Series Summary: For many of us, our spiritual world feels crowded. There’s both a desire to honor God and desires that dishonor Him. And it feels like we can’t get more of the good in there until we dig out the bad ourselves. Fortunately, there’s a better path toward gospel transformation, and we see our cue toward it through not only Scripture, but God’s revelation of Himself through His creation.

Video Messages Included

Note: This series is a cousin to the Cracks series.

Week 1 (Romans 1:19-20 NLT)

Intro: For a lot of us, our hearts feel kind of crowded. There’s both a desire to honor God and desires that dishonor Him. And it feels like we can’t get more of the good in there until we dig out the bad.

Truth: When Paul wrote to the Roman Christians, he stated that God has made Himself obvious in His creation. That God’s nature is on display in front of us every time we step outside. If that’s the case, maybe we should pay more attention with spiritual eyes when we experience nature.

The Point: You can know the Creator through creation.

Week 2 (Romans 6:5-6, 10-11 NLT)

Intro: Pulling weeds is awful. It’s tedious. It hurts after a while. And the weeds just end up coming back. Trying to deal with the mess in our hearts is the same way.

Truth: But the Apostle Paul points us to the abstract reality that we’ve been united with Jesus in death, so that means we’ve died to sin. And not only have we died to sin, but we’ve also been raised to life in God alongside Jesus. So just as Jesus lives for the glory of God and has defeated the power of sin, we too should stop giving sin so much attention and power in our lives, and instead just aggressively pursue more of Jesus.

The Point: Pursue more of the One you’re living for.

Week 3 (Romans 8:1-2, 5-6 NLT)

Intro: Most of us don’t do the right thing because it’s the right thing to do. We most often do the right thing because of the benefits it brings us.

Truth: That’s why it should be good news to us when Paul tells us that the way to life and peace (which is the benefit we want in Christ) is letting the Spirit control our minds. That’s scary terminology, but since we’re all born with broken filters for seeing and thinking about life, it might be worth letting our thoughts, feelings, and perceptions flow through the filter of the Spirit instead. Our pathway to doing that well is reading the Bible regularly. God’s Word lays the foundation for a strong connection with God’s Spirit.

The Point: The Word leads to life and peace through the Spirit.

Week 4 (Romans 8:33-34 NLT)

Intro: Oftentimes our spiritual journey feels a lot like a game of Shoots and Ladders. We want it to be straightforward and smooth, but it isn’t. It’s frustrating. So what keeps us from giving up? Guilt? Fear? Grit?

Truth: Paul proposes something different when he shares that nobody can accuse us even when we mess up, because Christ died for us, was raised for us, and now advocates for us. So it’s God’s grace that motivates us, and we’ve been freed to have faith in the Spirit’s power to transform us even when we fail.

The Point: Freedom is faith in the midst of failure.