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Roman 15:8-12 · Providence Baptist Church - Sermons

• 0:00
  And a good morning to you all. It's very good to see you here on this day.
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  I ask that you open up your copy of God's Word.
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  I hope you have it with you this day.
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  Paul's letter to the Romans chapter 15.
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  We're going to look together this morning at verses 8 through 12.
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  Romans chapter 15 verses 8 through 12.
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  For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God's truthfulness
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  in order to confirm the promise given to the patriarchs
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  and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy.
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  As it is written,
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  Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles and sing to your name.
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  And again it is said,
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  Rejoice Gentiles with His people.
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  And again, praise the Lord all you Gentiles
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  and let all the peoples extol Him.
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  And again Isaiah says,
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  The root of Jesse will come,
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  even he who arises to the rule Gentiles,
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  in him with the Gentiles hope.
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  Now I hope this morning that we're all a little more prepared
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  than I was for Aletheia Way.
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  But certainly we need God's blessing on the preaching of His word.
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  So let's join together in prayer and ask for that.
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  Father God, we praise you this morning for the good things you've done for us in Christ.
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  And one of those things is you've given us your precious word,
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  a great tool, an asset to us to live the Christian life,
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  to see how it is that we ought to serve and worship and honor you.
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  And we plead with you this morning, Lord, by your Spirit.
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  Speak through me.
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  Minister to all of our hearts.
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  Soften them where they need softening.
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  Harden them where they need hardening.
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  That we might boldly proclaim your gospel to this world.
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  That we might display the goodness of it in our own lives.
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  That your name will be honored to all peoples.
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  We pray this in Christ's name.
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  Amen.
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  So as we've continued through Romans,
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  Paul has come and began to narrow the scope,
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  the outworkings of the gospel,
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  which he's presented to us in the first 11 chapters.
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  He's beginning to show us how then,
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  in light of these great gospel truths, we should live.
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  And he does that through 12, 13, 14.
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  And in 14, he really begins to talk about
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  the gray areas of Christian life.
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  The things that the scriptures don't speak to directly.
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  What we should and shouldn't do in those gray realms.
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  And he talks about how we ought to have unity in those things.
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  And in the beginning of 15,
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  he uses Christ as the example.
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  You see in verse 7,
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  Therefore, welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you.
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  And in response to that,
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  then he then broadens the scope once again.
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  He then takes a step back up.
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  And it seems like every time Paul talks about Jesus Christ,
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  he doesn't narrow down.
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  He goes bigger.
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  He says,
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  I just said the name Jesus Christ.
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  I've got to proclaim something huge and massive and true
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  about our glorious Savior and Lord.
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  I imagine him being moved back towards
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  what we sometimes call the high theology
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  as he speaks of Christ and his work for us.
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  So in response to him talking about Christ welcoming us,
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  he expounds upon that a bit for us.
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  And we see this here.
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  And the teaching is fairly simple.
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  We find it in verse 8 and the first part of 9
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  with support, with Old Testament scriptural support.
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  And here's what he's trying to say to us.
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  Christ became a servant to the Jews,
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  to the circumcised,
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  to show God's truthfulness,
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  to accomplish two things.
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  Number one,
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  in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs
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  in the proof of God being true.
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  And secondly,
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  so that in order that the Gentiles
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  would glorify God for his mercy.
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  The point he's making to us,
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  as Christ became a servant,
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  verse 3 of chapter 15,
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  For Christ did not please himself,
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  but he pleased God with his action,
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  with his sacrifice on our behalf.
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  And he did these things
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  in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs
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  and to cause the Gentiles to glorify him for his mercy.
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  So we're going to look together at these Old Testament proofs,
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  and I'm going to expand upon them a bit
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  to show you God's global purpose,
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  what he has always intended from the very beginning of time,
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  the way in which he intended to glorify himself,
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  the way in which he chose to expose his very character to the world.
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  Well, let's begin with this first little phrase,
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  the first part of chapter, or verse 8.
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  Christ became a servant to the circumcised
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  to show God's truthfulness.
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  At this point, you may ask a question,
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  but didn't Christ come to serve the world?
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  Here the text says he became a servant to the circumcised,
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  and my response to that would be both yes and no.
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  Take, for example, Matthew chapter 15, verse 24.
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  We see a Canaanite woman come to him
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  who's been oppressed by a demon,
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  and she's coming to him for healing.
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  And he responds to her in verse 24 of chapter 15,
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  I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
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  So Christ was sent to serve Israel,
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  to serve the Jews, his kin,
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  the nation that he was born from.
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  He was sent to serve them.
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  But then what do we see her response to that being?
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  She has this great measure of faith.
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  As he says to her,
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  I didn't come to serve the Canaanites,
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  I came to serve the Jews.
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  And she said,
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  but even the dogs get scraps from the table.
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  Your mercy surely extends beyond just those seated at the table.
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  And he then rewards her for her great faith.
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  So he expands then his mercy and his gospel beyond.
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  So my answer to that is both yes and no.
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  But Jesus was in fact sent to serve the Jews
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  in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs,
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  in order to prove God faithful,
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  to fulfill all of the promises given to the patriarchs.
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  Speaking expressly of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
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  We see in Matthew chapter 5, verse 17,
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  Jesus' Sermon on the Mount.
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  He says,
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  Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets.
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  I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them.
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  He fulfilled the law by upholding it,
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  its sacredness, reestablishing its truth.
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  He expounded upon what it meant.
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  That's what the Sermon on the Mount is all about.
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  It's about showing people what the law was originally intended for.
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  He fulfilled the law by keeping it perfectly.
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  Without flaw, Jesus Christ kept the law.
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  But beyond that, He came to verify the whole revealed truth of God.
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  2 Corinthians chapter 1, verse 20,
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  reads,
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  For all the promises of God, all of them,
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  find their yes in Jesus Christ.
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  That is why it is through Him that we utter our amen to God for His glory.
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  All the promises of God are yes in Jesus Christ.
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  And so as Paul is writing to an audience that was both Jew and Gentile,
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  and he's coming off this treatise on the way we ought to live together in harmony.
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  And the Jews were strict adherers to the Old Testament law,
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  and many of them hadn't quite let go of the liberty that they now had in Christ.
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  Still were very dogmatic about the things that they would and wouldn't eat.
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  As an example, you'll see throughout chapter 14, right?
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  I believe he's speaking here specifically to the Jews,
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  to show them that the gospel was always meant to expand beyond their borders.
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  The Jews' very calling, their very purpose from the beginning,
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  the reason that they were called out as a people set apart for God,
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  was to reach the Gentiles for His glory.
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  The very purpose that they were created for.
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  Which brings us to the second point, the thing he's trying to establish here, right?
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  Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God's truthfulness.
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  Secondly, in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy.
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  In order that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy.
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  Now, when we read this phrase rendered this way in the ESV,
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  you see that word might?
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  And for us, that raises question.
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  We would read it maybe, in order that the Gentiles could possibly glorify God.
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  In order that the Gentiles could have the potential of glorifying God.
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  But that's not what the original language means at all, right?
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  The language used here is actually something that has already been accomplished.
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  I won't get into all the details of that this morning.
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  But, what really he's saying is, in order that the Gentiles would,
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  in order that they necessarily did glorify God for His mercy,
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  was something that was accomplished by Christ coming,
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  serving the circumcised, and fulfilling,
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  showing God's truthfulness to be true, accurate.
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  Dependable, all right?
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  And it's entirely consistent with the promises given to the patriarchs, okay?
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  Paul's been working on establishing that for us this far.
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  That, in fact, the gospel of grace was not meant just for the Jews,
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  but meant for the world.
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  That's that language we use.
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  Paul's using the term Gentiles here so often,
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  you could replace with that the nations, the world, peoples, okay?
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  Gentiles is what the Jewish readers would have understood to be everyone but them, all right?
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  So, recognize that it just expands to everyone, not including them, all the other people of the world.
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  And that's the point he's making here.
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  Flip with me back to the beginning of Romans.
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  We're going to do a quick little tour through,
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  just to show you the consistency of his argument here.
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  Keep in mind that this would have been read all at one time, right?
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  So, hopefully this would have been fresh on the original readers' minds as they came to this spot.
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  I've been tempted so many times, rather than preaching a sermon,
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  just to read you a whole book of the Bible,
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  because that's what would have been done in the historical church.
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  They would have received a letter from Paul,
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  and they would have just stood up and read it,
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  because the context is so important.
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  I'll probably never do it, but maybe someday.
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  We'll see.
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  All right.
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  So, Romans chapter 1, verses 4 and 5.
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  Let's start there.
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  He says,
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  So, he starts it very quickly here in his prologue in Romans.
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  Now, turn to, well, you don't probably have to turn.
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  Verse 13 through 16 of chapter 1.
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  I want you to know, brothers, that I have often intended to come to you,
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  but thus far have been prevented,
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  in order that I may reap some harvest among you,
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  as well as among the rest of the Gentiles.
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  I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians,
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  both to the wise and to the foolish.
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  So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also, who are in Rome.
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  For I am not ashamed of the gospel,
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  for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes,
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  to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
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  So there we see it again.
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  Chapter 2, verse 24.
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  Stated here in the negative, speaking of Israel.
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  It says,
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  For as it is written,
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  The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.
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  Because of the Jewish rejection of God and his ways.
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  The name was blasphemed among the Gentiles.
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  It was intended to not be.
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  It was intended to be honored among the Gentiles.
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  But because of their disobedience, it was blasphemed.
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  Chapter 3, verse 29 and 30.
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  Or is God the God of Jews only?
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  Is he not the God of Gentiles also?
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  Yes, of Gentiles also.
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  Since God is one who would justify the circumcised by faith,
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  and the uncircumcised through faith.
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  Chapter 10, verse 12 and 13.
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  For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek.
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  For the same Lord is Lord of all,
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  bestowing his riches on all who call on him.
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  For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
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  Praise God.
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  Chapter 11, right?
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  Which is all about Israel and what will finally happen to Israel.
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  And we talked at length about this.
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  And I think at the end of it all, I really said, I don't know.
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  I had a guess at what the outcome of it would be.
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  But chapter 11, verses 11 and 12 and 25.
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  So I asked, did they stumble in order that they might fall?
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  By no means.
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  Rather, through their trespass, salvation has come to the Gentiles.
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  So as to make Israel jealous.
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  Now if their trespass means riches for the world,
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  and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles,
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  how much more will their full inclusion mean?
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  In verse 25.
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  Lest you be wise in your own sight,
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  I want you to understand this mystery, brothers.
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  A partial hardening has come upon Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.
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  He's making the point pretty emphatically throughout the book of Romans so far.
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  Now recognize that this has been canonized as scripture.
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  The church has recognized Paul's letter to the Romans as inspired by the Spirit.
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  And we have included it, canonized it into our scriptures.
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  We see this as the word of God.
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  And I fully believe that it is.
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  I'm not so sure that as Paul was writing,
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  he knew that's what was going to happen.
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  He constantly references back.
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  Constantly.
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  I think it's 84 times in the book of Romans.
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  He references the scriptures.
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  What we would call the Old Testament.
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  We talked last week about the great value of the Old Testament.
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  How poorly neglected it is.
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  But here, as he continues to make this point,
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  as he's really trying to drive it home for us,
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  that the gospel was not just for the Jews,
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  but it was for the Gentiles.
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  Praise God for that,
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  because I think we're all included in that number.
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  The Gentiles.
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  All those who are not of Jewish descent.
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  He, again,
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  hearkens back to the Old Testament to prove his point.
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  He quotes the Old Testament scriptures.
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  We get four of them here,
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  beginning in the last half of 9 through 12.
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  We see four of them,
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  and I want to read to you the original text,
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  what he's actually quoting from,
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  and you can look at it here in your own copy of the word.
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  So the first one is from 2 Samuel 22, 50.
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  For this I will praise you, O Lord,
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  among the nations,
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  and sing praises to your name.
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  The second one, Deuteronomy 32, 43.
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  Rejoice with him, O heavens.
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  Bow down to him, all gods.
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  The third one, Psalm 117, 1.
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  Praise the Lord, all nations.
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  Extol him, all peoples.
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  And the fourth, Isaiah 11, verse 10.
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  In that day, the root of Jesse, being Christ,
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  who shall stand as a signal for the peoples,
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  of him shall the nations inquire,
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  and his resting place shall be glorious.
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  Now you may note, I hope you did,
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  the reason I read them to you that way,
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  is that Paul's quotes of these Old Testament texts aren't exact, are they?
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  I'm reading the Old Testament English,
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  right, the English translation in ESV,
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  and it doesn't match up perfectly, does it?
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  And the reason for that,
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  is that in this day,
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  culturally,
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  rabbis were permitted to take some liberties with the scriptures.
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  They were allowed to quote them in such a way
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  to give greater understanding to the scripture itself.
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  So take, for example,
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  he replaces the nations with the word Gentiles.
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  Speaking to a Jewish audience
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  who wouldn't really have thought of
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  all the nations of the world,
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  but would have thought of them and everyone else.
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  That's the term he's using here for Gentiles.
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  You've got the Jews and everyone else.
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  So he takes the liberty in this case to do this.
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  Recognize also that this was written,
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  this was dictated for him.
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  I imagine him pacing around a room
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  and putting out these scriptures from memory.
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  Just toss them out there.
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  Oh, and another thing.
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  Pin this one down.
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  And another thing.
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  In 2 Samuel.
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  Oh, and another place in Deuteronomy.
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  Oh, and by the way, in Psalm.
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  It's scholars that have gone back
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  and matched it up and found.
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  What is he referencing to?
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  Also know that the punctuation that we have
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  in our English language
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  didn't exist in the original language as well.
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  So we see it as these quotes.
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  We've got the quotation marks.
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  We've got clear punctuation.
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  We've got, and it says, comma, right?
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  And so for us, we immediately,
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  especially those of you who are in college right now,
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  want to quickly go to our citation rules
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  and figure out how in the world
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  Paul didn't get kicked out of school
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  for misquoting and not citing it properly.
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  Right?
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  We do all those things.
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  It was acceptable for him
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  to use the scriptures in this way.
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  And beyond all that, okay?
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  So that's in one hand, right?
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  More importantly, in this hand,
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  this is inspired by the Spirit of God.
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  So if he changes it just a little bit,
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  praise God that he was trying to give us
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  a better understanding.
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  Help us really, it's the commentary
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  of the Old Testament text
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  to see that this was God's eternal purpose.
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  Right?
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  I want you to notice the types of quotations
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  he uses here.
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  Right?
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  The first one is from one of the books of history,
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  2 Samuel.
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  The second, from Deuteronomy,
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  is a book of the law.
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  The third, being from Psalm,
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  is a book of poetry.
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  And the fourth, being from Isaiah,
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  is one of the books of the prophets.
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  Paul used one of the,
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  each of the four types of literary books
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  in the Old Testament to make his point.
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  And what he's trying to say to his readers
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  and what he's saying to us this morning
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  is that all of the Old Testament
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  is consistent.
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  The theme of this thing,
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  of God coming to earth,
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  condescending,
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  in order to make himself known,
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  to glorify himself to all peoples,
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  is consistent in the Scriptures.
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  It didn't start with Paul.
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  Certainly Paul's ministry.
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  He was an apostle sent to the Gentiles.
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  Right?
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  But it didn't start with them.
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  A great example of that would be Nineveh.
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  Jonah was sent to a people
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  that were not of Jewish descent.
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  Right?
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  To preach repentance.
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  A good example of this.
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  It's consistent.
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  And I want to broaden.
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  I hope that Paul's argument is enough for you.
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  It should be.
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  It should be enough.
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  He's showing you this theme here.
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  But let me pull it up a little bit more.
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  Let's look at a few more examples.
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  And let's do the same thing he did.
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  Let's look at a book of the law,
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  history, poetry, and a prophet
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  from the Old Testament.
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  And then we'll look at a few
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  New Testament examples as well.
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  I'm going to Bible drill you
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  a little bit this morning.
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  So get ready for it.
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  Let's go to Exodus chapter 9.
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  And we'll go in order.
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  Okay?
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  Is that moment when you worry
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  that your neighbor
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  is going to judge you
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  for not knowing exactly
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  where some books of the Bible are?
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  Okay?
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  I cheated.
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  I marked mine this morning.
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  Exodus chapter 9,
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  verses 13 through 16.
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  Showing us the twofold purpose
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  of the Exodus.
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  The very reason that God
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  delivered his people from Egypt.
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  Then the Lord said to Moses,
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  Rise up early in the morning
• 21:02
  and present yourself before Pharaoh
• 21:03
  and say to him,
• 21:04
  Thus says the Lord,
• 21:05
  the God of the Hebrews,
• 21:07
  Let my people go,
• 21:08
  firstly,
• 21:09
  that they may serve me.
• 21:12
  Verse 14.
• 21:13
  For this time,
• 21:14
  I will send all my plagues
• 21:15
  on you,
• 21:16
  yourself,
• 21:16
  and on your servants
• 21:17
  and your people
• 21:18
  so that they may know
• 21:19
  that there is none like me
• 21:21
  in all the earth.
• 21:22
  For by now,
• 21:23
  I could have put out my hand
• 21:24
  and struck you and your people
• 21:25
  with pestilence
• 21:26
  and you would have been cut off
• 21:27
  from the earth.
• 21:28
  But for this purpose,
• 21:29
  I have raised you up
• 21:31
  to show you my power
• 21:32
  so that my name
• 21:33
  may be proclaimed
• 21:34
  in all the earth.
• 21:37
  That's quoted in Romans 9,
• 21:39
  verse 17,
• 21:40
  isn't it?
• 21:41
  So the twofold purpose
• 21:42
  of God bringing the people out
• 21:45
  of Egypt
• 21:46
  was that they would serve him,
• 21:48
  honor him,
• 21:49
  glorify him,
• 21:49
  and that all the peoples
• 21:51
  of the world
• 21:52
  might know of this God,
• 21:54
  might sing his praises
• 21:57
  one day.
• 21:59
  Book of History,
• 22:00
  Joshua,
• 22:01
  chapter 4.
• 22:02
  Just a couple of books over.
• 22:14
  This is the point
• 22:15
  that most papers
• 22:15
  usually tell you
• 22:16
  the page number
• 22:17
  that they're on.
• 22:17
  I think they're doing that
• 22:18
  to get you to buy
• 22:19
  the same Bible they have.
• 22:20
  I'm not really sure.
• 22:22
  Page 180,
• 22:23
  if you're using
• 22:23
  the same one I'm using.
• 22:27
  ESV Thinline,
• 22:28
  in case you needed to know.
• 22:30
  Joshua, chapter 4,
• 22:31
  verses 19 through 24.
• 22:33
  This is the purpose
• 22:35
  of the people crossing
• 22:37
  the Jordan
• 22:38
  into the Promised Land.
• 22:39
  They crossed on dry land
• 22:40
  just like they crossed
• 22:41
  the Red Sea
• 22:41
  to escape from Pharaoh's army.
• 22:43
  They crossed the Jordan
• 22:43
  on dry land.
• 22:44
  And here's the stated purpose
• 22:46
  for that very thing.
• 22:46
  Chapter 4, verse 19,
• 22:48
  we'll read through 24.
• 22:49
  The people came up
• 22:50
  out of the Jordan
• 22:50
  on the tenth day
• 22:51
  of the first month
• 22:52
  and they encamped
• 22:53
  at Gilgal
• 22:54
  on the east border
• 22:54
  of Jericho.
• 22:55
  And those twelve stones
• 22:56
  which they took out
• 22:57
  of the Jordan,
• 22:57
  Joshua set up
• 22:58
  at Gilgal.
• 22:59
  And he said
• 22:59
  to the people of Israel,
• 23:00
  when your children
• 23:01
  ask their fathers
• 23:02
  in times to come,
• 23:03
  what do these stones mean?
• 23:04
  Then you shall let
• 23:05
  your children know
• 23:05
  Israel passed over
• 23:06
  this Jordan
• 23:07
  on dry ground.
• 23:09
  For the Lord your God
• 23:09
  dried up the waters
• 23:10
  of the Jordan
• 23:10
  for you until you
• 23:11
  passed over
• 23:12
  as the Lord your God
• 23:13
  did to the Red Sea
• 23:14
  which you dried up
• 23:15
  for us
• 23:16
  until we passed over
• 23:17
  so that all the peoples
• 23:18
  of the earth
• 23:18
  may know
• 23:19
  that the hand
• 23:19
  of the Lord
• 23:20
  is mighty
• 23:20
  that you may fear
• 23:21
  the Lord your God
• 23:22
  forever.
• 23:24
  So here we see it again
• 23:24
  verse 24.
• 23:25
  So that,
• 23:26
  why?
• 23:26
  Why did all these
• 23:27
  things happen?
• 23:27
  So that all the peoples
• 23:29
  of the earth
• 23:30
  may know
• 23:31
  that the hand
• 23:32
  of the Lord
• 23:32
  is mighty.
• 23:35
  Book of poetry.
• 23:36
  Turn to the book
• 23:37
  of Psalm.
• 23:40
  Smack dab in the middle.
• 23:42
  You can find it.
• 23:45
  Over a hundred times
• 23:46
  in the Psalms
• 23:47
  this very point
• 23:48
  is made.
• 23:50
  We're going to look
• 23:50
  at three real quick.
• 23:51
  We're doing three
• 23:52
  because they're so good.
• 23:53
  Psalm chapter 2
• 23:56
  verse 8.
• 24:03
  This is a record
• 24:04
  of God
• 24:04
  speaking to Christ.
• 24:06
  That's important here.
• 24:07
  God speaking to Christ
• 24:08
  says,
• 24:09
  Ask of me
• 24:09
  and I will make
• 24:10
  the nations
• 24:11
  your heritage
• 24:12
  and the ends
• 24:13
  of the earth
• 24:14
  your possession.
• 24:16
  He says to Christ,
• 24:17
  Ask of me
• 24:18
  and I will give it all
• 24:19
  to you.
• 24:21
  Psalm 46.
• 24:23
  Verse 10.
• 24:36
  Be still
• 24:37
  and know
• 24:38
  that I am God.
• 24:39
  I will be exalted
• 24:41
  among the nations.
• 24:42
  I will be exalted
• 24:44
  in the earth.
• 24:45
  A promise.
• 24:46
  This will in fact
• 24:47
  come to pass.
• 24:49
  And Psalm 67.
• 24:50
  Psalm 67.
• 24:53
  The entire Psalm.
• 24:55
  This is so good.
• 25:02
  May God be gracious
• 25:04
  to us
• 25:04
  and bless us
• 25:05
  and make his face
• 25:07
  to shine upon us.
• 25:09
  Why?
• 25:10
  That your way
• 25:11
  may be known
• 25:12
  on earth.
• 25:13
  Your saving power
• 25:14
  among all nations.
• 25:16
  Let the peoples
• 25:17
  praise you,
• 25:17
  O God.
• 25:18
  Let all the peoples
• 25:19
  praise you.
• 25:20
  Let the nations
• 25:21
  be glad
• 25:21
  and sing for joy
• 25:22
  for you judge
• 25:23
  the peoples
• 25:24
  with equity
• 25:24
  and guide the nations
• 25:25
  upon earth.
• 25:26
  Let the peoples
• 25:27
  praise you,
• 25:27
  O God.
• 25:28
  Let all the peoples
• 25:29
  praise you.
• 25:30
  The earth has yielded
• 25:31
  its increase.
• 25:32
  God,
• 25:32
  our God,
• 25:33
  shall bless us.
• 25:34
  God shall bless us.
• 25:35
  Let all the ends
• 25:36
  of the earth
• 25:37
  fear him.
• 25:40
  A prophet.
• 25:42
  Ready for it?
• 25:43
  Zephaniah.
• 25:44
  Zephaniah.
• 25:48
  You're going to find
• 25:48
  Zephaniah
• 25:49
  between Habakkuk
• 25:51
  and Haggai
• 25:52
  if that helps you.
• 25:54
  See how you're flipping?
• 25:59
  If you're sitting
• 26:00
  judging your neighbor
• 26:00
  right now,
• 26:01
  these are hard
• 26:01
  because they're little.
• 26:03
  So don't be too hard
• 26:04
  on people.
• 26:04
  Don't be too hard
• 26:04
  on people.
• 26:04
  Don't be too hard
• 26:04
  on people.
• 26:04
  chapter 2,
• 26:15
  verse 11.
• 26:16
  If you're not there yet,
• 26:17
  just listen.
• 26:18
  The Lord will be
• 26:19
  awesome against them
• 26:20
  for he will famish
• 26:21
  all the gods of the earth
• 26:22
  and to him
• 26:23
  shall bow down
• 26:24
  each in its place
• 26:25
  all the lands
• 26:27
  of the nations.
• 26:29
  There it is again
• 26:31
  from a minor prophet.
• 26:33
  Let's look in the New Testament
• 26:34
  together now.
• 26:35
  Notice I'm doing
• 26:36
  the very same thing
• 26:37
  Paul did.
• 26:37
  Now I get the advantage
• 26:39
  of the New Testament.
• 26:40
  Paul didn't have that
• 26:41
  at his disposal
• 26:42
  in this time.
• 26:43
  Letting the Scripture
• 26:44
  speak for itself.
• 26:46
  Notice the theme.
• 26:47
  Let's look at a Gospel.
• 26:49
  John,
• 26:49
  chapter 3,
• 26:50
  verse 16.
• 27:04
  And I use this one
• 27:08
  specifically to show you
• 27:09
  that the theme
• 27:10
  carries on.
• 27:11
  Okay?
• 27:12
  For God so loved the world
• 27:13
  that he gave his only Son
• 27:15
  that whoever believes in him
• 27:16
  should not perish
• 27:17
  but have eternal life.
• 27:20
  For God did not send his Son
• 27:21
  into the world
• 27:21
  to condemn the world
• 27:22
  but in order that the world
• 27:23
  might be saved
• 27:24
  through him.
• 27:26
  Whoever believes in him
• 27:27
  is not condemned.
• 27:28
  Whoever does not believe
• 27:29
  is condemned already
• 27:30
  because he has not believed
• 27:31
  in the name
• 27:32
  of the only Son of God.
• 27:35
  The point of the text being
• 27:36
  the point of it being
• 27:38
  Jesus here is recorded
• 27:40
  talking to a Jewish audience
• 27:42
  and he's saying
• 27:44
  this salvation
• 27:45
  the Son of Man
• 27:46
  did not come just for you.
• 27:48
  He came for all the nations.
• 27:52
  Stop thinking you're so special Israel.
• 27:55
  It goes beyond your borders.
• 27:56
  This is what Jesus is saying
• 27:58
  in this text.
• 27:59
  It's beautiful
• 27:59
  and it's precious
• 28:00
  because in this
• 28:01
  is our salvation.
• 28:02
  Right?
• 28:03
  It expands beyond
• 28:04
  just the Jews.
• 28:05
  Me as a
• 28:06
  I don't even know
• 28:07
  where I'm from.
• 28:08
  I think maybe England.
• 28:09
  I'm guessing.
• 28:11
  Maybe I'm of like
• 28:11
  Norman descent.
• 28:12
  Dad would probably tell you
• 28:13
  exactly where we're from.
• 28:14
  Not now, Dad.
• 28:15
  I don't know.
• 28:16
  But it doesn't really matter.
• 28:18
  I'm not of Jewish descent.
• 28:20
  Okay?
• 28:20
  But the promises of God
• 28:22
  are yes to me
• 28:23
  in Christ.
• 28:25
  Right?
• 28:26
  And let's look at
• 28:26
  some New Testament prophecy.
• 28:29
  Let's turn to the book
• 28:29
  of Revelation.
• 28:30
  See how this all works out
• 28:32
  in the end.
• 28:36
  Revelation chapter 5.
• 28:40
  Verse 9 and 10.
• 28:42
  John gets to peer into heaven
• 28:44
  at the end of things.
• 28:49
  And this is what he observes.
• 28:50
  Chapter 9 of chapter 5.
• 28:52
  Excuse me.
• 28:52
  Verse 9 of chapter 5.
• 28:54
  And they sang a new song
• 28:55
  saying,
• 28:57
  Worthy are you
• 28:57
  to take the scroll
• 28:58
  and to open its seals.
• 29:00
  For you were slain
• 29:01
  and by your blood
• 29:02
  you ransomed people for God
• 29:03
  from every tribe
• 29:04
  and language
• 29:05
  and people
• 29:06
  and nation.
• 29:07
  And you have made them
• 29:08
  a kingdom
• 29:08
  and priests
• 29:09
  to our God
• 29:10
  and they shall reign
• 29:11
  on the earth.
• 29:13
  And then again,
• 29:13
  chapter 7
• 29:14
  verses 9 and 10.
• 29:16
  Verse 9 of chapter 5.
• 29:16
  Verse 9 of chapter 5.
• 29:18
  Verse 9 of chapter 5.
• 29:18
  And then again,
• 29:19
  So it's accomplished.
• 29:39
  From the beginning
• 29:40
  this was God's intent.
• 29:42
  And in the end
• 29:44
  it's accomplished.
• 29:46
  Now people have debated
• 29:47
  throughout time
• 29:48
  what is meant
• 29:49
  by these different things,
• 29:50
  the tribes,
• 29:51
  the nations.
• 29:52
  What is meant by this?
• 29:53
  And I really,
• 29:54
  honestly,
• 29:54
  don't know.
• 29:56
  We tend as Baptists
• 29:57
  to believe
• 29:58
  that this will represent
• 29:59
  there will be
• 29:59
  those named in heaven
• 30:02
  amongst every people group.
• 30:04
  Every tribe,
• 30:07
  nation,
• 30:07
  language.
• 30:08
  But you know
• 30:08
  what's the really important thing?
• 30:10
  Really important thing
• 30:11
  is that Christ hasn't returned
• 30:12
  so it's not done yet.
• 30:14
  We can bank on that.
• 30:15
  We know we're not finished yet.
• 30:17
  God's mission in this world
• 30:18
  is still being carried out
• 30:20
  because Christ hasn't returned.
• 30:22
  When it's finished
• 30:23
  he'll come back.
• 30:24
  We're guaranteed that.
• 30:25
  So we're still
• 30:26
  to be about the work
• 30:27
  however it's defined.
• 30:29
  We're still meant
• 30:30
  to be advancing
• 30:31
  the gospel
• 30:32
  in this world.
• 30:34
  So
• 30:35
  back in
• 30:36
  Romans chapter 15
• 30:38
  the important question
• 30:40
  for you to ask
• 30:41
  and not in an irreverent way
• 30:43
  is so what?
• 30:44
  Why?
• 30:47
  Why is the case
• 30:47
  being made to us?
• 30:49
  What are we meant
• 30:50
  to do
• 30:50
  with this information?
• 30:52
  Why have I spent
• 30:53
  all this time
• 30:54
  sharing it with you?
• 30:55
  Proving the point.
• 30:56
  Hopefully pressing it
• 30:57
  through your mind
• 30:58
  into your heart.
• 31:00
  There's two things
• 31:01
  at least two things
• 31:02
  that we ought to be doing
• 31:02
  with this kind of info.
• 31:04
  First
• 31:04
  we need to be
• 31:06
  praising God
• 31:07
  for his goodness
• 31:08
  to us
• 31:09
  in Christ.
• 31:12
  Praising God
• 31:12
  for his goodness
• 31:13
  to us
• 31:14
  in Christ.
• 31:15
  This is the gospel
• 31:16
  ladies and gentlemen.
• 31:18
  The fact that God
• 31:19
  has chosen
• 31:20
  to make himself known
• 31:21
  to display
• 31:22
  his mercy
• 31:23
  to us
• 31:24
  verse 9
• 31:25
  in this way
• 31:26
  is such
• 31:27
  a blessing.
• 31:29
  That God
• 31:30
  as he's zealous
• 31:31
  for his own glory
• 31:32
  to make himself
• 31:33
  look more like he is
• 31:35
  to show himself
• 31:35
  to this world
• 31:36
  has chosen
• 31:37
  to let us
• 31:38
  be the benefactors
• 31:39
  of it
• 31:40
  is such
• 31:41
  a blessing.
• 31:42
  The gospel
• 31:43
  is not
• 31:44
  first and foremost
• 31:44
  primarily
• 31:45
  about us.
• 31:47
  It's firstly
• 31:48
  about God
• 31:49
  and we get
• 31:51
  to benefit.
• 31:53
  Praise God
• 31:54
  that he decided
• 31:54
  to work this out
• 31:55
  in this way.
• 31:57
  That he chose
• 31:58
  to show mercy
• 31:59
  to us
• 32:00
  so that we'll
• 32:01
  sing to his name.
• 32:04
  Do you
• 32:05
  praise God
• 32:06
  the way the
• 32:07
  saints in Revelation
• 32:08
  praise God?
• 32:09
  God.
• 32:11
  Notice the
• 32:12
  emotion
• 32:13
  that we
• 32:13
  poured into that.
• 32:14
  We read that
• 32:15
  kind of stuff
• 32:15
  so boring
• 32:16
  sometimes.
• 32:16
  I hope I
• 32:16
  didn't just
• 32:17
  do the
• 32:18
  very thing
• 32:18
  I'm
• 32:19
  accusing us
• 32:19
  of doing.
• 32:22
  Emotionless.
• 32:23
  It's a great
• 32:23
  passion poured
• 32:24
  into the praise
• 32:24
  of God
• 32:25
  because of
• 32:25
  what he's
• 32:26
  accomplished
• 32:26
  on our behalf.
• 32:29
  So firstly,
• 32:29
  we ought to
• 32:30
  praise God
• 32:30
  for his goodness
• 32:31
  to us
• 32:31
  in Christ.
• 32:32
  Today,
• 32:32
  now,
• 32:33
  sitting in your
• 32:33
  seat,
• 32:33
  you ought to
• 32:34
  be praising God
• 32:34
  for his goodness
• 32:35
  to you
• 32:36
  in Christ.
• 32:37
  You,
• 32:38
  a Gentile.
• 32:39
  You,
• 32:39
  one of the
• 32:40
  peoples
• 32:40
  of the
• 32:41
  earth.
• 32:43
  Secondly,
• 32:45
  we need to
• 32:46
  recognize that
• 32:47
  we are the
• 32:48
  tools by
• 32:50
  which God
• 32:51
  accomplishes
• 32:51
  this task.
• 32:52
  This task,
• 32:53
  making himself
• 32:54
  known to all
• 32:54
  the peoples
• 32:55
  of the world.
• 32:56
  See,
• 32:56
  this to be
• 32:56
  accomplished
• 32:56
  in the book
• 32:57
  of Revelation.
• 32:58
  How is it
• 32:58
  that he does
• 32:58
  that?
• 32:59
  He uses
• 33:00
  his church
• 33:01
  to accomplish
• 33:02
  this.
• 33:03
  He uses
• 33:04
  his church.
• 33:04
  I like to
• 33:05
  think of it
• 33:05
  like this.
• 33:06
  And somebody
• 33:06
  said this.
• 33:07
  I can't
• 33:07
  remember who.
• 33:08
  Somebody smarter
• 33:08
  than me
• 33:09
  said,
• 33:10
  God has not
• 33:11
  given a
• 33:11
  mission to
• 33:12
  the church,
• 33:13
  but rather
• 33:14
  he's given
• 33:15
  the church
• 33:15
  to his
• 33:16
  mission.
• 33:17
  Got a cool
• 33:18
  way of thinking
• 33:18
  about it?
• 33:20
  God didn't
• 33:20
  have a church
• 33:21
  that said,
• 33:21
  now,
• 33:22
  I've got to
• 33:22
  get them
• 33:22
  busy doing
• 33:23
  something.
• 33:25
  Oh,
• 33:26
  proclaiming
• 33:27
  my goodness
• 33:27
  to the world.
• 33:28
  That's the
• 33:28
  task I'm
• 33:28
  going to
• 33:28
  put him
• 33:29
  to.
• 33:30
  He's about
• 33:30
  proclaiming
• 33:31
  his goodness
• 33:31
  to the world.
• 33:32
  He's about
• 33:32
  making himself
• 33:33
  known amongst
• 33:34
  all peoples,
• 33:34
  and he
• 33:35
  called us
• 33:36
  together,
• 33:36
  he formed
• 33:37
  the church
• 33:38
  so that
• 33:38
  we could be
• 33:39
  the tool
• 33:40
  by which
• 33:40
  that's
• 33:41
  accomplished.
• 33:43
  Every time
• 33:43
  I say this,
• 33:44
  I'm also
• 33:45
  going to say,
• 33:46
  God does
• 33:46
  not need
• 33:47
  us.
• 33:48
  He could
• 33:48
  do it
• 33:49
  another way.
• 33:49
  He could
• 33:50
  do it
• 33:50
  on his
• 33:50
  own,
• 33:50
  but he's
• 33:51
  chosen
• 33:51
  to use
• 33:52
  us because
• 33:53
  he loves
• 33:53
  us.
• 33:54
  He's chosen
• 33:55
  to let
• 33:55
  us get
• 33:56
  caught up
• 33:56
  with him
• 33:57
  in accomplishing
• 33:58
  this thing,
• 33:58
  to experience
• 33:59
  him in
• 34:00
  this way
• 34:01
  because
• 34:01
  he loves
• 34:02
  us.
• 34:03
  Romans
• 34:03
  chapter 10.
• 34:05
  You can
• 34:05
  flip back
• 34:06
  a little
• 34:06
  bit here.
• 34:10
  Verse 14,
• 34:12
  how then will
• 34:12
  they call
• 34:13
  on him
• 34:13
  in whom
• 34:14
  they have
• 34:14
  not
• 34:14
  believed?
• 34:15
  And how
• 34:15
  are they
• 34:15
  to believe
• 34:16
  in him
• 34:16
  of whom
• 34:17
  they have
• 34:17
  never
• 34:17
  heard?
• 34:18
  And how
• 34:19
  are they
• 34:19
  to hear
• 34:19
  without
• 34:19
  someone
• 34:20
  preaching?
• 34:21
  And how
• 34:21
  are they
• 34:22
  to preach
• 34:22
  unless
• 34:23
  they are
• 34:24
  sent?
• 34:25
  As it
• 34:25
  is written,
• 34:26
  how beautiful
• 34:26
  are the feet
• 34:27
  of those
• 34:28
  who preach
• 34:29
  the good
• 34:29
  news?
• 34:31
  God is
• 34:32
  zealous
• 34:33
  for his
• 34:33
  own glory.
• 34:34
  And in the
• 34:35
  same way,
• 34:35
  as children
• 34:36
  of the
• 34:36
  Most High,
• 34:37
  those who
• 34:37
  have been
• 34:37
  delivered,
• 34:38
  welcomed
• 34:38
  by Christ,
• 34:40
  we're just
• 34:40
  talking about
• 34:41
  the beginning
• 34:41
  of chapter
• 34:42
  15,
• 34:43
  we also
• 34:43
  ought to
• 34:44
  be zealous
• 34:45
  for his
• 34:46
  name to
• 34:46
  be proclaimed
• 34:47
  amongst
• 34:48
  the nations.
• 34:50
  Do we
• 34:51
  go to
• 34:51
  peoples,
• 34:52
  our neighbors,
• 34:53
  our co-workers,
• 34:54
  those we sit
• 34:55
  in class
• 34:55
  with,
• 34:55
  and those
• 34:56
  at the
• 34:56
  very furthest
• 34:57
  possible place
• 34:58
  we can
• 34:58
  imagine
• 34:59
  in the
• 34:59
  earth
• 34:59
  because
• 35:00
  we love
• 35:00
  them?
• 35:01
  Absolutely.
• 35:02
  But the
• 35:03
  lesser
• 35:04
  includes
• 35:04
  the
• 35:05
  greater,
• 35:05
  the greater
• 35:06
  being
• 35:06
  that we're
• 35:07
  zealous
• 35:07
  for God's
• 35:08
  name to
• 35:09
  be proclaimed
• 35:09
  among
• 35:10
  all peoples.
• 35:13
  We serve
• 35:13
  a great
• 35:14
  and a
• 35:15
  glorious
• 35:15
  God,
• 35:16
  and we
• 35:16
  want,
• 35:17
  I hope
• 35:17
  I can
• 35:17
  say this
• 35:18
  with confidence,
• 35:19
  we want
• 35:20
  his name
• 35:21
  to be
• 35:21
  proclaimed
• 35:21
  everywhere.
• 35:23
  We want
• 35:23
  people to
• 35:24
  serve him
• 35:25
  and bow
• 35:26
  in adoration
• 35:26
  of him
• 35:27
  and speak
• 35:28
  the truth
• 35:28
  of the
• 35:29
  gospel.
• 35:30
  Our
• 35:31
  vision statement
• 35:32
  for our
• 35:32
  church,
• 35:33
  Christ's
• 35:34
  family
• 35:34
  church
• 35:34
  exists
• 35:35
  to glorify
• 35:37
  God
• 35:37
  by
• 35:38
  experiencing,
• 35:40
  proclaiming,
• 35:41
  and displaying
• 35:42
  the supremacy
• 35:43
  of Jesus
• 35:43
  Christ
• 35:44
  in all
• 35:45
  things
• 35:45
  to all
• 35:46
  peoples.
• 35:47
  We want
• 35:48
  that to be
• 35:49
  true of our
• 35:49
  own lives.
• 35:50
  We want
• 35:50
  to be
• 35:50
  truly
• 35:51
  regenerate
• 35:51
  believers.
• 35:52
  We want
• 35:52
  to experience
• 35:52
  the supremacy
• 35:53
  of Christ
• 35:53
  in our
• 35:54
  own
• 35:54
  living.
• 35:55
  We want
• 35:55
  it to
• 35:55
  affect
• 35:56
  how we
• 35:56
  respond to
• 35:57
  things.
• 35:57
  We want
• 35:57
  to affect
• 35:58
  how we
• 35:58
  feel.
• 35:59
  We want
• 35:59
  it to
• 35:59
  affect
• 35:59
  what we
• 36:00
  hold to
• 36:00
  in this
• 36:00
  world.
• 36:02
  But not
• 36:03
  just that.
• 36:04
  It can't
• 36:04
  just be
• 36:04
  for us.
• 36:06
  It needs
• 36:06
  to be
• 36:06
  for everybody.
• 36:07
  So we
• 36:07
  want to
• 36:08
  proclaim
• 36:08
  it.
• 36:08
  We want
• 36:08
  to speak
• 36:09
  the truth
• 36:09
  of the
• 36:09
  gospel.
• 36:10
  The
• 36:10
  gospel is
• 36:10
  necessary
• 36:10
  to be
• 36:11
  heard,
• 36:11
  for a
• 36:12
  heart
• 36:12
  to be
• 36:12
  pricked
• 36:12
  to believe.
• 36:13
  We want
• 36:13
  to speak
• 36:14
  the gospel.
• 36:14
  We want
• 36:14
  to proclaim
• 36:15
  it.
• 36:15
  And we
• 36:16
  want to
• 36:16
  display
• 36:16
  it with
• 36:18
  acts
• 36:18
  of mercy.
• 36:19
  We want
• 36:19
  to carry
• 36:19
  the gospel
• 36:20
  in our
• 36:20
  actions to
• 36:21
  the world
• 36:22
  around us.
• 36:22
  In all
• 36:23
  things.
• 36:23
  To all
• 36:24
  peoples.
• 36:27
  It's a
• 36:28
  great website
• 36:29
  I'll encourage
• 36:29
  you to go
• 36:30
  to.
• 36:30
  There may
• 36:31
  be a
• 36:31
  better one,
• 36:31
  but I've
• 36:32
  used one
• 36:32
  called
• 36:33
  Joshua
• 36:33
  Project.
• 36:34
  You can
• 36:34
  Google
• 36:35
  Joshua
• 36:36
  Project.
• 36:37
  And according
• 36:38
  to Joshua
• 36:38
  Project,
• 36:39
  in the world
• 36:39
  right now,
• 36:40
  there are
• 36:40
  16,594
• 36:42
  people groups.
• 36:46
  Of those,
• 36:47
  7,162
• 36:49
  are unreached.
• 36:50
  Now the way
• 36:51
  the Joshua
• 36:51
  Project defines
• 36:52
  unreached is
• 36:53
  that less
• 36:54
  than 2%
• 36:54
  of the
• 36:55
  population are
• 36:56
  confessing
• 36:56
  Christians.
• 36:57
  And even
• 36:58
  at that
• 36:58
  point we
• 36:59
  could say,
• 36:59
  are they
• 37:00
  really
• 37:00
  Christians?
• 37:01
  They've
• 37:01
  confessed it,
• 37:02
  are they
• 37:02
  regenerate,
• 37:03
  are they
• 37:03
  bearing fruit?
• 37:05
  But that's
• 37:06
  the way they
• 37:06
  do it.
• 37:07
  They had to
• 37:07
  pick a
• 37:07
  number.
• 37:07
  So less
• 37:08
  than 2%
• 37:08
  are unreached.
• 37:09
  That's
• 37:09
  43.2%
• 37:11
  of the
• 37:13
  people groups
• 37:13
  in the
• 37:14
  world.
• 37:15
  You break
• 37:16
  it down
• 37:16
  by population,
• 37:18
  and again,
• 37:19
  we're talking
• 37:20
  about
• 37:20
  those who
• 37:21
  confess to
• 37:22
  be Christian,
• 37:23
  60%
• 37:24
  of the
• 37:25
  world's
• 37:25
  population.
• 37:27
  It's a
• 37:28
  huge,
• 37:28
  huge number.
• 37:30
  And it
• 37:31
  can be so
• 37:31
  staggering at
• 37:32
  times that it
• 37:33
  cripples us.
• 37:34
  We don't even
• 37:34
  know.
• 37:34
  How do we
• 37:36
  get that
• 37:36
  accomplished?
• 37:37
  You know what
• 37:37
  the great
• 37:38
  thing is?
• 37:38
  It's God's
• 37:39
  mission.
• 37:40
  God's
• 37:40
  accomplishing it,
• 37:41
  and he just
• 37:41
  wants to
• 37:41
  use you
• 37:42
  in some
• 37:43
  way to
• 37:45
  accomplish
• 37:45
  that.
• 37:46
  It doesn't
• 37:47
  mean that
• 37:47
  you're
• 37:47
  necessarily
• 37:48
  going to
• 37:48
  be called
• 37:49
  to go
• 37:49
  to a
• 37:50
  people
• 37:50
  group
• 37:50
  that's
• 37:51
  unreached.
• 37:52
  But it
• 37:52
  could,
• 37:53
  and I
• 37:54
  really hope
• 37:54
  that you're
• 37:55
  opening yourself
• 37:55
  up and being
• 37:56
  available for
• 37:56
  that.
• 37:57
  You being
• 37:58
  obedient to
• 37:58
  God's
• 37:58
  call in your
• 37:59
  life could
• 37:59
  mean that
• 37:59
  you live
• 38:00
  right here
• 38:00
  in Dahlonega,
• 38:01
  and you're
• 38:02
  a valuable
• 38:02
  member of
• 38:03
  our church,
• 38:03
  and you
• 38:04
  work a
• 38:04
  job,
• 38:05
  and you
• 38:05
  create
• 38:05
  money,
• 38:06
  and you
• 38:06
  have a
• 38:06
  family,
• 38:07
  and you
• 38:07
  raise
• 38:07
  them up
• 38:08
  in the
• 38:08
  way of
• 38:08
  God,
• 38:08
  all those
• 38:09
  things are
• 38:09
  a huge
• 38:10
  possibility
• 38:10
  for your
• 38:11
  life.
• 38:11
  Absolutely.
• 38:12
  That may
• 38:13
  be exactly
• 38:14
  what God
• 38:15
  wants for
• 38:15
  you.
• 38:16
  But he
• 38:16
  also may,
• 38:18
  on the
• 38:18
  other end
• 38:18
  of the
• 38:19
  spectrum,
• 38:20
  want you
• 38:20
  to go and
• 38:20
  spend your
• 38:21
  life on
• 38:21
  the mission
• 38:22
  field.
• 38:22
  He may
• 38:23
  want you
• 38:23
  to go and
• 38:23
  be martyred
• 38:24
  in a place
• 38:25
  that's
• 38:25
  dangerous,
• 38:26
  that the
• 38:27
  gospel has
• 38:27
  yet to be
• 38:28
  proclaimed.
• 38:31
  We're
• 38:33
  excited about
• 38:33
  it.
• 38:33
  In
• 38:33
  verse 20
• 38:34
  of
• 38:34
  chapter 15,
• 38:36
  Paul says,
• 38:36
  And thus I
• 38:37
  make it my
• 38:37
  ambition to
• 38:38
  preach the
• 38:38
  gospel,
• 38:39
  not where
• 38:39
  Christ has
• 38:40
  already been
• 38:41
  named,
• 38:41
  lest I
• 38:42
  build on
• 38:42
  someone else's
• 38:42
  foundation,
• 38:43
  but as it
• 38:44
  is written,
• 38:44
  those who
• 38:45
  have never
• 38:45
  been told of
• 38:46
  him will
• 38:46
  see,
• 38:46
  and those
• 38:47
  who have
• 38:47
  never heard
• 38:48
  will understand.
• 38:49
  Paul was
• 38:49
  zealous for
• 38:51
  the name of
• 38:52
  Christ to
• 38:53
  be named
• 38:54
  amongst the
• 38:54
  Gentiles.
• 38:56
  That's why
• 38:56
  he went,
• 38:56
  look in the
• 38:57
  appendix of
• 38:58
  your Bible,
• 38:58
  there's probably
• 38:59
  a little
• 38:59
  cool map of
• 39:00
  his
• 39:00
  missionary
• 39:01
  journeys.
• 39:01
  That's why
• 39:02
  he traveled
• 39:02
  far and
• 39:03
  wide to
• 39:04
  share this
• 39:05
  gospel.
• 39:06
  So God
• 39:07
  may call
• 39:08
  you to
• 39:09
  do that
• 39:09
  very thing,
• 39:10
  to go to
• 39:11
  an unreached
• 39:12
  people somewhere
• 39:13
  in the world.
• 39:14
  I learned of
• 39:14
  a new one.
• 39:15
  I try to
• 39:16
  keep my
• 39:18
  mind into
• 39:19
  unreached
• 39:19
  peoples.
• 39:20
  I try to
• 39:20
  pray for
• 39:21
  them.
• 39:21
  I try to
• 39:22
  kind of
• 39:22
  have a
• 39:22
  global
• 39:23
  mindset.
• 39:24
  As God
• 39:24
  has a
• 39:25
  global
• 39:25
  mindset,
• 39:25
  it's really
• 39:26
  easy for
• 39:26
  us to
• 39:26
  get our
• 39:26
  little
• 39:27
  small
• 39:27
  box,
• 39:28
  Dahlonega
• 39:29
  slash
• 39:29
  Gainesville,
• 39:30
  Georgia,
• 39:30
  and not
• 39:31
  think about
• 39:31
  God's
• 39:32
  eternal
• 39:32
  purposes for
• 39:33
  the world.
• 39:34
  So I
• 39:34
  try to
• 39:34
  read about
• 39:35
  this,
• 39:35
  and I
• 39:35
  found,
• 39:36
  I get a
• 39:36
  couple of
• 39:37
  magazines that
• 39:37
  help me with
• 39:38
  this,
• 39:38
  but this one
• 39:39
  I found in
• 39:39
  The Bathroom
• 39:40
  Reader.
• 39:41
  You guys are
• 39:41
  familiar with
• 39:42
  that?
• 39:42
  It's a great
• 39:42
  book,
• 39:43
  The Bathroom
• 39:44
  Reader.
• 39:44
  It's just
• 39:44
  interesting
• 39:45
  facts,
• 39:46
  and we keep
• 39:47
  it in the
• 39:47
  bathroom.
• 39:48
  But I learned
• 39:50
  about a people
• 39:50
  group in The
• 39:51
  Bathroom Reader
• 39:52
  called the
• 39:54
  Sentinelese.
• 39:55
  They live on
• 39:57
  an island in
• 39:57
  the Bay of
• 39:58
  Bengal,
• 39:58
  which is off
• 39:59
  the eastern
• 40:01
  coast of
• 40:02
  India,
• 40:03
  and I'm
• 40:04
  going to say
• 40:04
  it wrong,
• 40:05
  Burma.
• 40:05
  I know it's
• 40:06
  called something
• 40:06
  else now.
• 40:08
  Thank you.
• 40:08
  Okay.
• 40:09
  Off the
• 40:10
  western coast
• 40:10
  of Myanmar.
• 40:13
  That's right.
• 40:14
  Thank you,
• 40:15
  guys.
• 40:15
  There's a
• 40:16
  little island
• 40:17
  there.
• 40:18
  And The Bathroom
• 40:18
  Reader, of
• 40:18
  course, wasn't
• 40:19
  speaking from a
• 40:20
  missionary
• 40:20
  perspective,
• 40:21
  but talked
• 40:21
  about this
• 40:22
  people group
• 40:22
  that have
• 40:23
  been encountered
• 40:24
  in a very
• 40:25
  small way
• 40:26
  by the rest
• 40:27
  of the world.
• 40:28
  A very, very
• 40:29
  small way.
• 40:30
  In fact, the
• 40:30
  only real
• 40:33
  western
• 40:33
  interaction
• 40:34
  they've had
• 40:34
  is the
• 40:35
  British,
• 40:36
  back in the
• 40:36
  1800s,
• 40:37
  there was a
• 40:37
  visiting family
• 40:38
  from this
• 40:39
  island on a
• 40:40
  neighboring
• 40:40
  island,
• 40:40
  and they
• 40:41
  captured them.
• 40:42
  And the
• 40:42
  hope was that
• 40:43
  they were
• 40:43
  going to make
• 40:44
  them like
• 40:44
  them and
• 40:45
  send them
• 40:45
  back to
• 40:46
  their people.
• 40:47
  But in
• 40:47
  the meantime,
• 40:49
  the two
• 40:49
  parents died
• 40:50
  of sickness,
• 40:51
  western
• 40:51
  diseases that
• 40:52
  they weren't,
• 40:52
  ready for.
• 40:53
  And so they
• 40:54
  took the
• 40:54
  kids and
• 40:55
  dropped them
• 40:55
  off in the
• 40:56
  bay and
• 40:57
  let the
• 40:57
  kids swim
• 40:57
  to shore.
• 40:58
  And that's
• 40:59
  been about
• 40:59
  it.
• 41:02
  The Indian
• 41:03
  nation for
• 41:04
  a while was
• 41:05
  working on
• 41:05
  trying to
• 41:06
  build some
• 41:07
  rapport with
• 41:07
  them and
• 41:08
  connect with
• 41:08
  them and
• 41:08
  see what
• 41:09
  they could
• 41:09
  accomplish.
• 41:10
  And so
• 41:10
  they sent
• 41:11
  throughout the
• 41:11
  80s and
• 41:12
  90s,
• 41:12
  they sent
• 41:13
  out boats
• 41:13
  regularly who
• 41:14
  just simply
• 41:15
  went into
• 41:15
  the little
• 41:15
  bay and
• 41:16
  threw
• 41:16
  things overboard
• 41:17
  for them
• 41:17
  to wash
• 41:18
  up on
• 41:19
  shore.
• 41:19
  Because if
• 41:20
  they went
• 41:20
  on shore,
• 41:21
  they were
• 41:21
  likely to be
• 41:22
  killed.
• 41:25
  So this is
• 41:26
  people that
• 41:27
  have been
• 41:28
  accessed in
• 41:28
  such a
• 41:29
  limited way.
• 41:30
  How are
• 41:30
  they going to
• 41:30
  believe in
• 41:30
  the gospel
• 41:31
  if someone
• 41:31
  doesn't preach
• 41:31
  it to them?
• 41:32
  They won't.
• 41:33
  The gospel
• 41:33
  needs to be
• 41:34
  carried to
• 41:35
  this people
• 41:36
  group.
• 41:36
  people who
• 41:40
  really have
• 41:41
  been isolated
• 41:42
  for the
• 41:42
  last thousands
• 41:43
  of years
• 41:44
  will probably
• 41:45
  die as
• 41:45
  neighboring
• 41:46
  tribes have
• 41:47
  died on
• 41:47
  other islands
• 41:48
  if they're
• 41:48
  exposed to
• 41:49
  western
• 41:49
  diseases.
• 41:50
  And now
• 41:51
  India has
• 41:52
  seen it
• 41:52
  fruitless.
• 41:53
  Somebody just
• 41:54
  one day said,
• 41:54
  why are we
• 41:55
  trying to
• 41:55
  do this?
• 41:56
  These are
• 41:56
  tribal people
• 41:57
  living on
• 41:57
  this island.
• 41:58
  Why are we
• 41:58
  trying to be
• 41:58
  friends with
• 41:59
  them exactly?
• 41:59
  This is
• 41:59
  costing a lot
• 42:00
  of money.
• 42:01
  We're throwing
• 42:01
  a lot of
• 42:01
  coconuts
• 42:02
  into their
• 42:02
  bay for no
• 42:03
  reason.
• 42:04
  What are we
• 42:04
  doing?
• 42:05
  So they
• 42:05
  just stopped
• 42:05
  and in fact
• 42:06
  now they
• 42:06
  enforce a
• 42:07
  three mile
• 42:08
  radius with
• 42:09
  planes and
• 42:11
  boats.
• 42:12
  They enforce
• 42:12
  a radius
• 42:13
  around the
• 42:13
  island so
• 42:14
  that people
• 42:14
  can't touch
• 42:14
  it.
• 42:15
  So they
• 42:15
  can't get
• 42:15
  there.
• 42:17
  How does
• 42:18
  the gospel
• 42:18
  of God
• 42:19
  get to the
• 42:20
  Sentinelese
• 42:20
  on North
• 42:21
  Sentinel Island
• 42:22
  in the Bay
• 42:22
  of Bengal?
• 42:24
  I don't
• 42:25
  know.
• 42:26
  I actually
• 42:26
  for fun have
• 42:27
  been trying
• 42:27
  to rack my
• 42:27
  brain about
• 42:28
  how in the
• 42:29
  world you
• 42:30
  would even
• 42:30
  get there
• 42:30
  and how
• 42:31
  you would
• 42:31
  accomplish
• 42:31
  people who
• 42:32
  probably speak
• 42:33
  a language
• 42:33
  that no
• 42:34
  one
• 42:34
  else in
• 42:34
  this world
• 42:35
  knows.
• 42:35
  How do
• 42:35
  you do
• 42:36
  this type
• 42:36
  of work?
• 42:37
  And you've
• 42:37
  got a nation
• 42:39
  India actually
• 42:39
  enforcing it
• 42:40
  keeping you
• 42:41
  away from
• 42:42
  it.
• 42:42
  How is the
• 42:43
  gospel going
• 42:44
  to be carried?
• 42:44
  And I don't
• 42:44
  know but praise
• 42:45
  God we serve
• 42:46
  a sovereign
• 42:47
  God who is
• 42:49
  in control of
• 42:50
  these things.
• 42:51
  He knows
• 42:52
  right?
• 42:54
  And he knows
• 42:55
  that maybe
• 42:55
  someone in
• 42:56
  this room is
• 42:56
  going to go
• 42:57
  to the
• 42:58
  Sentinelese
• 42:58
  and find a
• 42:59
  way to
• 43:00
  preach the
• 43:00
  gospel there.
• 43:02
  There are
• 43:02
  countless
• 43:03
  others
• 43:04
  7162
• 43:06
  as qualified
• 43:08
  by the
• 43:08
  Joshua Project
• 43:09
  people who
• 43:10
  have never
• 43:10
  heard the
• 43:11
  gospel of
• 43:12
  Christ.
• 43:15
  God has
• 43:16
  not given
• 43:16
  a mission
• 43:17
  to the
• 43:18
  church but
• 43:18
  rather the
• 43:19
  church to
• 43:20
  his mission.
• 43:21
  And whether
• 43:22
  we stay
• 43:24
  here or go
• 43:25
  there,
• 43:26
  we're all
• 43:27
  called to be
• 43:28
  caught up in
• 43:29
  this, to be
• 43:29
  zealous for
• 43:30
  Christ's name
• 43:32
  to be
• 43:32
  proclaimed
• 43:33
  everywhere.
• 43:36
  So don't
• 43:37
  think that if
• 43:37
  you're not
• 43:37
  called to
• 43:38
  foreign missions
• 43:38
  that you're
• 43:40
  in a different
• 43:40
  category.
• 43:41
  The term
• 43:41
  missionary was
• 43:41
  invented.
• 43:42
  It's not in
• 43:43
  the scriptures
• 43:43
  anywhere.
• 43:44
  We see
• 43:45
  followers of
• 43:46
  Christ.
• 43:46
  We see
• 43:46
  perseverers.
• 43:48
  We see
• 43:48
  disciples.
• 43:51
  We're all
• 43:52
  meant to be
• 43:53
  missionaries if
• 43:54
  you want to
• 43:54
  think about it
• 43:54
  in that term.
• 43:55
  It's okay
• 43:56
  that we've
• 43:56
  created a term
• 43:57
  for people who
• 43:57
  spend their
• 43:58
  full time,
• 43:58
  it's a vocation
• 43:59
  to go
• 44:00
  overseas.
• 44:00
  It's okay
• 44:00
  that we do
• 44:01
  that.
• 44:01
  But the
• 44:02
  danger of
• 44:03
  it is that
• 44:03
  we cease to
• 44:04
  do anything
• 44:05
  because we're
• 44:05
  not missionaries.
• 44:06
  We're not
• 44:07
  radical like
• 44:07
  that.
• 44:09
  We're all
• 44:09
  called to
• 44:10
  serve God
• 44:11
  in this
• 44:12
  way.
• 44:14
  The things
• 44:14
  of this
• 44:15
  earth are
• 44:15
  fading away.
• 44:16
  They're
• 44:16
  turning to
• 44:17
  dust.
• 44:17
  They're
• 44:17
  passing.
• 44:18
  Soon
• 44:19
  they will
• 44:20
  be gone.
• 44:22
  Do you
• 44:22
  spend your
• 44:23
  energies on
• 44:24
  those things,
• 44:24
  on the
• 44:25
  finite,
• 44:25
  or are you
• 44:26
  spending your
• 44:27
  energy on
• 44:27
  the infinite?
• 44:29
  joy,
• 44:30
  joy,
• 44:30
  abounding joy
• 44:31
  will be yours
• 44:33
  if you do.
• 44:34
  Verse 13,
• 44:34
  we'll talk about
• 44:35
  that next week.
• 44:37
  Let's pray
• 44:37
  together.