Latest / HBCWestminster / Born Again into a Christ-Centered Family • Sunday Sermon 4.27.25 • 1 John 2:28-3:3

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Born Again into a Christ-Centered Family • Sunday Sermon 4.27.25 • 1 John 2:28-3:3 · HBCWestminster

0:15
Isn't corporate worship a blessing?
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Man, it's so good to hear God's people sing.
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And I know that we could crank up those speakers to make them so loud that you couldn't hear anybody but the worship team.
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And maybe not even your own self singing, but that's not how we like to do it.
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We like to listen to other people sing.
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And honestly, I was blessed this morning, not only by the sound of the worship team, but by the sound of the young lady sitting behind me who can sing.
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Man, there were a few times I was listening to you guys.
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And right there, and they're all pointing at Anna.
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But, you know, I don't know.
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Man, I was like, man, these girls can sing behind me.
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And I was blessed by it.
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And you know what I would encourage you to do?
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Sit in different places on Sunday mornings just to listen to other people sing.
0:59
Man, it is a joy to hear the people of God singing together.
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That is the point of corporate worship.
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If the point was to turn it up so loud that you could only hear the people up here singing, then we can do that with the radio, with a Bluetooth speaker, listening in the shower.
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We can do that and sing with somebody.
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But we want to hear the people around us singing.
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And so thank you to Sam and the worship team for singing for us this morning.
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Thank you to all of you for blessing me as I was sitting up here singing as well.
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What a joy to sing the truths of the gospel and truths of God's word, but set to music.
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If you have your Bibles open, if you would, to 1 John 2.
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1 John 2 and beginning at verse 28, we're going to pick up our study of 1 John.
1:38
Remember the action and truth study.
1:40
Let us not love in word or talk, but in action.
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Action and truth, the scripture says.
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And those two words have become our theme for the letter, 1 John, written from the apostle John to the church at Ephesus.
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And so once you've found it in your copy of God's word, if you would stand as I read God's word for us, 1 John 2 and verse 28, the word of God says,
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And now little children abide in him so that when he appears, we may have confidence and not shrink from him and shame at his coming.
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If you know,
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that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.
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See what kind of love the father has given to us, that we should be called children of God.
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And so we are.
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The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
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Beloved, we are God's children now and what we will be has not yet appeared.
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But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him because we shall see him as he is.
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And everyone who thus hopes in him.
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And purifies himself as he is pure.
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Would you pray with me, church?
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Lord, we trust you because everything you say is true.
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We submit ourselves this morning to the preaching of your word.
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Give us ears which are ready to hear and give us hearts which are ready to receive in Jesus name, amen, amen.
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Thank you, church.
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We left off in our study two Sundays ago by asking this question, how do we abide in Christ?
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And we answered.
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That with a twofold answer first by abiding in Christ gospel.
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We said that our hearts are like leaky cauldrons, our affections for Christ diminish and cool over time.
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And because that is true, we've got to actively struggle against that gospel leak by reminding ourselves constantly of our need for God's grace.
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We've got to continually top off our gospel engines a second.
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We said by abiding in Christ presence, we said that there is no.
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Substitute for personal time with the Lord in the same way that a marriage will only stay fresh with enjoyed time together.
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So to our marriages to the Lord, if your soul feels dry, if you're running on spiritual fumes, you've got to take a pit stop and refuel.
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If you're tempted by sin, it may be because the object of your spiritual affections has diminished.
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Perhaps you've forgotten your first love and notice that our text this morning picks up with.
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That same theme, same language.
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Verse 28 says, and now little children abide in him, and then we skip forward.
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So same idea.
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We skip forward to the end of verse 29 and notice just a few lines down.
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It says, everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him, but we're introduced to this new concept and the one which is actually not new to us at all.
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This is language that we're familiar with, but it is a new concept to the, to the letter.
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The concept.
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Of being born again, although this is the first time this language is used in the letter of first John.
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It's not going to be the last look at chapter three in verse nine.
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It says no one born of God makes a practice of sinning.
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I look ahead at chapter four and verse seven beloved.
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Let us love one another for love is from God and whoever loves has been born of God.
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He's going to use that same language three more times in chapter five alone.
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Thus far in our letters, believers in this letter, believers have been described by John as those who know God, those who are in Christ, those who are in the light, those who are anointed, and now he adds to that list, those who are born of God.
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And so it begs the question, how does one become a son or daughter of God?
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How can one become born again?
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And maybe you remember in the apostle John's previous work, that is the gospel of John, we recall that Jesus one time was asked a similar question by the rabbi Nicodemus.
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Do you guys remember this in John chapter three, Jesus says to Nicodemus, truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
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Nicodemus, this wise rabbi then said to him, well, how can a man be born when he's old?
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Well, how can a man be born when he's old?
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Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?
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I mean, how's that going to work?
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Jesus answered, truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
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So unless one is born of the flesh and then born of the spirit, a spiritual rebirth, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
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He says it again, the same way, that which is born of the flesh is flesh.
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That which is born of the spirit is spirit.
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And I don't know if maybe Jesus assumed that Nicodemus would fully understand.
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Like, how do you not understand?
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Does that make sense?
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Flesh is flesh, spirit is spirit.
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But Nicodemus then says to him, well, how can these things be?
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I still don't get it.
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What are you talking about being born again?
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Now, consider that question for just a minute.
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That's a good question posed by Nicodemus.
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How can these things be?
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How can one be born again?
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Well, let me tell you first how not to do it.
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You ready?
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You cannot be born again.
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Simply by belonging to a certain nation.
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There is no such thing as a Christian nation.
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I know that's vocabulary that we've used of ourselves.
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And that has been used of us, of our nation, of Americans over time.
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But there's actually no such thing as a Christian nation.
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Now, there may be a nation of Christians.
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But that's a very different thing.
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Because the faith of a people can change per generation.
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Isn't that true?
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In fact, a nation of Christians can spawn a nation of pagans.
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Isn't that true?
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In fact, that seems to have slowly happened in our own country.
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As the last several generations have become more and more godless.
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So it's not by belonging to a certain country.
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I'll tell you how else not to be born again.
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Again, it is not by belonging to a certain family.
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Just because you were raised in the church doesn't automatically make you a Christian.
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Now, that may speak to your parents' faith or your grandparents' faith.
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Who very intentionally and prayerfully set you on the train tracks of truth.
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And then prayed that you'd get run over by the gospel train.
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But listen, plenty of people were raised in the church.
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And then have subsequently turned their backs on the gospel.
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In fact, many times.
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When I'm sharing my faith with others.
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They'll say that phrase.
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I was raised in the church.
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And the assumption is because they were.
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They're automatically Christians.
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But that's not true.
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I'll tell you how else not to do it.
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You cannot be born again simply by having a religious professional.
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Like a pastor or a priest or a rabbi or a minister.
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Perform some ceremony over you.
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A saint's prayers are not anymore heard by God.
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Then are your prayers.
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If you are coming into the Lord's presence by the blood of Jesus.
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Hebrews chapter 4 and verse 16 says.
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You.
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You can approach the throne of God with confidence and present your request.
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You can.
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Not just the person sitting next to you.
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Not just the super holy people.
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What I mean.
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If you are by the blood of Jesus coming before the throne of God.
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You can present your request to him.
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It's kind of an odd thing.
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But it's actually happened more than once.
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Where I've received.
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In the past.
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Prayer requests.
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Sometimes in envelopes.
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Sometimes by mail.
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But prayer requests.
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With money attached to them.
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And I guess the thought was.
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That somehow my prayers are more likely to be answered.
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Than are someone else's prayers.
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But honestly that's not true.
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I'm happy to pray for you.
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And I do.
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I regularly go through our members list.
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If you're a member of Highland Baptist Church.
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I pray for you by name.
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And in fact.
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You may be even happy to pray for me.
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If you have gotten a postcard.
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Or a text message.
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Or an email from me.
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That says.
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The Lord brought you to mind today.
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And I prayed for you.
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I prayed for your family.
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Often I'll follow those up.
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With a postcard.
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Or some kind of note.
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Right.
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I just go through that whole thing.
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Every member by name.
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As often as I can.
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But the reality is.
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You can do the same thing.
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My prayers are not any more heard than your prayers.
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So you can present your request to God.
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By faith.
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And by the blood of Jesus.
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The scriptures say.
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Now.
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For sake of clarity.
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In each of those cases in the past.
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I either gave the money back.
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Or put it in the church's offering.
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If I didn't know who it was from.
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I just stuck it in the offering box.
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Okay.
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So in case you thought.
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I kept the money.
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I didn't.
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I've never done that.
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All right.
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It doesn't work.
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It's also not.
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How can you be born again?
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It is not by participating in some religious rite.
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You know.
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Taking communion.
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Can be done by spiritually dead people.
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In fact.
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I think it probably is frequently done.
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By spiritually dead but confused people.
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They take communion.
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Thinking that somehow.
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It's drawing them closer to God.
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By ingesting the elements and whatever.
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This is why we have to issue that warning.
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Every single time we do it.
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We got to issue a warning.
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This is for believers.
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This is not for unbelievers.
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If you're not a believer.
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Don't take communion.
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It's not for you.
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But I think it probably does happen a lot.
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Being baptized as an infant.
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Or even being baptized as an adult.
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Does not automatically regenerate your soul.
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In fact.
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I think it's a possibility.
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That the world is full.
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Of baptized unbelievers.
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Traveling to Rome.
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Being blessed by the Pope himself.
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Whoever the next one may be.
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Walking through the holy doors of the Vatican.
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St. Peter's Basilica.
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Does not mean you've crossed over from death to life.
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So consider again.
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Nicodemus' question.
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How can these things be?
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How can I be born again?
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Tell me the answer.
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How can I be born again?
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Well praise God.
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Jesus answered it.
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And look at the next verse.
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As Moses.
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Jesus said.
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Lifted up the serpent in the wilderness.
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So must the son of man be lifted up.
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That whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
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The son of man will be lifted up.
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And if you believe in the son of man.
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You will be saved.
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Now look at that reference.
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John 3.15.
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You guys all know the next verse.
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Right?
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The most famous verse in the Bible.
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The next verse.
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John 3.16.
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For God so loved the world that he gave his only son.
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That whoever believes in him should not perish.
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But have eternal life.
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You and I can be born again.
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As a result of God's grace.
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By the exercise of our faith.
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Amen.
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By grace.
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Through faith.
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He imparts to us spiritual life.
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Even though we were dead in our trespasses and sins.
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We.
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Can be spiritually reborn.
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But.
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Only by the work of God.
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It is not by our own works.
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Amen church.
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If it were by our works.
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Then we get to brag about it.
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Right?
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But Ephesians chapter 2 says.
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Not by your own works.
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So that no one may boast.
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We can't say.
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Well look at how good I've done.
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Look at how well I've done.
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Yes Jesus did some.
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But I did some too.
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We can't say any of that.
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It is by the work of God alone.
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That we can be spiritually reborn.
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Amen.
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You guys with me?
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All right.
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Okay.
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Now if that's true.
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If that's true.
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That we are spiritually dead.
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Unless God wakes us up.
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Then it is also true.
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That unless God wakes us up.
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We will remain.
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Spiritually dead.
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Do you guys agree with that?
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Now this is weird.
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Because unbelievers don't think so.
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They don't think they're spiritually dead.
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In fact if you ask them.
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They'll say something like.
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I'm a seeker.
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I'm on a spiritual journey.
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I'm searching.
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They'll go on these pilgrimages.
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Maybe just spiritually.
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Maybe sometimes physically.
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They'll go to the eastern countries.
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And they'll look for truths.
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And they'll talk to gurus.
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And they'll do whatever.
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I'm a seeker.
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I'm dabbling in all of these things.
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I'm looking for spiritual truth.
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I'm on a spiritual journey.
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Have you ever heard them say something like that?
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Yes they say it all the time.
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But it's not true.
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They're not actually seeking.
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They're not actually searching for truth.
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Do you know how I know?
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Listen to Romans chapter 3.
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Romans chapter 3 and verse 10 says it this way.
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No one seeks for God.
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Not even one.
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No one understands.
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No one is righteous.
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Not even one of us.
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Now I've heard the analogy used.
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I've even heard it from pulpits.
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That humanity is drowning.
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And Christ is offering us a life ring.
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Ever heard something like that?
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You're drowning.
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Jesus is reaching for you.
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If you will just reach for him.
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He will rescue you.
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So that you don't have to drown.
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But listen.
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That's not true.
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We're not drowning.
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In fact we've not drowned.
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If we had drowned.
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That would have assumed that we were at one point.
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Alive.
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But we were never alive.
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We were lifeless.
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We were stillborn.
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Hopeless.
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Hopeless.
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Apart from spiritual rebirth.
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The only way to know God.
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And the only way to become spiritually alive.
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Jesus said was to be born again.
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We must not only be born of the flesh.
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We must be born again.
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Of the spirit.
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And listen.
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The added beautiful aspect of that rebirth.
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Is that it carries with it.
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Not only life.
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Just like a physical birth does.
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It gives life to that newborn.
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But here is the key to our text.
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This morning.
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It also carries with it.
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A family.
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Just like our physical birth did.
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Not only did our physical birth give us life.
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But it actually gave us a family.
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When you and I were born.
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We were given a first name.
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Right?
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We were named that day.
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So that we would know who we are.
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But we not only got a first name.
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We got a last name.
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So that we would know the people to whom we belong.
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And the same is true with our spiritual rebirth.
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We were not only given new life.
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We were given a family.
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A group of people to whom we now belong.
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I am a gardener.
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I possess therefore the gardener family traits.
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I often tell my sons.
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When they were growing up.
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Especially in the evenings.
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As I pray for them before they go to sleep.
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It's good to be a gardener.
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It's good to be a gardener boys.
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It's good to be a gardener.
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There are some good things about that.
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Right?
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We're not perfect.
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We're not great.
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We're not doing anything.
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But man.
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It's good to be part of this family.
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You guys glad to be part of this family?
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Yes.
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We're glad to be part of this.
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Well what do gardeners do?
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I'll tell you one thing.
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We fly fish on Mondays.
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It's what you do.
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Like well daddy.
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What if we don't like fly fishing?
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You like fly fishing.
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I'm telling you.
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You like it.
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You know what else we do?
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We play baseball.
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Well what if I want to play soccer?
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Ah.
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I actually.
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I actually think boys.
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It goes against creation order.
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Like what?
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God gave us.
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Opposable thumbs.
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Why wouldn't you pick up the ball and throw it?
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You know how much easier it is to pick up a ball with your hands on your feet?
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It makes no sense to me.
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The game doesn't even make sense boys.
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We play baseball.
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We like books.
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We like history.
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We like to travel.
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We like food.
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We like culture.
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We want to express compassion.
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And hospitality.
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And generosity.
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Gardeners act this way.
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I began to think about family resemblances.
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Not every family is the same.
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DNA is fascinating to me.
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My sons don't just look like gardeners.
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They act like gardeners.
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You may say well some of those are no doubt learned behaviors.
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And you're probably right.
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But some of their characteristics like body language.
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Inflection in their voice.
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Weird little things.
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Twirling their hair.
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Twirling their hair.
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I remember the time when my boys were little.
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And they would twirl their hair.
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And I thought man that is exactly like my dad used to do it.
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And he never met my dad.
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I never had hair to twirl.
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So they didn't learn it from me.
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Do you see what I'm saying?
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Like this is weird.
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Never even met my dad.
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Was born after my dad was already gone.
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Where'd you learn how to do that?
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It's I don't know it's genetic I guess.
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I was thinking about it this way too.
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My dad had the weirdest way of crossing his arms.
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If you would just indulge me for a minute.
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Cross your arms just real quick.
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It's easy right?
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We all do it.
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You cross your arms.
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Have you ever tried?
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I'm a right over left guy.
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Right?
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All of you guys look down like which one?
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I don't even know which one I do.
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Oh yeah.
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I'm a right over left guy.
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Have you ever tried to do it the other way?
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Try real quick to do it the other way.
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It takes a second.
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I had to practice in the mirror knowing that this was coming.
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It takes a minute for me to say okay this is how I cross my arms.
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This is how I do it the wrong way.
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Right?
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Left over right.
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My dad did it the weirdest way.
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He used to stand and he'd stand like this.
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He would grab both elbows.
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He wouldn't cross.
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He'd just grab both elbows like this.
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And then he'd stand.
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I got all kinds of family pictures of him standing like this.
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You know what's weird?
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Every now and again.
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When my sons aren't really paying attention.
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Right?
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They're just standing there.
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They're not thinking about it.
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Whatever.
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They cross their arms by grabbing both elbows.
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I don't do it.
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My dad did it.
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Right?
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Like this.
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And one of them, Chase, has never even met my dad.
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My dad was long gone.
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And he stands like this sometimes.
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It's weird.
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It's a genetic thing.
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I don't know.
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It's a gardener thing.
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Because they're from our family certain things are not true of them.
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And they act certain ways.
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Now if that's true of our physical families.
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Doesn't it make sense that it would also be true of our spiritual family?
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If we all have the same heavenly father.
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Doesn't it make sense?
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That there would be certain family traits that we all share?
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That we've got the same dad.
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The scriptures say we're all brothers and sisters in Christ.
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We say it every Sunday.
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We are the family of Christ.
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Doesn't it make sense then that there would be certain things that would be true of us?
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We're going to look a certain way.
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We're going to act a certain way.
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We're going to speak a certain way.
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There will be certain heavenly family traits.
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What this next paragraph is going to do.
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Is describe four of those church family traits.
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If I'm a Christian with whom do I belong?
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I go with these people.
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And because I'm with these people.
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What will now be true of me?
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But what do I have in common with my spiritual family?
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The four things we see in first John beginning in chapter two.
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And notice first children of God.
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It says we'll have confidence at his coming.
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We'll have confidence at his coming.
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We may be different in a lot of ways.
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But we are all the same in this way.
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Look at verse 28.
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It says.
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Hide in him so that when he appears.
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We may have confidence.
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And not shrink from him in shame at his coming.
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Confidence.
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Because we are in Christ.
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We have no reason to be insecure.
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Because we've been born again.
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We never need to fear.
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His presence.
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In fact, the opposite is now true.
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We can now long for his presence.
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We can even enjoy.
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His presence that we can actually become refueled by the presence of God.
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Remember, we defined that word abide as union and communion.
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It's the soaking in of the savior and the gospel message.
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Like steeping your tea, like hot tubbing.
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We called it your French fries.
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Do you guys remember from a couple of weeks ago?
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I got this picture after that sermon two Sundays ago.
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Here's one of the little girls from our church.
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Her mom sent me this picture.
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She says, look at what my daughter is.
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Doing she was hot tubbing her French fries, right?
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She knows and looks up to my daughter-in-law grace.
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Our families are close.
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She's seen Grace do it and she says now she wants to grow up to be like Grace hot tubbing her French fries.
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And you remember the point the point was the more that you sit in the hot tub of God's goodness, the more you're going to get out of it.
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The more you sit in the hot tub of God's presence, the more pruney you will become.
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We want to look like God.
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Like Jesus and so hot tub in his presence.
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That was the point of that little picture.
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In verse 28.
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The author reminds us that Christ is coming again.
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That is a reality.
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He will appear on Earth again officially and in full public display as King of Kings and as a Lord of Lords and when he appears.
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Will you boldly run to him?
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As a child.
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His or her.
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Loving father.
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Or will you shrink back?
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Ashamed before him.
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Do you long for his appearing?
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Or like Adam and Eve?
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Will you attempt to hide yourself?
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Hoping maybe that he won't notice you can ask just a simple question.
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The answer to which might actually determine kind of your heart health your spiritual health.
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Now, what would your reaction be if the Lord suddenly appeared before us right now?
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Was just here boom now in front of us.
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What would your reaction be if Christ came back today this very moment and you were suddenly standing before him?
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You're probably familiar with Rembrandt's painting of the prodigal son.
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Here is the prodigal after returning to his father his father embracing him right remember the story.
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He had asked for his father's inheritance.
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He'd asked for his inheritance before his father had died.
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It would have been the same as saying.
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Hey, can I just pretend as if you're dead?
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I mean, that's literally what he was asking.
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Can I pretend as if you're dead?
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Would you just give me what I what you owe me now?
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I want to act as if you're dead.
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He took his inheritance.
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He squandered it pilfered it debauchery and dissipation came back.
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Humbly had nowhere else to go and thought I'll just return to my father as a servant.
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I'll forget that I was ever his son.
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I wonder if my father would embrace me again and here is Rembrandt's version of that the father then embracing his son and just remember church.
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The Lord wants to receive you.
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You as a confident child jumping into his arms to be embraced.
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That's what the Lord wants.
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He doesn't want you cowering.
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He doesn't want you running to hide in shame.
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And so if the idea of the Lord appearing before us right now right now fills you with a little bit of shame at his coming.
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If there's something that you think you know what I need to just forget.
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I need to ask for forgiveness.
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I need to confess.
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If there's something you need to get right with the Lord,
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can I encourage you don't wait don't wait because he's not waiting.
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He's ready right now ready and willing and eager to forgive just like in the story of the prodigal is the father would each evening go out to the road.
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Do you guys remember this and look down the road?
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Maybe this is the evening and who knows how many months maybe even years.
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He had to wait for his son to return but each evening going out to the head of the road and looking down the road and waiting.
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Maybe this is the day my son returns.
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That is our Heavenly Father's attitude toward us.
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He liked the father.
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In the prodigal is waiting and watching at the end of the road every evening for you to come home.
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That's first we can have confidence at his appearing but notice second the second family trait.
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What runs in our family DNA is that children of God will be certain of their new Christian heritage.
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Children of God will be certain of their new Christian heritage.
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Look at verse 29.
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If you know that he is righteous,
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you may be sure certain that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.
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Here.
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We read what I'm going to call a root and fruit argument a root and fruit argument.
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The author notes what we see the fruit before addressing why we see it the root.
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He says in verse 29 that those in God's family will be righteous that righteous living is the fruit or the family trait of the Christian.
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Then he states why that is.
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So because.
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At our roots.
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We are born of him because we come from this family.
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The fruit that will be born is righteousness.
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If you want to think of it this way new birth produces not only new belief.
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But new behavior.
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Our practice.
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The fruit is proof of our parentage the root.
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A righteous.
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Savior produces righteous Saints.
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And then John carries the argument a step further when he explains how the love of the father is the source of our privilege as his children.
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We know the reality is that not all fathers love their kids.
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I know that that is an earthly reality.
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Not all dads love their kids,
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but ours does.
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Ours does.
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Look at verse one.
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See what kind of love the father has given to us that we should be called children of God.
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And so we are.
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Look at the love.
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I man the phrasing that is used in the Greek is meant to be exclamatory like it's emphatic.
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It's not just see what love he's given to you.
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It's behold.
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Look at the kind of love the father has given to us.
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And I know the ESV.
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Has translated it given given is fine.
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NIV uses lavishes.
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I like lavishes better that he lavishes this love on us lavish can be or lavished can be defined as extravagant generosity.
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This overflowing love that he has just poured out and poured out and poured out until we've overflowed with love on us.
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The statement in the Greek is meant to evoke kind of a sense of awe.
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And it's readers.
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The sentence should end with an exclamation point.
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A famous hymn writer Isaac Watts.
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The paraphrase that this this verse this way listen to his paraphrase.
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He said behold the amazing gift of love.
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The father has bestowed on us.
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And here is the example of that love that sinful sons of men.
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Which we all are are now are now called sons of God.
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That we are.
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The sinful sons of men.
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And yet now he calls us sons of God.
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You want to know the greatest gift that God has ever given to you.
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It is this it is his own name.
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That God has stamped his name on you.
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That we should be called children of God.
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Just like at a physical birth when the newborn is named.
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So also our names have been given at our new birth.
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We are now called the children of God.
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The children of the most high we are legitimate children.
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We have not been born without fathers.
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The Lord now is claiming us as his he is giving us his last name.
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And the great benefit of that name is that you and I can be certain of our new spiritual heritage.
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My boys are gardeners.
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They have no reason to question whether they're gardeners because I've given them my name.
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I've stamped them with it and I've even told them what I expect from them because they're gardeners.
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That's not how gardeners act.
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You ever have that conversation with your kids.
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But my friends down the street.
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I don't care about your friends down the street.
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I wasn't given them by the Lord.
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I was given you here's how we act.
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This is how our family does it and maybe other families do it different way and God bless them.
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But our family does it this way.
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The Lord has stamped us with his last name with his heritage and that's a great benefit.
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The one drawback is that because of our new name.
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The world will likely now treat us the way it treated him and look at the end of verse one.
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The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
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We can expect to have the same kind of treatment.
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That our Savior did because we bear his name.
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That's second.
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We can be certain of our heritage notice third children of God will be conformed to his image conformed to his image verse 2 says beloved.
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We are God's children now.
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Now and what we will be has not yet appeared,
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but we know that when he appears we shall be like him because we shall see him as he is yet.
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Another beautiful truth of Redemption is that our salvation was not merely a rescue operation.
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It was a full and complete renovation.
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Top to bottom a transformation inside and out the author here reiterates God's love for us by calling us beloved.
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recipients of divine.
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Fine love.
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He says you are God's children right now.
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We await nothing additional in terms of family status.
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But then he says God isn't finished with us.
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He who began a good work in us will be faithful to complete it.
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It's like our Heavenly Father has hung a sign on each of us that reads.
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Pardon my dust.
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My beloved child is still under construction.
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They're not finished yet.
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But they will be.
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And how does John define totally finished?
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When will we know we are complete?
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Look again at verse 2 what we will be has not yet appeared,
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but we know that when he appears we shall be.
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What does it say like him?
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Do you see that we will become there will be a day where we become like our Savior.
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Ephesians chapter 4 and verse 12 says it this way.
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He gave apostles prophets evangelists shepherds and teachers to equip the Saints for the work
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of ministry for building up the body of Christ.
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That is why he gave us a church leadership.
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It is why he empowered us by his gifts for building up the body of Christ until what
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is the goal until we all attain to the unity of the faith perfectly unified.
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That sounds pretty good and of the knowledge of the Son of God.
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We will know the Lord in ways.
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We have never known him before and now look what it says.
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To mature manhood until we become spiritually adults to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.
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There will be a day when our faith is complete perfected perfected like our Lord Jesus Christ.
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The Romans chapter 8 and verse 29 says it very simply for those whom he foreknew.
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He also predestined to be conformed to the image of his.
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Son that is a real day out there in our real future.
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There will be a day when we are made like Christ completed perfected mature.
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Now, we don't know all that.
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It means this side of Glory to be made like Christ.
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What we do know is that it is going to be better than we could even ask for or imagine.
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No more sin you're looking forward to that day.
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No more temptation.
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No more failure.
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No more.
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Weakness.
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No more doubt.
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No more insecurity.
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No more guilt.
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No more shame only an eternity of praise worship and adoration and friends.
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Can I ask you do you hope for that day?
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Do you hope for that day?
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Good.
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Look at the next verse verse 3 and here we get our fourth family trait.
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Our fourth family trait is that children of God will be consistent in hope.
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Consistent and hope verse 3 says and everyone who does hopes in.
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Him purifies himself as he is pure.
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If the child of God knows that day is coming a day of perfection a day of completion a day of full maturity.
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Why if we know that that day is a fixed point and an anchor for our calendars, why would we ever lose hope on this day?
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Eugene Peterson translates this same verse this way.
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He says all of us who look forward to his coming.
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Stay ready.
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And then I like how he uses this with the glistening purity of Jesus's life as a model for our own.
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We look forward to eternity.
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We see the glistening purity of Jesus and we say, you know what?
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Why wait?
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I know that that's a day that is coming someday when I will be completed and mature.
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But why wait?
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Why wouldn't I start being pure now?
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The word pure means free from contamination.
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Amazing.
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Imagine sin as poison for our souls and indeed that is what it is.
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It's poison that keeps us from living in joy from living in freedom from living in peace with others and with God.
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It's poison that keeps our prayers from being effective.
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James chapter 4 says the prayer of a righteous man affects much the prayer of a righteous man affects much.
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The kind of reverse the argument from silence.
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Then would be that.
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That the prayer of an unrighteous man doesn't do much.
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Right?
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Our sin actually affects our prayer.
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The effectiveness of our prayer that sin is like a poison that keeps us from being satisfied on the word of God.
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We want to eat other things consume other things.
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And if we are consuming sin, then it's like it fills us up so that when we come to God's word, it just falls flat.
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Sin is like the junk food that spoils our dinner.
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Our hope for the future.
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The glistening purity of Jesus's life enables us to pursue holiness even in the present and keeping our heavenly hope at the front forefront of our minds.
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It makes us even more earthly good.
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In fact, I would say the more often we are looking up toward heaven, the more people around us will not be able to help but look up to heaven.
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What are you looking at all the time?
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Right?
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So who do you look like?
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And who do you act like?
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And to what family do you belong?
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It's not about what country you were born in or to which parents.
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It's not about religious rights performed or what church you attended when you were young.
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It's about being born again.
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And if you are indeed God's child, then you can have confidence in his return.
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You can even look forward to seeing him face to face.
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You can be certain of your spiritual heritage.
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He's put his name on you.
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You'll be conformed to his image.
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The longer we sit there in that hot tub, the more we're going to start to look like him.
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And your hope can be consistent.
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There is a fixed point in our future which helps us to navigate the struggles of today.
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And let me pray.
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Lord, thank you for your word again.
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Thank you for this idea, Lord, that there are certain things that are true of us because we are children of God, because we have been born of the Spirit.
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Lord, now there are certain family traits.
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Which will characterize sons and daughters of the same Heavenly Father.
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And God, I pray that we would be reminded today that it is good to be children of God.
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And that we would walk in newness of life, that we would be conformed more and more to your image.
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Lord, we thank you for the glistening purity of Jesus and the example that he sets.
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Lord, we want to live like him and it's in his name we pray.
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Amen.
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Amen.