bible calls it, to your mind around who your identity is. And he will just have you stay right there, hooked. But Paul is saying, we are unhooked. The answer is in Christ our Lord. And in verse, in chapter 8, he starts us out to say, 'Listen, I know what the enemy is saying. I know what your flesh is trying to do. But now there is no condemnation. You are unhooked because what he's telling you is not true for you. What he's trying to blame and accuse you of is not who you really are. You are free because of Christ.' Verse 12 in chapter 8 says this: 'Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. But if you walk, if you live, if you lean on the power of the Spirit, you will put to death the deeds of your sinful nature. You will live. All who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.' That's a different type of relationship. Yeah. Four girls. I love them. And I just can't help it if they ask for something. They come to me with the right attitude because, you know, they related to—well, okay, I'm just playing. 20 years, 20 years, 20 years. But they come to me as my children. They have access to everything that I have. And the Bible tells me that I'm supposed to leave an inheritance to my children's children. So not only my children are blessed, but I'm supposed to leave an inheritance to my children's children because I love them. But my children's children are blessed. There is a relationship that a father has with his children. He's empowered us to be free from sin and for Him. Galatians, Paul talks about it a little differently. He says, 'I walk by the Spirit.' And I say, 'If you walk by that Spirit, you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.' They are opposed to each other. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law that says I have to do everything my flesh says. There's no law that makes you obligated to just give in to every passion you have. You are free. You are unhooked. But it's up to you to lean on the Spirit. Let me give you an illustration and say it like this. Just because sin or your flesh calls does not mean you have to answer it. You've been unhooked. It's been severed. So that sin, that desire, that passion that really is there, we're not in denial. It's going to call, but you're unhooked. You don't have to answer, whether it's jealousy, because sometimes we just go to the big sins, right? You know, we're not doing the big stuff. Then we say, 'Oh, we're good.' No, no. Anger, dibble-dabbling in witchcraft, a little jealousy and envy might be in there. Or you just might be stiff-necked, as the Bible calls it. You just might be stubborn. You don't have to answer that. Here's the example. You may not know this, depending on how old you are. There used to be a time when if you had a cell phone, the only people that would call you are the people you gave your number to. Your phone would ring. You would flip it up. 'Hey, what's up?' Your phone would ring, and you knew that you expected whoever was on the other side of it. You had some relationship. It was a good, positive thing. But something happened where there was a third party, an outside party, that gave and had access to our phone numbers. They put our number on a call list, sold it away, but this third party then said, 'I want access to them anytime I want to.' Telemarketers, scammers, just vying for our attention. And sometimes it's a recording. They don't even hire people anymore. They got AI calling. 'This is a message for...' It's not even that. But that outside party got access to our attention. And it seemed like if you answered it once, they was going to keep calling. But then one day I got frustrated, and I recognized that my phone service had a spam filter. And if I turned on the spam filter, the call would still come in, but the caller ID would say spam risk. The caller ID would say spam, or it would go straight to voicemail. But then a couple of times I messed up because the area code would be the same area code as my phone number. So even though it said spam, I would answer it thinking it was my mama calling from work or something like that, or one of my kids or whoever. I would answer it, and then they have access to me again. And then I found out that not only was there a spam filter, I could block the number. Even if I picked it up, I now see the number, and I can say I'm not answering that call anymore. Adam and Eve, they messed stuff up. They gave the enemy access to our number, to our body. And since then, the enemy, sin, has been getting access to our minds. He has been calling, calling, calling. And if we're honest, when he called before Jesus, before we found Christ, we would answer every call. We recognized it. But the Holy Spirit is a spam filter. If you let Him block it for you, He will warn you when you shouldn't pick up. He will let you know that on the other side of this sin is something you really don't want to deal with later. There's shame and guilt. Don't answer that. Don't respond to her. Don't take this bait. He's the filter for that. You're no longer a slave to this. Don't look at that anymore. He's a filter for us. Here's Galatians 5. It's not in the notes, at least this verse. 'For you were called to freedom. Don't turn your freedom into the opportunity for the flesh. Don't answer the call just because you can. It's not good to you.' But then Paul in Galatians says, 'There's a reason why I want you to stay free. Because there is fruit that once you are unhooked, you can start leaving all over the place. When you go to work, there's a little fruit there. In your family, there's fruit there. And being unhooked allows you to be free to leave fruit everywhere you go.' I told you I have four daughters, especially when they were young. This was the case. I would be in a business meeting or some type of social. I'd reach in my pocket to get a business card, and I will come out with a barrette. I will be taking someone. We're going to a meeting, and I got bows in the back seat. I got a cheer bag in my car right now. There's evidence in every part of my life that I'm a girl dad. I can't help it that even when I open a journal from work, I see little hearts with some knucklehead's name in it. I rebuke him. Don't worry about it. I prayed against it in the name. Okay. Everywhere I go, there is evidence that I'm a girl dad. And it's the same when it comes to being led by the Spirit. Everywhere you go, there's going to be fruit. Every conversation, the Holy Spirit will say, 'This is where you give love.' Every time you get ready to go off, this is where the fruit of patience comes in. Even if you don't want to, again, we have to decide to lean into Him leading. We have to say, 'I want a fruit-filled life.' No matter where I am, who I'm dealing with, Lord, help me be full of fruit, kindness, self-control. Just read Galatians. This is the fruit that whenever we step into the fruit of patience, we're going to be full of fruit. A place, the Holy Spirit makes it be known that you are His, that you are unhooked. And it's this beautiful cycle. It's this beautiful cycle that as we give in to the Spirit, we listen, we obey, we get full, we leave fruit. We listen, we obey, we get full, we leave fruit. And that is the process of staying unhooked. I can make it deep. We could talk about spiritual gifts, we could talk about casting demons out, we could talk about all of that, but can I tell you the majority of us need to listen, obey, get full, leave fruit. And there will be times of high spiritual highs, but when you go home and you come back, listen, obey, get full, and fruit. Now, here comes a part of where I had to take my own medicine, and I'm going to get this table ready. I'm going to get this table ready. I'm going to get this table ready. I'm going to get this table out of my way. So, when I was thinking about this sermon, the Holy Spirit impressed upon me that there's a lot of people that want to be free. They are saved, but they're not free. And we must take a step, and I have to start it. Oh, God, help me today. And He gave me a song. Y'all know I can't sing, right? But the praise team, the worship team is coming behind me, so I'm going to have a little bit of help. Here's the song. 'I am free, praise the Lord, I'm free. No longer bound, no more chains holding me. My soul is rested, and it's such a blessing. Praise the Lord, hallelujah, I'm free.' I am free. Y'all up here? Oh, God, there they are. Thank you. Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, come on. Praise the Lord, I'm free. No longer bound, I'm giving you the words. No more chains holding me. My soul is rested, and it's such a blessing. Praise the Lord, hallelujah, I'm free. Now, here's the thing. In order to give a true praise, this is a proclamation. This is going to be praise, so we're not going to sing the slow version. This is a proclamation of praise, and I'm going to need everybody to clap on the two and four. You hear that beat? And we're going to stand up because this is just not about salvation. But some of you have been riddled and burdened by condemnation. You're saved, but you need to be free. Some of you have been self-conscious about what's going on in your body, mistakes you have made, decisions you're wondering about. This is a proclamation that you are free, and you don't have to allow that old decision to come true. You don't have to allow that old decision to come true. You don't have to allow that old decision, that old habit, to continue to burden you. So we're going to sing, and we're going to use this as a statement of faith, that wherever we are, new believer or seasoned saint, we are still free. We're no longer a slave to sin. We're no longer a slave to this flesh, and we're going to say hallelujah, thank God, thank the Lord, we are free. Are you ready? Are you ready? Let's go. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Some of you still don't get it. We're talking about what the Lord has done in your life. And some of you just need to look back a few years, a few months, a few days, or even last night, that you are still free, even though Satan tried to kill you, tried to keep you down, tried to tell you something different. But we are talking about the freedom that Christ has given us. So some of us, we know what we went through. So we're going to sing, and we're going to use this as a statement of faith, that wherever we are, we're going to jump a little bit. Some of us know what happened in our past and who we are today, and that He made a change in our life. So we're going to sing it one more time, but this time you're going to put energy in it. You're going to put praise in your feet, and you're going to sing out for our Lord. You got it? Come on. I want to hear everybody. Let's go. I want to be full of fruit. Full of fruit. While y'all were singing, can I tell you what He has delivered you from? Some of you have been accepting this narrative of anxiety. You have accepted stress and overwhelm. You accepted a poverty mindset. You have accepted that you'll never go anywhere in life. You are stuck. You are burdened, and you believe that you are being punished for your own decisions. You're stuck. You are burdened, and you believe that you're being punished for your own decisions. That chain is broken. That burden is destroyed. That lie we are sending back to the pits of hell. You are free right now. We won't stand by letting this enemy tell us who we are, but we haven't made new. We haven't changed from the inside out, and anything that wants to disrupt that thought, we bring that thought into every thought. We are bringing every thought into captivity because when those thoughts are in captivity, we are free. So we're going to sing it one more time, and then we're going to end. We're going to end. We're living in the overflow because when you get free, the overflow comes. The overflow of joy, the overflow of peace, the overflow of kindness, the overflow of freedom. So I want all of us to start singing this song like you believe it. Are you ready? Are you ready? Let's go inside and sing it. Come on. I am free. I'm a little churchy. Are flowing the Holy Spirit. I'm going to go to my seat. We're just going to praise Him. We're just going to say thank you. You, Jesus, we just don't glorify God for what He has done. And if you believe you are free, on the count of three, just send up a high praise to God. I don't care what you sound like. Ain't nobody listening to you because they're getting...

1. "Over the last two weeks we have talked about sin, we've talked about being hooked but if it's okay with you I want to talk about being unhooked because we don't want to be so sin focused and mistake focused that we end up not recognizing that we are free from sin but we are free for God. That make sense? We have been freed and now we have to do something because we have a new identity." [01:01:55] (32 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




2. "You have been saved but you're not free. You have, you know, figured out that Christ is your savior but you don't know how to walk in the spirit. That's what it is to be unhooked. You are able to walk in the spirit and you are full of fruit from the spirit." [01:02:20] (25 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




3. "True freedom has to involve growing in what you know about Jesus. You have to grow in what you know about this faith that you have proclaimed. You have to know what God says about you. Because if you are not knowledgeable about that, the enemy can begin to send fiery darts of deception your way. And all of a sudden, you twist up, tie it up, and tangle it up into something that is not biblical." [01:05:15] (28 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




4. "What you don't know can hurt you. But what you do know can keep you unhooked. I remember one time I was walking through Target, excuse me, Target. I was walking through Target and this young man walked up to me and he says, do you have a few moments? I'm like, sure. He says, well, I want to talk to you and introduce you to Mother God. I said, wow, Mother God? He says, yes. I want to show you all about a Mother God." [01:07:05] (39 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




5. "If you have some output in your life that you don't like, if you have results in your life that just, you don't know why it's happening, I encourage you to take a look at the input in your heart. Everyone's not a hater. Everyone is not conspiring against you. The algorithm is just not sitting there waiting to trip you up. But there is something that in the heart that has to be addressed." [01:14:47] (30 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




6. "Salvation has already made us free from the penalty of sin, but God wants to move us forward and be free for him, sanctified, holy for him from sin for God. So you just begin to walk it out when the enemy sends his fire. Fiery darts, which are accusations because he's still a liar. He's the father of lie. And I don't care how long you have been seen, been saved. Sin is always going to be there." [01:17:55] (38 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




7. "There is a component of walking in freedom that's up to us. There is a part. And let me be clear. We're not talking about legalism here, where my salvation is based upon my work. That's legalism. See, when I, when I grew up and I first got saved, I would get up, pray, because if you didn't, it was a sin. I would go to work, go in there, look down. If a lady walked by because I didn't want to see it, Lord, keep me go home." [01:21:34] (32 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




8. "Just because sin or your flesh calls does not mean you have to answer it. You've been unhooked. It's been severed. So that sin, that desire, that passion that really is there, we're not in denial. It's going to call, but you're unhooked. You don't have to answer, whether it's jealousy, because sometimes we just go to the big sins, right? You know, we're not doing the big stuff. Then we say, oh, we're good. No, no." [01:32:14] (32 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




9. "Every conversation, the Holy Spirit will say, this is where you give love. Every time you get ready to go off, this is where the fruit of patience comes in. Even if you don't want to, again, we have to decide to lean into him leading. We have to say, I want a fruit-filled life. No matter where I am, who I'm dealing with, Lord, help me be full of fruit, kindness, self-control. Just read Galatians." [01:37:44] (42 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




10. "I want all of us to start singing this song like you believe it are you ready are you ready are let's go inside and sing it come on I am free i'm a little churchy are flowing the holy spirit I'm going to go to my seat We're just gonna praise him we're just gonna say thank you you Jesus we just don't glorify God for what he has done and if you believe you are free on the count of three just send up a high praise to God I don't care what you sound like ain't nobody listening to you because they're getting" [01:49:28] (60 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)