Summit Church
Rooted Pt 4 | The Awesome Power of a Transformed Life | Jim Ladd
Locations & Times
Summit Church
7200 S Clinton St, Centennial, CO 80112, USA
Sunday 10:00 AM
Isaiah 58:6-12
““Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. “If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.”
““Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. “If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.”
John 16:7-11
“But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: about sin, because people do not believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.”
“But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: about sin, because people do not believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.”
The Big Idea: Your true healing will help lead others to theirs.
Find True Healing in Just Three Moves:
1. From Alienated to Adopted
“He will prove the world wrong about sin, because people do not believe in me.”
The Holy Spirit will Expose the world’s real condition regarding sin.
The world tends to see sin as bad behavior — breaking rules, being immoral, or harming others. It’s often treated like a moral scorecard: “be good, avoid evil.”
But the Holy Spirit reveals something far deeper: sin is unbelief — a rupture in trust, not just in ethics. It’s not merely doing bad things; it’s not believing in the One who is good.
The world says, “I’m fine without God.” The Spirit says, “That very independence is the essence of sin.”
When the Spirit convicts of sin, He isn’t shaming people; He’s awakening them to their need — that apart from faith in Christ, even our best moral efforts are self-salvation projects that miss the point entirely.
The Spirit convicts us not just of what we’ve done wrong, but of our need for Jesus — the only One who can make us right.
Sin is not about breaking rules - it is about breaking relationship.
“He will prove the world wrong about sin, because people do not believe in me.”
The Holy Spirit will Expose the world’s real condition regarding sin.
The world tends to see sin as bad behavior — breaking rules, being immoral, or harming others. It’s often treated like a moral scorecard: “be good, avoid evil.”
But the Holy Spirit reveals something far deeper: sin is unbelief — a rupture in trust, not just in ethics. It’s not merely doing bad things; it’s not believing in the One who is good.
The world says, “I’m fine without God.” The Spirit says, “That very independence is the essence of sin.”
When the Spirit convicts of sin, He isn’t shaming people; He’s awakening them to their need — that apart from faith in Christ, even our best moral efforts are self-salvation projects that miss the point entirely.
The Spirit convicts us not just of what we’ve done wrong, but of our need for Jesus — the only One who can make us right.
Sin is not about breaking rules - it is about breaking relationship.
2 Corinthians 5:14-21
“For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
“For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
2. From Achieving to Receiving
“He will prove the world wrong about righteousness because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer.”
The world measures righteousness by appearance, performance, or social virtue — “I’m a good person, I recycle, I’m fair.”
But Jesus flips the script: righteousness isn’t about human achievement, it’s about His acceptance before the Father. When He ascends, He becomes our righteousness — proof that His life, death, and resurrection satisfied divine justice.
His ascension is proof of His perfect righteousness: the Father receives Him. That means righteousness isn’t something we achieve — it’s something we receive through faith in Christ.
Righteousness is received, not achieved.
The Spirit corrects our prideful assumption that we can “be good enough” and instead points us to the righteousness of Jesus credited to us.
The Spirit reminds us: we don’t earn righteousness through effort; we receive it through Christ’s finished work.
When you feel unworthy, remember the Spirit points you to Jesus’ worthiness. Rest in His standing before the Father because the Father finds you in Him.
“He will prove the world wrong about righteousness because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer.”
The world measures righteousness by appearance, performance, or social virtue — “I’m a good person, I recycle, I’m fair.”
But Jesus flips the script: righteousness isn’t about human achievement, it’s about His acceptance before the Father. When He ascends, He becomes our righteousness — proof that His life, death, and resurrection satisfied divine justice.
His ascension is proof of His perfect righteousness: the Father receives Him. That means righteousness isn’t something we achieve — it’s something we receive through faith in Christ.
Righteousness is received, not achieved.
The Spirit corrects our prideful assumption that we can “be good enough” and instead points us to the righteousness of Jesus credited to us.
The Spirit reminds us: we don’t earn righteousness through effort; we receive it through Christ’s finished work.
When you feel unworthy, remember the Spirit points you to Jesus’ worthiness. Rest in His standing before the Father because the Father finds you in Him.
3. From Doomed to Delivered
The world often thinks judgment is about people getting what they deserve — a fear-based reckoning or moral scorekeeping. But Jesus says the decisive judgment has already happened: the ruler of this world (Satan) has been condemned.
That means the Spirit shows that the cross isn’t the world judging Jesus — it’s Jesus judging evil. Judgment isn’t mainly about God “zapping” sinners; it’s about God dethroning evil and setting the world right through Christ’s victory.
“He will prove the world wrong about judgement, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.”
Judgement is not something to dread - it's something to celebrate
Judgement is about your victory, not your doom
Don’t live afraid of God’s judgment — live aware of the enemy’s defeat. The Spirit empowers us to walk in freedom and confidence.
The world often thinks judgment is about people getting what they deserve — a fear-based reckoning or moral scorekeeping. But Jesus says the decisive judgment has already happened: the ruler of this world (Satan) has been condemned.
That means the Spirit shows that the cross isn’t the world judging Jesus — it’s Jesus judging evil. Judgment isn’t mainly about God “zapping” sinners; it’s about God dethroning evil and setting the world right through Christ’s victory.
“He will prove the world wrong about judgement, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.”
Judgement is not something to dread - it's something to celebrate
Judgement is about your victory, not your doom
Don’t live afraid of God’s judgment — live aware of the enemy’s defeat. The Spirit empowers us to walk in freedom and confidence.
How the Spirit helps us:
* Conviction:
He convicts our hearts — not to crush, but to convert
* Assurance:
He assures us that righteousness is found in Jesus, not our performance. It's not based on what we do, but on what Jesus has already done for us.
* Revelation:
He reveals that judgment isn’t something to dread but something to celebrate — evil is condemned, and we live in the light of Christ’s triumph.
The Spirit doesn’t shame; He illuminates.
He doesn’t humiliate; He clarifies.
He doesn’t merely “prove a point”; He opens our eyes.
The Spirit helps us see Jesus clearly, trust Him deeply, and live out of that truth. Where the world sees guilt, effort, and fear, the Spirit brings grace, dependence, and freedom.
The Spirit doesn’t just point out what’s wrong — He points us back to Jesus, who makes all things right. He leads us into truth, freedom, and the joy of living as beloved children of the Father.
The Spirit points us back to Jesus, who makes all things right
* Conviction:
He convicts our hearts — not to crush, but to convert
* Assurance:
He assures us that righteousness is found in Jesus, not our performance. It's not based on what we do, but on what Jesus has already done for us.
* Revelation:
He reveals that judgment isn’t something to dread but something to celebrate — evil is condemned, and we live in the light of Christ’s triumph.
The Spirit doesn’t shame; He illuminates.
He doesn’t humiliate; He clarifies.
He doesn’t merely “prove a point”; He opens our eyes.
The Spirit helps us see Jesus clearly, trust Him deeply, and live out of that truth. Where the world sees guilt, effort, and fear, the Spirit brings grace, dependence, and freedom.
The Spirit doesn’t just point out what’s wrong — He points us back to Jesus, who makes all things right. He leads us into truth, freedom, and the joy of living as beloved children of the Father.
The Spirit points us back to Jesus, who makes all things right
Response: (wrap response around 4 values)
* Let broken rules move you to restored Relationship with God
* Receive your Righteousness in Christ
* Place all judgment on the devil
* Follow the Spirit where you live, work, study, and play
* Let broken rules move you to restored Relationship with God
* Receive your Righteousness in Christ
* Place all judgment on the devil
* Follow the Spirit where you live, work, study, and play
Discussion Guide
The Awesome Power of a Transformed Life
Icebreaker Questions
1. If your life were compared to a plant right now — cactus, bonsai, thriving garden, struggling houseplant — what would you pick and why?
2. When you think about “changing the world,” what emotion pops up first — excitement, intimidation, guilt, hope, skepticism?
Discussion Questions
1. Ezekiel 47 paints a picture of trees constantly bearing fruit and leaves that heal — what part of that imagery most inspires you right now?
2. In what ways do you sense that your life (or healing) could bring healing to others?
3. Jesus says the Holy Spirit exposes sin as a broken relationship with God, not just behavior (John 16). How does that shift your understanding of sin?
4. Judgment isn’t aimed at you — it’s aimed at the enemy. How does that truth challenge the way you think about God’s heart toward you?
5. How might your “leaves” (words, presence, empathy, wisdom) be healing to the people around you right now?
6. From Earnings to Gifts: What makes it hard for you to stop trying to “prove yourself” spiritually?
7. From Doomed to Delivered: How would your daily life change if you truly lived like the enemy is already defeated?
* Which of these three invitations from the Spirit do you want to respond to this week?
* Restored relationship with God instead of focusing on the rules
* Received righteousness, rather than earning it
* Celebrated victory vs fear of judgment
Icebreaker Questions
1. If your life were compared to a plant right now — cactus, bonsai, thriving garden, struggling houseplant — what would you pick and why?
2. When you think about “changing the world,” what emotion pops up first — excitement, intimidation, guilt, hope, skepticism?
Discussion Questions
1. Ezekiel 47 paints a picture of trees constantly bearing fruit and leaves that heal — what part of that imagery most inspires you right now?
2. In what ways do you sense that your life (or healing) could bring healing to others?
3. Jesus says the Holy Spirit exposes sin as a broken relationship with God, not just behavior (John 16). How does that shift your understanding of sin?
4. Judgment isn’t aimed at you — it’s aimed at the enemy. How does that truth challenge the way you think about God’s heart toward you?
5. How might your “leaves” (words, presence, empathy, wisdom) be healing to the people around you right now?
6. From Earnings to Gifts: What makes it hard for you to stop trying to “prove yourself” spiritually?
7. From Doomed to Delivered: How would your daily life change if you truly lived like the enemy is already defeated?
* Which of these three invitations from the Spirit do you want to respond to this week?
* Restored relationship with God instead of focusing on the rules
* Received righteousness, rather than earning it
* Celebrated victory vs fear of judgment