Latest / HBCWestminster / I Will Build My Church: The Church's 10 Commandments • Matthew 16:18

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I Will Build My Church: The Church's 10 Commandments • Matthew 16:18 · HBCWestminster

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Open, if you would, in your Bibles one more time to Matthew chapter 16.
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Matthew chapter 16, man, I have been enjoying just talking about the church,
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studying the church, how the church is to be arranged,
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what we are supposed to do as church members in a church body,
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in a church family.
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The last several weeks, I've been preaching through kind of a mini-series
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on Christ's words from Matthew 16 that he would build his church
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in preparation for this morning's member vote.
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It's actually been inspiring to me.
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I told the worship team this morning as we gathered early this morning to pray
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that it's actually, I wish that we had four more Sundays.
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There are so many more things about Christ's bride that I wish we could study,
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but nevertheless, we are going to conclude our series on the church this morning
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and then launch back into the gospel of Mark next week.
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So next week, the Lord will be walking on water.
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All right, so that's where we left off in our study of Christ
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in the gospel of Mark.
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But one more time in Matthew chapter 16.
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And remember, first, we distinguished between the church and a church.
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The church is the universal body of Christ.
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It's every believer through every age who is called by God
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and part of his collect.
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The church, we said, is all of us.
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And then a church.
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A church is that universal body of Christ,
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but expressed in individual local congregations like little herds,
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of wildebeest all over the Serengeti, right?
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We, Highland, is a church.
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We are one of Christ's herds.
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A couple of Sundays ago, I talked about the difference between elders and deacons
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and really, honestly, why I believe it is so important for our church, Highland,
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to have deacons.
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It is what sparked that whole constitution rewrite.
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I believe that our church needs deacons.
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To this point, we have not had them.
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What we need are what the Bible describes.
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It describes as men and women of outstanding character
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who are willing to serve the church
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and to ensure that no members are slipping through the cracks.
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And that is the role of deacons, both men and women, in the New Testament.
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And now, this morning, we're going to talk about the church's Ten Commandments.
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As we have done previously, I'm going to use this one verse,
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chapter 16 and verse 18 of Matthew's Gospel,
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as a launching pad into some other places in the New Testament.
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But allow me to start with just reading this one verse.
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And I would ask you to stand, if you're able, in honor of God's word, as I do.
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Matthew chapter 16 and verse 18, Jesus is speaking, and he says,
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I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church,
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and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
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And our Heavenly Father, we recognize your presence
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as we gather in your name and as we open your word.
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Lord, when you are absent, we have only sorrow.
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But when you are present, all blessings are ours.
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And so, Holy Spirit, be with us now, we pray.
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And would you bless the preaching of your word.
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We are eager to receive it.
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In Jesus' name, amen.
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Amen. Thank you, church.
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Well, probably unbeknownst to many of you,
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we've had a visiting pastor and his family here at Highland with us for the last month.
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A good friend of mine, a man whom I've known for many years.
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In fact, I discipled him.
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When he was young, and Hallie discipled his wife when she was young.
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I had the privilege of officiating their marriage many years ago
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and being involved in their lives.
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Even as we've moved to Colorado, he continues to pastor a church in Southern California,
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kind of in the hills above L.A.
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And they were sent by their church on a sabbatical.
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They were given a time away, a time of rest and rejuvenation.
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And one of the requirements that their elder board put on him
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and part of that sabbatical was that they had,
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to leave the state.
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They actually said, you've got to get away.
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You have to leave.
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You've got to go someplace where they're not going to ask you to preach,
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where they're not going to ask you to do anything like that.
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Just go someplace and rest.
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Is there someplace that you've got friends somewhere,
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or whatever, that you can just go and rest?
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And so he called me and he said, is it okay if we come to Highland?
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Can we come to Colorado?
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Can we come and participate in the church there?
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And I said, absolutely.
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And so for the last month, he only just left this last week,
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for the last month, many of you have met him,
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his name is Christian Powers.
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His wife's name is Anais.
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They have four kids.
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And they have been involved in every means of grace
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that our church offers the last four weeks.
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They came, and other than preaching,
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because his elder board said he was not allowed to do that,
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or I would have asked him to.
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Nevertheless, they have participated in everything.
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They've been engaged in our Sunday morning gatherings.
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His kids attended VBS.
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Him and Anais came to the women's and men's Bible studies.
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They attended Connect Homes.
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Their kids were involved in Awana.
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And I asked him before they went home
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if he would be willing to share his thoughts on Highland.
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Now that you've come, you've kind of come as a visitor,
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what's it like being a visitor at our church?
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And then more than a visitor, you've continued to attend.
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What's it like?
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Would you give me a review?
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And I want it through not only a visitor's eyes,
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but through a friend's eyes, and also a pastor's eyes,
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because pastors want to be encouraging to the church.
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But they also have a critical eye, right?
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They're coming in and saying,
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I've seen behind the veil.
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Like, I know what it's like to be on a church staff
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and to be part of a church board,
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and so I know what it's like to do a children's ministry.
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Would you just critique our church for me
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and be completely honest?
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And he said this, and I quote,
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Your people genuinely love each other.
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Man.
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Good job.
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Good job.
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He continued.
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They love spending time together.
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They're not in a hurry to leave.
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If the two most important commands
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are love God and love people,
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they seem to be doing it well.
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And so well done, Highland Baptist Church.
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To God be the glory for all things.
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But if the two commands are love God and love people,
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from a man who has seen behind the scenes
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and runs his own church,
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he came in and for a month just watched
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and said, you know what?
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Honestly, if I had to rate it, I'd rate it four stars.
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I'm like, is that out of four stars?
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Right?
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How many stars are we talking?
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I said, is there anything that we could do better?
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And he said, yeah.
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You need a bigger parking lot.
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I said, I know.
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I mean, I don't even know what to do about it.
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I don't know what to do about that.
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He said, you need a bigger parking lot.
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And he said, man, it'd be cool if your kids had a playground.
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I said, I know.
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I know.
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We're working on that too.
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We'll work on it.
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I know.
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But he said, you guys are doing it well.
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And so as we launch from Matthew chapter 16
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into Romans chapter 12,
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and that is going to be the text that I preached through this morning,
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if you want to turn to the right 50 or so pages
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to Romans chapter 12,
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as we look at what a Christian community actually should be,
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how a church should participate in the means of grace,
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what it means to participate in one another's lives,
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to engage in Christian community,
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what is it like to be a part of a church?
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I mean, honestly,
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not just to attend a church because a lot of people do that
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and they sing the songs and they do whatever and they leave
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and it has no real impact on their lives other than for maybe an hour on Sunday mornings.
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What does it mean to be a part of a Christian community?
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I just want to say, well done.
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This is not a hammer kind of sermon.
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This is not meant to be a sermon on convicting you.
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In fact, it's commending you because I believe that we are doing these things well.
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Remember that I am a sheep before I'm a shepherd.
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I'm a sheep.
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And which means I want our church to thrive.
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I have participated in those same means of grace.
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And in fact, I'm in need of those same means of grace as all of you are.
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I need a Christian community just like everybody else does.
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And so I want to say before we even get into it,
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well done.
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Well done.
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You're doing it well.
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Four out of ten stars.
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Women's and men's Bible studies are going through James chapter one.
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And listen to what it says.
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Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
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If anyone's a hearer of the word and not a doer,
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it's like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror.
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He looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he looks like.
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Romans chapter 12 verses 9 to 21 are basically a 13 verse mirror.
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We get to hold these verses up as a mirror to our church.
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And what they describe is basically the essence of a Christian family.
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Here's what a Christian community looks like.
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In fact, if we were to distill all of the commandments of God to the church,
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the result, I think, could be these 13 verses.
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And I've arranged them almost like a New Testament echo of the Old Testament Ten Commandments.
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You know, we've got an Old Testament Ten Commandments in Exodus chapter 20.
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This would be like the New Testament's Church Ten Commandments.
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And so ten commandments, ten points in our sermon this morning.
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If you want to take notes, the first one is this.
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That we should be genuinely loving.
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Anybody have an issue with that one?
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Like, we're supposed to love one another, amen?
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And that love should be genuine.
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It's supposed to be real, not fake, hypocritical love.
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And look at verse 9.
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Let love be genuine.
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Let love be genuine.
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The word for genuine in the Greek is the word a-hupakratos.
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Hupakratos is where we get the word hypocrite.
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Hypocrisy.
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Hupakratos.
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You hear it in there.
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Throwing an A on the front reverses it.
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Flips it upside down.
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Okay?
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And so contradicts it.
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And so, if you would just indulge me for a moment.
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If you believe in God, would you raise your hand?
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Right?
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That makes you a theist.
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If you did not believe in God, you'd be called an atheist.
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That A makes it the reverse.
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And so he says there's hypocrisy, a-hypocrisy, a-hupakratos.
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Make it the opposite of that.
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Unhypocritical love.
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We fancy ourselves to be genuine people.
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Nobody thinks that they themselves are a fraud.
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We pride ourselves, in fact, on our ability to, quote, keep it real.
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We will brag that we don't care what others think.
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You know, we would say we would never change ourselves in the slightest based on who is
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present, but all of those things are lies.
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The reality is that we change our postures all the time when cameras are rolling.
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We change our moods when others are watching.
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We exaggerate and we elaborate to make ourselves look good in front of others.
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Isn't that true?
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We pretend all the time.
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A truer statement might be that we fake it till we make it.
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We fake it till we make it.
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But even that isn't true.
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Making it never actually comes because faking it never gives birth to that which is genuine.
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You can't fake your way to reality.
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Fake comes from the face, but genuine can only come from the heart.
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And so our love, he's saying in verse 9, must come from the heart, not just from the face.
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Because face love is hypocrisy.
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The word for love is a word that we know well.
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It's the word agape.
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This type of love is unconditional.
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It always seeks the good of the recipient.
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Agape love is the love used to describe the love of God toward his son, Jesus Christ.
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The father loves his son.
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Agape love.
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It's the same word used to describe the love of God toward the human race generally.
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John 3.16, God so loved the world.
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It's agape love.
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He loves the whole world.
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It's the same love that Jesus Christ has toward his church.
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John 14, he loves us.
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Agape love can only be known from the actions which it prompts.
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In other words, it is more than a mere declaration.
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We can say that we love others and then not actually love others.
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Isn't that true?
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It's one thing to say.
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You love others.
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It's another thing entirely to prove that love through your actions.
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It is one thing to say that you love your spouse.
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But it's another thing entirely to prove that love through your actions.
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This agape love can be clearly seen in God giving humanity the gift of his son.
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In 1 John 4, it says,
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In this, the love of God.
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Agape love was made manifest.
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How do we know that God loves us?
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He sent his only son into the world.
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He didn't just say that he loves us and then do nothing, right?
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That wouldn't be real love.
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That would be face love, not heart love.
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And so instead, he says, I love you and I'm going to prove that by sacrificing my own son.
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It is therefore not a response toward any affection from its object.
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Stated another way, you're like, what does that mean?
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It's not given under compulsion.
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Or in reciprocation.
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So God doesn't love us simply because we love him.
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Right?
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The Bible says we love God because he first loved us.
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But he does not love us because we first loved him.
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The opposite is not true.
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He doesn't wait for us to love him in order for him to love us.
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Everybody following?
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Is that good news?
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I heard somebody say amen.
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I've been waiting for one.
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You guys.
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He doesn't wait for you to clean yourself up before he loves you.
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He doesn't wait for you to clean yourself up before he offers forgiveness.
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Amen?
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If that were the case, we'd never get there.
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We'd never be clean enough to receive his love, to be worthy of his love.
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We'd never be clean.
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We'd never be clean enough, righteous enough.
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We'd never make it.
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And so we'd never become the recipients of God's love.
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The fact that God loves us without us loving him is proof of his genuine love.
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He accepts you.
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He loves you.
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He forgives you before, before you walk in righteousness.
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He already loves you.
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And he bids you come just as you are.
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John chapter 6, the Lord Jesus himself says,
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All that the Father gives me will come to me.
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And look at this.
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Whoever comes to me, I will never cast out.
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If you come to the Lord.
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In humility.
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Asking for forgiveness.
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You will receive it.
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You will never go to Christ and find a closed door or a stiff arm.
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And this is the type of genuine love we are supposed to have toward all people.
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It's a love that is unconditional.
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It is a love that is unreciprocal.
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It's a love that is given without any expectation of a return.
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And so in the church.
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The smiles.
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The handshakes.
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The hugs.
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The offers of help.
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The invitations to friendship are not phony.
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They're real.
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Their heart offers.
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Not just fake smiles offers.
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Amen.
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And you guys listen.
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Highland.
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I've seen that in you.
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I've seen genuine love.
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I've seen people drop everything to help somebody else.
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I've seen it.
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I've seen it.
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And if you're new with us.
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Then can I encourage you?
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Man, lean in.
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Lean in.
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You'll be cared for that way.
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A genuine love toward the Christian church.
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Notice commandment number two.
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We are to be steadfastly good.
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And continue in verse nine.
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It says,
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Abhor what is evil.
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Hold fast to what is good.
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The word for abhor actually means to cause one to shudder.
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Anything that is evil.
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Anything that is sinful should be repulsive to the Christian.
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And shouldn't be tolerated.
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We do not tolerate evil.
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On the flip side.
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We are commended to hold fast to or to cling to that which is good.
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This morning.
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Early in the morning.
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I went to the clothes dryer.
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To get a white t-shirt to wear underneath this one.
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As I pulled that white t-shirt out.
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A sock was stuck to it.
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Why?
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It's no longer stuck there.
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In case you think it's still like.
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Like, yeah, we can see it.
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The perfect outline.
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No.
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Why was the sock just stuck to my shirt?
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Static cling.
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This is the idea.
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This is the idea.
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There are some things which are repulsive.
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Evil.
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There are some things which should have almost a magnetic attraction.
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Like static cling.
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Why does my sock stick to my shirt?
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That static cling.
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So also, good should stick to us.
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It's, it's sticky.
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It's magnetic.
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The Christian should root out that which is sinful and repulsive.
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And remove it as far as possible from their lives.
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but then also search for things which are good and then cling to those.
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Can I ask you before we get to commandment number three,
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are you shuddering over your sin and are you clinging to that which is good?
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Repulsed by evil, holding fast to the good.
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Commandment number two.
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Commandment number three, we are to be warmly affectionate.
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Verse 10 says, love one another with brotherly affection.
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Brotherly love comes from the Greek compound word Philadelphia.
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It is a love of tenderness.
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It is a familial love.
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It's appropriate because we all share a heavenly father.
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Because we have the same dad, that makes us all brothers and sisters.
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And so, like brothers and sisters in the same family, we are to love one another.
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It's the same root word that we get the word philanthropy from.
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Philanthropy.
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Philanthropy connotes the idea of seeking the good of others.
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We want each other to win.
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That's what it means.
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To have brotherly affection.
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Loving one another.
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Not only with agape love, but also with brotherly love.
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We want the other to succeed.
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Our love toward our brothers and sisters is to be warm, spontaneous, constant.
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In fact, so much so that Jesus said that the world will actually know that we are his disciples
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based on what?
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How we love one another.
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Do you guys remember when he said this in John chapter 13?
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A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another just as I've loved you.
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You also are to love one another.
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And by this, all people will know that you are my disciples.
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If you have love for one another.
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Honestly, of all those 10 commandments, the best one Pastor Christian could have said
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about all of us is that one.
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Your people genuinely love one another.
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He came into it.
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He came into our church and said, this place is filled with Christians.
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Man, how devastating would the opposite statement be?
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Can you imagine?
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What if we went into a church and found this place is full of people who are not Christians?
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We can actually guard the reputation of Christ and his bride by genuinely caring for one another.
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Loving one another.
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And by that, the whole world will know that we follow Christ because we care for one another.
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That's third.
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Fourth, we are to be competitively honorable.
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It's interesting that he says, you're all brothers and sisters, so be affectionate toward
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one another.
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And then he says, you're all brothers and sisters, so compete with one another.
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Just like brothers and sisters might be prone to do.
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Continue in verse 10.
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It says, outdo one another in showing honor.
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Outdo one another in showing honor.
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And to outdo in this context is to show preference to others.
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To be more ready.
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And to honor others.
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Than to seek honor for yourself.
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Willing to set an honorable example for others to follow.
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We must be those who take the lead when it comes to acts of respect and kindness.
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And he ties commandment number four together with commandment number five.
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We are to be fervently zealous.
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He continues, outdo one another in showing honor.
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Verse 11, do not be slothful in zeal.
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Be fervent in zeal.
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Be fervent in the spirit and serve the Lord.
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Zeal is that readiness and eagerness to participate in religious activity.
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Slothfulness.
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We know what a sloth is because we all saw Zootopia.
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Right?
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Slothful.
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Slow.
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Slow.
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Are you slow to serve the Lord?
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Slow.
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Like a sloth.
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Barely moving.
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Almost imperceptible.
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Or.
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The reverse, he says.
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Or are you fervent in spirit?
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When I was a kid, we had a dog that loved to escape out the front door.
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In fact, she learned that when the doorbell rang, it was very Pavlovian, when the doorbell
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rang, the front door would soon be opened and she could seize her chance to run through
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the neighborhood.
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And she did it many, many times.
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The doorbell would ring.
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You would see her kind of crouch.
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She would crouch down and get ready.
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And as soon as there was a crack, she would make a beeline.
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She would bolt for that front door and try to get out.
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And the first few times she did, she would escape.
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And you guys, she was a relatively large dog with spindly legs, which means she could
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move.
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And she would just run.
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And in a straight line until something made her turn, she would go for miles.
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And more than once in junior high and high school, I had to chase after the dumb dog
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that would get out and run.
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And she was just, she had trained herself to be ready.
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She would hear the sound and she would crouch.
22:57
She would crouch down and be ready to go.
22:59
Ready to go at a moment's notice.
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My dad eventually cured her of that.
23:03
I won't tell you how.
23:04
It will bother some.
23:07
But this, this is how we should treat Christian zeal.
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Zeal.
23:11
It's this ever readiness to meet others' needs.
23:15
I can't wait.
23:16
I can't wait to do it.
23:17
It's like we're just a bunch of Christians all hunched down, ready just for a little
23:22
crack in the door so that we can meet somebody else's need.
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I can't wait to do it.
23:26
Fervent.
23:27
And notice that particular zeal leads to this almost like fire in your heart, wanting to
23:32
serve God.
23:34
And I love the implication here.
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The idea is that service to others is service to the Lord.
23:39
As we serve one another, that is how we serve the Lord.
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We don't do it because others have asked.
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We don't do it because others are worthy.
23:50
We do what we do because the Lord is worthy and he has asked.
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Amen.
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Amen.
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Amen.
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Amen.
23:58
Amen.
23:58
Amen.
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Amen.
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Amen.
24:01
Anyway, there's a man in our church who just doing really well.
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And like I said, he's a member of our church.
24:07
He's a brother.
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He's had some hard things happen in his life.
24:12
He hasn't always been walking with the Lord.
24:14
He struggles sometimes with falling back into those things.
24:17
We're so proud of him because he is walking with the Lord now.
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In an effort to make a fresh start, he got a new apartment.
24:23
That new apartment came unfurnished.
24:24
He didn't have a bed.
24:25
He came up to me after a man's Bible study just a couple weeks ago.
24:29
he said, Pastor Danny, he said, I got a new apartment, trying to do things right. I commended
24:34
him and encouraged him. And he said, I need a mattress. I don't have a mattress. Does anybody
24:40
in the church have a used mattress? He said, I've even saved a few bucks. I can pay for it.
24:45
I can pay for it. I just, I need a mattress. Does anybody have a used one that I can afford? And I
24:49
just said, you know what? Give me a minute. I'll see if I can find one. And honestly, I was sure.
24:54
I was just going to start walking around and asking people, you got a mattress? Like, I was just going
24:58
to do that. But I just said, give me a minute. I'm sure, I'm sure we can find you one. A couple
25:03
minutes later, he comes back. He says, Pastor Danny, I don't need one anymore. Somebody met
25:07
the need. And I was like, man, praise God. And he said, yeah, I was just asking around. And one guy
25:13
just said, wait, you need a mattress? And he said, yeah. And he reached into his back pocket. He
25:19
pulled out his phone. He goes, what's your address? Types in his address. He says, your new mattress
25:23
will be there tomorrow morning. Amazon Prime. You know, it's like 24 hours.
25:28
A new mattress is being delivered to your house tomorrow morning. And honestly,
25:32
I was a little bit annoyed. Why? He outdid me. Right? This guy very righteously one-upped me.
25:48
I had my phone in my back pocket. And I thought, you know what? What he needs is a used mattress.
25:53
He didn't need a used mattress, did he? I just thought, man, and I won't tell you who that guy
25:57
was because I don't want to take his heavenly reward, right? There is a brand new mattress
26:05
I don't think that's totally how it works. But listen, I was like, oh, I couldn't believe it,
26:11
you guys. I couldn't believe it. You know what? I wasn't ready for the front door to be cracked
26:15
open. I wasn't ready. I wasn't crouched down ready, like zealous. I wasn't fervent in it.
26:21
I wasn't sitting there waiting. Just, man, just give me an opportunity. Give me an opportunity.
26:25
Give me an opportunity. And when the opportunity came, it was a swing and a miss. I had every
26:30
intention of meeting the need. It was a miss. It was a miss. It was a miss. It was a miss. We never
26:32
we never wanted to meet the need. We never wanted to meet the need. We never wanted to meet
26:32
the need. We never wanted to meet the need. But he beat it. He got to the point that he can't give
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me. He beat me. And I thought, what if we were filled with a church full of people who were just
26:40
this outdoing one another in showing honor, zealous and fervent. I cannot wait to serve the
26:48
Lord by serving my brothers and sisters. Can you imagine going to that church? Man, that'd be
26:54
awesome. Commandment number six, hopefully rejoicing. Hopefully rejoicing. Look at verse 12.
27:00
12. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. And these three really
27:06
belong together. They're almost like a triplet because they communicate related duties. Hope,
27:12
patience, and prayer. And even in the face of suffering, in the face of persecution, when all
27:20
seems bleak and at its darkest, the true Christian can remain joyful through patience and prayer.
27:30
I can't imagine a better way of bearing up under persecution
27:34
than reminding ourselves of God's future presence,
27:39
right? What better way to bear up under suffering than to remind ourselves that tomorrow will not
27:44
be like today, amen? That there is a future hope and glory waiting for us. And what better way to
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hope in eternity than to get a little glimpse of that eternity now through prayer. I mean,
27:59
eternity.
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Heaven is being in the presence of God.
28:01
Amen?
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You guys believe that?
28:04
Heaven is being in the presence of God?
28:06
Then listen, what's stopping you?
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Can you not taste heaven now
28:13
by enjoining your soul to his in his very presence?
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I didn't word that perfectly.
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Hebrews chapter four says it this way.
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Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace
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that we may receive mercy and find grace
28:26
to help in time of need.
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We have been invited right now into his very presence.
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Isn't that true?
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And if heaven is the presence of God
28:35
and we're invited into his presence even now,
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then we can get a little taste of heaven through prayer.
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And so take heart.
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Brothers and sisters, take heart
28:46
and do not despair your circumstances.
28:50
The world can despair if it wants.
28:52
In fact, the world probably should despair.
28:55
The world has rejected their creator.
28:58
And so take heart.
28:58
So yeah, there should be all kinds of despair in the world,
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but not in the church.
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We've been granted the great promise of help
29:06
from the creator and sustainer of the universe.
29:09
And therefore we can hope in all things.
29:13
Hopefully rejoicing.
29:14
Notice commandment number seven,
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sacrificially sharing, sacrificially sharing.
29:18
Look at verse 13.
29:19
Contribute, it says, to the needs of the saints
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and seek to show hospitality.
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Contribute.
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That word contribute.
29:27
I don't, I'm not,
29:28
I'm not a huge fan of that translation here.
29:32
And I'll tell you why.
29:34
Contribute, I think can be a little bit misleading.
29:38
The English word makes it sound
29:39
like we're supposed to donate to something,
29:41
like an offering should be taken.
29:43
And I suppose, yes,
29:45
contributing to the needs of others,
29:47
but the Greek word there for contribute
29:49
is actually the word koinonia.
29:53
It's where we get the word fellowship or communion.
29:56
When we take communion together,
29:58
the first Sunday of every month,
30:00
we gather together corporately,
30:01
we take communion together.
30:02
It's the same word koinonia.
30:05
It's the idea of locking arms.
30:07
It's not just giving money to something.
30:10
That's donating.
30:12
Rather contributing to the needs of others
30:14
is actually locking arms with them
30:16
and saying your plight is my plight.
30:22
We are all gonna win and we're all gonna lock arms
30:25
to ensure that we do.
30:28
Another way of saying it would be taking part
30:30
in the necessities of the saints
30:33
and regarding their own circumstances as your own.
30:38
That's exactly what we've described
30:40
in our membership covenant.
30:42
We've said all members are the same body in Christ.
30:46
We therefore have the same interests,
30:48
the same feelings, the same destiny.
30:51
The joy of one member becomes the joy of all members.
30:54
The sorrow of one member becomes the sorrow of all.
30:59
As we have the same heart,
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we actually seek for opportunities to be hospitable,
31:04
to show hospitality that we take the attitude of.
31:06
In Spanish, they would say mi casa, su casa.
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My house is your house.
31:10
What is mine is yours.
31:12
That's what he means.
31:13
Of course, it is contributing to the needs of others
31:15
and donating and meeting those needs
31:17
like buying a mattress for a guy who needs one.
31:20
But it's more than that.
31:22
It's not just the mattress.
31:25
It's actually saying I'm willing to pour myself out
31:27
for your sake.
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I'm willing to pour my family out.
31:30
I'm willing to pour my house out.
31:32
My house is your house.
31:34
It's yours.
31:36
Because ultimately, it's all his.
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Sacrificially sharing.
31:42
Notice commandment number eight.
31:45
Sympathetically peaceful.
31:46
Sympathetically peaceful.
31:47
And we're going to read a larger block this time.
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Verses 14 to 18.
31:51
It says,
31:51
Bless those who persecute you.
31:53
Bless and do not curse them.
31:54
Man, is that hard to do.
31:57
Rejoice with those.
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Rejoice with those who rejoice.
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Weep with those who weep.
32:03
Live in harmony with one another.
32:05
Do not be haughty,
32:07
but associate with the lowly.
32:10
Never be wise in your own sight.
32:13
Repay no one evil for evil,
32:15
but give thought to do what is honorable
32:16
in the sight of all, if possible.
32:18
So far as it depends on you,
32:20
live peaceably with all.
32:23
Now, you want to know what it's like
32:25
to be a genuine Christian?
32:26
To live in genuine Christian,
32:28
Christian community?
32:29
Here's what it's like.
32:30
When we're cursed,
32:31
we bless in return.
32:33
When others rejoice,
32:35
we rejoice along with them,
32:37
even if we don't feel like it.
32:38
When others weep,
32:40
we weep along with them
32:43
in the hope maybe that we can shed some tears
32:45
on their behalf.
32:46
You know, my honest prayer,
32:47
when I mourn with others,
32:49
and it's interesting being part of a church family
32:52
because there are always people in the church
32:53
who are rejoicing
32:54
at the same time that others are mourning.
32:57
That happens all the time.
32:58
So on one day, you'll be celebrating,
33:00
and on the next day, you'll be grieving.
33:03
And my honest hope is,
33:05
as we come alongside those who grieve,
33:07
that we can actually shed tears on their behalf.
33:10
Like, the tears that we shed for them
33:13
almost become a sponge
33:15
to help soak up some of their tears,
33:17
so maybe they won't have to cry as long.
33:21
Maybe we can just spread all the tears out.
33:23
And if everybody in the church
33:26
just has one hard afternoon,
33:30
there's 350 of us,
33:32
maybe that means one of our widows
33:34
only has to cry for a day.
33:36
Right?
33:36
I mean, that would be our goal.
33:37
That would be our hope.
33:39
We seek genuine peace at all costs,
33:42
in all circumstances,
33:44
even at our own expense.
33:47
It means we offer forgiveness
33:48
even when it's not deserved.
33:50
We offer forgiveness sometimes
33:51
when it's not even asked for.
33:53
We're willing to be the ones
33:54
who make the first move
33:55
toward reconciliation and friendship,
33:57
even if those efforts might be rebuffed.
34:01
Sympathetically peaceful.
34:03
Commandment number nine,
34:04
we are unwaveringly trusting.
34:06
In other words,
34:07
we are willing to entrust ourselves to the Lord.
34:10
I said a couple of Sundays ago
34:12
we were gonna talk about church hurt,
34:14
what to do when we're hurt by a church.
34:16
And listen, everybody in this room
34:18
has been hurt by a church.
34:19
Everybody has.
34:21
Churches are full of a bunch of sinners.
34:23
Amen, sinners?
34:24
And sometimes, unfortunately,
34:27
we still act that way.
34:28
We are selfish and demand our own way.
34:32
Despite, despite what verse 18 just said,
34:35
if possible, so far as it depends on you,
34:36
live peaceably with all,
34:38
sometimes we still declare war on each other.
34:40
And so listen, everybody, to varying degrees,
34:42
and I know that some of that church hurt
34:43
is more severe, has been more frequent,
34:47
has a greater fallout than others.
34:48
Some of us have not been,
34:49
but I'm telling you, everybody in this room
34:51
has been hurt by some Christian at some point.
34:54
Everybody has.
34:56
Does it give us the right to write off the church?
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I don't think so.
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We are unwaveringly trusting,
35:02
specifically trusting in God.
35:04
Notice verse 19,
35:05
Beloved, never avenge yourselves,
35:08
but leave it to the wrath of God.
35:10
For it is written, vengeance is mine,
35:12
I will repay, says the Lord.
35:14
So in other words,
35:14
the Lord knows what is happening to us.
35:17
Even if we feel like something has happened in secret,
35:20
in private,
35:21
and we're having to bear up
35:23
under this weight and pain alone.
35:24
No.
35:25
No, he says,
35:25
the Lord knows what is happening.
35:27
And to the contrary, verse 20,
35:29
if your enemy is hungry, feed him.
35:32
If he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
35:34
For by so doing, you will heat burning coals on his head.
35:38
This actually says to return that evil with good.
35:44
And so we don't hold grudges,
35:47
and we don't retaliate,
35:49
and we don't slander.
35:51
We are unconcerned for our own reputations,
35:54
ultimately entrusting ourselves
35:56
to the Lord.
35:57
Remember Jesus' response?
36:00
When he was reviled,
36:02
1 Peter 2 says,
36:03
he didn't revile in return.
36:05
He could have.
36:06
When he suffered,
36:08
he didn't threaten.
36:09
Could Jesus have offered some genuine threats?
36:12
Man.
36:13
And honestly,
36:14
if anybody had the right to do that,
36:16
and justifiably so,
36:17
it was him.
36:17
Because he was the only one
36:19
who never actually sinned.
36:21
You know, most of the mean stuff
36:23
people say about me
36:24
is actually true.
36:27
It's true.
36:27
I deserve it.
36:29
I earned it.
36:31
If people call me shallow,
36:33
and petty,
36:33
and angry,
36:35
and annoying,
36:36
all of those things,
36:37
I am.
36:39
They're not making stuff up.
36:41
It's all true.
36:43
And when people say those things,
36:45
sometimes I want to come to my own defense,
36:47
and then I look at what Jesus said.
36:48
Jesus was reviled.
36:49
Jesus was mocked.
36:51
Jesus was spit upon.
36:53
And he was innocent.
36:54
He didn't deserve any of it.
36:56
And yet,
36:56
he didn't even come to his own defense.
36:58
He could have,
36:59
but he didn't.
36:59
Rather, what did he do?
37:01
He entrusted himself
37:02
to him who judges justly.
37:03
He just said,
37:04
you know what, Heavenly Father?
37:05
You see all things.
37:07
You will deal with all things.
37:08
If there are people
37:09
who need to be punished for this,
37:10
you will handle that.
37:11
I don't need to do it.
37:14
I'm just going to continue
37:15
entrusting myself.
37:18
And we can be unwaveringly trusting.
37:21
This is what Colossians 3 and verse 13 means
37:24
when it says
37:24
that we are to forgive us
37:26
the way that we ourselves
37:27
have been forgiven.
37:29
Man, I use that verse
37:30
in counseling all the time.
37:31
If you come to my office
37:32
for counseling,
37:33
you're probably going to hear
37:34
Colossians 3, 13.
37:35
Forgive others
37:36
the way God has forgiven you.
37:39
And don't forget,
37:41
we have never,
37:43
never been treated as poorly
37:47
as the way we've treated God.
37:50
We have never been,
37:52
nobody has ever done anything
37:53
against us that is worse
37:55
than what we've done.
37:56
Than what we've done against God.
37:57
That's a better way to say that.
37:59
Right?
37:59
And God has forgiven us freely.
38:02
And so he says,
38:03
extend that same grace and forgiveness.
38:05
Ephesians chapter four says,
38:07
bearing with one another.
38:08
Bearing with one another in love.
38:11
Bearing with means actually
38:12
sharing one another's burdens.
38:13
That's what it means.
38:14
So rather than coming against somebody,
38:16
it's actually coming alongside them
38:18
and saying,
38:18
although you've treated me this way,
38:20
nevertheless,
38:21
I will not,
38:22
I will not retaliate.
38:26
Unwaveringly trusting.
38:26
And then notice, finally,
38:28
commandment number 10,
38:29
righteously overcoming.
38:30
I love this verse.
38:31
Do not be overcome by evil,
38:32
but overcome evil with good.
38:35
Charles Hodge said it this way,
38:37
nothing is so powerful as goodness.
38:41
Nothing is so powerful as goodness.
38:42
The world is evil.
38:43
Our flesh is evil.
38:45
Apart from Christ,
38:45
our thoughts, our words,
38:46
our actions are all evil.
38:48
So how do we prevail?
38:49
The answer is simple.
38:52
Become so preoccupied
38:53
with doing,
38:54
doing good
38:54
that it leaves no opportunity
38:56
to do evil.
38:58
I'm so busy doing good,
39:01
I just don't have time to sin.
39:03
Can you imagine?
39:04
What if you were so eager,
39:06
so zealous,
39:07
so fervent of spirit
39:08
to do what is right
39:09
that it just cut out opportunity
39:11
for evil?
39:13
I've got,
39:13
and if you guys,
39:14
I don't know if yours
39:14
is on the same page.
39:15
I love that mine
39:16
is right next to itself.
39:18
This is Romans 12.
39:19
There's my verse 21.
39:20
There it is right there.
39:21
Do not be overcome by evil,
39:22
but overcome evil with good.
39:23
The nearest,
39:24
the nearest verses to it
39:25
are directly across the page.
39:26
It's Romans 13 and verse 14.
39:28
So mine are on the same page.
39:30
I've just written
39:30
a little arrow over.
39:32
Romans 13 and verse 14 says,
39:33
put on the Lord Jesus Christ
39:35
and make no provision for the flesh
39:37
to gratify its desires.
39:40
Make no provision.
39:42
It's like he's saying,
39:43
when it comes down
39:43
to your weekly calendar,
39:44
don't schedule any evil stuff.
39:49
Fill it up with good
39:51
and then you won't do anything
39:53
that is evil.
39:54
Overcome evil with good.
39:55
And in Christ,
39:57
are we not overcomers?
40:00
As John 16 and verse 33,
40:02
Jesus said,
40:03
in the world you will have tribulations,
40:04
but take heart.
40:05
What did he say?
40:07
I have overcome the world.
40:09
I have overcome the world.
40:11
And Jesus didn't come to lose.
40:15
And he didn't lose.
40:17
He claimed the victory
40:19
was already his.
40:21
He hadn't even died on the cross yet
40:22
when he said,
40:23
I've already overcome
40:24
the world.
40:26
He had lived to the glory
40:27
of his father.
40:28
All that was left was to die
40:29
to the glory of his father,
40:31
a death which was at that very moment
40:32
already being arranged.
40:34
And he says,
40:35
there is victory in Christ.
40:36
So beloved family,
40:37
before we end,
40:38
can I ask,
40:39
are you in Christ?
40:41
I'm going to ask again.
40:42
I suspect that it's more
40:43
than nine people, okay?
40:45
Are you in Christ?
40:47
Then you have victory in Christ.
40:50
The victory is already yours.
40:53
If you have a heavenly father
40:55
who is a lover of your soul,
40:56
he is a conqueror and shield,
40:58
then you can't lose.
41:01
Christ has conquered death.
41:04
He has defeated the enemy of our souls.
41:06
He has overcome evil.
41:08
And if you're in Christ,
41:09
then you also have overcome evil through him.
41:12
The evil world, the evil devil,
41:14
even your own evil flesh
41:16
are overcome with good.
41:18
And so,
41:20
let's look in the mirror
41:22
at these 10 commandments.
41:26
Look in the mirror and decide,
41:28
is there anything in my life
41:29
that I think I need to change?
41:31
If I was on a 10-star rating,
41:34
how many stars am I doing well at?
41:38
Am I genuinely loving or is it fake?
41:41
Am I steadfastly good?
41:44
Am I warmly affectionate?
41:46
Am I outdoing others around me
41:48
and showing honor?
41:49
Am I fervently zealous?
41:51
Is there a fire in my heart
41:53
to bless other people?
41:54
Am I hopefully rejoicing?
41:58
Am I long for heaven?
41:59
And I'm enjoying it even now through prayer?
42:02
Sacrificially sharing?
42:03
Am I at peace with all people?
42:05
I mean, as far as it depends on me,
42:06
even if they declare war on me,
42:08
I'm not declaring war back.
42:10
Am I unwaveringly trusting in the Lord?
42:13
Entrusting myself to him who judges justly?
42:16
Am I righteously overcoming?
42:17
So preoccupied with good
42:19
that it leaves no opportunity for the flesh?
42:23
And Lord, would you help us?
42:25
Would you help us not to be the type of man
42:27
who looks at himself in the mirror,
42:29
and then goes away and immediately forgets
42:31
what he looks like?
42:33
Lord, we are so grateful.
42:35
Grateful for your word when it speaks,
42:37
knowing, Lord, that it never fails.
42:39
And it's in Jesus' name we pray.
42:40
Amen.
42:41
Amen.