Oh my, so many great memories come back when I listen to old T4G albums like this one. As many of you know, Together for the Gospel 2018 begins today, Wednesday, and it's gonna run until Friday, April 11th through the 13th, and the conference is sold out, and I think that means over 12,500 people have registered.

This is incredible, and Pastor John, you're about to get on a jet here in Minneapolis to get to Louisville where you're scheduled to once again cap off the conference with the plenary session Friday afternoon. A message I really look forward to hearing. Here's just the title, "New God, New Gospel, New Gladness.

How is Christian joy distinct?" And I got a little preview in a recent meeting and Psalm 4:7 just came alive. I'll never view that text in the same way, Pastor John. So looking forward to that message, but more on that later. Before you leave for Louisville or Louval, Louisville or Louval, however you say it, here's our next question.

How do we know if we're given to too little introspection or to too much introspection? How do we find the right balance between self-examination neglected and over self-examination made toxic? It's another really good question from a listener to this podcast. His name is Nolan. "Dear Pastor John, I earnestly desire to take the Bible seriously when it talks about evaluating yourself, but I often find myself encountering unhealthy introspection into the sin in my life and my failure to overcome it.

It on many days has led to despondency and discouragement, making it a challenge to believe the truth I try to preach to myself. What are some strategies you evaluate yourself with while at the same time not going overboard to the point of paralysis and discouragement?" What would you say to Nolan?

Such a good question, so relevant for so many people. I suppose I've wrestled not only myself but with people after services in prayer about this kind of doubting of ourselves because of introspective failure as any other thing I've had to deal with. So the first thing I want to say to Nolan is don't give up in your fight for faith and in your fight against sin and against paralyzing introspection.

I have known people who, because of these kinds of inner conflicts, simply throw in the towel on Christianity and walk away from Christ and give themselves to whatever kind of heart-numbing habits they can find. And I'm pleading with you, Nolan, and others like you, that you not do this.

That you be willing to struggle with this, if necessary, all the way to the grave. Don't throw in the towel on Christian faith. Not only do you not know what wonderful and surprising breakthroughs the Lord may have for you ten years from now, after a long struggle, but you will find on the other side of the grave how short life was and how wonderfully worth it it was to hold fast to Jesus in all the struggle while he was holding fast to you.

But you asked for strategies for avoiding paralyzing introspection, so here are two or three passages from the Scripture and a couple of thoughts. 1 Corinthians chapter 4 verses 3 and 5, 3 through 5. "With me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court.

I do not even judge myself, for I am not aware of anything against myself." In other words, generally I have a clear conscience. "But I'm not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart.

Then each one will receive his commendation from God." When Paul said, "I do not even judge myself," he didn't mean he never examines himself, because he says in 2 Corinthians 13 5, "Examine yourself to see if you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves that Christ Jesus is in you, unless indeed you fail to meet the test?" Paul wants us to have enough self-knowledge so that we can enjoy the assurance of our salvation through faith in Jesus.

So let's meditate on those two passages, letting 2 Corinthians 13 5 protect us from a cavalier failure to do any serious self-examination, and letting 1 Corinthians 4 3 protect us from devastating self-judgment and self-condemnation, which belong only to God. And then here's another passage that has been so helpful to me.

Romans 7 21 through chapter 8 verse 1. On the one hand, this text is heartbreaking, and on the other hand, hope-giving. Paul says, "I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind, and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.

Wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then, I myself serve the law of God in my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin. There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." So it seems to me—and there's a big dispute about how to interpret Romans 7, I know, but I'm giving you my interpretation, you judge for yourself—it seems to me that Paul is showing us that Christians walk through Romans 7, seasons in which we feel the overbearing power of remaining in dwelling sin that makes us cry out, "Oh, wretched man that I am," without losing the sure reality that victory has been decisively given.

Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ, it has been decisively given and will someday be fully experienced through Jesus Christ our Lord. So that we can say, "Therefore," in spite of all this struggle in Romans 7, "Therefore, there is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus." And I think it is a great help when we diagnose ourselves in the way Paul does, to have categories in our minds from Romans 7 that help us to understand the nature of our struggle.

And the last thing I would do is draw Nolan's attention to Romans 8, 14 to 17. It goes like this, "For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we say, 'Abba, Father.'" The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may be glorified with him.

Now I think Paul is saying that in the end, at the end of the day, when all introspection is over, the confidence that we are the children of God is a gift of the Holy Spirit. You can't make it happen merely through rational introspection. It is a gift, but he does not just leave us hanging at that.

He gives the ordinary pathway along which the Spirit gives this confidence. He says, "All who are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God." All who are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God. And the being led that he has in mind in this context is not like, "Oh, to be a missionary or to marry this woman or to live in this location." No, no, no, no, none of that at all.

The being led that he has in mind in this context is, number one, being led by the Spirit into warfare with sin. "He who puts the death to deeds of the body will live." Being led by the Spirit into warfare with sin, and secondly, being led by the Spirit into the humble and dependent cry, like a little child, "Abba, Father." So, Nolan, hate your sin.

Make war on specific sins by the power of the Holy Spirit, and constantly look away from yourself to your Father in Heaven, and to Jesus Christ, whose death and resurrection make it possible to call him not only a just judge, but an all-caring Father. Amen. Thank you, Pastor John.

And you can now head off to Louisville or Louville, however you say it. If you're headed to T4G as well, may the Lord bless you with safe travels, and may the Conference refuel you, and may you meet Christ in a special way. Be looking for Pastor John's plenary message on Friday afternoon on Psalm 47, titled "New God, New Gospel, New Gladness.

How is Christian joy distinct?" Ooh, this is gonna be a good one. Thank you for listening and continuing to support this podcast by listening and financially supporting The Labors. You can stay current with the Ask Pastor John podcast on your phone or device by subscribing through your preferred podcast app, and of course you can listen to us through YouTube now.

If you'd like to search our past episodes, or listen to our most popular episodes, or send us a question of your own, you can do those things at our online home at DesiringGod.org/AskPastorJohn. We'll be back on Friday. I'm your host, Tony Reinke, and we'll see you then.