WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.600 When we become a believer, we actually become a new creation in Christ. 2 00:00:05.700 --> 00:00:11.300 So Paul says, therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. 3 00:00:11.400 --> 00:00:14.100 The old things have passed away. 4 00:00:14.200 --> 00:00:16.600 Behold, all things have become new. 5 00:00:22.600 --> 00:00:25.200 So how do we dethrone idols in our heart? 6 00:00:25.300 --> 00:00:27.900 All of us struggle with our flesh. 7 00:00:28.000 --> 00:00:32.400 All of us have idols in our life that we battle with. 8 00:00:32.500 --> 00:00:35.000 Culture deals with idols. 9 00:00:35.100 --> 00:00:40.900 When Paul came to Athens, Greece, he went into the Europagus area, 10 00:00:41.000 --> 00:00:42.700 and he began to preach. 11 00:00:42.800 --> 00:00:45.200 And one of the first things he says is, 12 00:00:45.300 --> 00:00:47.700 I see that you're a very religious people. 13 00:00:47.800 --> 00:00:49.200 I see all your idols. 14 00:00:49.300 --> 00:00:53.200 But to this one idol, the idol to the unknown God, I bring to you today. 15 00:00:53.300 --> 00:00:55.000 And so he began to preach. 16 00:00:55.100 --> 00:00:56.800 But I'm talking about something different, 17 00:00:56.800 --> 00:01:00.300 not idols that are in the public square, 18 00:01:00.400 --> 00:01:06.100 not idols on street corners in Tokyo, where I've lived, 19 00:01:06.200 --> 00:01:09.500 or in Bangkok, Thailand, where I've been. 20 00:01:09.600 --> 00:01:10.900 You see these little idols. 21 00:01:11.000 --> 00:01:17.000 It's in a big idols to Shintoism, Buddhism, and different religions. 22 00:01:17.100 --> 00:01:22.400 But I'm talking about idols in our heart that hinder us 23 00:01:22.700 --> 00:01:26.200 and get in the way of all that God has for us, 24 00:01:26.300 --> 00:01:30.400 and intimacy with Him, and having a vital, dynamic relationship with Him, 25 00:01:30.500 --> 00:01:31.700 because we're focusing. 26 00:01:31.800 --> 00:01:36.400 We're constantly focused on these needs 27 00:01:36.500 --> 00:01:41.200 that we think are our needs in our life that are these gods. 28 00:01:41.300 --> 00:01:43.500 They're like small g gods in our life. 29 00:01:43.600 --> 00:01:45.300 And so what I want to do here is talk about 30 00:01:45.400 --> 00:01:48.200 how do we dethrone these idols? 31 00:01:48.300 --> 00:01:51.600 How do we tear those images down? 32 00:01:51.600 --> 00:01:53.700 How do we tear out those idols in our heart? 33 00:01:53.800 --> 00:01:59.400 And in 1819, the Scottish pastor Thomas Chalmers preached 34 00:01:59.500 --> 00:02:01.600 one of his most famous sermons called 35 00:02:01.700 --> 00:02:06.100 The Expulsive Power of a New Affection. 36 00:02:06.200 --> 00:02:09.300 And he shows in this sermon 37 00:02:09.400 --> 00:02:13.500 that the only way to dislodge an old affection 38 00:02:13.600 --> 00:02:18.400 is not to think about focusing on dislodging the old affection, 39 00:02:18.500 --> 00:02:24.100 but rather pushing it out by a new, stronger affection, 40 00:02:24.200 --> 00:02:27.500 an affection that's greater and more majestic, 41 00:02:27.600 --> 00:02:31.800 and more beautiful, and more captivating than the old affection. 42 00:02:31.900 --> 00:02:33.500 Here's what he says. He writes, 43 00:02:33.600 --> 00:02:37.900 In a word, if the way to disengage the heart 44 00:02:38.000 --> 00:02:42.600 from the positive love of one great and dominant object 45 00:02:42.700 --> 00:02:47.700 is to bind it in positive love to another, 46 00:02:47.700 --> 00:02:52.800 then it is not by exposing the worthlessness of the former, 47 00:02:52.900 --> 00:02:56.100 but by addressing the mental eye, the worth, 48 00:02:56.200 --> 00:02:58.200 and the excellence of the latter, 49 00:02:58.300 --> 00:03:00.700 that all old things are to be done away, 50 00:03:00.800 --> 00:03:02.700 and all things are to become new. 51 00:03:02.800 --> 00:03:06.200 So this is a very simple yet profound reality 52 00:03:06.300 --> 00:03:10.400 that we have desires, and we have affections, 53 00:03:10.500 --> 00:03:15.100 and that the greatest way to destroy those old affections, 54 00:03:15.300 --> 00:03:18.400 the things that we know are not what God wants us to have, 55 00:03:18.500 --> 00:03:19.800 those idols in our heart, 56 00:03:19.900 --> 00:03:24.700 is for us to develop an affection greater 57 00:03:24.800 --> 00:03:26.700 than the old affection. 58 00:03:26.800 --> 00:03:29.500 In other words, that we would begin to seek God 59 00:03:29.600 --> 00:03:33.700 with a new affection that's greater than the old affection 60 00:03:33.800 --> 00:03:36.900 that has captured our heart for so long. 61 00:03:37.000 --> 00:03:39.700 R.C. Sproul once said, 62 00:03:39.800 --> 00:03:43.900 We will always choose what we desire the most, 63 00:03:44.000 --> 00:03:46.100 the moment we have to choose. 64 00:03:46.200 --> 00:03:53.600 So we as human beings are a complex system 65 00:03:53.700 --> 00:03:55.700 of many, many different desires. 66 00:03:55.800 --> 00:03:59.900 And when we're put into a position or situation 67 00:04:00.000 --> 00:04:03.600 where we're not sure exactly which to choose, 68 00:04:03.700 --> 00:04:07.200 we're gonna usually go with the desire 69 00:04:07.300 --> 00:04:10.400 that's the greatest desire, and that's what we're gonna do. 70 00:04:10.500 --> 00:04:13.100 When we become a believer, 71 00:04:13.300 --> 00:04:16.200 we actually become a new creation in Christ. 72 00:04:16.300 --> 00:04:17.300 So Paul says, 73 00:04:17.399 --> 00:04:19.800 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, 74 00:04:19.899 --> 00:04:21.899 he is a new creation. 75 00:04:22.000 --> 00:04:24.700 The old things have passed away. 76 00:04:24.800 --> 00:04:27.100 Behold, all things have become new. 77 00:04:27.200 --> 00:04:30.600 So the reality is, is that when we are born again, 78 00:04:30.700 --> 00:04:32.300 we give our hearts to Christ, 79 00:04:32.400 --> 00:04:36.100 we actually get a whole new system, 80 00:04:36.200 --> 00:04:40.500 a whole new operating system in our heart and in our mind. 81 00:04:40.600 --> 00:04:42.100 Now we don't know it, 82 00:04:42.100 --> 00:04:46.300 and we still have this struggle with the old nature. 83 00:04:46.400 --> 00:04:48.300 It's called the old nature in Romans. 84 00:04:48.400 --> 00:04:51.200 It's called the flesh in other parts of Scripture. 85 00:04:51.300 --> 00:04:54.500 But we still have this battle going on. 86 00:04:54.600 --> 00:04:57.900 We haven't learned in our minds and in our hearts 87 00:04:58.000 --> 00:04:59.900 how to put on 88 00:05:00.000 --> 00:05:07.040 or how to think on and dwell on the new creation that we are because of the habits of the old 89 00:05:07.040 --> 00:05:15.920 creation. So when we, for example, get struck with some disappointing news, some depressive 90 00:05:15.920 --> 00:05:22.960 news comes our way, and it's just really, really hard, the old nature, the old man that we've been 91 00:05:22.960 --> 00:05:33.120 accustomed to for, let's say, 25 years reacts with self-pity, maybe jealousy, maybe depression, 92 00:05:33.120 --> 00:05:38.720 or anxiety. We actually have a new operating system. We actually have the new creation, 93 00:05:39.440 --> 00:05:47.760 the mind of Christ, the heart of Christ, the body of Christ living in us, but we haven't learned 94 00:05:47.760 --> 00:05:54.560 this new affection. We haven't learned this new way of dealing with the confrontation 95 00:05:54.560 --> 00:06:01.360 that comes to us through the world. We acquiesce to what we've always known, and so there has to 96 00:06:01.360 --> 00:06:09.040 be an activity that begins to happen within us where we sort of, I'm going to say kind of detach. 97 00:06:09.040 --> 00:06:16.160 We sort of detach from our circumstances and our relationships that are creating pain 98 00:06:16.800 --> 00:06:26.720 or sinful attitudes or bad actions. We begin to say, that's not me anymore. That's not who I am 99 00:06:27.280 --> 00:06:35.280 because my new identity, my new purpose is found in Christ, and so we begin to think differently. 100 00:06:35.280 --> 00:06:40.720 We already have the mind of Christ, but we have to plug it in. We have to plug that in through the 101 00:06:40.720 --> 00:06:49.280 power of the Holy Spirit, so that Holy Spirit power enables us to now kind of wage battle 102 00:06:50.000 --> 00:06:55.440 with the old way of thinking, with the idols of our heart. Paul said, I've been crucified with 103 00:06:55.440 --> 00:07:00.960 Christ. It's no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me, and that's kind of crazy. In other 104 00:07:00.960 --> 00:07:11.040 words, that he's saying that I've learned to crucify, to nail to the cross that old way of 105 00:07:11.040 --> 00:07:18.800 thinking, those old affections of my life. It's no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me, 106 00:07:18.800 --> 00:07:29.200 so the reality of putting on Christ, the reality of saying that, look, the only way 107 00:07:30.160 --> 00:07:37.600 I'm going to live in Christ, the only way I'm going to live this victorious life over these 108 00:07:37.600 --> 00:07:44.800 old affections is I've got to crucify the old affections, but I've also got to begin to live 109 00:07:44.800 --> 00:07:51.760 in the new affections, which are found in Christ, who's within me. I've been crucified 110 00:07:52.640 --> 00:08:00.480 with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me, and the life I live 111 00:08:00.480 --> 00:08:08.640 in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who was delivered up for me. So then it becomes a 112 00:08:08.640 --> 00:08:15.280 faith work of walking out this new affection that we have in Christ. So it's detaching 113 00:08:15.280 --> 00:08:24.400 ourself from circumstances and saying, Lord, I've got to have you do this new work in my life. I 114 00:08:24.400 --> 00:08:30.800 need you to do it because you live in me, and I'm going to live this out. Yes, I'm living it in the 115 00:08:30.800 --> 00:08:39.440 flesh, but I'm going to trust you. That's the faith part that you can begin to reaffirm, re-examine, 116 00:08:39.440 --> 00:08:46.720 and resurrect these new affections in my life. Paul says in Galatians 5.24, those who belong 117 00:08:46.720 --> 00:08:55.200 to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. So in this verse, 118 00:08:55.760 --> 00:09:01.920 it's clear that the crucifying of the flesh is not something, listen, not something done 119 00:09:01.920 --> 00:09:09.840 to the believers. It's something that's done by the believer. We have to crucify our flesh. We 120 00:09:09.840 --> 00:09:16.000 have to be the one that makes that change in our life. The principle here is that the flesh, 121 00:09:16.800 --> 00:09:25.520 those old affections must be crucified with the new principle of a new affection in our life. 122 00:09:26.080 --> 00:09:32.720 And in my next message, I'm going to explain more how that new affection grows within us. Our bodies, 123 00:09:32.720 --> 00:09:38.480 our physical, emotional, spiritual bodies are sinful in and of themselves. When we receive 124 00:09:38.480 --> 00:09:47.520 Christ, we receive his spirit, we receive into our lives this potential of a new creation. But 125 00:09:47.520 --> 00:09:55.920 then we have to put that on. And so John Piper writes, God is most glorified in us when we are 126 00:09:55.920 --> 00:10:01.920 most satisfied in him. Let me say it again. God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied 127 00:10:00.000 --> 00:10:05.880 in us, we are most satisfied in Him. 128 00:10:05.880 --> 00:10:12.960 So, where I'm going, where Paul's going, where John Piper's speaking here, is that it is 129 00:10:12.960 --> 00:10:19.800 as we are becoming more and more in love with Christ, as we are being more satisfied in 130 00:10:19.800 --> 00:10:24.080 Him, God gets the greater glory. 131 00:10:24.080 --> 00:10:27.800 And I think the happiest people on the face of the earth should be Christians, should 132 00:10:27.800 --> 00:10:35.080 be Jesus' disciples, because they're living fully in the creation way of a new affection. 133 00:10:35.080 --> 00:10:41.960 Chalmers, in his sermon says, when told to shut out the world from his heart, this may 134 00:10:41.960 --> 00:10:48.800 be impossible for the man who has nothing to replace it, but not impossible for the 135 00:10:48.800 --> 00:10:53.520 man who has found in God a sure and satisfying portion. 136 00:10:53.520 --> 00:10:59.600 So I challenge you today that you would find satisfaction in Christ, open his word, spend 137 00:10:59.600 --> 00:11:05.480 time in his word, pray throughout the day, and when you come to those affections, those 138 00:11:05.480 --> 00:11:10.000 feelings that come your way, you know it's sinful, you know it's wrong, you've got to 139 00:11:10.000 --> 00:11:16.240 pull back, detach yourself and say, God, give me a greater affection for holiness, give 140 00:11:16.240 --> 00:11:22.440 me a greater affection for prayer, God, give me a greater affection to live in purity in 141 00:11:22.440 --> 00:11:24.320 every area of my life. 142 00:11:24.320 --> 00:11:30.880 So when we begin to live that way, God begins to come in greater and greater measure. 143 00:11:30.880 --> 00:11:33.840 And so he begins to fill the room with his spirit. 144 00:11:33.840 --> 00:11:41.120 So you remember the story of a man who had a demon, and the demon came into the house, 145 00:11:41.120 --> 00:11:47.800 and Jesus tells the story and says that the man's house gets cleansed, and yet when he 146 00:11:47.800 --> 00:11:55.440 doesn't replace that with anything, that demon comes back with even seven times more 147 00:11:55.440 --> 00:12:03.400 power from the demonic world, because the house was never replaced with God's power 148 00:12:03.400 --> 00:12:06.840 and God's holiness and God's presence and God's love. 149 00:12:06.840 --> 00:12:07.840 So that's what we need. 150 00:12:07.840 --> 00:12:10.960 We need God to come in and replace that. 151 00:12:10.960 --> 00:12:14.480 This is the beginning of the replacement of the idols of our heart. 152 00:12:14.800 --> 00:12:21.720 In the next message, I want to go through some steps of how we replace the old affections 153 00:12:21.720 --> 00:12:27.760 with the new affections that we can have through the power of the Holy Spirit and the presence 154 00:12:27.760 --> 00:12:28.720 of God in our life.