Revival Sunday | Haddon Aranza | Christian Faith Online

It is a great blessing to be here today.

It's a great blessing. This is the last

service. Caleb, is that 27 accurate?

Okay.

And uh warning, you are in the last

service. So that means there is no

technical cut off time based off of what

Caleb has told me. Um so welcome.

Welcome. Let let's let's close the doors

in the back while we still have a chance

to. No, I'm just joking. I'm just

joking. My my name is Haden Aranza. I'm

involved helping lead the young adults

here. I'm also involved with a couple

different organizations throughout the

United States and even really now beyond

the United States. Um, but my heart is

very simple for everything that I do in

ministry. And my heart is very simple

for us this morning. My heart is to be

someone through whom God works to teach

people who God is revealed through Jesus

Christ. The truth of who we are as sons

and daughters of God now that we're in

Christ and the truth of what the cross

of Christ accomplished for us as the

sons and daughters of God. Uh, I've not

been in ministry my whole life. I have

been in ministry the past seven years,

but I was raised in church my whole

life. Raise your hand in here if you

were raised in church. That is a

blessing. That really is a blessing. My

dad is the pastor of the largest church

in Louisiana. Within one hour of one

another, there's 10 different campuses.

There's 12 to 15,000 people that show up

to worship every Sunday. So, I've done

church my whole life. Um, there is a

massive difference though between being

in church and being in Christ. There is

a a favorite phrase of mine that I've

said at the past couple services is

coming to church makes you a Christian

as much as driving through Burger King

makes you a hamburger. Okay? Coming to

church is a good starting place, but

it's never the ending place. It's it's

the beginning of the journey where we

show up to stir each other in love and

good works so we can discover who God is

revealed through Christ. So we can

discover our identity in Christ and so

we can live with an understanding of

what the cross of Christ accomplished

for us. Um, raised in church my whole

life. Never knew trauma growing up.

Never really knew trials growing up. I

have four older brothers, one younger

sister. Um, where I'm from, it was very

easy for me growing up. Everywhere I'd

go, people knew my family, so there was

favor. God just always had opportunities

for us. And and never knew really who

God was. Never knew who I was. Never

understood the cross. But because I

would attend church every single week, I

just believed I was in relationship with

God. And honestly, if you're raised in

church, it's very easy to fall into that

place. Raised in church can be a

blessing and a curse. It can be a

blessing if you understand that church

isn't the end all beall. It can be a um

it can be a curse if you think all

that's required of me in Christ is to

show up once a week and appear as if I'm

doing the right things, but never live

under the lordship of Jesus Christ. And

so, fast forward, 16 years old, like I

said, never knew trials growing up,

never knew trauma growing up. Actually

15 years old, I'd tear my ACL going into

my freshman year of sports. And my

security at that time in my life was my

athletic ability and who my family was.

It was the foundation that just gave me

security. It's because I was an athlete

and my family was respected in society

that I was good to go. Tear my ACL going

into my freshman year of sports, go to

the doctor, and they can't do surgery

for a year because my growth plates are

so wide open. So now I'm going to have

to miss the whole freshman sophomore

year of sports. I'm thankful they did

that though because when I tore my ACL,

I was 5 foot 10. And when I had surgery,

I was 6'2. So, I'm very thankful that

they waited for a year. Fast forward

September 11th, 2015. I'm having ACL

surgery. Never did drugs or anything

like that growing up. Just sports,

family, church. That's it. Have the

surgery. They give me all these opiates

after the surgery. And I'm laying on the

couch at my house that night. At this

point in time, my three oldest brothers,

Jacob, Christian, and Joseph, had moved

out and were on their own. At home, it

was Wesley, who's my brother closest to

me in age, and my best friend. Me and my

younger sister Amberly, at home with my

parents. I'm laying on the couch, like

say the couch is like this right here.

Um, you look like this aisle would be

like the the hallway to get to the front

door. The front door probably like three

rows back. It's like 10:00 p.m. laying

on the couch, high on all these

painkillers, and a knock comes at the

door. My mom goes to get the door and

it's a police officer and he says, "Hey

ma'am, is your name Michelle Ranza?" She

says, "Yes, that's my name." He said,

"Is your son Wesley Ranza?" He said,

"Yes, that's my son." He said, "I'm

sorry to inform you of this, ma'am, but

your son was in a motorcycle accident

tonight and he didn't make it."

And so, in one moment at 16, I went

from, "I'm good cuz I'm an athlete and

my family's well known to now, what is

life even?" Like, why am I here? Who is

God? And you know, when storms hit your

life, you discover very quickly what

foundation you're actually built on.

Storms always reveal where it is that

you're standing. And up to that point in

my life, I never had any trials, never

had any tribulation. So, I was just good

because I showed up at church every week

and I felt the chills on Sunday morning

during the fast song. Seriously. And and

uh and but when that happened, I began

to realize very quickly, wait, I don't

actually know God. I I don't actually

know who I am, and I don't really have

any clue what the cross is even about.

Like, I've raised my hands for the fast

songs. I understand the blood is

powerful, but what what is actually

going on? And [snorts] because I didn't

know truth, whenever a storm hit my

life, it just washed me away. That

happens at 16. I went from the drugs

from surgery to street drugs. By the

time I was 18, I dropped out of high

school and moved from Lafayette,

Louisiana to Los Angeles, California.

Was selling drugs and lost as could be.

I was 20 years old and had been addicted

to heroin, fentanyl for four years. In

and out of rehab all the time, not in a

good place in life at all. I was in my

fifth rehab in one year. And I had an

encounter with the spirit of God more

real than every single person in this

room right now. I'm not talking about

chills during the fast song. I'm not

talking about even somebody laying hands

on you and you just falling out into the

presence of God, which is amazing. I

love both of those things. I literally

had a 50-minute encounter with the

spirit of God gripped my life. And in an

instant, I realized that everything of

the unseen realm of the spirit was more

real than everything of the seen realm

of the natural.

And I had this appetite, this longing in

me my whole life for more than I was

currently experiencing. I just didn't

know that that more was supposed to be

discovered in Christ. So I began to find

that more in the things of this world.

Pornography, drugs, people's opinions,

people's acceptance, money, these things

that we actually believe will bring

fulfillment. But if you've ever gone

down that rabbit hole long enough, you

know you never actually get fulfillment.

Some of the most miserable people I know

are some of the richest people I know.

Some of the most miserable people I know

are also on drugs because they're

looking for some type of fulfillment in

the things of this world that they can

only ever find in the things of God. I

had this encounter at my fifth rehab and

I realized in an instant like, "Oh,

shoot. This is it." Like something that

was um I I can't even explain it began

to happen where I just knew God is real.

He's more powerful than everything I've

ever experienced. He loves me and he is

he's literally just more real than

anything I've ever known. But as I began

to study the scriptures, I realized that

Jesus didn't say you will have an

encounter and an encounter will set you

free. Because after that encounter, I

still was having these struggles. I

still was not walking in the freedom

that I thought I was supposed to have.

And I thought, man, I encountered God so

real. Why am I still not walking in the

freedom that I see these other people

around me walking in? Why am I still not

walking in the freedom or the life and

life more abundantly that the scriptures

promise?

To me, as I begin to read the

scriptures, the Holy Spirit began to

teach me three vital truths that I would

say are the core of all true Christian

freedom and the core of really all true

Christianity if we're living

Christianity for the right purpose.

These three truths are who actually is

God revealed through Christ. Because if

you'd asked to me, honestly, you'd asked

me 20 years old, who's God being raised

in church for 20 years, I'd have told

you, I don't know, go read the Bible.

No, really. But I confessed to be his

son. I just didn't know who my father

actually was.

But if you would to ask me, are you a

Christian? Absolutely. Who's God? Dude,

I don't know. Is that what's is that

something that's required of us to

actually know the one that we serve?

Okay.

Three truths. Who is God revealed

through Christ? Who am I now that I'm in

Christ? And what did the cross of Christ

actually accomplish? It was after that

encounter that I had that the spirit of

God began to teach me these three truths

that walked me into great freedom. And

now I have the desire to share those

truths with other people so we too can

walk in the great freedom that Christ

has made a way for all of us to have

access to. We don't have time to touch

on all three of these truths today. I

said it last service, we wouldn't have

time to touch on all three of these

truths if I had a week to stand on the

stage. But what we will do is we'll

touch on the last truth today of what is

it that the cross of Christ actually

accomplished for mankind. Because hear

me, the cross of Christ and having an

accurate understanding of the cross of

Christ is the foundation of all true

Christian freedom. If you are truly

living free in Christ, it's because your

mind has been renewed to understand what

it is that Christ accomplished for you

on the cross. And if your mind has not

been renewed to understand what Christ

accomplished for you on the cross, then

you're not actually living in the

freedom that he's made a way for you to

have access to. Okay? My whole life

growing up in church, I believe the

cross of Christ was for me. Okay? And

that is 50% true. The issue is I came to

God a heroin and fentanyl addict and I

could never overcome the heroin and

fentanyl addiction I came to him with.

And the cross only being for me left me

forgiven, but still a heroin and

fentanyl addict.

Yeah. And I actually believed this was

the gospel that I believed. The cross

was for me to be forgiven. Now I'm still

a sinner, but it was for me to be

forgiven. And by the empowerment of Holy

Spirit inside of me, hopefully I can sin

less today than I did yesterday.

And I lived sin conscious. I lived

self-conscious. in my whole life, like

Caleb was saying earlier, was about the

enemies around the table rather than the

feast on the table.

>> Okay. And today, we're going to see that

the apostles did not teach that the

cross of Christ was merely for mankind.

We're going to see what the apostle Paul

has to say about this. Can I get 2

Corinthians chapter 5 up there? I'm

going to read through this. I'm going to

come back and teach through and it will

be very, very, very, very, very simple.

If this is confusing, you'll have to do

a really good job at making it

confusing. Okay? 2 Corinthians chapter 5

14-17.

For the love of Christ controls us.

Another translation says compels us.

Why? Since we have concluded this, that

Christ died for all. Therefore, all have

what?

>> And he died for all. So that those who

live should live no longer for

themselves, but for him who died for

them and was raised. Next verse. So

then, from now on, we acknowledge no one

from an outward human point of view.

Even though we have known Christ from

such a human point of view, now we do

not know him in that way any longer. So

then, if anyone is in Christ, he is a

new creation. What is old has passed

away. Look, what is new has come. Let's

go back to verse 14 for a moment. For

the love of Christ, the Apostle Paul

says, controls us or compels us. Since

we have concluded this, that Christ died

for all, therefore all have died.

The cross being for you leaves you

forgiven of sin. The cross being with

you means you have been set free from

the entire life and identity of sin.

>> You see that? Okay.

Either Christ on the cross actually

handled this sin issue or we will never

be free. The Bible does not say Jesus

Christ is the lamb of God that put the

sins of the world in timeout. The Bible

does not say Jesus Christ is the lamb of

God that suspends the sins of the world.

The Bible says Jesus Christ is the lamb

of God who has taken away the sins of

the world. Hear me. There is nothing we

fell into through Adam that we have not

been much more rescued from through

Christ unless we're unaware of what it

is that the cross accomplished.

[applause]

>> This guys is insane.

>> The love of Christ controls us cuz I've

concluded this. If Christ died for all,

then Haden's old heroin, fentanyl

addict, insecure, depressed, lying,

cheating, stealing self is dead,

gone.

Okay. A lot of people wonder why they're

not walking in the newness of life that

Christ has given them to. And it's

because they've yet to see that their

old life has actually been died to. So,

they're still trying to balance out this

new life with hopefully overcoming the

old man that I don't believe is dead

every single day. And they become

double-minded and they're unstable in

all their ways.

>> But the Bible says if one died for all,

all died. The cross of Christ was not

only for you. You were mystically

included in that crucifixion. The

Apostle Paul was so convinced of this,

he said in Galatians 2:20, "I have

actually been crucified with Christ, and

it is no longer I who live, but Christ

now lives in me."

[applause]

That one verse, you know what I did with

that verse? I I really did. I did this.

I put on a note card and I would look at

it every day for a couple years. And one

day, Pastor Casey, I looked at it and I

went, "Oh my gosh."

>> Oh my gosh. Wait, who? I was never

created to be was crucified with Christ.

And now the life that I live, Christ

himself, the fullness of God through the

person of Holy Spirit is living in me.

>> Amen.

>> And I I literally remember I was living

in a small house and I remember walking

around going, "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh,

oh my gosh, this is literally insane.

This is insane." And I would text

everybody on my phone, "Dude, Christ is

in you right now. Christ is in you right

now." No, really, really? Because most

people believe that he died to forgive

you so one day you can go to heaven and

see Jesus.

What if all you have to do to see Jesus

is look in the mirror?

>> Hear me. Hear me. Hear me. Hear me. Hear

me. Hear me. Christ did not come to be

celebrated.

Christ came to be duplicated. Just as

Adam through his failure gave birth to a

race of humans that looked like him and

followed after his failure, so too did

Christ on the cross die with the Adamic

race, bury once and for all who he never

created us to be, and resurrect us into

a brand new existence where it's no

longer Haden living, it's Christ living

through Haden.

>> Yeah.

>> And if you really want to celebrate him

in a way that honors him, let his life

be duplicated through you. And that's

the highest form of worship that you

could give to him.

>> [applause]

>> Watch this. Can I get that verse back up

there? The love of Christ controls haden

because I have concluded this. I'm

convinced of it now. That Christ died

for me. Therefore, who I was never

created to be is already dead.

But if that old life is dead, okay,

what happened to it? Like, like, is it

dead but still kind of present and every

day I have to wonder if it's going to

resurrect again?

Is it dead? But if somebody does me the

wrong way, it'll just come out of the

tomb and then manifest and then I have

to tell them, "I'm sorry. That's my old

man. That's my old man. That's not the

real me. That's the old me." [laughter]

These are common Christian phrases that

I'm using right now.

>> That's not me, brother. That's just my

flesh. What flesh? Cuz as we're about to

find out, the sinful flesh that

tormented all of us, Christ actually

already handled.

>> Okay, watch this. So, if I've been

crucified with Christ, what happened to

that old life? Do I have to fear it

coming back every day? Let's see what

Colossians chapter 2 verse uh Colossians

chapter 2 11-12 says.

Watch this. When you came to Christ, you

were circumcised,

but not by a physical procedure. So that

means you didn't accomplish it. Christ

performed a spiritual circumcision, the

cutting away of your sinful nature.

Wait, wait, wait. This gets even better.

For you were buried with Christ

when you were baptized. So your baptism

is not just symbolic. Your baptism is

you saying I am choosing with my actions

to participate with the truth that I was

buried with Christ. But Paul says before

this that your sinful nature was

circumcised, cut away, gone, no longer

present, does not belong to you. Guys, I

don't want to do an expository teaching

on circumcision this morning. Um I think

it goes without saying what circumcision

means, but I just want to give an

example. Okay? How insane would it be

for me as a 27y old man to go to the

doctor who circumcised me at about um I

don't know a couple weeks old and you

can leave those verses up there because

I'm going to get back to them and to go

hey doc listen I'm 27 years old um I've

accomplished a couple things now

addiction uh the the Holy Spirit

empowered me to live free from that um

now I have a little bit of success in

what God's called me to but doc I'm

still feeling like I lack something.

Okay, I'm feeling like there's a little

bit of a void in my life. And I [snorts]

believe it's because around 8 to 12 days

old, you took something from me. Okay.

And uh and I'm going to need to ask for

it back. Okay. I would hope that doctor

would look at me and go, "I'm sorry,

sir. I can't give you your foreskin

back, but what I can give you is an Uber

ride to the psych ward because you're

out of your mind." Okay? No. But that's

how Christians believe about their old

life. And hear me, you do have

resurrection faith. And if you are not

convinced that that old life is dead and

you believe it still belongs to you,

you'll resurrect it every single day and

fight a battle that's not even yours

anymore.

>> Watch this. When you came to Christ,

verse 11, you were circumcised, but not

by physical procedure. Christ performed

a spiritual circumcision, the cutting

away of who you were never created to

be. For you were also buried with

Christ, even better. And with Christ,

you are raised to new life. Why? Why?

Why? Why? [applause]

because you trusted the mighty power of

God who raised Christ from the dead. You

weren't crucified with Christ, buried

with Christ, and resurrected with Christ

because you prayed enough. You weren't

crucified with Christ, buried with

Christ, and resurrected with Christ

because you fasted enough. You weren't

crucified with Christ, buried with

Christ, and resurrected with Christ

because you served at church enough. You

were all of those things because you

trusted the mighty power of God to

accomplish for you what you could have

never accomplished if he didn't do it.

Come on [applause]

>> guys.

What I'm talking about is so important

that the Apostle Paul went to the church

at Corenth for 18 months and after 18

months he wrote to them and said, "I

made my mind up to know nothing among

you except Christ and him crucified."

>> You think Paul thought this message was

a big deal? Why? because he knew there's

no way mankind can live in the new

creation life that Christ died and

resurrected for them to have if they do

not understand that the cross already

fully handled their old life.

>> Let's go back to 2 Corinthians chapter

5.

For the love of Christ controls us since

we have concluded this that Christ died

for all therefore all have died and he

died for all. Why? So that those who

live should live no longer for

themselves, but for him who died for

them and was raised. Wait, wait, wait.

So, not only was I crucified with

Christ, not only is that old life buried

and has who I was never created to be

been cut away,

but Paul says Christ did all of this so

I could be set free from this

self-centered existence that I was never

created for in the first place.

Hear me. If you are under the sound of

my voice right now, that means you're

made in the image and likeness of God.

And as someone made in the image and

likeness of God, you can never find the

fulfillment in your life that you are

created for as long as the throne you're

revolving around has you set on it. You

can only find the fulfillment of life

that you are created for when the throne

you're revolving around has Christ set

on it. Okay? And we were raised in a

self-centered society and even a lot of

people in self-centered Christianity

where everything's about you and you

getting better and you doing your thing

and your agenda. And Paul's saying, "Hey

guys, Christ is on the cross dying to

set you free from thinking this things

about you."

>> Most people that are baptized in anxiety

and depression and fear are some of the

most self-centered people you've ever

met cuz they're always thinking about me

because always about me and what do they

think about me and what do they say

about me when I what about me? What

about me? Me me me me me me me me me me

me me me me me me me me me me me. And

and and and Jesus on the cross going,

"Hey, I'm going to set you free from

that. If you'll let me, I'll die to that

old life for you, and I'll resurrect you

into a new life where you have the

privilege of no longer living for you.

You now get to live for me.

And there's so much fulfillment in that.

There's so much fulfillment in that,

guys. We have no clue how beautiful God

is. We don't We don't have any clue. For

all of eternity, there's been four

creatures hovering around the throne of

God in heaven. One has a face like a

lion. One has a face like a calf. One

has a face like a man. One has a face

like an eagle. They have three wings on

each side. Actually six wings. Three on

each side. They're covered in eyes

front, back, around, and within. And for

all of eternity, they've been hovering

around the throne of God saying, "Holy,

holy, holy Lord God Almighty, who was

and is and is to come." Why do they have

so many different sets of wings? Cuz

they're always changing the angles and

the dimensions from which they're

viewing him. Why do they have eyes

front, back, around, and within? Because

one set is not enough to take in the

multifaceted glory of who he is. And if

we're in church and we're not fascinated

with God, it's not that he's not

fascinating. It's that we don't see.

Right.

>> Yeah.

>> There I I I was crying last night in the

room knowing that God at 27 years old

has awakened me to the truth that

eternal life is to know him

>> and that every day I'm in his presence.

Every day his spirit is enlightening my

heart more and more to the beauty of who

he is. And the result of me seeing my

creator rightly is me seeing what I was

created for. I'm not seeking my purpose.

I'm seeking him. I'm not seeking what I

need. I'm seeing his kingdom. He's given

me what I need.

He died so that you could be set free

from revolving around you and engage in

the beautiful life where you now get to

revolve around him. Let's go to back to

2 Corinthians chapter 5.

He died for all so that those who lives

that hadn't who lives is living no

longer for myself. But I'm living for

Christ who died for me and died with me

and was raised for me and raised with

me. Next verse.

So then from now on we acknowledge no

one from an outward human point of view.

Even though we have known Christ from

such a human point of view, now we do

not know him that way any longer. What

is the Apostle Paul saying? Hear me,

guys. The Apostle Paul actually believed

mankind was crucified with Christ.

Okay? So he's saying if I know Christ

died to set everyone free from that old

life. If I know Christ died to bring

everyone out of self-centerness into the

Christ-c centered existence with they

were which they were created for. If I

know that the purpose of the cross is so

that Christ can reconcile mankind back

to God and transform mankind to look

like him. Okay? And people are living in

that reality. Praise God. They have a

revelation. But if they're not living in

that reality, I'm not inspired to judge

them. I'm inspired to teach them. I'm

not regarding people from a mere outward

human point of view. I'm not looking at

you and going, "Oh, he hasn't got his

act together yet. Okay, well, he's just

he needs to do something. Somebody needs

to get him to Jesus." No. No. Oh, wait.

He doesn't have his act together yet.

That must mean he doesn't have a

revelation of what God has entrusted to

me. Now, I'm inspired to teach him and

to educate him. I'm not inspired to

stand at a distance and judge him.

>> One of those mindsets changes the world

around us. And one of those mindsets

keeps everybody thinking we're the same

critical Christians that they already

don't like.

What if we looked at the prostitute?

What if we looked at the heroin addict?

What if we looked at the person who's

maybe confused about their gender? And

instead of looking at them and going,

"Oh gosh, they need help." We looked at

them and went, "Oh, we are the answer."

And they don't need Jesus. Hear me. Hear

me. They don't only need Jesus. And they

don't only need me. And they need Jesus

in me.

>> Jesus is not going to change Washington

State, guys. News flash, he's not.

Hopefully that doesn't only that clip

get put on YouTube. Okay? And you're

also not going to change Washington

state. It's Jesus in us living through

us, surrendered us that is going to

change Washington state. [applause]

And a lot of people, I know it cuz they

did it to me. A lot of people are

standing off at a distance going, "That

person needs help." And the Holy

Spirit's going, "Then why don't you do

something?

That person needs Jesus." Okay, then go

talk to them. [laughter]

The first time people see Jesus is

usually not when they read a book. It's

when they look in your eyes.

You better hope the eyes they see aren't

full of judgment and full of

condemnation and full of shame. You

better hope that the eyes they see are

full of hope and full of a revelation

that you know that they were created for

more than what they're living in. And

they may not have got the revelation

yet, but you're going to treat them as

valuable as what they were created for

until they awaken to the truth of how

valuable they actually are. [applause]

People think evangelism is going into

the streets and saying, "Hell's hot,

heaven's not." Raise your hand if you

want a shot. Okay? It's not. It's not.

You know what evangelism is? Tell me

your name. Tell me your name. Mary.

Evangelism is this. Hey, Mary. My name's

Haden. How's your day today? Good. And

looking at her with light, love, and

peace to where when I walk away, Mary

goes, "What about that guy's conscience

was so clean? What about that guy's

perspective of me was so pure that

caused me to feel so vulnerable and safe

around him? I have to ask that guy a

question. What's wrong with you?" "Oh,

ma'am, it's Christ. He lives in me.

Imagine if we evangelize people that

way. Imagine if our words didn't have to

convince them, but our character and our

love actually convinced them. Because

Jesus didn't say, "It's your words

that's going to show the world that

you're my disciples." He said, "It's

your love for one another that is going

to show the world that you're actually

my disciples."

[applause]

>> And then you can evangelize everyone. I

h I've had this happen to me. I've had

many people come to me and go, "Who are

you? What's wrong with you?" And I'm

just walking in love, walking in peace

around a humanity who has no clue who

they are, around a humanity who has no

clue how valuable they are. And around a

humanity that has no clue that Christ

can actually live in and through them.

And when they encounter surrendered sons

and daughters, they're actually

encountering their creator. And

something in them should get curious

enough to go, "What's different about

that person?"

Imagine if that's how people got to

Christian faith. [laughter] What's

different? You should come check out my

church instead of, "Brother, you need to

be at church on Sunday. My god, you need

to get there cuz you're not living

right. You need to do something better.

>> My god.

>> What if they just saw us living in the

kingdom of light?

>> And the light that we were living in

created an appetite within them that

caused them to go, you have something

that I need and I want to find out where

you go to church on Sunday.

And there's, hear me, it is impossible

to live in what I'm talking about if you

aren't convinced that you are crucified

with Christ. If you aren't convinced

that that old life was already buried

and already cut away. and you aren't

convinced that you are resurrected with

Christ.

I said this last service, but a

confession in two services is is is a

good thing to do of a public confession.

Um I don't know if this is the one that

y'all are putting online, Caleb, but if

it is, uh I apologize in advance.

I uh I quit living for God years ago. I

[snorts] really did. It just wasn't

working for me. I got saved into a

little bit of religion and just was

doing my best every day to lay a hold of

God, trying to get to God, trying to

please a God that was out there that if

I read and prayed and fasted and served

enough, maybe I could get his attention,

maybe I could touch the hem of his

garment. And uh and and then I read the

Bible and I realized that I was actually

never created to only live for God. I

was actually created to live from God.

So I stopped doing works for him and I

just chilled out and started letting him

do all the works through me. That's why

the Bible says in 1 John 4:4 that

greater is he who is already in you than

he who is in this world. It's why Paul

says in Galatians 2:20, I've been

crucified with Christ. It's no longer I

who live, but Christ already lives in

me. Jesus Christ himself even said, it's

not even I who am doing these works.

It's the Father who dwells in me. Hear

me, guys. None of us were created to

only live for God. I'm done pressing

into him. I've already been pressed into

by him. We were all created to live from

God. Yeah.

>> And if you're only living for him and

not yet aware of the revelation that you

were created to live from him, what

you're in is religion.

>> Technically, yes. If you look at my

life, I live for God from God. I'm not

the one doing these works.

>> Jesus himself said in Matthew 10:20 to

his disciples, "It's no longer you who

speak. It's the spirit of your father

who speaks in you." Luke 10:16, he

looked at them and said, "He who hears

you now hears me." Yeah.

>> No, really. That's why it's so important

when you come into church that you honor

what's being spoken because there's a

very high chance that one day you stand

accountable for the words leaving the

person on this stage as if they were the

words of God. Cuz that's what the Bible

that we all believe in says.

>> No longer you who speak. It's the spirit

of your father speaking in you. The

eternal spirit. The one who always has

been and who always will be. He has made

me and you his temple. And if we're

willing to surrender our entire being,

he'll also make us his mouthpiece.

>> [laughter]

>> Watch it. I I I hope I hope we're

clapping. I'm good with that. Actually,

I I'm I'm good with the class. I hope

we're getting this, though.

>> I hope we're getting this. I hope you're

not leaving here today and going,

"Praise God, that was a good message. He

was a good-looking guy. I mean, he's

better looking than Pastor Caleb. I'm

just thankful we got some

encouragement."

>> Pastor Casey agrees. by the word of two

or three witnesses, let everything be

confirmed. Okay? No, no, no, no. I I

know it there there is so much joy there

should be when the gospel is being

preached. But we have to get what I'm

saying, guys, and revolve our lives

around this until we look like the truth

that we're confessing.

>> Yeah.

>> The world does not need anybody else

going in public saying, "I believe in

Jesus, brother." To you, the world needs

more people going into public

manifesting Jesus.

[applause]

>> And there's so much fulfillment in this

place. I promise you, you were not

created to live to only go to heaven one

day. If you believe in Jesus, yes,

heaven one day, great. The whole none of

the Bibles about you going to heaven one

day. Jesus never said, "Pray to go to

heaven one day." He never said, "I'm the

way, the truth, and the life. No one

comes to heaven except through me." He

said, "I'm the way, the truth, and the

life. No one gets back to the father

except through me."

>> He actually prayed the opposite of what

most Christians pray when they get

saved. Most Christians believe in Jesus

to get to heaven. And Jesus in the

Lord's prayer said, "Pray this way. Our

Father who is in heaven, hallowed be

your name. Your kingdom come, your will

be done on earth as it is in heaven.

>> So we're trying to get there and he's

saying, "No, no, you're supposed to be

an agent through whom there is getting

here."

>> Jesus first message was the kingdom of

heaven is actually already at hand.

[laughter]

>> Some people are going to be tricked out,

dude, whenever they go to the next phase

of this thing and they realize they were

actually already in a massive part of

heaven on earth.

But if the enemy can get you thinking

all the good stuff later on, all the

good stuff's in the future, then he'll

get you future tripping. And he'll keep

you from the present Christ

consciousness that is necessary for

God's kingdom to come and God's will to

be done through your life on earth

exactly as it is in heaven. [applause]

>> And there's so much fulfillment in this

place. There is. There's You can put me

in a desert and I'm good. You can put me

on a stage and I'm good cuz I know why

I'm alive. I'm alive to know him through

Christ and to be one through whom he has

made known in the world around me. So

that when people encounter me, they can

know my father. It's why Jesus came.

Jesus didn't even come for himself. He

came to glorify the father. It wasn't

about him. It was about him saying

things like, "If you've seen me, you've

seen the father." And he's called us

into that same mission to be transformed

by knowing we were crucified with

Christ. Our old life was buried. and

we've been resurrected into a new

existence where Christ now lives in us

so the world around us can see how good

our God is and engage in relationship

with him and be set free from the

inferior life that they're currently

settling for.

>> Watch this. Go back to 2 Corinthians

chapter 5 and then I'm wrapping up right

here. Is this making sense so far?

[applause]

Watch

verse 17.

So then, if anyone is in Christ, he's a

new creation. What is old has passed

away, dead, gone, doesn't exist. Look,

what is new

has come. I want to explain to us for a

moment what this new actually is. Okay?

Cuz hear me, I'm I'm reiterating this

for a purpose. Crucified with Christ. We

see that buried with Christ. Everything

old cut away. Resurrection, boom, new

creation. But who is this new creation?

Is it just me alone trying to do my best

for a distant God? Is it Is it just a

pure me but still just me? Let's Let's

see what the Apostle Paul says in the

book of 1 Corinthians chapter 6:1 17.

But he us who is joined to the Lord is

now one spirit with him.

Guys, crucified with him who you never

should have been dead. Buried with him

who you never should have been cut away.

Resurrection, new creation. You is now

one with Christ.

This is only something you hear and go,

"Wow, that's neat." If you're not

actually hearing it,

I'm talking Christ in you right now.

Okay?

I'm talking about the big deal of

Christianity not being one day when I

die hopefully I get to see him in glory

but the big deal of Christianity being

okay I'm slowing down everything I'm

doing in life because I'm going to live

every moment aware of the presence that

is already within aware of the voice

that is already within and my awareness

of him is going to enable me to leverage

him into the world around me so that

they can experience the light and love

of who he is and they can get drawn into

the same reality where they too begin to

live from Christ in them

>> one guys it's not haden in Christ. And

if I pray and read enough, now we're

one. No. No. I woke up this morning.

Boom. Watch this. Woke up. New day.

Boom. Already one with him.

[panting and laughter]

You got to get there's something in your

soul that will continually feel

unsettled until you believe what I'm

telling you right now. Wake up. Boom.

One with my creator. Not trying to get

to him. That's not good news. The good

news is that he's already gotten into

me. And what about my old life? Oh, he

already died to it. Buried it and set it

free. Set me free from it. What happens

when that old life comes back and tries

to talk to you again? This is exactly

what you do. Who wants to know how I

overcame literally the thoughts of

heroin addiction, pornography, all this?

Who wants to know that? Okay, because

it's possible to walk free from that.

Jesus is far greater than Adam. Okay,

watch this. The thought comes that

belongs to that old man that the

scripture says is dead.

>> You You want to get high? Who? Not the

new creation. Me? Hear me? I'm not

rebuking and fighting that thought. That

thought doesn't even belong to me. That

thought belongs to a dead man. Watch

this. Watch. No. No. Don't cut. Watch.

You want to get high again? Who? Not the

one who's a new creation in Christ. Not

the one from whom everything old has

passed away and in whom everything has

become brand new. Not the one that was

crucified with Christ and it's no longer

him who lives, but Christ who lives in

him. Wow. Father, I thank you that

greater are you who's in me than he

who's in this world. I thank you that no

weapon formed against me shall prosper.

And that thought's surely being formed,

but I thank you that because you're

greater in me, that it's not going to

prosper. Wow. And now that the thought

no longer has a place to land, it stops

coming.

What the enemy does is the enemy sends a

thought to you that belongs to a dead

man and he goes, "I'll see if they have

a revelation of what the gospel is or

not." A thought comes that belongs to a

dead man and you go, "Man, I knew I was

still struggling with pornography. I

knew I was still struggling with

addiction." Who cares what you think.

What you think is not true. What he says

is true.

>> And hear me, you have to get to the

place where you exalt what he says above

what you're thinking. So what he says

can change what you're thinking. It's

called being transformed by the renewal

of your mind. Nobody wakes up one day

and just accidentally has no more

thoughts of temptation and no more

desires and everything's just good,

brother. Hallelujah. Praise. No, no. You

get an understanding of the gospel of

Jesus Christ, which I've just taught

today. You get an understanding that

Christ is in you. And you realize that

there's a reason Paul said the way to

transformation is the renewal of your

mind. So, I'm going to put his word

inside of me and I'm going to refuse to

agree with anything that contradicts

what he says. And if I fall short for a

moment, I'll get up, renounce it, and

I'm getting back into this walk where

I'm not feeling guilty about who I was

never created to be. I'm feeling

convinced about what he says about me.

And now it's Christ living in me in all

that I do.

Hey,

[applause]

you you don't memorize what I'm talking

about right now. Can y'all tell I don't

have a script that I memorized. I wasn't

in my room last night in the hotel

going, "Okay, no longer I live Christ

lives in me. I'm going to tell them this

and then this part they're going to clap

and then this part they're No, no, no,

no. You actually live in this or you

don't." Yeah,

>> I've woken up for years going, "Well, I

thank you for your love, Christ, that

controls me because I've concluded this,

that you died for all. Therefore, I died

with you. And I thank you that you died

to set me free from that old life. So,

I'm living no longer for myself, but I'm

living for you who died for me and was

raised." Well, I thank you that you did

this for all. So, I'm regarding no

person according to the flesh today. I'm

not looking at them from a mere outward

human point of view. I'm seeing them for

the value they possess. I'm seeing them

for your purpose to reconcile them back

to yourself in Christ. And I thank you

that I'm a new creation. One from whom

everything old has passed away. One in

whom everything has become brand new.

You don't accidentally get there. You so

believe what he says about you. You so

believe what the cross accomplished for

you that you go, "That's real. I'm not

only going to confess to believe in it.

I'm going to surrender my entire life to

becoming that which I confess to believe

in. [snorts]

Making some sense, huh?

I'm going to pray for us, then we'll be

out of here. Father, I thank you for

every person in this room.

I thank you for what it is that you're

doing in all of their lives.

I thank you that we were crucified with

you, Christ, and that it is no longer we

who live, but you, Christ, who now lives

in us. I thank you that who we were

before, we are no more. I thank you that

we are new creations, ones from whom

everything old has passed away and ones

in whom everything has become brand new.

And I thank you, Holy Spirit, that you

are convincing us of the truth that you

are in us. And I thank you that we will

no longer be ones whom you merely live

in, but we will be ones whom you live

through for the glory of God.

I thank you for your kingdom, God,

coming and your will being done on earth

in Washington State and in Christian

Faith Center exactly as it already is in

the realm of heaven. I thank you so much

for this in the name of Jesus Christ.

Amen.