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Sanctity of Life · Providence Baptist Church - Sermons

0:00
Let me begin this morning by just pointing out the fact and giving you some explanation as to why it is we're taking a break from the book of Mark.
0:09
As we have been verse by verse preaching through Mark and we are in chapter 4 right now.
0:15
The parable of the sower and the soils which I am incredibly excited about.
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It's one of my favorite parables and really looking forward to preaching on it.
0:25
Last week Clay very graciously gave me a little break as I had so much going on last week and so we didn't talk about it then.
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And this week as I continued to prepare for it and as I try to be sensitive every week to what God would have me preach on, I was led elsewhere.
0:42
In great part because some of you may not know but January is National Right to Life Month here in the United States.
0:50
And today is actually this Sunday is Sanctity of Human Life Sunday.
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So as some of these things were working in me this week, that was brought to mind.
1:01
And I said, well maybe there is where we need to head today.
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And so I would just ask that you join me in a word of prayer and then I'll show you where we're headed this morning.
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Father God, we do thank you for the blessing of your church that we might come together, sing praise to your name, hear preaching from your scriptures,
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and glorify you as we go out into this world.
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And I just pray, Father, that this day as we come together amidst the distractions of the morning,
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as many of us are tired as it's starting to feel a bit warm in here,
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I just pray, Lord, that you will give us keen ears to hear by your spirit and apply the truth from your scripture to our living every day.
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We desire to see this happen because we want to see your praises sung amongst the nations.
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And so we pray this in Christ's name. Amen.
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So we're going to look a bit today in John chapter 17 and we're going to go some other texts as well,
2:03
primarily be in John chapter 17 today.
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And you really are asleep if you haven't noticed that I carried a garbage can up onto the stage
2:12
and that I also have a cardboard box sitting on the lectern below me where my water would normally be.
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So I may get a little bit parched this morning.
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In this cardboard box are 80 plus little figurines that are 12 week old baby-ish, I will say.
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Kind of a cheap recreation of one, so it's not terribly accurate.
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But this is about the size of a 12 week old infant that would be in its mother's belly.
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It has arms and legs, toes, fingers.
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It has all of its organs.
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The kidneys have actually begun to purify the system and excrete urine.
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This little one pees in its mother's womb.
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Eyes and nose, they begin to play with their umbilical cord.
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They do acrobatic tricks inside the womb already at this age.
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Often around this time, moms are starting to get really sick because of all this motion going on inside their tummies.
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The sad thing is that here in the United States, 1.2 million unborn children are aborted each year.
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Since Roe v. Wade was passed 40 years ago, that means that there have been over 50 million children aborted in this country since 1973.
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And if we take that number, which was last year's number, 1.2 million children aborted,
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and we start to apply a little bit of math to that to get some picture of the scope of what that would look like,
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it breaks down to 3,288 children a day,
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137 per hour,
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2.3 per minute,
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and to keep our math simple,
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that's one every 30 seconds.
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Now, I would assume that this morning there aren't many or any abortion clinics open,
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so we may not actually be experiencing abortion at this rate right now.
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I'm very aware of that,
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but it's difficult for us to wrap our minds around what 1.2 million looks like.
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And I've endeavored over this past year to find something that I could afford to purchase 1.2 million of.
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It's a challenge.
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The best thing I've come up with so far was BBs,
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little metal BBs like you'd shoot from a BB gun,
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but I don't have five grand to buy that many BBs.
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1.2 million is a staggeringly high number,
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and it's so difficult for us to understand.
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And I think as a result,
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both with this social issue and with many others,
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we tend to kind of push it off.
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We kind of out of sight, out of mind.
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We think about it.
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It may have some effect on us.
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We say, well, 1.2 million, that's a staggering number.
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And then we lay it to the side,
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and we go about the everyday troubles.
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We deal with the things that are in our little sphere,
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and we don't really think beyond to the world around us.
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Now, there are two types of sin.
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There are sins of commission,
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and those are those things that we've been commanded not to do,
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and yet we do them anyway.
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Most of you work very hard at not participating in sins of commission,
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but there's also another type of sin,
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and that's the sin of omission.
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There are things that we are commanded to do,
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and we just don't do them.
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And many of us neglect these things altogether.
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And I think that most American Christians,
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and I can't point a finger at any individual person in this room,
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but I certainly can point a finger at myself
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and say that most of us are guilty of sins of omission
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by not being more active in seeking justice in our world.
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I would sum that up for myself with the simple term apathy.
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I just get lazy about the problems of this world.
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I just get comfortable with the day-to-day,
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and I don't break for the things that are happening in each day in this world.
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One child every 30 seconds.
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I tend to preach for about 45 minutes.
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Hope that doesn't turn any of you off right now.
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And so here's what I'm going to try to do.
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I don't know if I can do it,
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so we're going to make it a grand experiment this morning.
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Every 30 seconds,
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Reese, who's sitting where?
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There he is, in the back corner,
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is going to put his hand in the air.
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I gave him a timer this morning,
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and he's going to put his hand in the air,
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and I'm going to drop one of these figures into this trash can.
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And here's the reason I'm trying to do that.
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I have no clue what it'll accomplish,
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but here's what I'm hoping it will accomplish.
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Is that as we sit here together and we study from the Word of God,
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we're reminded constantly that the Word of God must have some effect in our lives for this world.
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And I think that if our church errs,
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we err to the side of sitting and listening and learning,
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being all deep and theological,
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and not actually doing anything with what we know to be true.
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We come and we sit.
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We gain it.
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We're in our little Christian bubble.
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We go off.
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We hang out in our Christian bubbles.
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And we don't consider the fact that the gospel was made for the world.
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So I hope this morning it'll serve that purpose,
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that it will be, in fact, a bit distracting to you.
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Hopefully not too much to me.
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Maybe why I stopped doing it altogether,
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but that I will continue to preach to you as this goes on.
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So, Reese, you ready?
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We have to ask ourselves,
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what is this life for?
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When we became children of God,
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why did God not just bring us home with Him?
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It's a good question to ask.
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I ask that question often.
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I am tired of being in this world.
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This world is messed up.
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I am sick of being here.
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I'm sick of experiencing pain.
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I'm sick of dealing with the sin that plagues me so often.
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I want to go home.
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I want to be with Jesus.
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But yet we're here, living between two worlds.
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And so, why?
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Why is that the case?
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James 4.14, James says,
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What is your life?
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For you are a mist that appears for a little time,
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and then vanishes.
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And I can tell you that we will look back on our lives
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at the end of all things,
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and we will not regret
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not having spent more time with video games
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or watching movies
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or looking at Facebook,
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playing or watching sports,
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whichever category you fall into there.
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30 seconds comes fast.
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We will not regret any of those things.
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But I do believe that we're all going to look back at our lives
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and we'll regret not having done more
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for the kingdom of God.
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That we're going to wish that we had just done a little more
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for some of these causes.
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That we had shared our faith more readily.
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That we will have done more things that count in eternity
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versus just flittering away our time
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with things that make no sense whatsoever.
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Either here or there.
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Makes no sense at all.
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John 17, beginning of verse 13.
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This is aptly dubbed the high priestly prayer.
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Jesus knows that his death is imminent
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and he's praying now on behalf of the disciples
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and his believers, his followers beyond that as well.
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And he says,
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But now I am coming to you,
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and these things I speak in the world.
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This is verse 13.
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That they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.
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I have given them your word,
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and the world has hated them
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because they are not of the world,
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just as I am not of the world.
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I do not ask that you take them out of the world,
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but that you keep them from the evil one.
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They are not of the world,
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just as I am not of the world.
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Sanctify them in the truth.
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Your word is truth.
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As you sent me into the world,
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so I have sent them into the world.
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And for their sake,
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I consecrate myself,
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that they also may be sanctified in truth.
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I do not ask for these only,
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but also for those who will believe in me
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through their word.
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Now recognize that this prayer
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is primarily aimed at the apostles,
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but he broadens this whole prayer out for us
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in verse 20.
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So this prayer is for us,
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and we can learn some things from it, right?
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As many of us would prefer
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to be taken out of this world,
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look at what Jesus says in verse 13.
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I'm coming to you,
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I, Jesus, am coming to you, God,
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and speak these things in the world
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that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.
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It is hard to recognize this
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and to wrap our minds around this
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to really understand what that means
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that in this day,
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as we deal with the troubles of this world,
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that we might have the joy of Christ in us.
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But this is what Jesus is saying, right?
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He is asking for these things for his disciples
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so that we will have his joy fulfilled in us.
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I think some of this is expressed
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by Paul in Philippians chapter 1,
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verses 21 through 25,
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where he says,
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For to me, to live is Christ,
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and to die is gain.
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If I'm going to live, I get Christ.
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I gain Christ.
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But to die is a greater gain.
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That's what he says there.
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If I'm to live in the flesh,
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that means fruitful labor for me.
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Yet which will I choose?
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I cannot tell.
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I'm hard-pressed between the two.
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My desire is to depart and be with Christ,
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for that is far better.
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But to remain in the flesh
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is more necessary on your account.
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Convinced of this,
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I know that I will remain
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and continue with you all
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for your progress and joy in the faith.
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Right?
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Paul understood this conflict
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that was happening within him.
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That there was a joy that was his now
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and a greater joy that was to be his later.
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And here we see that that's true of us as well.
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For whatever reason,
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we're left here to work out
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the coming of the kingdom of God
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as the hands and feet of Christ.
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And this is for our joy.
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Notice that Jesus asks
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not only for their divine protection
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in verse 14.
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We see you make this request.
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Jesus knows that there will be hostility
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towards his disciples.
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Right?
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He has already experienced this to be true.
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He's about to experience it
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in the greatest way.
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And as those who follow Jesus Christ,
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he knows there will be hostility towards them.
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So he prays in verse 14 and 15 and 16
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for divine protection for them.
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Right?
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So that Jesus would spare them
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from the evil one.
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That he would keep temptation at bay.
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And we have to learn later
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throughout our New Testament
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how it is that this comes about.
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But he doesn't only ask for that.
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But he also asks
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for their divine sanctification.
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Verse 17,
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verse 18,
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and verse 19.
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Right?
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Firstly, we can see
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the request that he makes of God,
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which is verse 17.
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Sanctify them
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in the truth.
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Your word
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is truth.
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So if these people
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are to live
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in this world,
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be left behind
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in this way
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for your glory,
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I ask that you
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sanctify them
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in the truth.
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And he clarifies for us
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what that means.
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Your word
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is truth.
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These scriptures here,
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this is the way
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in which we are set apart
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for the purposes
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of God.
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A great example
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of what it means
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to be sanctified.
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When Sam and I
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got married,
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she bought a plate
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that was on sale
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at Lifeway.
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And it's a red plate
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and it's got some bright colors
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in the middle of it
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and around the outside edge
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it says,
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you are very special.
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Right?
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And we decided
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that plate for us
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was going to be
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the plate we were going to use
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in our family
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to celebrate a big thing.
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So we use it on birthdays,
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I,
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once a year,
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I've never gotten it
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any other time,
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but once a year
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I get the
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you are very special plate.
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I imagine when there are
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some graduations
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that happen
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and we want to build
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a tradition
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with this special plate.
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We'll bring it out
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for that very purpose.
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And it would be horrible
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to do anything else with it.
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That is what
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is it intended for.
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And that is the same way
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that we are set apart
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for God.
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Sanctified in that way.
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So we've been set apart
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but then there's also
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a working out
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of this reality as well.
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As we've been set apart
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we are being set apart
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from this world.
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Sanctified for a very
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specific purpose
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and that is to serve
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the glory of our Lord.
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And we're sanctified
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in the truth.
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So we should be theological.
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That's important.
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I mentioned earlier
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that sometimes our church
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may err to the side
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of being theological
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without being missional.
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We should be theological.
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We cannot dismiss that.
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In fact,
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we must be properly theological
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if we're going to be
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properly missional at all.
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We have to do this.
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This must take place.
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Sunday morning preaching.
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Bible studies.
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Immerse yourself in it
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as much as you possibly can.
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Study the Word of God
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on your own.
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Use all of the vast amount
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of aids that are available
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to us to understand
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this precious book.
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We must be sanctified
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in the truth.
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We must be properly theological
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if we're going to be
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properly missional.
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Going to the world.
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Jesus makes a request
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but there's a reason
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for the request.
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He asks that the disciples
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will be sanctified
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in the truth
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because of verse 18.
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He says,
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As you sent me into the world,
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so have I sent them
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into the world.
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So have I sent them
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into the world.
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Remember the life of Jesus?
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We're in Mark
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and we're only really gone
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through the first three chapters
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and Jesus has done
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a massive amount
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of social work
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in the community.
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He has done tons of healing.
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And we know that
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He was doing that
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with the primary purpose
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of validating the message
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that He was bringing.
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We don't minimize the message
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in this way at all.
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I'm not talking about
15:22
a social gospel.
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I'm talking about activity
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that supports
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and gives evidence
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that we are, in fact,
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people who believe
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in the gospel
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of Jesus Christ.
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We are people that understand
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that the gospel
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of Jesus Christ
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includes the redemption
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of souls
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but also includes
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the redemption
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of other things
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as well.
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The corruption
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that sin has brought
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into this world.
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And so He knows
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as they've been sent
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into the world,
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as He was sent
15:46
into the world,
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that they're going
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to receive trouble.
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They're going to have
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to be set apart
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in a very specific way.
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And that's why
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they must be sanctified
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in the truth.
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And we can see
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in verse 19
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the basis
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for His request.
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He says,
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And for their sake
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I consecrate Myself.
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That word consecrate
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could also be read
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as sanctified.
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I set apart Myself
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that they also may be
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sanctified
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or consecrated
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in the truth.
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Because of what
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Christ has done,
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those who are followers
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of Christ
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can be
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sanctified in the truth.
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Can be sent
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into the world
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to accomplish
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the great ends
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of glorifying God
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to the ends
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of the earth.
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So the basis of it
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is the person
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and the work
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of Jesus Christ.
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So we must be
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properly theological.
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We must be
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properly theological.
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But if we're doing so,
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we are going to be
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properly missional.
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We will in fact
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go out to the world.
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We will go
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change things.
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The world ought to be
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a better place
16:59
because we're here.
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because we have
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the light of Christ
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within us.
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It ought to be
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a better place.
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The University of
17:07
North Georgia,
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I have to tell you
17:08
my notes say
17:09
UNG and that's
17:10
the first time
17:10
I've typed it.
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Weird.
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UNG should be
17:14
a better place
17:15
because all you
17:16
students are there
17:17
at the University
17:18
of North Georgia.
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The towns we live in,
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this region,
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should be a better place
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because of the grace
17:24
of God that's working
17:25
in us.
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And do you think,
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do you think
17:30
that people are saying
17:31
of us,
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well I don't believe
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what they believe.
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I hate the message.
17:35
Not a fan of this
17:36
gospel message
17:37
that they're going
17:38
around preaching
17:38
all the time,
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but I'm sure glad
17:39
they're here.
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Man am I glad
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they're here.
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They make this world
17:44
a better place.
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This should be true
17:47
of us.
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Because while we have
17:50
a salvation that comes
17:51
by faith alone,
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hear me clearly,
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our salvation has
17:54
nothing to do
17:54
with our works.
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Our works are
17:56
as filthy rags.
17:57
There is nothing
17:58
we can do
17:58
to earn our salvation.
17:59
Our salvation
17:59
comes by faith alone,
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but the good deeds
18:02
do matter
18:03
because they're
18:04
the evidence
18:05
of our salvation.
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Those who are Christ
18:08
will necessarily
18:10
live that out
18:12
in practical
18:13
and real,
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tangible,
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measurable ways.
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We will be able
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to see fruit.
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It's the language
18:20
constantly used
18:21
in the scriptures,
18:21
the analogy
18:22
that's used of us.
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Classically,
18:24
Matthew 7,
18:25
verses 17 and 18.
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So every healthy tree
18:29
bears good fruit,
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but the diseased tree
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bears bad fruit.
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A healthy tree
18:34
cannot bear bad fruit,
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nor can a diseased tree
18:37
bear good fruit.
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This is true
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of those who are Christ.
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And the immediate question
18:45
must be,
18:46
but wait a minute.
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You're tossing
18:49
figurative children
18:50
into a trash can
18:51
every 30 seconds,
18:52
and I've not done
18:53
anything in my life
18:54
to stop this issue.
18:55
Does it make me
18:56
not a Christian?
18:57
Not necessarily.
18:59
Not necessarily.
19:01
All of us
19:02
wax and wane.
19:04
All of us
19:05
go through great times
19:06
of fervor in our lives
19:07
where we're devoted
19:08
to the Lord,
19:08
and at times
19:09
where we're not
19:10
so much.
19:11
But the encouragement
19:12
here is that
19:13
we must pursue
19:14
good works.
19:16
We must press
19:17
into these things.
19:18
We must fix
19:19
our eyes on Jesus
19:20
so that the things
19:21
of this world
19:21
will grow strangely dim.
19:23
I'm glad they played
19:24
that song
19:25
right before I preached.
19:27
That we fix our gaze
19:28
in that direction
19:29
so that we will be
19:31
actively looking for ways
19:32
that we can better
19:33
this place.
19:35
1 Peter 2,
19:37
verse 12.
19:38
Peter says,
19:38
Keep your conduct
19:39
among the Gentiles
19:40
honorable,
19:41
so that when they speak
19:42
against you as evildoers,
19:43
and they will,
19:44
they certainly will,
19:45
they may see your good deeds
19:46
and glorify God
19:48
on the day of visitation.
19:49
These deeds matter.
19:52
Paul,
19:53
in writing to Titus
19:54
in chapter 3,
19:55
says,
19:55
Remind them to be submissive
19:57
to rulers
19:57
and authorities,
19:58
to be obedient,
20:00
to be ready
20:00
for every good work,
20:02
to speak evil
20:03
of no one,
20:04
to avoid quarreling,
20:05
to be gentle
20:06
and to show courtesy
20:07
toward all people.
20:09
4 We ourselves
20:11
were once foolish.
20:11
Here's the reasoning.
20:12
Here's the gospel motivation
20:14
for living in this way.
20:15
We should live like this
20:16
because,
20:17
verse 3,
20:18
we ourselves
20:19
were once foolish,
20:20
disobedient,
20:21
led astray,
20:22
slaves to various passions
20:24
and pleasures,
20:25
passing our days
20:25
in malice and envy,
20:27
hated by others
20:28
and hating one another.
20:30
But when the goodness
20:31
and loving kindness
20:32
of God our Savior appeared,
20:34
He saved us,
20:35
not because of works
20:36
done by us in righteousness,
20:37
but according to
20:38
His own mercy,
20:39
by the washing of regeneration
20:40
and renewal
20:42
of the Holy Spirit,
20:43
whom He poured out on us
20:44
richly through Jesus Christ,
20:46
our Savior,
20:47
so that being justified
20:48
by His grace,
20:49
we might become heirs
20:50
according to the hope
20:51
of eternal life.
20:52
So now notice,
20:52
as Paul's writing to Titus,
20:54
he says to him,
20:55
do good works.
20:57
Here's why,
20:58
this gospel message,
20:59
right?
21:00
I'm not going to take the time
21:01
to sum all of that up
21:01
for you today,
21:02
but because of what God
21:03
has done on your behalf,
21:05
in Christ Jesus.
21:06
And then look how he finishes it up.
21:07
Verse 8,
21:08
the saying is trustworthy,
21:09
and I want you to insist
21:11
on these things,
21:11
so that those who have believed in God
21:15
may be careful to devote themselves
21:17
to good works.
21:19
These things are excellent
21:21
and profitable for people.
21:25
For those who are believers,
21:27
certainly,
21:27
but for people in general.
21:29
This was the general Greek term
21:31
for mankind,
21:32
for humanity.
21:34
It is good
21:35
for those who know Christ
21:36
to devote themselves
21:37
to good works
21:38
for the good of everybody.
21:41
One of the greatest ways
21:42
we can show this world
21:43
their great need
21:44
of a Savior
21:45
is to live in this way,
21:47
to bring about social change,
21:49
to show them
21:50
the error of their ways,
21:52
and then show them
21:53
the right way
21:54
to live,
21:55
to preach the law
21:56
to them
21:57
so that they know
21:58
they're sinful,
21:59
so that they know
22:00
they need a Savior.
22:02
We must be about this.
22:04
James said it this way,
22:06
religion that is pure
22:07
and undefiled
22:08
before God the Father
22:09
is this,
22:10
to visit orphans and widows
22:11
in their affliction
22:11
and to keep oneself
22:13
unstained from the world.
22:15
So to avoid the things
22:15
of the world
22:16
and to visit orphans
22:17
and widows
22:18
in their affliction,
22:19
which we should be about.
22:21
Hear me,
22:21
we should definitely be about
22:22
visiting orphans and widows.
22:24
The reason he uses
22:25
these two particular people groups
22:27
is that these would have been
22:28
the most infringed people group.
22:30
These were the people
22:30
that had no rights whatsoever
22:32
of their own.
22:33
A widow without a husband
22:35
had no property ownership,
22:37
had no rights at all.
22:39
Orphans had no rights
22:41
because they didn't have a father.
22:42
So these were people
22:43
who were defenseless.
22:45
And in our day and age,
22:47
there are many,
22:48
many defenseless
22:49
who are being murdered
22:51
every day.
22:52
One every 30 seconds.
22:54
I think I'm getting
22:54
an internal clock now,
22:55
Reese.
22:55
I know when to look up at you.
22:57
Galatians chapter 2.
22:59
I want you to turn there with me.
23:00
Galatians chapter 2.
23:07
This is another really wonderful
23:08
example of this.
23:10
As we see Paul
23:11
commending himself
23:13
to the Galatian church,
23:14
establishing once again with them
23:17
the purity of his gospel.
23:18
Because you remember that
23:19
in Galatia,
23:20
the Judaizers had come in
23:21
who had said
23:22
that Jesus is good.
23:23
This new faith you found
23:25
is good,
23:25
except you need to be circumcised.
23:27
There's still some aspects
23:28
of the Old Testament law
23:29
that we need you to keep.
23:31
And this was diluting
23:32
the gospel message.
23:33
They thought that they were
23:34
saved by faith in Christ
23:36
and circumcision.
23:37
And he writes the letter
23:38
to the Galatians
23:39
to set that straight.
23:40
So he's reestablishing
23:41
the purity
23:41
of this doctrine.
23:43
And beginning in verse 1
23:44
of chapter 2,
23:45
he says,
23:45
So he went.
24:02
He's talking about
24:02
this past tense thing.
24:03
After 14 years,
24:04
he went to present to them
24:06
the gospel as he was
24:07
preaching it to the Gentiles,
24:09
which was justification
24:09
by faith alone.
24:11
He was saying to them,
24:12
you do not need
24:12
to be circumcised.
24:13
There's no need
24:14
for outward religion
24:16
for you to be saved.
24:18
So he goes up
24:19
to be sure
24:19
that he was getting it right,
24:21
that he was getting it straight.
24:22
Verse 3,
24:23
But even Titus,
24:23
who was with me,
24:24
was not forced
24:24
to be circumcised,
24:25
though he was a Greek.
24:27
Yet because a false brother
24:28
secretly brought in,
24:29
who slipped in
24:29
to spy out our freedom
24:30
that we have in Christ Jesus
24:31
so that they may bring us
24:32
into slavery,
24:33
to them we did not
24:34
yield in submission
24:35
even for a moment
24:35
so that the truth
24:36
of the gospel
24:36
might be preserved for you.
24:39
And from those
24:40
who seem to be influential,
24:41
what they were
24:42
makes no difference to me.
24:43
God shows no partiality.
24:44
Those, I say,
24:45
who seemed influential
24:46
added nothing to me.
24:48
On the contrary,
24:49
when they saw
24:49
that I had been
24:50
entrusted with the gospel
24:51
to the uncircumcised,
24:52
just as Peter had been
24:53
entrusted with the gospel
24:54
to the circumcised,
24:55
for he who worked
24:56
through Peter
24:57
for his apostolic ministry
24:58
to the circumcised
24:59
worked also through me
25:01
from mine to the Gentiles.
25:03
And when James
25:04
and Cephas,
25:04
or Peter,
25:05
and John,
25:05
who seemed to be pillars,
25:06
perceived the grace
25:07
that was given to me,
25:08
they gave me
25:08
the right hand of fellowship
25:09
to barn us and to me,
25:10
that we should go
25:11
to the Gentiles
25:12
and they to the circumcised.
25:13
Now, catch what's happening here.
25:15
They're having
25:15
a theological debate.
25:18
He has come back,
25:19
presented this gospel
25:20
that he's been presenting
25:21
to the Gentiles
25:21
to make sure
25:22
that it was pure.
25:24
He's gone to those
25:24
who seemed influential.
25:25
I like that he adds,
25:26
not that it mattered
25:27
at all to him,
25:27
but they seem to be influential,
25:29
so those are the ones
25:29
I went and talked to.
25:30
And they go and they have
25:31
this theological debate.
25:33
And the conclusion of that
25:34
we see in verse 10.
25:36
So they extend
25:37
the hand of fellowship.
25:38
Yes, this gospel
25:39
you're preaching is pure.
25:40
We're going to the circumcised.
25:42
You continue to go
25:42
to the uncircumcised.
25:44
Verse 10,
25:45
Only they asked us
25:46
to remember the poor.
25:48
The very thing
25:49
I was eager to do.
25:50
So right on the heels
25:51
of this having this
25:52
theological debate
25:53
about the purity
25:54
of the gospels
25:55
they were preaching,
25:56
they say,
25:56
Don't forget
25:57
to do practical things
25:59
to show the grace
26:01
of God to us in Christ.
26:02
You catching that?
26:05
Now, yet we've not seen
26:06
any specific instructions
26:08
to plead the cause
26:09
of the unborn.
26:10
I recognize that.
26:11
There's a clear biblical case
26:13
for what is and isn't life.
26:16
And I'm not going to make
26:17
that case to you today.
26:19
I'm going to assume
26:19
that all of you
26:20
believe that to be true.
26:22
It's self-evident,
26:23
I would say.
26:25
But we can see here
26:27
that we're both supposed
26:28
to speak for those
26:29
who can't speak for themselves.
26:30
The widows and the orphans
26:31
given to us in James.
26:32
And here we see in Galatians
26:34
this record of them
26:35
asking to speak
26:37
on behalf of the poor.
26:39
Now, the poor in this day
26:40
would have also been
26:40
primarily disenfranchised people,
26:43
not landowners,
26:44
unable to make much money
26:45
on their own.
26:47
But even if we just define
26:48
poverty the way we do
26:49
in our current day,
26:50
it's important to know
26:51
that 57%
26:53
of all abortions
26:54
are had by women
26:55
who live below
26:57
the poverty line.
26:59
You know what the poverty line is
27:00
in this country?
27:01
If you're a single person,
27:03
it's $11,490.
27:07
So, college students,
27:08
are you guys all
27:09
below the poverty line?
27:10
I think you are.
27:11
Now, you can add
27:12
to that simple little equation,
27:13
add to that $4,020
27:15
for each person
27:17
you add to the family.
27:18
And if you do the math,
27:19
if you have four people
27:20
in a family,
27:21
the poverty line
27:21
is $23,550.
27:24
That's an incredibly low line.
27:26
I don't know a family of four
27:27
that can live on $23,550.
27:29
Introduce me to them
27:31
if you find them.
27:32
I want to learn from them
27:34
and how they spend their money.
27:35
So, family of four,
27:36
$23,550.
27:37
57% of abortions
27:38
are happening
27:39
with women that are
27:40
categorized as below
27:41
the poverty line,
27:42
which means that
27:43
a vast number of abortions
27:44
are happening above that line
27:45
for people that really are
27:47
what we would consider
27:48
traditionally as poor,
27:51
low-income,
27:52
impoverished individuals.
27:54
So, this is a rampant thing
27:57
that's happening
27:58
in our country.
27:59
In fact,
28:00
by the age of 45,
28:03
one in three women
28:05
will have had an abortion.
28:07
At least one.
28:09
By the age of 45,
28:11
one in three women
28:12
will have had an abortion.
28:14
And that means a lot for us
28:16
because that means
28:17
that there are probably people
28:19
that we know
28:19
who have had abortions.
28:21
We may not know that they have,
28:22
but they have.
28:24
That means there's probably
28:25
somebody in this room
28:26
that's had an abortion.
28:27
It's likely
28:28
that that is the case.
28:31
And I can't possibly,
28:33
if you have had an abortion,
28:35
justify your actions.
28:36
But what I can say to you
28:38
is that there's great grace
28:40
for every sin.
28:41
And we can praise God
28:42
for that together
28:43
because all of my sin
28:44
is just as horrible
28:46
as yours.
28:48
And we have an opportunity
28:49
to preach the gospel
28:50
to people who have had
28:52
abortions.
28:53
That's a great need
28:54
in this country as well
28:55
as this wrong,
28:58
this endemic cultural wrong
28:59
has affected so many,
29:01
in fact, in some ways
29:02
victimized a lot of women
29:04
who have had abortions.
29:07
Abortion's not good for women.
29:10
Health statistics,
29:11
we've been able to amass
29:13
a bunch of them now
29:14
since it's been 40 years
29:15
since Roe v. Wade.
29:17
Let me just give you a couple.
29:18
Health-wise,
29:21
women who have had abortions,
29:22
depending on the study
29:23
you look at,
29:24
are at a higher risk
29:25
of breast cancer,
29:27
50% and up to 300%
29:30
more likely to have
29:31
breast cancer.
29:32
And this is correlated back
29:34
to the abortive procedure.
29:36
Massive, massive damage
29:38
to a woman's body.
29:40
Psychologically,
29:42
post-abortion patients
29:42
in a study,
29:44
eight weeks after
29:45
their abortion,
29:45
44% of them reported
29:47
having a nervous disorder,
29:49
36% of them a sleep disorder,
29:51
and 11% of them
29:52
had been prescribed
29:53
psychotropic medicine
29:54
eight weeks
29:55
after having had
29:56
an abortion.
29:58
There's a lot of damage
29:59
to a woman.
30:02
I would say to you
30:03
that the pro-life movement
30:04
is a pro-woman movement,
30:05
not an anti-woman movement.
30:09
Further,
30:09
women will be held
30:10
accountable for their actions.
30:11
Romans 14,
30:13
verses 10 and 12
30:14
says,
30:14
We will all stand
30:15
before the judgment seat
30:16
of God.
30:17
For it is written,
30:17
As I live,
30:18
says the Lord,
30:18
every knee shall bow to me
30:19
and every tongue shall confess.
30:21
So then each of us
30:22
will give an account
30:22
of himself to God.
30:24
There's a spirit issue
30:25
at place
30:26
with this problem.
30:28
And we must be
30:29
preaching the gospel to it.
30:30
We must be speaking
30:31
to these young ladies.
30:32
We must be warning them
30:34
of the judgment
30:35
that will come.
30:36
Right?
30:37
As we need to be warning
30:38
all people of this.
30:40
Abortion is not good
30:41
for our nation.
30:42
We are a nation
30:46
that was founded on liberty.
30:48
We still claim to have some.
30:51
Maybe that's slipping
30:53
in your opinion
30:53
as we hear about
30:54
all the scandals
30:55
and things that are going on.
30:56
It's quite likely
30:57
you're feeling a little less liberated
30:59
than you may have before.
31:01
But we at least say
31:03
that we're a nation
31:04
that believes in freedom,
31:05
that believes in liberty.
31:06
I would argue to you
31:09
that this is a biblical
31:10
right that is granted to us.
31:14
One of my favorite
31:15
presidential candidates
31:16
by the name of Ron Paul
31:17
is quoted as saying,
31:18
if you can't protect life,
31:20
then how can you protect liberty?
31:24
The greatest minority
31:25
is the individual.
31:26
There's no other Nathan Rayner.
31:28
And if my rights
31:28
aren't going to be protected,
31:29
then how is anybody's rights
31:31
going to be protected?
31:32
We're having the wrong conversations
31:33
on the political scale, right?
31:36
If we can't protect life,
31:38
then how can we protect liberty?
31:42
Abortion's obviously not good
31:44
for babies.
31:46
1.2 million this year.
31:48
I think it's 54 million and counting
31:50
since Roe v. Wade was passed
31:52
have been avoided.
31:54
And abortion is not good
31:55
for our church.
31:57
Abortion is not good
31:59
for our church.
32:00
If we're going to be people
32:02
who are properly theological,
32:04
who care about making
32:06
a difference in this world,
32:07
who want this world
32:09
to say of us,
32:10
I am glad that
32:11
Christ Family Church exists,
32:13
then this issue
32:14
is not good for us.
32:16
Because we need
32:17
to be getting engaged with it.
32:19
We need to be actively
32:20
finding ways
32:21
that we can bring about
32:23
redemption
32:25
in these situations.
32:27
And so the question
32:28
is raised then,
32:29
what should we do?
32:30
What should we do?
32:33
I hope that your heart's moving
32:34
in this direction.
32:35
What should we do?
32:36
What can I do?
32:38
What an immense problem.
32:39
1.2 million children a year.
32:42
How is it possible
32:42
that I could ever be involved
32:44
in bringing about change
32:45
in this situation?
32:46
Let me say to you firstly,
32:48
pray.
32:51
Clay said rightly
32:52
last Thursday evening
32:53
that prayer
32:55
is the thermometer
32:57
for our Christian life.
32:58
How many of you
33:00
would admit
33:02
that your life,
33:04
your Christian life
33:05
is cold?
33:07
Pray.
33:08
Have your heart broken
33:10
that this is an issue
33:11
in our country.
33:12
And pray.
33:13
God uses the prayers
33:14
of His people
33:16
to accomplish
33:17
His will.
33:19
1 John 5
33:20
verse 14-15
33:23
John writes,
33:24
Listen, this is the confidence
33:25
that we have toward Him.
33:27
That if we ask anything
33:28
according to His will,
33:29
He hears us.
33:31
And if we know
33:32
that He hears us
33:32
in whatever we ask,
33:33
we know that we have
33:34
the request
33:35
that we have asked
33:36
of Him.
33:37
If we ask anything
33:39
in the Father's will,
33:40
we know that He hears us.
33:42
It doesn't always answer
33:43
the way we want answered,
33:45
but we know that He hears us
33:46
and we know that He's
33:47
working things out
33:47
in His perfect timing.
33:49
And we can take comfort
33:50
in passages like Amos 5, 24.
33:53
But let justice roll down
33:54
like the waters
33:55
and righteousness
33:56
like an ever-flowing stream.
33:59
I tell you this morning
34:00
that God cares
34:01
about the unborn.
34:03
He cares about what's happening.
34:05
And He certainly
34:06
could come down now
34:07
and judge everyone
34:08
and save all of those babies.
34:10
I don't understand
34:11
why He's working things out
34:12
the way He is.
34:13
I can't wrap my mind
34:15
around why God
34:15
is accomplishing His fame
34:17
the way He's accomplishing it.
34:19
But I know this,
34:20
that He's given it to us
34:22
to be moving and active,
34:24
to be used by Him
34:25
to accomplish His will.
34:27
And it starts with prayer.
34:28
Prayer is the foundation
34:29
for anything effective we do
34:30
in our Christian lives.
34:32
It is pointless
34:32
to try to do anything
34:33
without first setting it
34:35
to prayer.
34:37
So pray.
34:39
Gosh, you can do that easily.
34:40
All of us can be involved
34:42
in bringing about change
34:43
in this way.
34:44
You don't have to run
34:45
in spheres.
34:45
You might live in a country
34:47
someday that abortion
34:48
is not even.
34:49
an issue.
34:49
But you can still pray
34:51
this would be something
34:52
that would be brought
34:53
to reckoning
34:54
in our lifetime.
34:56
Secondly,
34:58
be politically responsible.
35:01
Be politically responsible.
35:03
Young people,
35:05
be politically responsible.
35:06
I know that your one vote
35:08
doesn't feel like much
35:09
in the wide range
35:11
of things.
35:12
But if everyone
35:13
has that attitude,
35:14
they're not going to take
35:15
the time out of their day,
35:16
not going to do
35:17
their research.
35:18
If everyone does that,
35:19
which many people do,
35:21
then people get elected
35:22
that we may not want
35:22
to be elected.
35:24
This has happened recently,
35:25
hasn't it?
35:27
Be politically responsible.
35:30
This is a responsibility
35:31
that has been given to you
35:33
to search out candidates,
35:36
not just at the federal level,
35:39
but at the local level as well.
35:40
We need to be vetting
35:41
the people that represent us.
35:44
Get to know your district.
35:46
We've got congressional elections
35:48
coming up in 2014.
35:49
Do you know?
35:50
Do you know what district
35:50
you live in?
35:51
Do you know who represents
35:52
your district?
35:53
You should find that out
35:54
and you should do it ASAP.
35:56
And you should figure out
35:56
not just if they're pro-life,
35:58
but if they're actually
35:59
doing something about it.
36:02
I've heard the argument
36:03
that Roe v. Wade
36:04
doesn't actually have
36:05
to be overturned,
36:06
that the Supreme Court
36:07
wouldn't actually have
36:08
to overturn it,
36:09
but that Congress
36:10
could simply pass a law
36:11
defining life,
36:13
which would therefore
36:14
make abortion illegal.
36:17
Now, more than likely,
36:18
the Supreme Court
36:19
would take that law
36:20
and want to overturn it again.
36:21
But could you imagine
36:22
just the pace
36:23
that things work at?
36:24
If Congress would pass that law,
36:25
we might have a year
36:26
where abortion is illegal
36:27
and clinics would shut down.
36:29
A year would be
36:30
a wonderful gift.
36:31
1.2 million children
36:34
would be spared in that year.
36:36
And those clinics
36:37
may or may not
36:37
even be able to start up.
36:39
Even if that, right?
36:41
We need to be
36:41
politically responsible.
36:42
We need to be doing
36:43
what we can
36:44
to put men in power
36:45
who will not just say
36:46
I'm pro-life
36:47
so that I can appeal
36:48
to my constituency,
36:49
but I'm pro-life
36:49
to the point
36:50
that I will do something.
36:51
I will do what I can
36:53
about the issue.
36:55
So be politically responsible.
36:58
Thirdly,
36:59
educate yourself
37:01
and others
37:02
with a great deal
37:04
of compassion.
37:06
Educate yourself.
37:07
Some of you
37:08
may be surprised
37:09
to even find out
37:09
this morning
37:10
that this many children
37:11
are aborted.
37:12
We tend to stay
37:13
fairly oblivious
37:14
to things like this
37:15
and I know
37:16
the world you're living in.
37:18
I know the way
37:18
information is coming at you.
37:20
I'm right in the midst
37:20
of it all too.
37:21
It's coming
37:22
absolutely a mile a minute,
37:24
all the stuff
37:25
that's going on
37:25
out there in the world.
37:27
Inform yourself
37:28
about this issue.
37:29
There are so many causes
37:31
that the Christian church
37:31
can get behind
37:32
and we should.
37:33
A great example
37:34
of that right now
37:35
is the End It movement
37:37
to stop
37:38
sex slave trafficking.
37:39
Good, good cause
37:41
to be a part of.
37:42
But if we've got to pick one,
37:43
this is the one.
37:45
Those are tragedies,
37:46
massive tragedies.
37:47
I don't want to make small
37:48
of that kind of atrocity.
37:51
This is the big one though.
37:52
If Christians are going
37:53
to get behind something,
37:54
this is the one
37:55
we should get behind.
37:56
So educate yourself.
37:57
Understand why
37:58
life is life.
38:00
Get that.
38:00
Learn how to make
38:02
a very clear,
38:04
compassionate argument
38:05
in that direction.
38:07
Right?
38:07
The world around us
38:08
is being inundated
38:09
with cultural messages.
38:11
Right?
38:11
Inundated with it.
38:12
Over years,
38:13
40 years of trying
38:14
to convince people
38:15
that this really isn't
38:16
an issue of murder,
38:18
but it's just simply
38:19
an issue of convenience
38:20
or ethics.
38:22
Right?
38:23
That's not the case
38:24
with it.
38:25
We've got to educate,
38:26
we've got to unwind
38:27
that kind of thinking.
38:28
We have to be able
38:29
to compassionately
38:30
have arguments,
38:31
recognizing that we may
38:32
never win the arguments
38:33
at the time of the argument.
38:34
It may not be
38:34
until somebody walks away
38:35
and considers the things
38:37
that have been said to them
38:37
and lets it sink down
38:39
into them that they
38:39
change their mind.
38:42
I'm thankful in this day
38:43
that there's quite a bit
38:44
of movement.
38:46
Previously,
38:46
last year,
38:47
1.2 million.
38:48
The year before that,
38:49
1.3.
38:50
Praise God,
38:51
100,000 children
38:53
were not aborted
38:54
last year
38:55
or fewer women
38:55
got pregnant.
38:56
I don't know which,
38:57
but the numbers
38:57
have been going down
38:58
and there's some great
38:59
movement in this direction.
39:01
People are beginning
39:02
to see the fallacy
39:04
in the arguments.
39:06
I've read some articles,
39:07
two sides.
39:08
I read an article
39:09
by two bioethicists
39:10
who said,
39:11
if we can abort children
39:13
in the womb,
39:15
the argument cannot be made
39:16
that they're not life,
39:17
we should also be able
39:18
to abort children
39:19
after they're born.
39:22
Unfortunately,
39:22
they weren't doing this
39:23
rhetorically.
39:24
Unfortunately,
39:25
they really meant it.
39:26
You have a child
39:27
that's born
39:28
with special needs,
39:29
you don't think
39:29
you can handle that child,
39:30
you can make that decision
39:31
at that point.
39:32
They're making this argument.
39:34
I've read another article,
39:35
a lady who basically said
39:37
to the pro-choice movement,
39:39
stop saying it's not a life.
39:41
That is such a dumb argument.
39:42
It's an obtuse argument.
39:44
What we need to be saying is,
39:45
one life is more important
39:46
than the other life.
39:48
Right?
39:48
So their logical argument
39:49
is breaking down.
39:51
They themselves
39:52
are beginning to see
39:53
how flawed it is,
39:54
and we've got to step in
39:55
with a great deal of love
39:56
and help them understand
39:57
the reality of that.
39:59
Right?
39:59
We've got to come up
40:00
with solutions.
40:01
What do we do
40:02
with 1.2 million children
40:03
who are unwanted
40:04
in this country?
40:05
54 million
40:06
in the last 40 years.
40:08
What are we going to do
40:08
with those people?
40:09
I don't know
40:10
the answer to that.
40:11
I really don't know.
40:11
How do we alleviate
40:13
that kind of population explosion?
40:14
I have no idea,
40:15
but the solution
40:16
is not abortion.
40:17
It's not abortion.
40:19
So educate yourself
40:20
and others
40:21
with a great deal of passion.
40:23
Next Sunday afternoon
40:24
at 1.30,
40:25
I'm going to be here
40:26
and I'm going to help
40:27
walk you through
40:28
that process,
40:29
present the common arguments
40:31
to you
40:31
and the rebuttals to them.
40:32
So if you'd like to join me
40:33
for that,
40:34
I'll remind you again
40:35
later about that,
40:35
but I'll be here to help
40:37
with that process.
40:38
We may even be able
40:39
to sharpen each other
40:40
in that way.
40:42
Fourthly,
40:44
get involved
40:45
with a local
40:46
pregnancy care center.
40:48
There's work happening
40:49
right where we are,
40:51
right in our community
40:52
to this end,
40:53
trying to counsel
40:55
with Christ-centered
40:57
counseling
40:58
with a great deal of love
41:00
women who are pregnant,
41:02
who are in a crisis situation.
41:03
The one we have here in town
41:05
is great.
41:05
It's called
41:06
the Dahlonega Care Center
41:07
and they do a lot of work
41:09
in this county.
41:10
I somehow managed
41:11
to get myself
41:12
to be the chairman
41:13
of the board of directors.
41:14
I do not know how
41:15
and I don't say that
41:15
to boast to you,
41:16
but I say that to you
41:17
so that you know
41:18
I need your help.
41:20
I need your help
41:20
with leading the care center
41:21
and being passionate
41:23
about it,
41:24
for throwing into
41:25
the efforts
41:25
that we're trying
41:26
to accomplish
41:26
to raise the funds
41:28
that are necessary
41:29
so that these ladies
41:30
can sit with these
41:31
young ladies
41:31
and counsel them
41:32
through this process.
41:34
Get involved.
41:35
They need all kinds
41:36
of help
41:37
and we're going to be
41:37
bringing you the options.
41:38
We're doing work days
41:40
up there.
41:40
We just peeled weeds
41:42
off the side of the building
41:43
the other day.
41:44
Another great family,
41:45
the Wadsworths
41:46
went out there
41:46
and replaced trim work
41:48
and cleaned the inside.
41:49
They need that kind of stuff.
41:51
The folks that are
41:51
in the ground,
41:52
in the trenches
41:52
doing that kind of work
41:53
need somebody
41:54
to come along
41:54
and sweep up
41:55
behind them sometimes
41:56
so they can keep
41:56
on working
41:57
with these people.
41:59
They need money.
42:00
It takes money
42:01
to run anything.
42:02
And we hold
42:03
so tightly to it.
42:04
We do so many things
42:05
that are so frivolous
42:06
and stupid
42:07
with our money
42:08
and I can tell you
42:08
at the end of your life
42:09
you will wish
42:10
you had spent it
42:10
on greater causes.
42:11
Things that will have you
42:13
gain more of Christ
42:14
in that activity
42:15
versus more stuff
42:16
for yourself.
42:18
They need
42:19
that kind of support.
42:21
So get involved
42:22
in those ways.
42:25
I want you to reach
42:25
we're going to stop
42:26
the timer now.
42:27
Thank you.
42:29
I want everybody
42:30
to put your hand
42:30
over your heart.
42:32
I'm not about to make
42:33
you make a pledge
42:34
so don't worry.
42:37
You feel that?
42:38
If you're up here
42:39
you may not be able
42:40
to feel it.
42:40
It's about right here.
42:42
They're right there.
42:43
You feel that?
42:44
Just thumping away, right?
42:47
It just keeps on going.
42:50
I heard John Piper
42:51
in an interview one time
42:52
say that this cause
42:53
needs coronary Christians.
42:55
I want you to get that
42:56
phrase programmed
42:57
into your head.
42:59
It needs coronary Christians.
43:01
Christians who are just
43:01
going to continue
43:02
to work and work
43:03
and work
43:04
and work
43:05
and work
43:06
to end
43:07
this tragedy.
43:08
Just keep on working.
43:10
Movements are great.
43:11
I mean,
43:12
praise God for movements.
43:13
God has used movements
43:13
in so many ways
43:14
where everybody gets
43:14
super excited about a cause.
43:16
It flares up.
43:17
Everybody goes gung-ho
43:18
after it
43:18
and then it peters out.
43:20
You guys remember
43:21
Invisible Children?
43:22
Those of you who were young
43:23
about the tragedy
43:24
in Darfur?
43:26
Right?
43:27
A movement.
43:28
Right?
43:28
It flared up.
43:29
Everyone was super stoked
43:30
about it
43:30
and I haven't heard
43:31
anything about
43:32
Invisible Children
43:32
in years and years
43:34
and years and years.
43:35
Right?
43:35
We need coronary Christians.
43:38
Hear this.
43:38
Our hearts keep us alive.
43:40
Right?
43:40
Our hearts are pumping
43:41
blood to our brains,
43:42
oxygenating our brains,
43:43
allowing our brains
43:44
to function.
43:45
But you've got to get to
43:46
that our brain
43:46
is sending a signal
43:47
to our heart
43:47
to keep pumping.
43:48
Isn't it?
43:49
Just keeps on
43:49
thudding.
43:50
I don't think about
43:51
my heart beating.
43:52
It just does it.
43:52
My brain does this
43:53
as an automatic function.
43:55
Right?
43:55
So there's a cycle
43:57
that's going on here
43:58
and the gospel
43:58
should be working in us
43:59
in the same way.
44:00
As we've made new creations,
44:01
it should be automatically
44:03
feeding us into good works.
44:05
We should be doing
44:05
that kind of thing
44:06
and our good works
44:07
should be feeding our faith.
44:08
It should be coming
44:09
right back in
44:09
as we get to see
44:10
and experience God
44:12
moving and working
44:13
in this world.
44:15
We need coronary Christians
44:16
around this cause.
44:18
We need to hear
44:20
the gospel truth
44:22
every day.
44:24
We need to hear it.
44:25
Not just the narrower version
44:27
of it,
44:27
which is so important
44:28
for the redemption
44:28
of our souls,
44:29
but the larger
44:30
expansive version of it
44:31
that Jesus has come
44:33
to make all things new.
44:34
That he's setting
44:35
everything straight.
44:36
That he's going to return us
44:37
once again to Eden
44:39
where everything was perfect.
44:41
Where sin and sickness,
44:43
death, abortion,
44:44
none of these things
44:44
existed in this state.
44:45
He's getting us back
44:46
to that place.
44:47
This is the gospel message
44:49
and we need to be
44:49
so invigorated by it
44:51
every single day.
44:52
And every moment
44:53
of every day
44:53
if we're going to live
44:54
this way.
44:55
If we're going to be
44:55
about the cause of Christ
44:57
in this world.
44:58
C.S. Lewis in
44:59
Mere Christianity said,
45:00
We have to be continually
45:01
reminded of what we believe.
45:03
Neither this belief
45:04
nor any other
45:05
will automatically
45:06
remain alive
45:07
in the mind.
45:07
It must be fed.
45:11
We hope every Sunday
45:13
we feed you
45:14
with the good news
45:15
of Jesus Christ
45:16
and that that moves you
45:17
to work to his glory
45:19
in the world.
45:19
once a Sunday,
45:22
once a week
45:22
is not enough.
45:25
After lunch
45:26
you may need to feed
45:26
the gospel
45:28
into your mind again.
45:29
You're going to need
45:30
to do it throughout the day.
45:31
You need to do it
45:32
throughout the week.
45:32
Meet with us other times.
45:33
None of that is enough.
45:34
You've got to delve
45:35
into the scriptures
45:37
sanctified
45:38
in the truth
45:40
because we've been
45:41
sent into this world
45:42
with a mission
45:43
just as Jesus
45:44
came into the world.
45:45
Let's pray together.