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James 4:7-10 · Providence Baptist Church - Sermons

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This is a continuation of our exposition of the book of James, and today's text is James chapter 4 verses 7 through 10.
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I'll begin by reading it, but before I do, let me remind you, beloved, that this is God's word to us.
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It was written for his glory and our good.
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So we would all do well to listen to it, to believe its promises and obey its commands.
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James 4 beginning in verse 7.
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James' original audience for this letter were Jews who had been dispersed throughout the Roman world,
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who were professing followers of his half-brother, the Lord Jesus Christ.
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His concern is that they understand that a saving faith in Jesus, while not earned by works, will be accompanied by works.
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We have a faith that works.
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He says in James chapter 2 verse 17 and 18,
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Faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
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But someone will say, you have faith and I have works.
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Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.
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So it is the faith that saves us, but it is the works of faith that evidence that salvation.
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And it is in this context that we need to understand today's text.
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James wants to be sure that his hearers understand what must be done to be restored to God.
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He is pastorally concerned for anyone who might claim the name of Christ and not actually be saved.
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This is a great problem of our day.
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Just about anybody you'd speak to would say they're a Christian.
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Living in the southeast, the trouble of ministry often is that you have to convince people that they're not in Christ
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so that they can place their faith in Christ.
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James here is seeking our highest good, and he does so in some really striking ways.
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He says some things that just make you go, whoa.
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His original audience must have known how much he loved them to receive these kinds of words.
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Just previously in chapter 4, he said, you adulterous people.
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He's drawing their minds back to all of the unfaithfulness of the Jewish people throughout the Old Testament.
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He goes on in verse 4, do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God?
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Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
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It's a very dichotomous thing that he sets up here.
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I just would ask you, would you avail yourself of such strong language this morning?
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Charles Spurgeon delivered a sermon on April 7, 1878, entitled,
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The Reason Why Many Cannot Find Peace.
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It was on this text, in which he said, he's talking about people who can't find peace.
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He said, now I fear that comfort is misplaced in these cases.
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When we have endeavored to cheer such people,
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I fear we may have been filming over a wound which needs a sharp knife rather than a soft bandage,
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a keen lancet rather than a healing liniment.
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We shall try at this time to show certain uneasy souls why they do not obtain peace
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and what they must be brought to by the Holy Spirit before they can rightly claim that they are saved.
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Though our words may be somewhat caustic, they will be uttered in loving faithfulness.
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And may the Lord our God make them effectual to the ending of the inner strife
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and the establishment of settled peace."
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Now that is the great labor of the preacher,
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to open up God's word to people
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and to grab a hold of this ancient text,
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all of its cultural complication and language challenges,
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with one hand,
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and to grab a hold of a people with the other
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and pull them together.
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How does this mean something for us today
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and on into this next week
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and on for forever?
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But we don't all come to our gatherings in the same state of soul.
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This is broad discipling that's happening right now.
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Where exactly each and every person is in this room
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or across the hall or perhaps listening to the recording of this sometime later,
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it's very difficult to know.
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I'm a fan of smaller congregations and meeting in person
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because there's a greater likelihood that I might know, right?
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As I pray for our members and think about you,
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I may have some sense of the state of your soul,
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but I'm not God.
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It's hard to really know what's going on.
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There are guests here.
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I'm looking at faces I've never seen before.
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So it's a challenge.
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It's a labor of a preacher to try to do this.
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So the preacher must have many kinds of people in mind
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when he prepares to preach
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and while he's preaching.
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And so to do this,
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I try to think with varied success.
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I don't know that I do this very well,
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but I try to think in five different categories.
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Try to think of categories of people
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who may come and hear God's word opened.
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Number one, the weary.
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Those who have suffered much this past week
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or have attempted to work to earn God's favor
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and are just tired.
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Just come here feeling beat down,
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feeling their failure,
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and need to be reminded of the gospel.
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You need to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ.
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Jesus' finished work,
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made real for you.
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I also try to have in mind the wayward.
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Those who have imperceptibly drifted
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from their first love
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and the holiness that accompanies a pursuit of him.
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They've just forgotten,
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just grown a bit cold.
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The anchor was taken up
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and they're getting drawn out to sea.
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And they need to be reminded of the gospel.
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I try to have in mind the proud.
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Those who believe that they have done enough
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this past week.
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Who come and say,
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I'm alright.
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I pulled it off this past week.
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Enough to earn his favor,
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thinking they're better than others.
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And they need to be reminded
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of the gospel.
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They need to be reminded
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there's nothing we could do.
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We were utterly wretched
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apart from Christ.
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I try to keep in mind
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the lazy.
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Those who have grown apathetic
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in their zeal for the Lord
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and his ways.
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Who just have stopped really caring
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about living for the life to come.
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Are consumed with the life that is now.
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And they need to be reminded
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of the gospel.
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And finally,
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try to have in mind
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the lost.
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Those who have never heard the gospel
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or have heard the gospel
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and have never placed saving faith
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in the Lord Jesus Christ
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for the salvation
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of their souls.
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And I think there's application
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for all of these categories
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today.
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But maybe most particularly
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for the last.
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You came to church this morning
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not just interested
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but thinking that you're in Christ.
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Actually thinking,
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I am a Christian.
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And I would just like for you to perhaps,
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not that I want to cast doubt
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into your souls,
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but maybe just get you to stop
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and think,
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but what if
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I'm not?
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So there may be more categories.
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But generally,
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I think this framework
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serves a congregation well.
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However,
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it would take too much time
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and it's not ever my attempt
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to sort and label you
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into these categories
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so neatly.
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Because I don't have the power
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to view and assess
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your souls.
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I'm encouraged that James
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also doesn't seem
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to try to do so.
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He is concerned
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for the state
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of his original audience's
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souls, right?
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He's hearing about things
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that are happening
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in these churches.
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He's hearing about
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unacceptable things
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that are happening.
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The way they speak,
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the way they're showing
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preferential treatment
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to one another,
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the way they're
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friends with the world.
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Perhaps,
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we just see in the beginning
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of chapter 4,
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perhaps,
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somebody professing to know Christ
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killed somebody.
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It's quite possible.
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You do not have
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and so you murder.
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But in James 1.16,
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he simply states,
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do not be deceived,
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my beloved brothers.
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And in James 3.10,
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he says,
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my brothers,
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these things
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ought not be so.
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He assumes
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their professions
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are genuine,
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but he is careful
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to instruct them
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to test
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the genuineness
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of said
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professions.
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So that's the context.
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That's where our text lies.
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It's in the midst
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of that.
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This is his mind.
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It's his concern
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and it's my concern
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for us
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this morning.
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So with that context
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in mind,
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I want to read the text
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one more time.
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Right?
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Maybe some of it
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will begin to already
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kind of be enlightened
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for you as you go,
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oh,
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I see what James
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is doing here
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with them
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and with us.
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He says,
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submit yourselves,
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therefore,
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to God.
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Resist the devil
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and he will flee from you.
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Draw near to God
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and he will draw near
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to you.
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Cleanse your hands,
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you sinners,
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and purify your hearts,
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you double-minded.
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Be wretched
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and mourn
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and weep.
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Let your laughter
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be turned to mourning
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and your joy
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to gloom.
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Humble yourselves
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before the Lord
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and he will exalt you.
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We see in this passage,
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number one,
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a comprehensive
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command,
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an all-inclusive,
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a wide,
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overarching command,
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the first part
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of verse seven,
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submit yourselves,
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therefore,
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to God.
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And at the end
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of the passage,
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we see a summary
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command,
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which is that
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accompanied by
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wonderful promise.
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Humble yourselves
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before the Lord
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and he will exalt you.
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And then I would
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submit to you
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that in between
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those two,
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a comprehensive command,
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this is our two-point
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summary today,
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a comprehensive command
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and a summary command,
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there are five
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explanatory commands.
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Last half of verse seven
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and through verse nine.
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So if we're being
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comprehensively commanded
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to submit ourselves
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to God,
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how,
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what must we do
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to be in submission
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to our God?
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And I think those commands,
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those five,
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help us to understand
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what that looks like.
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So let's look first
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at a comprehensive command.
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Submit yourselves,
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therefore,
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to God.
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And he says,
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therefore,
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so we must back up
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a little bit
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and to chapter four
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and verse six,
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where James,
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right,
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but he gives more grace.
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Therefore,
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it says,
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and he's quoting
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Proverbs 3,
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34,
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God opposes the proud,
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but gives grace
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to the humble.
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Those who are willing
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to recognize
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that they are created
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and then rightly
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submit themselves
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to their creator,
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right?
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And God gives grace
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to those who will
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submit themselves
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to God.
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And this is why he says,
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submit yourselves,
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therefore,
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to God.
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Submission is not a thing
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that the unregenerate person
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naturally gravitates toward.
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In fact,
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naturally,
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the unconverted person
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gravitates away
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from submission.
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Submitting is not a thing
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that a regenerate person does
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without an ongoing intervention
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of the Holy Spirit
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in our lives,
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right?
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Given to our flesh,
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we will tend to not want
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to submit to authority.
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We are very inclined
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to go our own way.
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We are very inclined
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to think that we know best
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and can govern our lives best,
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right?
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I am me,
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therefore,
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I know what I need
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better than anyone else.
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And this is just not true.
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Just think,
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our entire national identity
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is founded in the idea
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of casting off a despot
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that we might govern ourselves.
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But even our founders
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intended for our experiment
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in liberty
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to be one of ordered liberty.
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And they knew
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that our people
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would have to have
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an even higher authority
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for the experiment
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to find any success.
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It's unraveling in our day
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because so many of our nation
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do not have a higher authority
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that they submit to.
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We as a culture
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find ourselves
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applauding the trailblazer,
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the rule breaker,
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the rogue,
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right?
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We love this fierce,
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wild individualism,
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right?
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Cast off anything
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that might tell you
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you must look like this
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or do such and such.
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And I think that permeates
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our very nature
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and it extends
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to other things
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as well.
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People have a difficult time
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submitting themselves.
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themselves.
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But every created thing
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belongs to its creator.
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Nothing created
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has any right
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to declare
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what it wants to do.
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This cup,
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when I want to pick it up
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and drink water out of it,
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will be picked up
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and I will drink water out of it.
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And the cup cannot say no.
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And you might go,
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well, that seems very obvious.
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We are like the cup.
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We have a creator
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who has a right
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to demand
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how it is
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we're meant
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to act.
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Our creator
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has absolute
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authority.
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He created
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all things
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and he does not
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relinquish
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that authority.
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Charles Spurgeon,
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same sermon.
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I don't remember
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how many times
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I quote Spurgeon in this.
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If I do though,
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it's all from that same sermon.
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Spurgeon said,
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common sense
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teaches
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that rebellion
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against omnipotence,
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which is absolute power,
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rebellion against
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omnipotence
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is both
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insanity
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and blasphemy.
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The great trouble
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with mankind,
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the great trouble
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with us
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is that we have
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disregarded
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this
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common
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sense
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and it's not
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a new trouble.
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It was the trouble
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that caused
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all the trouble.
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in the garden,
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Adam and Eve
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disregarding the good
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commands of God
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and seeking to govern
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themselves.
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It was the trouble
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of Israel
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before and after
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the Exodus,
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setting aside
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the good commands
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of God
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for the idols
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of the nations
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and it remains
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and it remains
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our trouble.
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Submission to God,
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James tells us,
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is comprehensive.
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He says,
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submit
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yourselves.
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This is
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all-inclusive.
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James says,
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our very being
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must be placed
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under the rule
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of God.
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every bit
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of you,
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body and soul,
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your mind
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and your affections,
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your desires,
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your will,
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must be given
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to him
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in allegiance.
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Every day
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of your week,
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every ounce
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of you
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must be given
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to God.
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Now,
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at this point,
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if this feels
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burdensome
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to you,
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if this feels
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in any way
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oppressive
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to you,
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please hear me.
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Submission
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to God
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is not
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a displeasurable
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thing.
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God is the creator
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and God
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knows
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best.
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Those of you
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who know me
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know that I'm
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a fairly
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controlling person.
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I like things
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in my life
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to be just
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so-so.
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And a lot of you
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joke about
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some of those things
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that actually
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don't really matter
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to me that much.
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I straighten the chairs
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almost every Sunday.
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And when you all leave,
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I go,
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I can't believe
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how crooked
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these chairs are.
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I straighten them again.
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And it's fine.
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I'm at peace
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with that.
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It's okay.
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If I didn't know
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the creator,
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right,
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God Almighty,
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the one who is
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powerful to control
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all things
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and knows
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what's best,
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I would be a mess.
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I was sharing
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with a brother
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just this past week.
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I don't know
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that I would still
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be alive.
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I don't know
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that I could handle
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how much in my life
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is actually
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out of control.
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the older I get
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and the more
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I realize
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how little
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I can affect
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the things
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in my world
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if I didn't know
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the one who is
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in control.
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I control so little.
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And that's good
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when we realize
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how desperately
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we need
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a creator
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who is
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in control.
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It's not displeasurable
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to submit yourself
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to God.
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God is so full
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of goodness
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and loving kindness
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to those
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who will submit
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themselves to him
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that he will not
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command us
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to do anything
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harmful
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or forbid us
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to do anything
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beneficial
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and he gets
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to define
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those terms.
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What is good
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for us?
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Romans 8,
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28,
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and 29.
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You know this,
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right?
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It's in the zeitgeist
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and we know
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that for those
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who love God
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all things work
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together for good
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for those
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who are called
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according
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to his purpose.
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Those who love God
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all things
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every circumstance
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whatever it is
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we're walking through
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they're for good.
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Right?
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And we don't have to
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wonder what is that good?
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What's the mystery?
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Someday maybe
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I'll know
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because verse 29 says
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for those
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whom he foreknew
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he also predestined
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to be conformed
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to the image
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of his son.
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This is the great good
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that God is working
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in all things
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our holiness.
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Right?
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That we might look
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more like Christ
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and gain
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more of Christ
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in our lives.
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It is a wonderful thing
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to submit yourself
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to God.
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It's a wonderful thing
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to give up control
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to get off the throne
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and let God reign
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in your life.
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And if God
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does not reign
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in your life
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in an ever-growing measure
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none of us
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or doing this
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with perfection
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then you may
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not be saved.
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It is possible
20:52
that you've made
20:53
some mental assent
20:55
to the gospel
20:56
of Jesus Christ
20:56
but you still
20:58
love your control.
21:00
You still want
21:00
to be a friend
21:01
with the world
21:02
and this
21:03
is to be an enemy
21:04
of God.
21:06
So,
21:07
what does it look like
21:08
to submit
21:09
ourselves to God?
21:10
How might we
21:11
submit ourselves
21:12
to God?
21:14
James gives us
21:15
five explanatory
21:16
commands.
21:18
Number one,
21:20
resist the devil.
21:22
By which I believe
21:23
that James
21:24
means resist
21:25
all
21:26
sin.
21:28
I think there's
21:29
a spiritual battle
21:31
reality to what
21:32
he's saying here
21:32
but I don't think
21:33
he just means
21:33
that.
21:34
Again,
21:35
contextually,
21:35
I think he means
21:37
resist
21:37
all sin.
21:40
Whatever its source
21:41
might be,
21:41
whether it's the
21:42
temptation that the
21:43
devil brings
21:43
or our own
21:44
flesh,
21:45
we do battle
21:46
in the spiritual
21:47
realm and we
21:48
must be awakened
21:49
to this
21:50
reality.
21:52
If we are
21:53
submitted to God,
21:54
we must resist
21:55
the ways
21:56
of the devil.
21:58
We cannot
21:59
have two
22:00
masters.
22:03
We must
22:03
resist.
22:04
It takes
22:05
work.
22:06
And here
22:08
we find
22:09
a promise.
22:11
This is a
22:12
great promise.
22:14
Resist
22:14
the devil
22:15
and he will
22:17
flee from you.
22:19
Beloved,
22:20
sin has
22:20
no power
22:21
over you.
22:23
If you are
22:23
in Christ,
22:24
you have been
22:25
set free
22:26
from sin.
22:27
Romans
22:28
chapter 6.
22:30
It does not
22:31
have power
22:31
and you
22:32
should stop
22:33
living as if
22:34
it does.
22:37
Some of you
22:38
are in Christ
22:38
and you just
22:39
grant power
22:40
back to sin.
22:41
It has no
22:42
power over
22:44
you.
22:45
This will take
22:45
activity on
22:46
your part.
22:48
You will have
22:48
to hold
22:49
on to Christ.
22:50
You will have
22:51
to love the
22:52
ways of God
22:53
to resist
22:54
the devil.
22:56
It takes
22:56
activity,
22:57
but it is
22:58
accompanied
22:59
by the grace
23:00
of God.
23:02
God will give
23:02
you the power.
23:03
If you're in
23:03
Christ,
23:04
God has
23:04
given to
23:05
you his
23:05
spirit and
23:06
he will
23:06
give you
23:06
the power
23:07
to resist
23:09
and have
23:10
the devil
23:10
flee from
23:10
you.
23:12
Think
23:12
practically.
23:14
Paul says
23:14
well in
23:14
1 Corinthians
23:15
10,
23:16
13,
23:18
no temptation
23:19
has overtaken
23:20
you that is
23:21
not common
23:22
to man.
23:23
And I think
23:24
what Paul
23:24
means to be
23:24
communicating
23:25
there is
23:25
don't think
23:26
that there
23:26
are some
23:26
others,
23:27
there are
23:27
some new
23:28
temptation
23:28
that no
23:29
one else
23:29
has experienced
23:29
in life
23:30
and yet
23:31
you have
23:32
now experienced
23:32
it and it
23:33
is too
23:33
powerful for
23:34
you to
23:34
resist.
23:35
It's common.
23:36
Same stuff.
23:38
We're all
23:38
dealing with
23:38
the same
23:39
temptation.
23:40
No temptation
23:41
has overtaken
23:41
you that is
23:42
not common
23:43
to man.
23:44
And I feel
23:45
the Greek
23:45
doesn't have
23:46
it, but I
23:46
almost feel
23:46
like there
23:46
should be
23:47
a but in
23:47
here.
23:47
But God
23:48
is faithful
23:50
and he will
23:52
not let you
23:52
be tempted
23:53
beyond your
23:54
ability.
23:55
But with the
23:56
temptation,
23:57
he will also
23:58
provide the
23:59
way of
23:59
escape that
24:00
you may
24:00
be able
24:01
to endure
24:02
it, to
24:03
resist the
24:05
devil.
24:06
So there
24:07
should be
24:08
in us that
24:09
kind of
24:09
compulsion, a
24:10
hatred of
24:11
sin.
24:11
If you are
24:12
in Christ,
24:13
you will not
24:13
love your
24:14
sin.
24:15
You will
24:15
still sin.
24:17
We are
24:17
not yet
24:17
entirely free
24:19
from our
24:20
flesh.
24:21
You will
24:22
still sin,
24:23
but you've
24:24
been set free
24:24
from the
24:25
power of it
24:25
and you
24:26
shouldn't
24:26
enjoy it.
24:28
When you
24:28
sin, you
24:29
should, here
24:30
I go again.
24:31
The same
24:32
thing, Lord
24:33
deliver me
24:34
from this
24:34
body of
24:36
death.
24:38
Second, we
24:40
are to draw
24:40
near to
24:42
God.
24:43
Another
24:44
command with
24:45
a wonderful
24:46
promise, and
24:47
this is a
24:47
most excellent
24:48
promise.
24:51
Did you see
24:52
that cup of
24:52
bay?
24:52
God's
24:54
God's
24:54
word.
24:54
I think
24:58
that James
24:59
means for
24:59
us to
24:59
understand
25:00
this
25:01
drawing
25:02
near in
25:03
practical
25:03
ways.
25:04
I don't
25:05
think this
25:05
is meant
25:05
to be
25:06
super
25:07
emotional.
25:08
I just
25:08
want to
25:09
draw.
25:09
We
25:10
write a
25:11
song about
25:11
it that
25:12
would sound
25:12
like a
25:12
love
25:13
song.
25:14
I think
25:14
he means
25:15
very
25:15
practically
25:15
study
25:17
God's
25:18
word
25:18
and
25:19
respond
25:20
in
25:20
prayer.
25:22
I think
25:22
this is
25:23
what he
25:23
means.
25:24
God has
25:25
written
25:25
for us
25:26
a book.
25:28
God has
25:28
condescended
25:29
to become
25:31
an author.
25:32
God
25:33
Almighty,
25:33
creator of
25:34
heaven and
25:34
earth.
25:35
We can't
25:35
even kind
25:36
of fathom
25:37
his
25:37
immensity,
25:38
his power.
25:40
We are
25:41
forever.
25:43
Get this,
25:43
if you're
25:43
in Christ,
25:44
you're going
25:44
to be with
25:44
God for
25:45
eternity
25:46
realizing
25:47
his
25:48
immensity
25:48
and his
25:49
power.
25:50
That's an
25:50
astounding
25:51
thing to
25:51
think about.
25:51
We are
25:52
going to
25:52
again and
25:52
again and
25:53
again and
25:54
again receive
25:55
new revelation
25:56
about the
25:56
greatness of
25:57
our God.
25:59
He wrote
26:00
a book
26:00
and we
26:02
neglect it.
26:04
It is a
26:05
precious book.
26:06
Every
26:06
single
26:07
word.
26:10
If you're
26:10
going to
26:10
resist,
26:12
if you're
26:12
going to
26:12
submit yourself
26:13
to God,
26:13
you're going
26:13
to do it
26:14
on his
26:14
terms.
26:16
Be careful
26:17
that you
26:17
don't have
26:17
a God
26:18
of your
26:18
own
26:18
making.
26:19
It is
26:20
incredible
26:21
to me
26:21
the number
26:22
of people
26:22
that profess
26:23
faith in
26:23
Jesus Christ
26:24
and then
26:24
in the
26:24
same breath
26:25
will say
26:26
something
26:26
about God
26:27
that is
26:27
flatly
26:28
untrue
26:29
and not
26:30
unclear
26:31
in the
26:31
Bible.
26:32
God has
26:32
spoken
26:33
to us.
26:35
We're
26:35
going to
26:35
draw near
26:36
to God
26:37
himself.
26:38
We're
26:38
going to
26:38
do it
26:38
in the
26:39
study of
26:40
his
26:40
word and
26:41
then in
26:41
response
26:43
to that
26:44
word.
26:46
Prayer does
26:46
not seek
26:46
to control
26:47
God,
26:48
but to
26:49
find us
26:49
in
26:50
submission
26:50
to him.
26:53
You ever
26:53
had a
26:53
conversation
26:54
with somebody
26:54
and you
26:54
can pretty
26:55
quickly get
26:55
that they
26:56
are not
26:56
listening
26:56
to you?
26:58
You do
26:58
not desire
26:59
to be in
26:59
any kind
27:00
of relationship
27:01
with you
27:01
at all.
27:02
An argument
27:03
especially where
27:03
they're just
27:03
not hearing
27:04
the clear
27:05
things that
27:06
you're saying
27:06
to them
27:07
and their
27:07
responses
27:07
make no
27:08
sense
27:08
whatsoever.
27:10
A lot of
27:11
us speak
27:11
to God
27:11
that way.
27:13
God's
27:13
like,
27:14
why would
27:14
you pray
27:15
that?
27:15
I've
27:16
already
27:16
told you.
27:17
I've
27:18
taught you
27:18
how to
27:19
pray.
27:20
You should
27:20
know the
27:20
things to
27:21
ask for.
27:22
You should
27:22
be directed
27:23
as you
27:24
come near
27:25
to me.
27:27
God speaks
27:28
to us by
27:28
his word
27:29
and we
27:29
respond
27:30
according
27:30
to his
27:31
word
27:32
in prayer.
27:35
Here
27:35
is another
27:36
one,
27:36
Spurgeon.
27:37
Prayer is
27:37
feeling that
27:38
God is
27:38
present and
27:40
the desire
27:40
of the
27:41
soul to
27:41
come near
27:41
to him
27:42
so as
27:43
to know
27:43
his influence,
27:44
to know
27:45
his love,
27:46
to feel
27:47
his power
27:48
and to be
27:49
conformed
27:49
to his
27:50
will.
27:53
If you
27:54
are in
27:54
Christ,
27:55
not with
27:56
perfection,
27:57
but you
27:57
should desire
27:58
to meet
27:59
with God
28:00
in his
28:00
word and
28:00
to respond
28:01
to him
28:01
in prayer.
28:03
And I
28:04
don't want
28:04
to pretend
28:04
for a
28:05
moment that
28:06
I don't
28:06
also struggle
28:07
with the
28:08
habits of
28:08
grace.
28:09
There are
28:10
days that
28:10
it's the
28:11
very thing
28:11
I ought
28:11
to do
28:12
and it's
28:12
the thing
28:12
that I
28:13
don't
28:14
do.
28:15
But in
28:15
ever-growing
28:16
ways,
28:17
I find
28:18
myself
28:19
loving
28:19
God's
28:20
word
28:20
more
28:20
and more
28:21
and more
28:22
as its
28:22
complexity
28:23
is open
28:23
to me,
28:24
as he
28:24
comes to
28:24
alive
28:25
to me
28:25
in the
28:26
text.
28:27
And more
28:27
and more
28:27
I recognize
28:28
that I
28:28
need to
28:29
submit
28:29
myself
28:29
to him
28:30
in prayer.
28:30
I need
28:31
him for
28:31
every
28:32
single
28:33
moment
28:33
of every
28:34
day.
28:35
It should
28:35
be a
28:35
growing
28:36
reality
28:36
in your
28:37
life
28:37
if you
28:38
are in
28:39
Christ.
28:41
We'll take
28:41
the next
28:41
two together
28:42
because they
28:43
really are
28:44
intricately
28:44
connected.
28:46
Number three,
28:47
cleanse your
28:48
hands.
28:48
And number
28:49
four,
28:50
purify your
28:51
hearts.
28:53
James tells
28:54
us that the
28:54
ones submitted
28:55
to God
28:55
will desire
28:56
to give
28:56
up sin.
28:58
Both sins
28:59
external,
29:00
cleanse your
29:01
hands,
29:01
and sins
29:03
internal
29:04
purify
29:05
your
29:06
hearts.
29:07
We should
29:08
want to
29:09
give up
29:09
sin.
29:11
A refusal
29:11
to do so
29:12
is inconsistent
29:13
with submission
29:14
to God.
29:15
You can't
29:16
be a
29:16
friend
29:17
of the
29:18
world
29:18
and a
29:20
friend of
29:20
God.
29:21
If you
29:22
are to
29:22
have God,
29:23
then you'll
29:23
have him
29:24
on his
29:24
terms.
29:26
James has
29:26
made this
29:26
point in
29:27
James chapter
29:27
four in
29:28
verse
29:29
four.
29:30
Here's a
29:31
people he's
29:31
writing to.
29:32
Perhaps this
29:33
morning,
29:34
somebody he's
29:34
writing to
29:35
were trying
29:36
to commit
29:36
themselves in
29:37
two places.
29:39
He says,
29:40
you adulterous
29:42
people.
29:44
My wife's
29:45
name is
29:46
Sam,
29:47
and I've
29:48
committed to
29:48
her as
29:49
my wife.
29:50
And I'm
29:50
not to be
29:50
committed to
29:51
any other
29:51
woman.
29:52
It's my
29:52
wife,
29:53
just Sam.
29:53
Otherwise,
29:54
I would be
29:54
an adulterer.
29:56
This is what
29:56
he's calling
29:57
a person
29:57
who tries
29:58
to live
29:59
in the
29:59
world,
29:59
have the
30:00
things of
30:00
the world,
30:01
and also
30:02
have God.
30:03
And here
30:04
James calls
30:04
this type
30:05
of behavior
30:05
double-minded.
30:07
Double-mindedness.
30:08
As if you
30:08
have two
30:09
brains in
30:09
your head,
30:10
which should
30:12
be an
30:13
impossibility.
30:15
It's not
30:15
the first
30:15
time he's
30:15
used this
30:16
phrase.
30:16
In chapter
30:16
one,
30:17
verse eight,
30:17
he says
30:18
that the
30:18
double-minded
30:18
person is
30:19
unstable in
30:21
all his
30:23
ways.
30:25
Your
30:26
devotion to
30:27
God and
30:27
his ways
30:28
should be
30:29
clear,
30:31
growing in
30:32
its
30:32
clarity.
30:35
And I
30:35
think here
30:36
that James
30:36
likely has
30:37
Psalm 119,
30:39
verse 113
30:40
in mind.
30:42
If you're
30:42
unfamiliar with
30:42
Psalm 119,
30:43
it is all
30:44
about the
30:45
beauty,
30:47
the worth,
30:47
the value
30:48
of God's
30:50
word.
30:51
And here
30:51
the psalmist
30:51
says,
30:52
I hate
30:53
the double-minded,
30:54
but I
30:55
love
30:56
your law.
30:57
He
30:58
juxtaposes
30:58
that, right?
30:59
He's saying,
31:00
I'm not
31:00
double-minded
31:01
because I
31:01
love your
31:02
law.
31:04
I want to
31:04
submit myself
31:05
to your
31:06
law.
31:09
So,
31:10
cleanse your
31:10
hands and
31:11
purify your
31:13
hearts.
31:14
Fifth,
31:16
mourn
31:17
your sin.
31:19
He said,
31:19
be wretched
31:20
and mourn
31:21
and weep.
31:22
Let your
31:22
laughter be
31:22
turned to
31:23
mourning and
31:23
your joy
31:24
to gloom.
31:26
James here
31:27
is not
31:28
contradicting
31:28
all of the
31:29
Bible's
31:29
teaching about
31:30
joy.
31:32
You've
31:32
got to
31:32
place it
31:33
in its
31:34
context.
31:36
Those in
31:36
Christ have
31:37
great reason
31:38
for great
31:39
joy,
31:39
abiding,
31:41
unalterable
31:42
joy.
31:43
James is
31:44
speaking to
31:45
those who
31:45
profess faith
31:46
in Jesus
31:46
Christ,
31:47
and then
31:48
they sin
31:49
with
31:49
frivolity.
31:52
They're
31:52
licentious
31:53
in their
31:54
sinning.
31:55
They treat
31:56
lightly the
31:56
sacrifice of
31:58
Jesus Christ.
31:59
Cheap
32:00
grace.
32:01
They just
32:01
think they
32:01
can go
32:02
off and
32:02
do whatever
32:02
they want
32:03
to do,
32:03
and they
32:03
have a
32:04
great time
32:05
doing it.
32:07
They're like
32:08
the Israelites
32:08
in the days
32:09
of the
32:09
prophet
32:10
Jeremiah.
32:11
This is
32:12
chapter 6,
32:12
verse 13
32:13
and following.
32:15
For from
32:15
the least
32:16
to the
32:16
greatest
32:16
of them,
32:17
everyone
32:18
is greedy
32:18
for unjust
32:19
gain,
32:20
and from
32:20
prophet to
32:21
priest,
32:22
everyone
32:22
deals
32:23
falsely.
32:25
They have
32:26
healed the
32:26
wound of
32:27
my people
32:27
lightly,
32:28
saying,
32:29
peace,
32:30
peace,
32:31
when there
32:31
is no
32:32
peace.
32:33
Were they
32:34
ashamed when
32:35
they committed
32:35
abomination?
32:37
No,
32:38
they were not
32:38
at all ashamed.
32:40
They did not
32:41
know how to
32:42
blush.
32:42
Therefore,
32:43
they shall
32:44
fall among
32:44
those who
32:45
fall.
32:45
At the
32:46
time that
32:46
I punish
32:47
them,
32:47
they shall
32:48
be
32:48
overthrown,
32:50
says the
32:52
Lord.
32:53
We should
32:54
not sin
32:55
lightly.
32:57
All of
32:58
this effort
32:58
that James
32:59
is talking
32:59
about,
32:59
all of
33:00
these
33:00
submitting
33:01
explanatory
33:02
commands,
33:03
we will
33:03
not do
33:03
with
33:03
perfection,
33:04
but when
33:04
we fail
33:05
to do
33:06
them,
33:06
we should
33:07
mourn
33:07
our sin.
33:10
Jesus in
33:11
Matthew
33:11
chapter 5,
33:12
the Sermon
33:13
on the
33:13
Mount,
33:13
called the
33:14
Beatitudes,
33:15
he says,
33:16
blessed,
33:17
you could
33:17
insert there,
33:18
happy or
33:19
joyful,
33:20
are those
33:21
who
33:22
mourn,
33:24
for they
33:25
shall be
33:26
comforted.
33:27
We're
33:28
mourning,
33:28
we're mourning
33:28
over our
33:30
fallen condition,
33:32
even though
33:32
we've been
33:32
redeemed in
33:33
Christ,
33:35
longing for
33:35
that day
33:36
when he
33:36
will make
33:37
all things
33:38
new.
33:38
We'll put
33:38
off these
33:39
bodies of
33:39
death,
33:40
we'll be
33:40
given
33:40
resurrection
33:41
bodies,
33:41
when we
33:42
can sin
33:43
no more,
33:44
that will
33:44
be our
33:45
glorified
33:45
state.
33:47
I think
33:48
that as we
33:48
await that,
33:49
the Christian
33:50
should be
33:50
all at
33:51
once the
33:52
most sad
33:53
and the
33:54
most happy
33:55
of people,
33:56
all at the
33:57
same time.
33:59
Sad because
33:59
we know the
34:00
weight of our
34:00
own sin and
34:01
that of the
34:02
world,
34:04
happy because
34:05
we've been
34:05
delivered from
34:06
it,
34:06
and know that
34:07
one day
34:08
it'll all be
34:09
fixed.
34:09
Thomas Adams,
34:12
this is the
34:12
quotation on
34:13
your bulletin,
34:14
said,
34:14
we spend our
34:15
years with
34:15
sighing,
34:16
it is a
34:17
valley of
34:17
tears,
34:18
but death
34:19
is the
34:19
funeral of
34:20
all our
34:21
sorrows.
34:23
So we have
34:24
this comprehensive
34:25
command,
34:25
submit yourselves
34:26
therefore to
34:28
God,
34:28
and the five
34:29
explanatory
34:30
commands that
34:30
accompany it.
34:32
Second point
34:33
is a summary
34:33
command accompanied
34:34
by a promise,
34:36
and this is
34:36
brief, I promise,
34:38
so here we go.
34:39
Humble yourselves
34:40
before the
34:41
Lord, and
34:42
he will exalt
34:43
you.
34:44
If we are
34:45
submitted to
34:46
God, then the
34:46
posture of our
34:47
hearts will be
34:49
humility.
34:50
The emotional
34:51
position of
34:52
submission,
34:53
right, is
34:54
humility,
34:55
recognizing that
34:56
we are not
34:56
God, and
34:57
that he is,
34:58
that we get
34:59
our very being
34:59
and we need
35:00
everything from
35:02
him.
35:03
If we have
35:03
not come to
35:04
the end of
35:04
ourselves,
35:05
recognize that
35:06
we are nothing,
35:07
we have nothing,
35:08
and we can do
35:09
nothing apart
35:10
from God,
35:12
then we do
35:12
not deserve
35:13
his mercy
35:14
and grace,
35:14
which he
35:15
freely grants
35:16
to the
35:17
humble in
35:18
the personal
35:18
work of
35:20
Jesus Christ.
35:22
Psalm 51,
35:23
verse 17,
35:23
the psalmist
35:24
write,
35:24
the sacrifices
35:25
of God
35:26
are a broken
35:27
spirit,
35:29
a broken
35:30
and contrite
35:31
heart,
35:32
O God,
35:33
you will
35:33
not despise.
35:35
and the
35:36
humble heart
35:37
is given
35:38
this glorious
35:39
promise,
35:41
and he
35:41
will
35:42
exalt you.
35:45
So in
35:46
closing,
35:46
you can
35:46
leave James,
35:47
turn with
35:48
me to
35:48
Matthew
35:48
chapter 20,
35:51
as I
35:54
command this
35:54
cup to
35:55
wet my
35:56
whistle.
35:56
I think
36:14
this little
36:14
picture in
36:15
the life of
36:16
Jesus and
36:16
the disciples
36:17
is very
36:18
helpful and
36:19
instructive as
36:19
Jesus teaches
36:20
as well in
36:21
it.
36:22
Humble
36:22
yourselves
36:23
before the
36:24
Lord and
36:24
he will
36:25
exalt you.
36:26
I'll begin
36:26
reading in
36:26
verse 17.
36:28
And as
36:28
Jesus was
36:29
going up to
36:29
Jerusalem,
36:30
he took
36:31
the twelve
36:31
disciples aside
36:32
and on the
36:33
way he
36:33
said to
36:34
them,
36:35
see,
36:36
we are
36:36
going up
36:37
to Jerusalem
36:37
and the
36:39
Son of
36:39
Man will
36:40
be delivered
36:40
over to
36:40
the chief
36:41
priests
36:41
and scribes
36:43
and they
36:43
will condemn
36:44
him to
36:45
death and
36:46
deliver him
36:46
over to
36:47
the Gentiles
36:47
to be mocked
36:48
and flogged
36:49
and crucified
36:49
and he
36:50
will be
36:51
raised on
36:52
the third
36:53
day.
36:53
Now,
36:54
they,
36:55
as they
36:56
hear this,
36:58
they're hearing
36:58
Son of Man
36:59
from the
36:59
book of
37:00
Daniel,
37:00
a forever
37:01
king,
37:02
a reigning
37:02
forever
37:03
king.
37:04
And they
37:04
had recognized
37:05
this is who
37:05
he was,
37:06
so then he
37:07
says,
37:07
but I'm
37:08
going to be
37:08
condemned
37:09
to death
37:10
and delivered
37:10
to the
37:11
Gentiles
37:11
and I'm
37:12
going to
37:12
be crucified
37:12
and of
37:13
course the
37:14
glorious
37:14
promise of
37:15
his
37:15
resurrection.
37:18
But they're
37:19
confused by
37:20
this.
37:20
What's that
37:21
going to
37:21
look like?
37:22
Wait a
37:22
second,
37:22
that seems
37:23
backwards
37:24
and upside
37:25
down.
37:27
So verse
37:28
20 says,
37:28
then the
37:29
mother of
37:30
the sons
37:30
of Zebedee
37:31
came up
37:31
to him
37:32
with her
37:32
sons and
37:32
kneeling
37:33
before him
37:33
she asked
37:34
him for
37:34
something.
37:35
And he
37:35
said to
37:36
her,
37:36
do you
37:37
want?
37:38
She said
37:39
to him,
37:40
say that
37:40
these two
37:41
sons of
37:41
mine are
37:42
to sit
37:42
one at
37:42
your right
37:43
hand and
37:43
one at
37:44
your left
37:44
in your
37:45
kingdom.
37:46
Jesus
37:47
answered,
37:48
you do
37:48
not know
37:49
what you
37:50
are asking.
37:50
are you
37:51
able to
37:52
drink the
37:53
cup that
37:54
I am to
37:54
drink?
37:55
They said
37:56
to him,
37:57
we are
37:58
able.
37:59
Now he's
37:59
talking about
38:00
the cup of
38:00
the wrath,
38:01
eternal wrath
38:02
of God.
38:04
And they
38:05
arrogantly say
38:06
we are
38:06
able.
38:07
He said
38:08
to them,
38:08
you will
38:09
drink my
38:10
cup.
38:11
And here
38:11
he's talking
38:11
now about
38:12
the suffering,
38:13
filling up
38:13
the afflictions
38:14
of Christ.
38:15
Christ,
38:16
but to
38:16
sit at
38:17
my right
38:17
hand and
38:18
at my
38:18
left is
38:18
not mine
38:19
to grant,
38:20
but it
38:20
is for
38:20
those for
38:21
whom it
38:21
has been
38:21
prepared by
38:23
my father.
38:25
And when
38:25
the ten heard
38:26
it,
38:26
they were
38:26
indignant
38:27
at the
38:28
two brothers.
38:30
But Jesus
38:31
called them
38:32
to him
38:32
and said,
38:34
you know
38:34
that the
38:35
rulers of
38:35
the Gentiles
38:36
lord it
38:37
over them
38:37
and their
38:38
great ones
38:39
exercise
38:39
authority
38:40
over them.
38:42
It shall
38:43
not be
38:44
so among
38:45
you.
38:47
But whoever
38:48
would be
38:48
great among
38:49
you must
38:50
be your
38:51
servant.
38:52
And whoever
38:52
would be
38:53
first among
38:53
you must
38:55
be your
38:55
slave.
38:56
Even as
38:57
the son of
38:58
man came
38:58
not to
39:00
be served,
39:01
but to
39:02
serve and
39:03
to give his
39:04
life as a
39:05
ransom for
39:07
many.
39:08
And we
39:09
know now
39:10
and in a
39:12
future coming
39:13
reality,
39:13
the name of
39:14
Christ,
39:14
every knee
39:16
will bow
39:16
and every
39:17
tongue will
39:17
confess that
39:18
Jesus Christ
39:19
is Lord.
39:20
He has
39:21
been and
39:22
will be for
39:22
eternity
39:23
exalted.
39:24
And we
39:25
will join in
39:25
that wonderful
39:26
celebration and
39:27
be glorified
39:28
alongside if
39:30
we will be
39:31
humble.
39:33
So we see
39:34
in this text
39:35
a sobering,
39:37
extremely
39:38
important,
39:39
of highest,
39:40
greatest importance,
39:42
comprehensive
39:42
command.
39:45
Submit
39:45
yourselves
39:46
therefore
39:47
to God.
39:49
And a
39:50
summary command
39:51
which is
39:52
accompanied
39:52
by a
39:53
glorious
39:54
promise.
39:55
Humble
39:56
yourselves
39:56
before the
39:57
Lord.
39:58
He will
39:58
exalt you.
40:00
Let's pray
40:01
together.
40:01
as