Capacity to Obey | Pastor Richie | The Flesh vs The Spirit

·32 min·3 clips

Pastor Richie uncovers that Jesus' question 'Why do you call me Lord, Lord?' is a teaching moment, not a rebuke.

This episode is a sermon by Pastor Richie from Amarillo Fellowship, part of a series on Lordship following earlier talks on relationships and Psalm 23. He opens by distinguishing between accepting Jesus as Savior, which is about receiving grace, and making Him Lord, which involves action and behavior. Richie acknowledges that many Christians resist Lordship because it feels like heavy demands, but reframes it as gaining an 'abundantly blessed life.' He references 1 Peter 3 but jokes about avoiding a controversial verse about Sarah obeying Abraham to keep peace in his marriage. The core teaching centers on Luke 6:46, where Jesus asks, 'Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and you do not do what I say?' Richie explains this is not a rebuke but a teaching moment to show that obedience indicates Jesus is truly Lord. He discusses the internal conflict every Christian faces between their redeemed spirit and flesh, citing Romans 7 where Paul describes struggling to do good. Richie uses the metaphor of a Roman punishment where a murderer was chained to their victim's decaying corpse to illustrate sin as a 'body of death' from which Jesus delivers. He then turns to Galatians 5, listing the 'works of the flesh' including sexual immorality, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, and jealousy, and contrasts them with the 'fruit of the Spirit' like love, joy, and peace. Richie emphasizes the difference between falling into sin and living in sin, using the analogy of jumping into a pool and getting out versus swimming in it. He challenges listeners to assess which list defines their lives and calls for repentance or recommitment. The sermon ends with a prayer for living by the Spirit and an altar call.

As heard by us

A Romans 7 sermon on lordship, flesh, and the harder work of living under Jesus.

This episode centers on lordship and the pull between flesh and Spirit, asking what it means for Jesus to be Lord after grace has already been received.

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Why you'd press play

When grace feels easy and obedience feels harder, this one names the gap.

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