The Grace of Confession, Part 18
04-29-26 grace of confession 18
Sermon Outline: The Grace of Confession, Part 18
I. Introduction and Series Update
This is sermon number eighteen in the series on the Grace of Confession.
The series may extend beyond the initial plan, possibly to twenty parts, to ensure all necessary points are covered thoroughly.
The content is being developed with the intention of creating:
A dedicated section on the Grace Bible app.
A potential book in the future.
This topic will continue for at least one more week after April 29, 2026.
II. The Purpose and Practice of Pre-Session Confession
Moment of Silent Prayer: We take a moment for silent prayer, which is fitting for the series topic: The Grace of Confession.
Scripture Reference: 1 John 1:9 - "if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
Doctrinal Clarification:
Salvation: A one-time act of believing in the Lord Jesus Christ. It can never be lost.
Post-Salvation Sin: Believers still commit personal acts of sin and fall short.
Recovery Method: A system is necessary to recover fellowship with God.
Distinction between Indwelling and Filling of the Holy Spirit:
Indwelling: Happens at salvation and is permanent. It cannot be lost.
Filling: Can be lost through personal sin. This will be the focus of tonight's teaching.
Consequences of Losing the Filling:
Takes the believer out of the pre-designed plan of God (PDPG).
Moves the believer into the cosmic system.
The Mechanism of Confession (1 John 1:9):
Action: Simply naming and citing any known sin.
God's Response: He is faithful and just to forgive.
Theological Basis: All sins (past, present, and future) were judged at the cross. This is the doctrine of imputation, where our personal sins were imputed to Jesus Christ.
Purpose: To restore fellowship, not to earn salvation.
Confession is NOT Penance: It is not about feeling bad. How we feel about our sin is inconsequential. Confession is agreeing with God about the sin.
Result: God cleanses us from all unrighteousness, including unknown sins, and we are brought back into fellowship and under the power of the Holy Spirit.
Importance of being Filled with the Spirit for Bible Study:
The believer's power system consists of:
1. The filling of the Holy Spirit.
2. The perception, metabolization, and application of Bible doctrine.
Metabolization Process: We mix the Word of God with faith, and the Holy Spirit converts that knowledge into wisdom.
Word Study: gnosis (knowledge) is converted to epignosis (wisdom/full knowledge).
Being filled with the Spirit is essential to execute the PDPG and produce divine good.
Human effort (the flesh) cannot produce anything that pleases God.
Application:
Stay in fellowship as much as possible.
"Keep short accounts with God." Don't let sin fester.
Always take a moment of silent prayer before studying the Word to ensure the filling of the Spirit.
III. Opening Prayer
Thanking God for the opportunity to study His Word.
Prayer for God the Holy Spirit to open hearts to the truth.
Prayer for the Word to edify and help believers live in God's plan.
Prayer for power and authority in speaking, combined with the grace the Word teaches.
IV. Grieving and Quenching the Holy Spirit
This is a critical doctrinal issue to resolve for scriptural consistency.
A. The Command to Be Filled
Scripture Reference: Ephesians 5:18 - "And do not get drunk with wine, in which there is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit."
Word Study (Debauchery):
Definition: "Indulgence in sensual pleasures; immoral, unrestrained behavior that departs from moral standards."
Analysis of the Verse:
The primary focus is not on drunkenness itself, but on the comparison.
Analogy: Paul uses the concept of being "under the influence" of alcohol to illustrate being under the control of the Holy Spirit. Alcohol can take control of one's personality and actions.
The key phrase is "be filled with the Spirit."
Grammatical Analysis of "to be filled" (Greek):
Present Tense: This is to be an ongoing, continual action in the believer's life.
Passive Voice: The action of being filled is received by the subject (the believer). God does the work; we receive the filling.
Imperative Mood: This is a direct command, not a suggestion.
Theological Implications of the Command:
1. If being filled is commanded, it is not automatic .
2. If it is not automatic, it can be lost experientially.
3. If it can be lost, there must be a biblical mechanism for recovery.
This is the central point of the doctrine of confession.
Addressing Objections to Confession:
Those who reject 1 John 1:9 for fellowship restoration cannot answer how a believer obeys the command of Ephesians 5:18 after they have sinned.
The argument that 1 John is a "test for salvation" is flawed.
The epistle is written to believers about fellowship.
Salvation is by faith alone, not by confessing sins. The two concepts do not align.
Counter-argument (Ultra-Holiness Movement): The belief that believers can reach a state of sinless perfection is rejected as arrogant and delusional. All believers sin (mental attitude, overt, sins of the tongue).
Summary Point: The will of God is for the believer to be filled with the Spirit at all times.
Only the Lord Jesus Christ, in His humanity, did this perfectly as He had no sin nature.
As believers mature, the loss of the filling will happen less frequently.
This transformation must be from the inside out, not through human effort or a moral code.
Scripture Reference: A future verse will show our righteousness is like "filthy rags" to God.
B. Disrupting the Filling: Grieving the Spirit
Scripture defines what disrupts the filling of the Spirit.
Scripture Reference: Ephesians 4:30 - "Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption."
Analysis of the Verse:
The Sealing Ministry: At the moment of salvation, we are sealed with the Holy Spirit until the day of redemption. This is a reference to eternal security and the permanence of the Spirit's indwelling. You cannot lose your salvation.
Context: This verse is in a section (Ephesians 4) dealing with the believer's conduct in time (experiential sanctification), not salvation (positional truth, established in Ephesians 1:1-3).
The Importance of Doctrinal Categories:
The Word of God must be divided into proper categories: salvation, inheritance, sanctification, fellowship.
Even in English, one can notice shifts in language between these categories.
Collapsing these categories leads to confusion and false doctrines like salvation-by-works or Lordship Salvation.
Defining "Grieving":
The immediate context of Ephesians 4 lists specific personal sins: lying, sinful anger, stealing, corrupt speech, bitterness, wrath, malice.
"Grieving the Holy Spirit" is directly tied to personal sin in the believer's life.
Greek Word Study (Grieve): lupeo (l-u-p-e-o)
Meaning: "to cause sorrow, to bring distress."
This is relational language, indicating the Holy Spirit is a Person, a member of the Trinity, not an impersonal force.
Result: When a believer sins, the Spirit does not leave (due to the sealing), but fellowship is disrupted. Grieving the Spirit results in the loss of the filling of the Spirit.
C. Disrupting the Filling: Quenching the Spirit
Scripture Reference: 1 Thessalonians 5:19 - "Do not quench the Spirit."
Distinction from Grieving:
Illustration: Personal sins (immorality) are often easier to recover from than the sins associated with quenching the Spirit (arrogance, pride, the emotional/arrogance complex of sins).
Quenching sins are more subtle and destructive, leading a believer down a long road out of fellowship without them even realizing it.
Overt sins (e.g., drunkenness) are more obvious and thus easier to identify and confess for restoration.
Spirituality vs. Morality:
Christianity is not a moral code; spirituality is above morality (though it includes it).
Many Christians fall into the trap of creating a short list of "don'ts" and feel they are spiritual if they adhere to them, while ignoring the 300+ commands in the New Testament (e.g., the command to pray).
Defining "Quenching":
Context: 1 Thessalonians 5 contains a rapid series of imperatives for believers: rejoicing, praying, giving thanks, not despising prophetic utterances.
Greek Word Study (Quench): sbennumi
Meaning: "to extinguish, to put out a fire."
Analogy: Using a fire extinguisher to put out a fire in a trash can. That action is sbennumi.
V. Grieving vs. Quenching the Holy Spirit (Continued)
A. Transition from Relational to Functional Language
1. Grieving the Holy Spirit: Relational language. It is about personal sin breaking fellowship with God.
2. Quenching the Holy Spirit: Functional language. It is about suppressing the Spirit of God’s activity in your life.
B. Defining "Quenching the Spirit"
1. It includes resisting the Word of God, rejecting doctrine, and ignoring conviction.
2. It also includes the production of human good, as human good is not divine good.
C. Review of Operating in God's Power
1. This was a topic of a previous message taught in 2025.
2. Everything must be done with the right motivation: God's power.
3. God is not impressed by anything we do apart from His imputed righteousness.
4. When we do things God's way, we are adjusting to the justice of God.
5. God is always free to bless His own righteousness.
6. Operating under the filling of the Holy Spirit places us in the pre-designed plan of God, in a position for maximum blessing and growth.
D. The Importance of Quick Recovery from Sin
1. Do not let time pass when you fall short.
2. Illustration: King David's Life
He lost the joy of his salvation after sinning.
It was at least nine months that he was out of fellowship.
He finally confessed, "I have sinned against God."
Psalm 32 & Psalm 51: David wrote about the negative physical and spiritual effects of being out of fellowship, feeling he was "withering away and wasting away."
3. Application:
You do not have to live out of fellowship.
God has designed a plan for you to get back into fellowship and move on.
When you fail, name and cite the sin, pick up the pieces, and move on.
Do not get stuck in guilt and condemnation; this is the number one thing that causes people to give up. It stems from not understanding who you are in Christ.
4. Note: The topic of confession in David's life (sin with Bathsheba, murder of Uriah) was covered in a message early in this series.
VI. The Doctrine of Human Good
A. Definition: Human good is anything produced by the flesh, done apart from the filling of the Spirit, even if it appears moral, ethical, or religious (e.g., going to church, giving, serving).
B. Scriptural Basis: Isaiah 64:6
"For all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all of our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; and all of us wither like a leaf, and our wrongdoings, like the wind, take us away."
Point: The verse refers to "righteous deeds," not sins, being like filthy rags from God's perspective when they originate from human effort.
C. Human Good as Quenching the Spirit
1. When a believer operates in the energy of the flesh (trying to serve God, live the Christian life, produce righteousness), they are quenching the Spirit.
2. Reason: They are substituting human energy for divine power.
3. They suppress what the Spirit desires to produce and replace it with what the flesh can manufacture.
4. Galatians Chapter 5: This chapter makes a sharp distinction between the deeds of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit.
5. Galatians 5:16: "Walk in the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh."
VII. Biblical Examples: Grieving vs. Quenching
A. Example of Grieving the Spirit: King David
1. 2 Samuel Chapter 11: The account of David's adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband, Uriah the Hittite.
2. This personal sin was a clear violation of God's righteousness.
3. Psalm 51: David's psalm of confession.
Psalm 51:11: "Do not cast me away from Your presence and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me."
4. Theological Distinction: Old vs. New Testament
We live in a different dispensation.
In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit did not permanently indwell every believer as He does today in the Church Age. He indwelt for specific purposes and times.
David's prayer shows he knew his sin would disrupt the power of God in his life.
5. Defending the Use of Old Testament Principles
Some criticize using David's life for this doctrine, saying "That's Old Testament."
Response: We are gleaning principles. We don't follow the Levitical laws for salvation, but we can learn from them and from David's life.
From David, we see the power of confession and that he knew his doctrine (e.g., God does not impute sin, yet he still confessed).
6. The Universality of Confession
The concept of naming and citing sin was well-known throughout the Bible, even if not explicitly detailed in many verses beyond 1 John 1:9 and "judge yourself so you will not be judged."
Rhetorical Question: If you sin and believe you are not sinless, what do you do? Just keep going? It doesn't make sense to do nothing.
7. Clarifying Confession vs. Repentance
Some call it repentance, but often wrongly associate repentance with feeling sorry or bad.
Confession is a non-meritorious act, just like faith. You cannot add to it by feeling bad, feeling guilty, or promising never to do it again (which would be another sin—lying).
The Process: Simply name it and cite it. "Father, I confess the sin of anger."
You are back in fellowship based on the authority of the Word of God, which you must believe.
8. The Teacher's Role: My job is to communicate the information, not to convince. Each person must decide to accept or reject it.
9. David's Recovery
David understood his fellowship, not his relationship, was disrupted.
He grieved the Spirit and desired restoration.
Psalm 32: Also describes the internal pressure he felt while out of fellowship. He wrote, "my vitality was drained away."
B. The Danger of Living Out of Fellowship
1. Attribution: Paraphrasing R.B. Thieme Jr. and Robert McLaughlin.
2. Most believers see salvation as a one-time act but don't know how to recover the filling of the Spirit after they sin.
3. The moment you sin, you are out of the pre-designed plan of God.
4. If you don't know how to recover, you will live the rest of your life under escalating divine discipline, which is God's loving action to bring you back.
5. This is horrifying, as most believers may live their entire lives under some form of suffering and eventually die the sin unto death.
C. Example of Quenching the Spirit: King Saul
1. Context: The prophet Nathan confronted David, who confessed "I have sinned" and was forgiven, showing he was a "man after God's own heart." Confession is to God first and foremost.
2. Saul is a perfect illustration of quenching because his problem was prolonged resistance to God's Word.
3. 1 Samuel Chapter 15: Turn to this passage.
God gives Saul a direct command (to utterly destroy the Amalekites and their king, Agag).
Saul partially obeys and then justifies his disobedience. He doesn't just sin; he rationalizes it, substituting his reasoning for God's command.
1 Samuel 15:10-11: "Then the word of the Lord came to Samuel, saying, 'I regret that I have made Saul king...'"
Word Study: "Regret" is an anthropopathism (language of accommodation). God is omniscient and doesn't regret things. It signifies God changing His policy toward a person. God doesn't get "angry"; this is also an anthropopathism.
Application: God knows all your future failures, and you are still here. He has a plan for you.
1 Samuel 15:12-14: Saul sets up a monument to himself and then claims, "I have carried out the command of the Lord." Samuel confronts him with the sound of the sheep and oxen.
1 Samuel 15:15: Saul's rationalization and blame-shifting.
He blames the people: "They have brought them..."
He justifies the disobedience with a religious motive: "...to sacrifice to the Lord your God."
1 Samuel 15:16-19: Samuel confronts Saul's disobedience, calling it "evil in the sight of the Lord."
Point: This "evil" wasn't gross immorality but simply disobediently keeping animals to (supposedly) sacrifice to God.
1 Samuel 15:20-21: Saul continues to argue, insisting "I did obey" but again blaming "the people."
1 Samuel 15:22: Samuel’s key principle: "Has the Lord as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice."
This is a prime example of quenching the spirit, justifying it, and blaming others. The chapter continues, stating Saul is rejected as king.
4. The Result of Quenching
Saul continued this pattern of fear, human viewpoint, and substituting human solutions for divine direction.
1 Samuel 16:14: "Now the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul."
Dispensational Note: In the Old Testament economy (dispensation), the Spirit's empowerment for service could be removed. The principle, however, remains.
Saul consistently suppressed God's direction and operated in human good and reasoning, which is quenching the Spirit.
VIII. Conclusion on Grieving vs. Quenching and Transition
A. Sharpening the Distinction
1. David: Sinned and grieved the Spirit. He confessed and recovered.
2. Saul: Sinned, resisted, rationalized, suppressed the truth, and quenched the Spirit. He continued on a downward spiral.
3. Principle: It is much easier to recover from immorality than from the road of rationalizing, justifying, and partially obeying God's Word. One leads to recovery through humility; the other leads to hardening through resistance.
B. Bringing it Back to the Doctrine of Confession
1. If sin grieves the Spirit and we are commanded to be filled with the Spirit, how do we recover?
2. 1 John 1:9 provides the only mechanism: "If we confess our sins..."
3. Word Study: "Confess" (Greek: homologeo)
We have learned this word extensively.
It means to name, cite, and acknowledge.
The literal translation is "to say the same thing."
IX. Review of Confession and Spiritual Momentum
A. The Mechanics of Confession (1 John 1:9)
Confession is acknowledging what God already knows about a sin.
The sin has already been judged at the cross; confession looks back to that finished work.
God is faithful and just to forgive the sin.
B. The Necessity of Confession
Analogy: If Jesus died for all sins, why do people still need to get saved by believing in Him?
This is the same principle as why believers must confess sin.
Just as salvation requires a personal act of faith, restoration of fellowship requires a personal act of confession.
Command: The Bible commands believers to be filled with the Spirit. Sin breaks that filling.
Provision: God has provided a faith-based, non-meritorious way to restore fellowship and return to His pre-designed plan.
What Confession is NOT:
Emotionalism
Penance
Promising God you will do better
What Confession IS:
Simply acknowledging the sin as God defines it.
Result: Forgiveness of sins and cleansing from all unrighteousness.
C. The Doctrinal Flow of Sin and Recovery
Path of Confession:
1. Personal sin occurs.
2. The Holy Spirit is grieved.
3. Fellowship with God is broken.
4. The filling of the Spirit is lost.
5. The believer confesses the sin.
6. Fellowship is restored.
7. The filling of the Spirit resumes.
Path of Rejecting Confession:
1. Sin persists.
2. Resistance to God develops.
3. Bible doctrine is suppressed (one cannot metabolize doctrine without the filling of the Spirit).
4. Human good replaces divine good.
5. The Spirit is quenched.
D. The Issue of Response and Spiritual Momentum
The core issue is not achieving sinless perfection, but rather the believer's response to sin.
Question: Do you recover quickly like David, or do you resist and suppress the truth like Saul?
Note on David: His recovery was not actually quick. It took at least nine months, as the child from his adulterous affair was alive when he confessed. It was likely closer to a year. But he did recover.
Your response determines your spiritual momentum.
The "Glory of God's Grace" Series Preview:
This upcoming series will detail the importance of developing spiritual momentum.
A believer is never static; you are either moving forward or backward.
As you grow in spiritual maturity, you build momentum by passing God's tests on the doctrine you have learned.
E. Conclusion of the Section
God has provided a complete system for the Christian life:
1. A Recovery System (Confession)
2. A Power System (Filling of the Spirit)
3. A Truth System (Bible Doctrine)
No believer ever has to remain out of fellowship or in a state of quenching the Spirit.
The Grace Process: Recognize failure, acknowledge it, recover immediately, and continue forward under the filling of the Spirit.
X. Introduction to Spiritual Warfare (2 Corinthians 10:3-5)
A. Technical and Version Notes
Tool Reference: Use of "Biblebolt," a free add-on for Microsoft Word that populates scripture verses. It allows for multiple translations.
Translation Discrepancy: The sermon slide uses the NASB 2020 translation, while the speaker prefers the 1995 NASB.
The 2020 version of 2 Corinthians 10:5 reads: "destroying arguments and all arrogance raised up against the knowledge of God."
The speaker will read from his Bible (1995 NASB) which uses different wording, specifically "lofty thing," which will be a key term in the exegesis.
B. Reading of 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (NASB 1995)
Verse 3: "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh."
Verse 4: "For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses."
Verse 5: "We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ."
C. The Infallibility of Translations
English translations are just that: translations. The Bible was not written in English.
There is no infallible English translation (including the King James Version).
There are approximately seven times more Greek words than English words, making a perfect one-to-one translation impossible.
Some translations are better than others (based on manuscript evidence), but none are infallible.
Illustration: The speaker finds it ludicrous when people claim they can "correct the Greek with the King James Bible."
XI. Exegesis of 2 Corinthians 10:3-5
A. Immediate Context (Isagogics)
In chapter 10, Paul shifts to directly confront opposition to his apostolic authority.
He is dealing with individuals who:
Judge according to appearances ( verse 7 ).
Accuse him of being weak in person but bold in his letters.
This criticism is rooted in human viewpoint evaluation and external standards (speech, appearance, personality), not the content of his message.
B. The Central Issue: Thinking "According to the Flesh"
Paul is not just defending his personality; he is exposing a deeper issue: the Corinthians are thinking carnally.
Doctrinal Point on Carnality:
The Corinthian church is a biblical example of carnality within Christianity.
This refutes theological systems (like Lordship Salvation) that have no place for carnality in the believer's life.
The false argument is often made that if a person exhibits enough "bad things," they were probably never genuinely saved.
This is a false path; carnality is a real state for a believer. It is possible to be out of fellowship and even live worse than an unbeliever.
The Goal is Growth: The point is not to remain carnal but to grow up spiritually and glorify God. One cannot live in rampant immorality and glorify God, but it does not mean salvation is lost or was never genuine.
C. Escrow Blessings and Spiritual Maturity
God has tremendous blessings held in escrow for every believer, established in eternity past (the doctrine of election).
These blessings are received by reaching different stages of spiritual maturity.
Most believers will never receive their escrow blessings.
Motivation: The desire for these blessings (which can be spiritual, not just material) should come from a love for God and a desire to glorify Him. This requires learning doctrine and growing spiritually.
D. Verse-by-Verse Analysis
1. 2 Corinthians 10:3a: "For though we walk in the flesh..."
"Walk" (Greek: peripateō ): Refers to one's daily conduct and continuous lifestyle.
"Flesh" (Greek: sarx, s-a-r-x): In this context, it does not refer to the sin nature. It refers to the human sphere of existence, our natural life in a physical body.
This is about incarnational limitation: living with weakness, pressure, and in a time-based existence.
These limitations do not define the power source for the Christian life.
2. 2 Corinthians 10:3b: "...we do not war according to the flesh."
The issue of the passage is not external persecution, physical warfare, or behavioral reform.
The issue is how the believer thinks and evaluates reality.
Paul is confronting: false standards of evaluation, arrogant mental attitudes, and human reasoning that contradicts doctrine. It's about believers adopting worldly frameworks.
Personal Application: The speaker notes this subject is dear to his heart due to his own testimony (bipolar disorder, renewing the mind, emotional complex of sins).
The Battlefield: Christianity is primarily a system of thinking. The true battlefield is the thinking of the believer.
"War" (Greek: strateuomai): Military campaign language implying strategy, organization, and ongoing engagement.
"According to the flesh": According to the standard or source of human existence.
Application: The believer must not conduct spiritual warfare using human reasoning, emotional reactions, or behavior modification as the solution.
3. Flesh-Based Systems of Warfare (and their failures):
Legalism (Behavior Focus): A list of rules and regulations. The Law was meant to reveal sin, not be a method for living the Christian life.
Mysticism (Emotional Focus): This includes modern psychology programs like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT).
The speaker notes his tattoo related to CBT, indicating past belief in it.
He asserts these systems are stolen from scripture, with God removed. They are systems of self-powered transformation that lead to failure.
Rationalism (Intellectual Focus): Relying on one's own intelligence and knowledge. Empiricism and rationalism are not part of God's plan.
God's System: Faith, the non-meritorious system of perception that God honors.
4. 2 Corinthians 10:4a: "For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh..."
"Weapons" (Greek: hopla ): Refers to tools or instruments to be actively used, not passively possessed (e.g., confession is a divine tool). The term is also used in Romans 6:13 as "instruments of righteousness."
These weapons must be utilized, not merely understood.
5. 2 Corinthians 10:4b: "...but divinely powerful..."
The Greek construction emphasizes the source is God.
This power is intrinsic divine capability, not delegated human strength.
Cross-references for divine power: Romans 1:16, Hebrews 4:12.
The Word of God is not just informational; it is transformational.
6. 2 Corinthians 10:4c: "...for the destruction of fortresses."
"Destruction" (Greek: kathairesis ): Means demolition or tearing down. It implies a violent overthrow, not gradual improvement.
"Fortresses" (Greek: ochyrōma, o-c-h-y-r-o-m-a): Military strongholds; reinforced, defended structures.
Source Note: These definitions are from Greek scholars and commentaries, including studying the usage of Greek words in non-biblical literature of that time period.
XII. Tearing Down Fortresses (Part 1)
A. Definition of a Fortress
A fortress is a repeatedly reinforced pattern of thinking.
Analogy: We think of castles, but the battle is not against physical, fortified buildings.
Scriptural Context: "The weapons of our warfare are not carnal." This indicates the battle is in the mind.
B. The Nature of These Mental Fortresses
They are reinforced patterns of thinking built over time through:
1. Habit
2. Culture
3. False teaching
4. Personal sin patterns
Key Concept: These fortresses become the default interpretive system in our soul. We interpret everything around us based on them.
Examples: Lust patterns from the sin nature, cultural upbringing.
C. The Mandate: Tearing Down Fortresses
They must be torn down, not gradually, but violently.
Mechanism: They are removed by truth applied under the filling of the Holy Spirit.
Application: This is why confession (rebound) is so important; we must be filled with the Spirit.
It is not about just memorizing scripture verses. The truth must be metabolized and become part of your frame of reference to break down old interpretive systems.
These fortresses can be developed both before salvation and after salvation if one is not consistently taking in doctrine and living in God's plan.
XIII. Destroying Speculations (Logismoi)
A. Definition of Speculations (Greek: logismoi)
Meaning: Internal reasoning, mental debates, and self-talk structures.
This is the believer's internal dialogue: how you interpret events, what you conclude about God, and what you believe about yourself.
B. The Origin of Speculations
They arise when our thinking operates independently of Bible doctrine.
They are "lofty things" that raise themselves up against God, rooted in the arrogance complex of sins.
C. The First Line of Defense: Understanding Your Position in Christ
Application for New Believers (or doctrinally-immature believers): The first and foremost thing you must understand is who you are in Christ.
You don't understand all the soteriological terms (propitiation, atonement, expiation, justification, imputation) at the moment of salvation. The command is to "believe on the Lord Jesus Christ."
However, you must learn these doctrines after salvation to arm yourself for spiritual warfare. You must understand what happened at salvation.
Doctrinal Point: Propitiation. God is satisfied with you.
Application: Do not walk around like He is not. It is blasphemy to walk around with your head down, putting yourself down ("Oh, I am nothing," "I am not special").
Doctrinal Point: Justification. You were given the righteousness of God.
Illustration: "How many righteous people in the room tonight? I'll be the first to raise my hand because if the Bible says I am righteous, then I am righteous."
This righteousness has nothing to do with what you have done or the mistakes you have made. It is God's righteousness given to you.
We must learn this, be confident in it, and learn to operate in it.
We must stop the negative self-talk that says, "No, you are no good. Look what you did last week."
Illustration: Someone may come back to God's plan for a second or third time. God knew about the second and third times even when it was the first time. You are still here. This is serious business.
D. The Second Line of Defense: Studying the Character and Nature of God
Understanding who God is is crucial to breaking down these fortresses.
XIV. Destroying Lofty Things (Hypsōma)
A. Definition of Lofty Things (Greek: hypsōma)
Word Study: hypsōma (H-Y-P-S-O-M-A)
Meaning: An elevated barrier or a pride-based obstruction. Something elevated, raised up, or exalted.
Since our warfare is not of the flesh, this is not a physical wall but a mental or ideological barrier.
It is a structure of thought built on pride, independence, and human viewpoint that resists or opposes Bible doctrine.
It's not just sin behavior; it's thinking that elevates itself above God's truth, which is the essence of arrogance.
Definition of Arrogance: Any system of thinking that exalts yourself above God and His Word.
Key Principle (from Thayer or A.T. Robertson): Hypsōma is "a pride-based system of thinking that a person builds in their soul that keeps them from accepting, believing, or applying truth."
Application: Our primary warfare is destroying these things within ourselves, not fighting with other believers, bosses, etc. These fortresses keep us from all God has for us.
B. Examples of Hypsōma (Lofty Things) to be Destroyed
1. Intellectual Pride:
Mindset: "I don't need the Bible. I'm educated enough to figure things out for myself."
Mechanism: Elevates human intellect over divine revelation and rejects the authority of Scripture. This is classic human viewpoint vs. divine viewpoint.
2. Self-Righteousness and Religious Pride:
Mindset: "I am a good person. I go to church. I don't need grace or all this doctrine."
Mechanism: Elevates personal morality over grace, rejecting salvation by faith alone. This was the error of the Pharisees.
3. Emotional Reasoning:
Mindset: "I don't feel forgiven, so I must not be."
Mechanism: Elevates feelings over truth. It rejects passages on restoration and fellowship like 1 John 1:9.
Danger: This can become a form of arrogance.
Illustration: The most arrogant people can be those with mental illness who make their condition a source of pride. "You can get to a place where you can be so down on yourself, it actually becomes a source of pride."
Distinction: There is a difference between people who have a mental illness and people who become the mental illness, making it their identity.
Application/Warning: Saying you are "too far gone" is blasphemy, not humility. It is an arrogant attack on the character of God and the work of the cross.
All sins you have ever committed and will commit were borne by Christ on the cross. Don't minimize that. Thinking "God could never forgive me" is a lie from the devil to keep you from God's plan.
Our Response: We must break these things down violently by standing on what the Word of God says. "God says I am forgiven. God says I am righteous. God says I am holy. God says I am justified."
A believer trapped in this is living behind a hypsōma.
4. Bitterness and Justification:
Mindset: "They hurt me, so I have a right to stay angry."
Mechanism: Elevates personal offense over the divine command to forgive. It builds a mental fortress that resists doctrines like grace and impersonal love.
5. Independence from God (Human Autonomy):
Mindset: "I'll handle it myself. I don't need to rely on God or His grace."
Mechanism: Elevates self-sufficiency over dependence on God. It rejects the faith-rest drill and is a major barrier to spiritual growth.
6. Cultural Ideologies Opposing the Truth:
Example: The concept of "my truth."
Critique: This is a pet peeve. The very definition of "truth" is that it is absolute and objective. There cannot be subjective truth. What people call "my truth" is actually their opinion.
Analogy: If a color is green, it's green. It doesn't matter if you want to call it red.
Modern Application: Gender ideology. One's subjective view of oneself does not change objective truth.
Compassion is important for people in that community, but the fact remains: subjective views do not alter objective truth.
This mindset is a hypsōma that must be broken. Our source of truth is God's Word. If it doesn't align with Scripture, it's not truth.
7. Misunderstanding Your Identity in Christ:
Mindset: "I am still the same old person. I'll never change."
Mechanism: Elevates your past failures over your new identity in Christ. It rejects doctrines like positional truth and regeneration.
XV. Concluding Remarks and Future Plans
The sermon will conclude here for the evening of April 29, 2026.
The study will be finished next week.
Anecdote: The speaker's daughter is home.
Potential Future Sermon Series:
The speaker is considering expanding his previous five-week series on the "emotional complex of sins" for the Sunday night services.
Reasoning: He has received a great deal of positive feedback on that series over the last year, even from people outside the church who have found it on social media.
He sees a great need for this topic and feels God may be leading him in this direction.
The expanded series would go into even greater detail than the original five weeks.
XVI. Closing Prayer
Preamble: Questions are not taken on the recording to avoid dead space and inaudible comments.
Prayer Points:
Thanksgiving for the time and everyone present.
Petition for God's hand upon each person, opening doors for them to glorify Him.
A prayer against distractions and obstacles that would hinder them.
A request for God's love, mercy, and grace to surround each person.
A prayer for God to lead each person in His plan.
A specific petition for God to break through the hypsōma (lofty things) in our souls with His Word and the power of the Holy Spirit.
A closing request for God's plan and will to be done in their lives.
In Jesus' name, Amen.