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All Charges Dropped · Stornoway Free Church of Scotland - Sermons

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Romans 8 and looking at verse 33.
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Who shall bring any charge against God's elect?
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! It is God who justifies.
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!
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It is important for us to follow the Lord Jesus Christ.
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Particularly if we have been following the Lord for a long time,
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it is important for us often to just stop and to reflect and to remember
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what it is that God the Father did
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and what it is that God the Son did for us
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and what God the Holy Spirit continues to do for us
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and Christ interceding for us.
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And this chapter is one of these chapters that brings before us in a very, very clear way.
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It is a chapter, and particularly this latter part,
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it is a tremendous encouragement of assurance
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because it is something that quite often we can grapple with,
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our assurance, being assured of our faith.
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Sometimes we are so assured,
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we are absolutely sure that we belong to the Lord Jesus Christ,
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no doubt whatever.
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And for some Christians,
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they spend a lot of their lives like that.
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But many don't.
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Many struggle at different times
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with a whole sense of assurance.
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And at the heart of all that the Apostle is reminding of us here
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is that God is for us.
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That God is not against us.
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That as a believer, God is for us.
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And that is an incredible statement in itself.
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If God be for us, who can be against us?
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So that means God is for us.
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The creator of this world,
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the one who brought all things into being by the word of his power,
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he is for you.
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You are precious to him,
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far more precious than you or I ever realize.
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He will never forget you.
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He will never fall out with you.
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He'll never disown you.
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He'll never not be there for you.
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He's committed to you completely.
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And every day we should remember that,
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because there are times in our experience
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when we say, like Jacob said,
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remember,
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he said,
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all these things are against me.
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And yet,
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Jacob was to discover by the end of his life,
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far than being against him,
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they were actually all working together
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for his good
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and for God's people's good.
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But sometimes when we're going through the difficult times
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and things aren't working out
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and God's providence is mysterious
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and we're struggling,
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we kind of echo Jacob's sentiments
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and say,
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all these things are against us
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or against me.
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Well,
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it certainly wasn't.
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As the Lord says in Jeremiah,
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I know the plans that I have for you,
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plans for peace
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are not of evil
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to give you a future and a hope.
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Now,
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Paul is arguing here and saying,
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he's displaying how much God is for us
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and he's saying,
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if God has done the greatest thing possible for us,
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it is inconceivable
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but that he will do the lesser things as well.
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And the greatest thing that he did
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was in giving his son.
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Giving his son
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to a life
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that ended up in pain,
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in torture,
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in abuse,
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in crucifixion,
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in abandonment,
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in the full experiencing
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of the wrath of God
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and death itself.
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That's what the father gave the son up to.
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That's what God gave his son up to
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for you and for me.
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And that's what the son gave himself up to
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for you and for me.
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So,
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if God has done this for us,
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the greatest thing possible,
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then,
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obviously,
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that's the argument here,
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he will do the lesser things as well.
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That was Jesus' own argument,
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remember,
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when he was talking about how God cares for us.
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He even cares for the lilies,
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for the birds in the air.
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He cares even for the lilies.
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And if God cares about the grass
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that grows on the ground,
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how much more will he
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but care for you as well?
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And so,
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Paul then goes on to ask this question,
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who shall bring,
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that's what he's saying,
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who shall bring any charge
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against God's elect?
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The election of God
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is one of the most wonderful
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statements,
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truths,
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that we have
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in the word of God.
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And it's hard for us,
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we cannot,
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to even begin to imagine,
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but before ever we were,
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God has set his love upon us.
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Now,
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I know our minds can't process that.
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It is beyond human comprehension
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because we're dealing
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from where we are
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here in time
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into eternity.
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And it is beyond
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our understanding.
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But faith
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believes it.
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You have no problem
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with your faith
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in accepting that
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and believing
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that from all eternity,
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God
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has set his love upon you.
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And he knows
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everything about us,
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all our yesterdays
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and every yesterday
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of our life.
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Because as the scripture
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tells us,
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that a thousand years
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are but as yesterday
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and as a watch
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in the night.
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So God knows
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everything about us
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in intimate detail.
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But going way back
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into the councils
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of eternity,
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we find that God
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set his love
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upon us.
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And I find this
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one of the most
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comforting truths
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that we can ever find
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in scripture.
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Because you see,
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part of our problem
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is that we often
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wonder,
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did I start right?
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I'm here tonight
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as a Christian,
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you're saying,
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but did I start right?
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And if I didn't
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start right,
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maybe I have been
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mistaken all the way
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along.
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Because you look
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at your life
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and you see
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all the inconsistencies,
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you see the failures,
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you're aware of
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who you are
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and what you are
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and so often
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we say,
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well maybe,
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maybe,
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maybe it was simply
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because of a very
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difficult providence
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that I was going through
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and I said to the Lord,
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Lord,
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you've got to help me here
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and you've asked the Lord
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to come in
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to your life.
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But then you're saying
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as the time goes on,
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maybe I didn't
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ask Christ
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to come in,
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maybe I didn't,
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maybe I didn't
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make a decision,
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maybe,
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and sometimes
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we can torment
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ourselves
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with all these
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kind of thoughts,
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maybe,
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maybe I didn't
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start right.
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Have you ever
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asked yourself that
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and you're thinking,
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here I am
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all these years later
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and what if I,
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what if,
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what if it's not
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real faith?
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Well,
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here's the beauty
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of it.
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It didn't start
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with you.
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It started
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with the Lord.
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And the Lord
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is in charge
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of the providences
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and all the different
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things in our lives.
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And every person
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here has a different
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experience
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of how you came
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to start
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following the Lord.
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And following
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is a lovely
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biblical expression
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of what a Christian
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is,
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to follow the Lord.
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Jesus says that
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often,
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to follow me.
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Follow me.
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And that's what we do
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as Christians,
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we follow the Lord.
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And you began
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to follow the Lord
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because the Lord
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had set his love
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upon you.
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He had always
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set his love,
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but there was a
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particular point
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in your life
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when he said
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he began to work
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in your heart
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and in your life.
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And it might be
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through lots
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of different experiences.
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And the reason
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that you're still
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following tonight
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is because
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you are
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following the Lord
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because of his love.
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And you can't
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turn back,
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you can't go away,
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you've experienced,
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there's been lots of things
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that have happened
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in your life
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which could,
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from a natural
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point of view,
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would cause shipwreck
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and cause you
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to go back,
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but you haven't
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because you're rooted
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to him
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and you're grounded
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in him
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because of his love.
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And it's his love
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to you
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that is at the
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start of it all.
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You notice
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when in verse 35
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the apostle says,
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who shall separate us
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not from,
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who shall separate
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us
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our love
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for Christ,
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but no,
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it's his.
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Who shall separate us
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from the love
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of Christ?
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If it was looking
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simply at our love,
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then you'd put,
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but whatever love
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we have
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is as a result
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of his love
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to us.
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And that is
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an incredible comfort
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because it gets rid
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of all the problems
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that we have
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about,
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maybe I didn't
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start right
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or what.
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It's because of
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his love
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that worked
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in your heart
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and produced
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a love for him
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and the things
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of God
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that you tonight
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are following him.
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And so this is
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where the great
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encouragement is
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because Jesus
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had said,
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all that the
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Father gives me,
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everyone,
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all that the
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Father gives me
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will come to me
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and him that
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cometh to me
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I will in no
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wise cast out.
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So we have
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the two sides
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of it there.
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We have
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the Father's
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giving of the
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people to Christ
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and in time
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they come to
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Christ
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and Christ
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will turn
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none of them
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away.
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Now some people
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say,
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you've got to be
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careful about
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mentioning election
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because people
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will say
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they'll hide
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behind and we
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know that some
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people do hide
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behind the
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doctrine of
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election and
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they say,
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well if I'm
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going to be
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saved,
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I'll be
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saved anyway
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and if I'm
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not going to
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be saved,
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well there's
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nothing I
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can do about
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it.
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Well scripture
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certainly is not
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silent on the
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doctrine of
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election and
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we find that
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the great
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apostles who
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preached the
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doctrine of
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election saw
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thousands coming
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to faith under
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their preaching.
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You'll see how
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much Peter talks
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about election and
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yet Peter was a
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very one,
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thousands were
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converted as he
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preached.
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And of
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course when we
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preach we have
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to give both
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sides because we
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have our
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responsibility as
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well.
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And we're told
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that what we are
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to do, we're
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never told to
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just sit and
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fold our arms and
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wait for God to
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work.
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We're told to
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search and to
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seek and we're
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told we're given
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great promises to
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knock, to ask, to
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search, to seek,
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to pray.
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And if we do so
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sincerely and
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with all our
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heart God will
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honour that and
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respond to that.
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So the question
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is asked here,
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who shall bring
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any charge
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against God's
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elector, against
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the believer?
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Now in order to
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understand this we
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have to put
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ourselves into the
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courtroom because
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we're talking legal
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terms here.
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Here's the court
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in session.
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And the call is
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made.
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And here you
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are in the
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box.
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And the call is
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made, can anybody
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bring any charge
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against this
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person?
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There you are as
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a believer.
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So as we say,
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it's a legal
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term.
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We're talking
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legally in God's
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sight.
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And we know
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that there are
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many who can
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bring charges.
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We know that
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Satan brings
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charges all the
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time.
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If we could see
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behind the scenes
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and see how many
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charges Satan
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is bringing
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about us
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before God.
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We're told that
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in Revelation.
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For the accuser
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of the brethren
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is cast down
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which accused
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them before our
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God day and
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night.
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Now we know
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it's an awful
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thing to stand
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accused.
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And the devil
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is an expert
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at accusing
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us.
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And he brings
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up before us
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so much.
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He'll bring
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your past.
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And he'll bring,
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particularly since
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you became a
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Christian.
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You may not
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bother too much
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about your life
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before you
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were a Christian.
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I'll bother
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with that as
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well.
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But particularly
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since you
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became a
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Christian.
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You'll say
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call yourself
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a Christian.
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You remember
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what you said.
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You remember
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what you did.
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Remember these
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times.
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Remember.
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Remember.
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And all these
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things can
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really, really
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bring you down.
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But you know
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the wonderful
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thing is that
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not one
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accusation that
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is brought
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against the
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Christian will
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stick.
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Who shall
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bring any
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charge?
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Well, as you
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say, the world
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can.
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There are five
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things in
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operation.
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There's sin.
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There's Satan.
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There's the law
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of God.
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There's death.
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And there's hell.
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And these five
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things bring us
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into condemnation.
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These five things
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are what are going
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to destroy us.
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because we're
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regarding the
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law of God.
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Not that the
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law of God is
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evil.
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It is anything
13:45
but it is
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perfect.
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But we are all
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required to
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adhere every
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single day in
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thought, word,
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and deed to
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God's law.
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To live it
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perfectly.
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And if we fail
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at any point,
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we are guilty of
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failing in
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everything.
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And that means
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nobody, nobody
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can fulfill
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God's law.
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We are all
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under condemnation.
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We are all
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naturally under
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the wrath of
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God.
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We are all
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standing accused.
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But of course
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this is what
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the Lord Jesus
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has done.
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Because Jesus
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came.
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Jesus came and
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he fulfilled the
14:23
law.
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And Jesus is
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the one who
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experienced all
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the wrath and
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all the
14:30
condemnation of
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God.
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And the thing
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is this, at the
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moment that we're
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born again, we
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are justified.
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Remember,
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justification is a
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legal act.
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We don't become
14:45
more justified than
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the very first
14:48
moment we become
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justified.
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It means that as
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God looks on us,
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when we come to
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accept Christ,
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God looks on us
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as somebody whose
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sins have been
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forgiven and
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pardoned.
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That's part of what
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he does.
15:05
says, your sins
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and your
15:07
iniquities, I
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will remember
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no more.
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It's like the
15:11
slate is wiped
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clean.
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There's none
15:13
there.
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Oh, there's all
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the accusations
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and God says,
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no, they've all
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been wiped
15:21
clean by my
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son.
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But God goes
15:25
even further
15:26
than that.
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He now accepts
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us as righteous
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because of what
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Christ has done.
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And you see,
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it's an amazing
15:35
transaction that
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takes place because
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God, who is
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absolutely just,
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and in order to
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retain his
15:43
justice, he
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cannot overlook
15:45
sin or bypass
15:46
it or ignore it
15:47
in any shape or
15:48
form.
15:49
It has to be
15:49
punished.
15:50
punished.
15:51
And because
15:52
Christ was
15:53
punished in
15:54
our place, it
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is impossible
15:57
for God to
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punish us
15:59
now.
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Christ has been
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punished.
16:02
Because of his
16:03
justice and who
16:04
he is, it's
16:05
once and for
16:06
all upon the
16:08
Lord Jesus
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Christ.
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And that means
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that we are as
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justified as we
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will ever be.
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Now, justification
16:15
doesn't mean that
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all of a sudden
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we become perfect.
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Sinless
16:20
creatures, not
16:21
at all.
16:23
Justification is
16:25
not what
16:26
affects, we
16:27
know that there
16:27
are two great
16:28
terms that we
16:29
remember it from
16:30
our catechism
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days.
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And remember
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how there's
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justification and
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adoption and
16:35
sanctification.
16:36
And if you
16:36
remember,
16:37
justification was
16:38
an act and
16:39
adoption is an
16:40
act and
16:40
sanctification was
16:42
a work.
16:43
And in a sense
16:43
sanctification is
16:44
both an act
16:45
and a work
16:46
because there
16:48
is a once and
16:49
for all
16:49
sanctification
16:50
because to
16:51
sanctify simply
16:52
means to set
16:53
apart.
16:54
And that's
16:54
what God has
16:54
done.
16:55
The moment
16:56
you're born
16:56
again, you're
16:57
set apart to
16:58
him.
16:58
You belong to
16:59
him.
17:00
Don't belong to
17:00
anybody else.
17:01
You belong to
17:02
him.
17:03
So in one sense
17:04
you're sanctified
17:05
right away.
17:05
but there's
17:07
this ongoing work
17:09
and sanctification
17:10
is changing
17:11
us bit by
17:13
bit so that
17:14
we become
17:15
more and
17:15
more resembling
17:17
the Lord
17:18
Jesus Christ.
17:19
That's not
17:19
what justification
17:20
does.
17:21
That's what
17:22
sanctification
17:22
does.
17:24
So always
17:25
remember that
17:26
no claim,
17:28
no charge
17:29
will ever
17:30
stand.
17:30
The world
17:32
makes plenty
17:32
charges against
17:33
the Christian
17:34
because as the
17:35
world looks at
17:36
the Christian,
17:37
we make the
17:38
mistake, I
17:38
can remember it
17:39
myself, of
17:41
thinking whenever
17:42
you see a
17:43
Christian doing
17:44
or saying
17:46
something that
17:46
you think,
17:47
that's not
17:47
right, or
17:48
doing something
17:48
that's not,
17:49
you say,
17:50
call themselves
17:51
a Christian.
17:52
Hypocrite.
17:52
I remember
17:54
it.
17:56
Because back
17:57
then, I
17:58
thought that a
17:58
Christian became
17:59
perfect.
18:01
But a Christian
18:01
isn't.
18:02
There's not one
18:03
Christian who's
18:04
perfect in this
18:05
world.
18:05
We're full of
18:06
sin.
18:08
Our hearts are
18:09
just a
18:10
cogmire of
18:11
deceit, the
18:13
hardest deceitful
18:14
above all things
18:15
and desperately
18:15
wicked.
18:16
Not till glory
18:17
will we be made
18:18
perfect in
18:19
holiness.
18:19
So the
18:22
world's charges
18:22
against the
18:23
Christian don't
18:24
stand.
18:25
Because even as
18:26
we live out our
18:27
days in this
18:28
world, all our
18:29
faults, all our
18:30
sins, all our
18:31
blemishes, they
18:33
have been pardoned
18:34
and forgiven in
18:35
Christ.
18:36
And that's the
18:37
wonderful thing.
18:38
What a liberty,
18:40
what a freedom
18:41
it gives a
18:42
Christian.
18:43
Once we discover
18:44
this, that is all
18:46
of grace.
18:47
we didn't do
18:50
anything.
18:51
We just
18:51
received.
18:53
And I think
18:53
sometimes when
18:54
you're trying to
18:55
share the gospel
18:56
with somebody, one
18:57
of the hardest
18:57
things for them to
18:58
grasp is that
19:01
salvation is a
19:02
gift.
19:03
That you don't
19:04
earn it.
19:05
There's nothing
19:05
you can do to
19:07
earn it.
19:08
All you can do
19:09
is just come
19:10
falling on your
19:10
knees and say,
19:11
Lord, you've
19:12
got to help me.
19:13
I can't do this
19:13
myself.
19:15
It's the greatest
19:15
discovery.
19:16
Because that's
19:17
the place where
19:18
the Lord will
19:20
come and deal
19:21
with you and
19:22
bring you that
19:24
salvation, that
19:25
light, that life
19:26
that you need.
19:28
So we find who
19:29
shall bring any
19:31
charge against
19:32
God's elect?
19:33
Nobody.
19:34
Because God
19:34
justifies.
19:36
And that follows
19:37
on very simply
19:38
who is to
19:38
condemn.
19:40
Well, it says,
19:41
if you were to
19:42
say, you could
19:42
put this question,
19:44
will Christ
19:45
Jesus condemn?
19:46
Well, Christ
19:47
Jesus can't
19:48
condemn.
19:49
Jesus is the
19:50
one that we're
19:51
going to have to
19:51
appear before
19:52
the judgment.
19:53
Remember, judgment
19:54
seat of Christ.
19:56
We stand before
19:57
him.
19:59
Is he going to
20:00
condemn us
20:01
having died for
20:03
us?
20:03
Of course not.
20:05
He can never
20:06
condemn anybody
20:07
that he has
20:08
died for.
20:10
In fact, at the
20:10
opening of the
20:11
chapter, it tells
20:12
us there is
20:13
now no
20:15
condemnation to
20:17
those who are
20:18
in Christ
20:18
Jesus.
20:20
So that's why
20:21
tonight I want
20:22
us just to
20:22
simply look
20:23
back on what
20:24
it is to be a
20:26
Christian.
20:26
Because sometimes
20:27
we forget.
20:28
Sometimes we
20:29
just drift along
20:30
and we take it
20:31
for granted.
20:32
And it's
20:33
important for
20:33
us to remind
20:34
ourselves just
20:36
what the Lord
20:37
has done.
20:38
and to
20:39
remember that
20:40
you're following
20:41
the Lord
20:42
because he
20:44
set his love
20:46
upon you.
20:47
That's where it
20:48
began.
20:49
And that is the
20:50
greatest encouragement
20:51
to us.
20:53
And try and get
20:54
rid of all these
20:55
things.
20:55
Did I start
20:57
right?
20:57
Because you know
20:58
sometimes you go
20:59
through all that
21:00
in your mind.
21:01
And I've done it
21:02
myself.
21:03
I remember
21:03
sometimes going
21:04
back and I'd
21:06
come to the Lord
21:06
and say Lord if I
21:07
have never come
21:09
right I'm coming
21:10
to you tonight.
21:11
There's nobody
21:11
else I want in
21:12
my life but you
21:13
Lord.
21:15
But you're already
21:16
there.
21:17
This is Satan
21:18
again.
21:18
Satan is tempting
21:19
us and the sin
21:21
of our heart and
21:21
all these things.
21:23
We love him
21:24
tonight because he
21:27
first loved us.
21:29
That's it.
21:30
Let's pray.
21:31
Lord our God
21:32
we give thanks
21:34
for the wonderful
21:35
news that the
21:36
gospel brings.
21:37
We give thanks
21:37
that it's light
21:38
and life and we
21:40
pray that we may
21:41
rest upon the
21:42
finished work of
21:43
Christ.
21:44
And we give
21:45
thanks that you
21:46
turn no one
21:47
away that comes
21:48
to you.
21:50
Irrespective of
21:50
our past it's
21:51
for sinners that
21:52
Christ came.
21:53
Christ didn't
21:54
come for the
21:54
righteous.
21:56
He came for
21:57
sinners.
21:58
This man eats
21:59
with publicans
22:01
and sinners was
22:02
how the Pharisees
22:03
they were trying
22:04
to condemn him
22:04
and how thankful
22:05
that he sat
22:06
with the publicans
22:07
and sinners.
22:09
This man
22:10
received sinners.
22:11
They mocked him
22:12
with these words
22:13
but how thankful
22:14
that Jesus Christ
22:16
received sinners
22:17
because that's what
22:18
we all are.
22:20
And so help us
22:20
tonight and help
22:21
us here.
22:23
As we heard
22:24
we pray Lord
22:25
to direct us
22:26
in light of
22:27
the congregational
22:29
meeting which will
22:29
take place soon.
22:30
and we ask
22:32
Lord to guide
22:33
Calamurdo
22:34
in the decision
22:35
that he has to
22:36
make and we
22:36
pray that you
22:37
will guide him
22:38
that it will be
22:39
heavenly wisdom
22:39
that will be
22:40
given because
22:41
that's the only
22:42
direction that
22:43
we can know.
22:44
We pray to bless
22:46
this world that
22:46
we are part of
22:47
and Lord what a
22:48
world of upheaval.
22:51
There's so much
22:51
pain and heartache
22:53
all over.
22:54
It's devastating
22:56
when we see of
22:57
all the carnage
22:59
all the deaths
23:00
when we think of
23:01
all that's happening
23:02
in the Middle East
23:03
and all that's
23:04
happening in Iran
23:05
and all that's
23:06
happening in Ukraine
23:09
and in all
23:09
just so many areas
23:11
of this world
23:11
and we pray for
23:12
your people.
23:13
Your people are
23:14
suffering unbelievably
23:16
and we ask Lord
23:18
for their protection
23:19
for their help
23:20
and we pray Lord
23:22
that you will
23:22
intervene.
23:23
Lord bring peace
23:24
to reign.
23:25
Sometimes we don't
23:26
know how that is
23:27
possible.
23:28
But all things
23:29
are possible with
23:30
you.
23:31
And so we pray Lord
23:32
for your intervention.
23:34
Bless us all then
23:35
we pray and grant
23:36
us your grace.
23:36
Take us all to our
23:37
home safely we pray
23:38
for giving us our
23:39
sin in Jesus name.
23:40
Amen.
23:41
Amen.