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A Charge to Discipleship - Week 3 · Providence Baptist Church - Sermons

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Certainly in varying degrees, and it's certainly true in some degree in our church, that there's a gap in what we say we believe and the way in which we actually live that out.
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That at given moments in any of our days, you can look at us and say, this person doesn't love Jesus at all.
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And so two weeks ago, I kind of began this charge to discipleship as we're taking a bit of a break from Mark for the month of February,
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and began by talking about how if we are going to follow him, then we have to care about what he cares about.
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That the primary thing we should be concerned about is the advancement of the gospel, the building of the kingdom, the making of disciples.
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This was his great commission, the big charge that he gave to the church.
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Our church, as a local expression of the universal church, has a responsibility to this.
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And not that it's a burden, but it's a joy that God has given us to his mission in the world.
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Last week, we looked at the ongoing way that this activity is encouraged and supported, and that is in the life of a congregation,
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in the way in which the church meets, or at very least, should meet together.
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And I emphasized the fact that the primary way in which our church is going to do this,
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the specific way that our church is going to do this, is through our community outreach groups.
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We're going to be pressing at each other to have our actions match the things that we say that we believe.
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That we're going to press at each other in this way.
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And I said to you last week, as this week's sermon is going to be about the particulars, the biblical parameters for evangelism,
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finding people becoming, that first step of becoming a disciple,
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that one sermon on evangelism is not enough for you.
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In fact, if I were to preach a sermon on evangelism, how to evangelize every single week for the rest of this year,
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it wouldn't be enough, because you need more than that.
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Not just hearing it, you need to be putting it into practice, and we need one another to do this.
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The accountability and the pressing, we need to be encouraged in this direction.
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Living for God in the kingdom opposes the desires of our flesh.
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Praise God we have new spirits, we've been made new creations,
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and God has given us a community called the church to push each other in this way.
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And so this is what we talked about last week.
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And so this week we're going to talk a bit more about the specifics of sharing the gospel,
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and then next week, discipleship.
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How do we go on from there?
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Once we see people come to faith in Christ, what do we do?
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What are the responsibilities we should take up?
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And how do the scriptures guide us in that process?
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And so our major text for today, I had you in Mark 8.
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Turn back just a few pages to Mark chapter 4.
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I'm going to read to you a rather large chunk of Jesus' teaching here.
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I hope that you'll stick with me.
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I'm going to come back and address specific parts of it,
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but Jesus' teaching is taken here in this completion,
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and he begins with this parable called the parable of the sower.
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And I want to draw your attention before we read the entire thing together,
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because in verse 10, we see that the disciples don't know exactly what he's talking about, right?
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And when he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables.
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This one specifically, he says,
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And he said to them,
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To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God,
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but for those outside everything in parables,
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so that they may indeed see but not perceive,
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may indeed hear but not understand,
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lest they should turn and be forgiven.
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And he's giving these parables in such a way that those with spiritual illumination will understand them,
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and those without will not.
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And then in verse 13, he says,
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Do you not understand this parable?
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How then will you understand all parables?
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So this is a very important one for us to get right,
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and he goes on with a couple of other parables.
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Also, mostly, at least two of the three,
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have this agrarian theme to them as well,
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to help them get some understanding of the way in which the kingdom is going to come about,
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and their part to play in that.
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So follow along with me as I read Mark chapter 4,
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verses 1 through 32.
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Here we go.
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Again, he began to teach beside the sea,
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and a very large crowd gathered about him,
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so that he got into a boat and sat in it on the sea,
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and the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land.
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And he was teaching them many things in parables,
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and in his teaching he said to them,
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Listen,
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a sower went out to sow,
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and as he sowed,
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some seed fell along the path,
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and the birds came and devoured it.
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Other seed fell along the rocky ground
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where it did not have much soil,
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and immediately it sprang up
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since it had no depth of soil.
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And when the sun rose,
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it was scorched,
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and since it had no root,
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it withered away.
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Other seed fell among thorns,
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and the thorns grew up and choked it
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and yielded no grain.
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And other seed fell into good soil
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and produced grain,
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growing up and increasing
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and yielding thirtyfold
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and sixtyfold
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and a hundredfold.
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And he said,
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He who has ears to hear,
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let him hear.
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So we see that there's these
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varying types of soil,
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and the reality of this
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is that the scene would have been
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very familiar to them
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as this was an agrarian society
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by and large,
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that they had many, many fields
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around the cities,
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and there would have been
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these hard-worn paths in between.
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And in fact,
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a lot of the roads
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that were traveled in this day
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were simply these paths
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between the fields.
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So this hard path
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is what he's referring to there.
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And the sower goes out,
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and as he's scattering his seed,
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as he's throwing it to the wind
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so that it'll be scattered
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across the field,
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it lands in various places
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and various things happen.
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We see good soil,
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we see a rocky soil,
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we see one that's choked out
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by thorns,
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and we see another
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that the birds come along
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and eat it up.
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So he's giving us
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this picture
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that they would have
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totally been able
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to wrap their minds around
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that this is the way
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in which the word of God
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is going to be received
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in the world.
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So let's get down
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to his explanation.
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Verse 14,
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the sower sows the word.
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The seed is the word of God.
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It's the gospel.
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And these are the ones
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along the path
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where the word is sown.
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When they hear,
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Satan immediately comes
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and takes away the word
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that is sown in them.
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And these are the ones
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sown on rocky ground,
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the one who,
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when they hear the word,
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immediately receive it with joy.
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And they have no root
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in themselves,
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but endure for a while.
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Then, when tribulation
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or persecution arises
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on account of the word,
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immediately they fall away.
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And others are the ones
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sown among thorns.
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They are those who hear the word,
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but the cares of the world
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and the deceitfulness
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of riches
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and the desires
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for other things
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enter in and choke the word,
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and it proves unfruitful.
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But those who were sown
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on the good soil
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are the ones who hear the word
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and accept it
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and bear fruit,
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thirtyfold
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and sixtyfold
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and a hundredfold.
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And he said to them,
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Is a lamp brought in
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to be put under a basket
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or under a bed
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and not on a stand?
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For nothing is hidden
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except to be made manifest,
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nor is anything secret
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except to come to light.
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If anyone has ears to hear,
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let him hear.
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And he said to them,
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Pay attention to what you hear.
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With the measure you use,
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it will measure to you,
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and still more will be added to you.
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For the one who has,
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more will be given.
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And from the one who has not,
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even what he has
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will be taken away.
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And he said,
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The kingdom of God
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is as if a man
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should scatter seed
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on the ground.
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He sleeps and rises
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night and day,
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and the seed sprouts
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and grows.
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He knows not how.
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The earth produces
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by itself
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first the blade,
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then the ear,
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then the full grain
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in the ear.
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But when the grain is ripe,
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at once he puts in the sickle,
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because the harvest
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has come.
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And he said,
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With what can we compare
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the kingdom of God,
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or what parable
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shall we use for it?
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It is like a grain
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of mustard seed,
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which,
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when sown on the ground,
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is the smallest
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of all the seeds
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on the earth.
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Yet when it is sown,
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it grows up
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and becomes larger
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than all the garden plants
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and puts out
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large branches
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so that the birds
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of the air
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can make nests
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in its shade.
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Let's pray together.
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Father God,
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I would ask today
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as we open up your word
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that you would humble us
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before it.
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we recognize
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that all scripture
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is breathed out by you
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and that it's
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profitable for us.
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Not simply for us
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to gain
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for our own sake,
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but that we might
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live righteously
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before you,
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that we would
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please you,
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which is
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certainly
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great gain.
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I pray,
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Father,
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that you will work in us
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a miracle
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by your Spirit,
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that the scriptures
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will be illuminated
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to us this day,
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that you will change
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our hearts
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by the listening
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to it
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and the application
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of it.
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Find us, God,
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not to be
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simply hearers,
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but doers also
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of your word.
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Find
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working in us
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the great mark
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of Christian
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maturity,
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which is obedience.
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And we pray this
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in Christ's name.
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Amen.
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So,
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three points
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I want to give
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to you today.
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And the first one is
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that we must
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share
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the gospel.
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We must
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share
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the gospel.
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And I know
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that that is
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maybe even
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somewhat trite
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in your mind.
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You've heard this
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many times before.
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Of course we must
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share
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the gospel.
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But here is a
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point at which
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I think that we
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know this to be true,
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but so very rarely
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prove it.
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We very rarely
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express that
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and walk it
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out.
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Remember verse
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20 of chapter 4.
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Those that were
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sown on the good
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soil are the
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ones who hear
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the word.
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We're all
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saying,
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we're all
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expressing when
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we say we're
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disciples of Jesus
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Christ that we
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are good soil.
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We have received
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the word.
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We accept it.
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And he says
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it bears fruit.
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Thirty-fold,
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sixty-fold,
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a hundred-fold.
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That this will be
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a necessary
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outcome of the
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life of a
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disciple of
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Jesus Christ.
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The bearing
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of fruit.
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Verse 21,
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And he said to
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them,
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Is a lamp
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brought in to
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be put under
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a basket or
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under a bed and
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not on a stand?
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For nothing is
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hidden except to
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be manifest,
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nor is anything
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secret except to
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come to light.
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And he's being
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very tongue-in-cheek.
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Why would anybody
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ever light a lamp?
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Why would God
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illuminate our
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minds and our
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hearts and then
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have us hidden
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away somewhere?
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This is not the
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job of the believer.
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The job of the
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believer is to be
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out in the
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darkness,
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giving light to
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people who
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desperately need
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it.
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It's the obvious
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thing that you do
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with light as you
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expose it to the
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darkness.
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I want us to have
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the mind that was
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Paul's mind as he
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shares in Romans
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and in 1 Corinthians.
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Romans 1.16,
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he says,
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for I am not
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ashamed of the
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gospel.
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We are so often
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ashamed of the
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good news of
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Jesus Christ,
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for it is the
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power of God
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for salvation to
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everyone who
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believes, to the
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Jew first, and
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also to the
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Greek.
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This message
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that we
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proclaimed is
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the message by
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which we came to
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believe, and it
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is the very power
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of God to bring
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others into his
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kingdom.
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those who are
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without this
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message eternally
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damned, eternally
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separated from him,
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and they will
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suffer torment
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forever.
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There's a general
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grace to this
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world right now
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that keeps people
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who have sinned
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against God from
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not being just
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destroyed.
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People generally
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experience and
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enjoy the warmth
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of the sun, the
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goodness of food,
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the celebration
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of family, but
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someday when they
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pass, those things
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will pass away,
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and they will be
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tormented forever
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and ever.
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And it is the
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gospel that is the
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power of God to
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save them from it.
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Paul writes again
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in Romans chapter
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10, verse 13 and
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14, for everyone
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who calls on the
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name of the Lord
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will be saved.
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How then will
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they call on him
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in whom they
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have not believed?
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And how are they
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to believe in him
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in whom they've
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never heard?
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And how are they
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to hear without
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someone preaching?
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Beloved, don't
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get caught up in
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the cultural
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narrative that
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there are multiple
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ways to heaven.
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There are not.
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Jesus is the way,
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the truth, and
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the life.
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People must respond
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in faith to
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gospel proclamation.
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And what Paul is
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expressing to us
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here is that we
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are the tools by
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which the gospel
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is proclaimed.
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I may feel like a
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heavy burden laid
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upon your shoulders,
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but let me say to
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you that God
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doesn't need you.
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God is God.
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He would cease
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to be God
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if he needed
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you.
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But God,
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in all of his
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infinite wisdom
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and his love
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for us,
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has chosen to
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use us
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to be the
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instruments
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for gospel
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advancement
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for the sake
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of our joy.
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To experience
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the blessing
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of being part
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of his work
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in the world.
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So we must
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preach.
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We must go.
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We are tools
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in his hands.
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In Romans 9,
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1-3,
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Paul says this,
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I am speaking
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the truth in
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Christ.
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I am not lying.
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My conscience
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bears me witness
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in the Holy Spirit
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that I have
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great sorrow
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and unceasing
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anguish
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in my heart.
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For I could
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wish that I
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myself were
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accursed
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and cut off
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from Christ
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for the sake
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of my brothers.
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The longing
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of Paul's
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heart to see
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those that
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were his kin,
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other Israelites,
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those who had
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been given
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so much revelation
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of the truth
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of God,
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and yet had
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not responded
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favorably to it.
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He so desired
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to see them
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be part of
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the kingdom
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that he said
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he himself
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would be willing
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to be cut off
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from God
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for eternity
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to see that
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be the case.
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Is this true
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of anybody
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in this room?
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1 Corinthians
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chapter 9.
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Turn to this one
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with me.
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1 Corinthians
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chapter 9.
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1 Corinthians
14:48
chapter 9.
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Verse 19.
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Paul gives up
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his liberty,
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puts aside
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some of the
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things that
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he has been
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granted access
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to in the
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gospel of grace
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for the sake
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of others.
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He says,
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For though I
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am free from
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all,
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this is 9,
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19,
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I have made
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myself a servant
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to all,
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that I might
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win more of
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them.
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To the Jews
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I became as a
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Jew in order
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to win Jews.
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To those under
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the law I became
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as one under
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the law,
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though not
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being myself
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under the law,
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that I might
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win those
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under the law.
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To those outside
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the law I became
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as one outside
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the law,
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not being outside
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the law of God,
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but under the
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law of Christ,
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that I might
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win those
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outside the law.
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To the weak I
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became weak,
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that I might
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win the weak.
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I become all
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things to all
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people,
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that by all
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means I might
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save some.
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I do it all
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for the sake
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of the gospel,
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that I may
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share with
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them in its
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blessings.
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Now there is
15:43
so much that
15:43
could be said
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about becoming
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all things
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to all people
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and what that
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means in our
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day-to-day living.
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But the emphasis
15:49
that I want you
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to get from here
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is how desperately
15:52
he wants to see
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people come into
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the kingdom,
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that he might
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share with them
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in its blessings.
15:58
For the sake
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of his joy,
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he puts aside
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trivial things,
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things that are
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not that important,
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the way in which
16:03
he conducts himself,
16:04
what he eats,
16:05
what he drinks,
16:06
because he so
16:07
wants to enjoy
16:08
the blessing
16:09
of the gospel.
16:10
Back up a few
16:12
verses.
16:12
1 Corinthians 9,
16:13
16.
16:15
Paul says,
16:16
For if I preach
16:17
the gospel,
16:18
that gives me
16:18
no ground
16:19
for boasting.
16:21
I have no
16:22
space in this
16:23
to say I am
16:24
a preacher of
16:25
the gospel.
16:26
Good for me.
16:28
He says,
16:28
For necessity
16:29
is laid upon me.
16:31
Woe to me
16:32
if I do not
16:34
preach the gospel.
16:35
Is this the
16:39
mind that we
16:39
have within us?
16:40
That we must
16:41
preach the gospel.
16:43
That there is a
16:44
draw on our
16:45
hearts because
16:46
we so love
16:47
Jesus that we
16:47
love the things
16:49
that he loves.
16:51
That we recognize
16:51
that his great
16:52
work in this world
16:53
is about the
16:53
building of his
16:54
church.
16:55
The salvation of
16:56
souls that they
16:56
might come in
16:57
and be discipled,
16:58
that they might
16:58
sing his praises
16:59
forever.
17:00
We sang a song
17:01
and we said
17:01
again and again
17:02
and again,
17:03
Hallelujah,
17:04
which is a
17:04
Cobb Brown Hebrew
17:05
phrase,
17:05
which means
17:06
it's a command,
17:07
come and
17:08
praise my
17:08
God with me.
17:10
That's what that
17:10
phrasing means.
17:11
And that is the
17:13
hallelujah of our
17:14
life is that we
17:14
go and advance
17:15
the gospel.
17:16
We say to people,
17:16
come and praise
17:18
your God,
17:19
the God that
17:19
created you,
17:20
come back into
17:21
a right relationship
17:22
with him and
17:23
praise him with
17:24
me.
17:26
He is worthy of
17:26
all honor and
17:27
all praise.
17:29
We want people
17:30
as believers to
17:31
sing his praises
17:32
in greater and
17:33
higher degree,
17:34
at least I
17:35
hope.
17:35
That we do.
17:36
We must
17:38
preach the
17:40
gospel.
17:41
So do you
17:42
sow seed?
17:43
Do you sow
17:43
the word at
17:44
all?
17:45
And if you do,
17:46
how do you
17:47
sow the seed?
17:49
Because the
17:50
picture painted
17:50
for us here
17:51
would have been
17:51
a very liberal
17:52
sowing of the
17:53
seed.
17:53
There was
17:54
plenty of
17:54
seed,
17:54
so much
17:55
seed in
17:55
fact that
17:55
it was okay
17:56
that some
17:56
of it fell
17:56
on the
17:57
path.
17:58
It wasn't
17:58
all that
17:59
important that
18:00
every bit of
18:00
seed made
18:01
it onto
18:01
the field,
18:02
but that
18:02
the seed
18:03
was being
18:03
cast in
18:04
wide and
18:06
in liberal
18:06
ways.
18:08
Being
18:08
sown out
18:09
so generously
18:10
because we
18:11
so desire
18:12
to see
18:12
a yield.
18:14
We want
18:15
to find
18:15
the good
18:16
soil.
18:17
We want
18:17
the word
18:18
to fall
18:18
on the
18:19
good soil
18:19
that it
18:19
will bring
18:20
forth fruit,
18:21
that there
18:22
will be a
18:22
yield,
18:22
a harvest
18:23
to be had
18:24
at the
18:25
right time.
18:26
I think
18:28
that many
18:29
of us walk
18:29
around rather
18:30
than with
18:30
large bags
18:32
full of
18:32
seed that
18:33
we sow
18:33
and we
18:34
sow
18:34
and we
18:34
sow
18:35
and we
18:35
sow.
18:36
We have
18:36
maybe a
18:37
couple little
18:37
seeds we
18:38
carry around
18:39
in our
18:39
pocket and
18:40
we're maybe
18:40
looking for
18:41
that perfect
18:41
opportunity.
18:42
Maybe when
18:44
I spot some
18:45
good soil and
18:46
I'm confident
18:47
it's good
18:47
soil,
18:48
I've only got
18:48
a couple
18:49
of seeds so
18:49
I don't want
18:49
to put a
18:50
seed in any
18:50
kind of bad
18:51
soil,
18:51
I'll put
18:51
the seed in
18:53
the good
18:53
soil.
18:55
And I'll
18:55
say I'm
18:55
a Christian,
18:56
I'm following
18:57
Jesus,
18:57
I know I'm
18:58
supposed to
18:58
do this
18:59
thing.
19:00
Rather than
19:01
recognizing that
19:02
we have the
19:03
time and
19:04
the ability,
19:05
the grace of
19:05
God given
19:06
to us,
19:07
that we
19:07
would sow
19:07
and sow
19:08
and sow
19:09
and sow
19:09
that we
19:10
would plant
19:10
the word
19:10
everywhere.
19:11
You want
19:11
to know how
19:11
you figure
19:11
out where
19:12
the good
19:12
soil is?
19:14
You sow
19:14
the seed
19:15
everywhere
19:15
and you
19:17
see where
19:17
the good
19:18
plants come
19:18
up that
19:19
stick around
19:20
and yield
19:21
fruit.
19:22
That's how
19:22
you know.
19:23
How do we
19:24
see where the
19:24
spirit's at
19:25
work,
19:26
plowing the
19:27
field,
19:27
preparing the
19:28
soil?
19:28
That's not
19:29
our work,
19:29
that's his
19:30
work.
19:30
How do we
19:31
know where
19:31
that's
19:31
happening?
19:32
We sow
19:32
seed and
19:33
we see
19:33
what happens
19:34
with the
19:35
seed.
19:36
So we
19:36
have to
19:36
be sowing.
19:37
We must
19:38
share the
19:39
gospel.
19:39
We must
19:40
go and
19:41
go and
19:42
go and
19:43
go.
19:44
In verse
19:45
30 of
19:45
chapter 4 of
19:46
Mark,
19:47
Jesus says,
19:48
with what can
19:49
we compare
19:49
the kingdom
19:50
of God or
19:50
what parable
19:51
shall we use
19:53
for it?
19:53
He tells
19:54
us about
19:55
this grain
19:56
of mustard
19:56
seed,
19:57
which is
19:57
incredibly
19:57
tiny.
19:58
A grain
19:58
of mustard
19:58
seed is
19:59
a speck.
20:00
It's so
20:00
easy.
20:01
If I had
20:01
one in
20:01
my hand
20:02
and I
20:02
breathed on
20:03
it, it
20:03
would blow
20:03
off my
20:03
hand and
20:04
we would
20:04
totally lose
20:05
it in
20:05
this room.
20:06
A tiny
20:07
little thing,
20:08
but it grows
20:08
up into
20:09
something that
20:09
is large
20:10
in the
20:11
garden.
20:11
It has a
20:12
great deal
20:12
of usefulness.
20:13
And what
20:14
he's saying
20:14
here is
20:15
that our
20:15
little sharing,
20:16
it seems
20:17
so insignificant
20:18
sometimes,
20:18
it feels
20:19
often pointless.
20:21
Have you
20:21
had those
20:21
gospel
20:22
conversations
20:23
with somebody
20:23
where you
20:23
just feel
20:24
like you're
20:24
beating your
20:25
head against
20:25
the brick
20:25
wall trying
20:26
to talk
20:27
to them,
20:27
and you
20:27
just go,
20:28
I just
20:28
don't
20:28
understand
20:28
how it
20:29
is that
20:30
God
20:30
intends to
20:30
use me
20:31
to advance
20:32
this kingdom.
20:33
It seems
20:33
totally
20:34
insignificant.
20:35
This is
20:35
what he's
20:35
trying to
20:36
say.
20:36
But guess
20:37
what?
20:37
When it's
20:37
planted in
20:38
good soil,
20:39
it yields
20:40
a wonderful
20:41
bush that
20:42
has great
20:43
usefulness in
20:44
the kingdom
20:44
of God.
20:47
Paul says
20:48
in 1 Corinthians
20:48
3,
20:49
5-9,
20:51
what then
20:53
is Apollos
20:53
who was a
20:54
disciple?
20:55
What is
20:55
Paul?
20:57
Servants
20:57
through whom
20:57
you believed
20:58
as the
20:59
Lord assigned
20:59
to each.
21:01
I planted,
21:02
Apollos
21:02
watered,
21:03
but God
21:04
gave the
21:06
growth.
21:07
So neither
21:07
he who
21:08
plants nor
21:08
he who
21:09
waters is
21:09
anything,
21:10
but only
21:10
God who
21:11
gives the
21:11
growth.
21:12
He who
21:13
plants and
21:13
he who
21:14
waters are
21:14
one,
21:15
and each
21:15
will receive
21:16
his wages
21:16
according to
21:16
his labor.
21:17
For we are
21:18
God's fellow
21:19
workers.
21:19
You are
21:20
God's
21:20
field,
21:21
God's
21:22
building.
21:24
So our
21:24
responsibility in
21:25
this, as you
21:26
can see Paul
21:26
saying,
21:26
Paul is
21:27
saying that
21:28
I planted.
21:29
Another
21:30
disciple came
21:30
along and
21:31
watered,
21:31
but ultimately
21:32
and finally
21:32
God gave
21:33
the growth.
21:34
It is his
21:35
kingdom and
21:35
we have a
21:36
part to
21:36
play in
21:37
this.
21:37
He's
21:37
invited us
21:38
into his
21:39
work to
21:40
sow the
21:41
seed, to
21:41
sow the
21:42
word of
21:42
the gospel
21:43
liberally
21:44
everywhere we
21:45
go.
21:45
We must
21:46
share the
21:47
gospel.
21:48
Secondly, we
21:52
must share the
21:52
gospel regularly.
21:56
It must
21:56
become a
21:57
natural part
21:58
of our
21:59
life and
22:00
our living.
22:01
There's a
22:02
parable again
22:03
that we read
22:03
together,
22:04
chapter 4,
22:05
verse 26
22:05
through 29.
22:07
The kingdom
22:08
of God is
22:08
if a man
22:09
should scatter
22:09
seed on the
22:10
ground.
22:10
Here again
22:10
we see the
22:12
scattering of
22:13
seed.
22:13
He sleeps
22:14
and rises
22:14
night and
22:15
day and
22:15
the seed
22:15
sprouts and
22:16
grows.
22:16
He knows
22:17
not how.
22:18
He doesn't
22:18
understand how
22:19
it is that
22:20
the seed takes
22:21
any effect
22:21
in anybody's
22:22
life.
22:23
There's a
22:23
great mystery
22:24
of the
22:24
gospel that
22:24
the spirit
22:25
of God
22:25
comes into
22:26
people and
22:27
changes their
22:27
hearts,
22:28
completely
22:29
changes their
22:29
affections,
22:30
causes them
22:31
to do a
22:31
180 from
22:32
being an
22:33
enemy of
22:33
God to
22:33
being a
22:34
friend of
22:34
God.
22:35
Causes them
22:35
to be
22:36
eternally
22:37
condemned
22:37
before him
22:38
to being
22:39
justified
22:39
before him
22:40
in Christ.
22:42
It's
22:42
incredible
22:42
miracle is
22:43
what he's
22:43
communicating
22:44
to himself.
22:45
The earth
22:45
produces by
22:46
itself,
22:46
the blade,
22:47
the ear.
22:48
We get the
22:48
science behind
22:49
this.
22:49
They certainly
22:50
didn't.
22:51
God's work
22:52
in bringing
22:53
about the
22:54
harvest.
22:56
And every
22:56
year when the
22:57
grain is ripe,
22:57
once he puts
22:58
in the
22:58
cycle because
22:58
the harvest
22:59
has come,
23:00
and this is
23:00
something that
23:00
would have
23:00
happened for
23:01
this person
23:01
every year,
23:02
this regular
23:03
sowing,
23:03
this regular
23:03
sowing,
23:04
this reaping,
23:05
seeing the
23:05
growth,
23:06
reaping the
23:06
reward,
23:07
we are to
23:08
share the
23:09
gospel regularly.
23:12
In the past
23:12
two weeks I've
23:13
shared with you
23:13
on a white
23:14
board,
23:15
we're going to
23:15
put it up on
23:15
the screen
23:16
today because
23:17
this is all I
23:17
needed on the
23:18
screen,
23:19
on the board,
23:20
that this
23:21
tri-county area
23:22
that we live in,
23:23
where our church
23:24
property is,
23:25
is pretty
23:25
equilaterally located
23:26
between Dawsonville
23:28
and Dahlonega and
23:29
Gainesville.
23:31
So in those three
23:31
counties, Hall,
23:32
Lumpkin, Dawson
23:33
counties, there's
23:34
approximately 232,000
23:35
people.
23:36
And I've shared
23:37
with you that the
23:38
Chattahoochee Baptist
23:39
Association estimates
23:40
that 80% of that
23:42
population is
23:43
unchurched.
23:45
It's a fairly loose
23:46
definition, the 20%,
23:47
they don't give a
23:48
denominational, not
23:50
necessarily a
23:52
Georgia Baptist
23:52
church, Southern
23:54
Baptist in
23:55
denomination, but
23:56
80% unchurched,
23:58
that's 185,600
24:00
people.
24:02
This is kind of a
24:03
staggering number,
24:04
185,600 people,
24:05
just in this area,
24:07
right here where we
24:08
live.
24:09
That if we're
24:10
optimistic as I
24:11
think they are in
24:12
this estimation,
24:13
because we know
24:14
that if somebody is
24:15
in a church, it
24:16
doesn't necessarily
24:16
mean that they're a
24:17
disciple of Jesus
24:18
Christ, but if we
24:20
just say this is the
24:21
lost population
24:22
around us, this is
24:24
a staggering,
24:26
staggering number,
24:28
beloved, that
24:30
leaves 46,400
24:32
churched.
24:33
So let's again be
24:34
optimistic and let's
24:35
say that all of
24:36
those people are in
24:37
fact disciples of
24:38
Jesus Christ.
24:38
46,400 people who
24:42
claim the name of
24:43
Jesus Christ.
24:44
And what I say to
24:45
you is that if
24:46
these 46,400 were
24:47
actively involved in
24:49
sowing seed, we
24:51
would be reaping a
24:52
harvest.
24:53
That seed would be
24:55
falling on good
24:56
soil.
24:58
Now something for
24:58
us to know and to
24:59
remember about these
24:59
parables is that
25:00
Jesus is also trying
25:01
to communicate to
25:02
them that some
25:03
people will not
25:04
receive the word.
25:05
don't become
25:06
discouraged by that.
25:08
There are going to
25:09
be bad soils.
25:11
Soils that just
25:12
will not reap
25:13
harvest.
25:14
At least now, maybe
25:15
a bad soil becomes a
25:16
good soil as the
25:17
plowing work of the
25:19
spirit works in their
25:20
life.
25:21
But we should be
25:22
reaping a harvest
25:24
if we're sowing, if
25:25
we're finding the good
25:26
soil and planting the
25:27
word in it.
25:29
Now, the current U.S.
25:32
mortality rate, just
25:33
to make this, give us
25:34
an eternal perspective
25:35
on this, I mean, all
25:37
of these people, again,
25:38
assuming 185,600 people
25:40
are not saved, they're
25:41
not experiencing the
25:42
joy of the gospel here
25:43
and now, they're
25:44
separated from God
25:45
here and now.
25:46
These things are
25:47
horrible, but for
25:48
eternity they will be
25:49
separated if they
25:50
don't respond in faith
25:51
to the gospel of
25:52
Christ.
25:53
The current U.S.
25:54
mortality rate means
25:55
that 1,500 of those
25:57
185,600 will die this
25:59
year.
26:00
1,500 of those
26:01
people will die,
26:02
presuming that they're
26:03
not saved, that they
26:05
have not yet been
26:05
saved from their sin,
26:06
they are still enemies
26:07
of God, they are doomed
26:08
to eternal damnation.
26:10
This should break our
26:12
hearts.
26:13
This should press us to
26:14
the point where Paul is
26:15
at, where we would say,
26:16
I wish that I would be
26:16
cut off, that I would be
26:18
cursed, if just some of
26:19
these would come to
26:21
faith.
26:22
I'm willing to become
26:23
all things to all
26:24
people, I'm willing to
26:25
lay aside all of my
26:26
desires, all of my
26:27
wishes, because I know
26:29
Jesus cares about
26:30
these people.
26:31
I know that he wants
26:33
them to hear the
26:35
gospel of Jesus
26:36
Christ, that he wants
26:37
to give them opportunity
26:38
to respond in faith to
26:40
the good news of the
26:42
gospel.
26:43
I believe that the
26:44
life, death, and
26:46
resurrection of Christ
26:48
has great power.
26:50
I said to you two weeks
26:51
ago that I think we
26:52
often operate under the
26:53
assumption that God
26:54
doesn't want to save
26:55
people.
26:56
Our actions at least
26:57
seem to reflect that,
26:59
rather than operating
27:00
under the assumption
27:00
that he does.
27:02
He has good, eternal,
27:03
loving plans for the
27:05
world around us, and I
27:06
so want our church to be
27:08
involved in that.
27:14
Now, Paul, in speaking of
27:15
the ministry of
27:16
reconciliation that God
27:17
has given us in Christ,
27:18
said in 2 Corinthians 5
27:19
16, we regard no one
27:21
according to the flesh.
27:23
And so keep this in mind
27:24
as you leave this place,
27:26
you go out into the world
27:27
around you, you go grab
27:29
some lunch.
27:30
We ought not be looking at
27:31
people as temporal things.
27:33
Everything else in this
27:34
world you can view as
27:35
temporal, because it is for
27:36
sure.
27:36
But people themselves have
27:38
eternal souls.
27:38
Do not regard any of them
27:40
according to flesh.
27:42
And they're following one
27:43
of two ways.
27:43
They're following God and
27:44
obedience to him.
27:46
They're found in him.
27:47
They've been saved.
27:48
They will one day
27:49
eternally rejoice with him
27:51
in glory, or they're not.
27:54
And their end is destruction.
27:56
And they need the gospel.
27:59
Now, I know that often
28:00
statistics can be really
28:02
challenging.
28:03
I mean, this is just a
28:04
number on a screen, right?
28:06
It's zeros and ones on a
28:08
computer that projected an
28:09
image up onto a screen.
28:11
Much different than reality.
28:13
And so, you need to think of
28:15
people that you know that are
28:17
in this category.
28:19
Real human souls.
28:21
Not simply a digit on a
28:23
screen together, but there's
28:24
a reality to this.
28:25
And there are people passing
28:26
all the time around us.
28:30
There are people currently
28:31
separated from God that need
28:33
to know him.
28:34
They need to be made right
28:35
again with him.
28:38
And so we're going to take a
28:39
break from the sermon.
28:42
When you guys all sat down,
28:43
there was a piece of paper,
28:44
mostly blank.
28:45
So, one verse at the top of it,
28:47
and I want you to get it out.
28:48
I know many of you bring
28:54
paper with you on Sunday
28:55
mornings, and that's good.
28:56
I encourage you to be an
28:57
active listener and take
28:58
notes.
29:02
But I don't want any excuses
29:04
this morning.
29:04
So, you all have paper.
29:07
And right now, if you need a
29:08
pen, I want you to raise your
29:10
hand.
29:10
We have got pens galore.
29:12
Here we go.
29:13
They're coming at you.
29:14
You might be ready to catch
29:15
them.
29:15
And the guys are going to
29:17
make their way around with a
29:18
pen, and I'm going to tell you
29:19
what we're going to do with
29:19
these.
29:33
And what we're going to do,
29:34
again, may seem trite to you.
29:38
I don't care.
29:40
I want you to do it anyway.
29:41
Because I think that we too
29:44
often place ourselves above some
29:46
kind of exercise and practice
29:48
like this, and therefore we do
29:49
just nothing at all.
29:51
There are 15 lines on this piece of
29:54
paper.
29:56
After the fact, after I had
29:57
printed all these up, I did a
29:58
little bit of math, and I was just
30:01
curious, really.
30:02
And I took this 46,400 churched
30:07
people, right?
30:07
The remainder above and beyond
30:09
that, this 46,400.
30:11
And I just did a little math, and I
30:12
just said, if we could just get 25% of
30:15
these people, just 25% of that
30:17
population to actively be sharing the
30:19
gospel with their neighbors,
30:20
relatives, friends, coworkers, etc.
30:22
All the people that run in their
30:24
spheres of influence that are not
30:26
followers of Christ.
30:28
Then the responsibility of each
30:29
individual, and I know that this is
30:31
kind of a vacuum number, I get that
30:33
there's a lot of overlaps in those
30:35
spheres, but provided they were
30:37
evenly spread out across these
30:38
three counties, would be 16 people.
30:40
So I wish I'd given you 16 lines,
30:41
but I gave you 15.
30:43
Feel free to use the margin at the
30:44
bottom if you would like.
30:47
So we're going to take a break,
30:48
just a five-minute break.
30:48
We've got one song that's going to
30:50
get played over the speakers, and I
30:52
want you to do your very best to
30:53
list 15 people that you don't
30:56
believe are followers of Jesus
30:57
Christ, right?
30:59
It's kind of tough to tell in our
30:59
culture sometimes, because everyone
31:00
seems to say they are.
31:02
People that you don't think are
31:04
followers of Jesus Christ.
31:05
And it could be as simple as a girl
31:09
with blonde hair at Subway.
31:10
Like, you may not know her name, but
31:13
maybe you need to figure out what her
31:14
name is.
31:16
You may have specific people that are
31:18
coming to your mind.
31:19
I want you to make a list, if you can,
31:21
in this amount of time, do your very,
31:22
very best to make a list of 15 people
31:24
that you know, your sphere, right?
31:26
That you personally encounter
31:28
throughout the week, that you may see
31:30
this coming week, that are not
31:32
disciples of Jesus Christ, as far as
31:34
you may know.
31:35
And then we'll get back together in
31:36
just a few minutes.
31:37
So if you bring that music up, guys,
31:38
in about five minutes.
31:43
All right.
31:45
Now, if you're astute at all, let me
31:48
first say that there are 20 lines.
31:49
Because I had 15 lines, and I made
31:52
the font size bigger to give you more
31:53
space to write, and it bumped the lines
31:55
up.
31:56
So I started counting mine.
31:58
I thought, my gosh, oh, okay, the lines.
32:00
Oh, the lines are all messed up.
32:01
Okay, so there are 20 lines.
32:02
And good for you if you fill them all up.
32:06
Now, I'm just going to assume, and maybe
32:09
a lot of you couldn't quite get to 15 on
32:13
your sheet of paper.
32:14
But if there are that many, there are a
32:17
lot of souls represented by the people
32:19
in this room, the influences that you
32:21
have, the people that you get to be
32:23
around and give gospel proclamation to.
32:27
I think it's also probably pretty safe
32:29
to presume that there's not a lot of
32:31
overlap.
32:31
A lot of you are college students.
32:32
You may know some of the same people.
32:34
As a friend group, you may be ministering
32:36
and loving on some of the same people.
32:38
But there's probably not a lot of
32:40
overlap.
32:41
What a massive opportunity to be going
32:45
and to be pressing and to be sharing.
32:50
Now, if you are not a person that likes
32:52
this kind of stuff, you don't like it
32:53
when I start talking about statistics.
32:56
Let me read something to you by Charles
32:58
Spurgeon in a book he wrote called
33:00
The Soul Winner.
33:01
He said,
33:02
I am not among those who decry statistics,
33:04
nor do I consider that they are productive
33:06
of all manner of evil.
33:08
For they do much good if they are accurate
33:11
and if men use them lawfully.
33:13
It is a good thing for people to see
33:14
the nakedness of the land which statistics
33:16
of decrease.
33:18
That they may have been driven on their
33:19
knees before the Lord to seek prosperity.
33:21
And on the other hand,
33:23
it is by no means an evil thing for workers
33:25
to be encouraged by having some account
33:27
of results set before them.
33:30
We should see the failing
33:31
as well as be encouraged
33:33
by the success.
33:35
I should be very sorry
33:36
if the practice of adding up
33:38
and deducting
33:39
and giving in the net result
33:41
were to be abandoned.
33:42
For it must be right to know
33:44
our numerical condition.
33:46
It has been noticed
33:47
that those who object to the process
33:49
are often brethren
33:51
whose unsatisfactory reports
33:53
should somewhat humiliate them.
33:56
This is not always so,
33:58
but it is suspiciously frequent.
34:01
People who don't want to talk about numbers,
34:03
and I want to talk about growth,
34:04
typically are those
34:05
who would be very embarrassed
34:06
if they did.
34:08
This is what he is suggesting to us.
34:10
So, what do I want you to do
34:11
with this little sheet?
34:12
You know, it is conveniently
34:13
the size of your Bible,
34:15
likely,
34:15
will fit very conveniently in there.
34:17
Firstly,
34:19
begin to pray for the people
34:21
on this sheet.
34:23
Intercessory prayer is number one.
34:26
Pray for them.
34:27
Ask that God will be working
34:28
in their hearts.
34:29
Ask that He would be plowing
34:31
the soil
34:32
so that good seed
34:33
can land on it.
34:34
It's very possible
34:35
that some of these people
34:36
may receive the word
34:38
from somebody else,
34:40
but be in the process
34:41
of praying for them.
34:43
Ask that God would save
34:44
the souls
34:45
of the people on your sheet.
34:48
Secondly,
34:50
look for opportunities
34:51
to love them sacrificially.
34:53
Right?
34:54
As circumstances arise,
34:55
be available for people.
34:57
Go that extra step
34:59
for people.
34:59
Show people
35:00
that you care about them.
35:03
There are opportunities
35:03
abound to step
35:04
into somebody's life
35:05
and be a part
35:06
of the hurt
35:07
that's going on
35:08
in the world.
35:08
As the pastor
35:09
of this church,
35:10
let me tell you
35:10
that there are hurts
35:12
in our church.
35:13
And this extends
35:14
out beyond these walls.
35:16
Right?
35:16
This world is sin-infected.
35:18
We are all hurting
35:19
because of the rampant
35:21
nature of sin
35:22
in this world.
35:23
I jokingly ask people
35:24
all the time,
35:24
people talk about
35:25
health issues
35:25
and things like that.
35:26
I say,
35:26
you know why, right?
35:27
And they go,
35:27
no, I go, sin?
35:28
Right?
35:28
That's the thing
35:29
that's messed everything up
35:30
in this world.
35:31
Anything that goes poorly,
35:32
it's because of sin.
35:33
And it's running rampant.
35:35
So there's all kinds
35:35
of opportunities
35:36
to come alongside people
35:37
and love on people.
35:38
I tell you,
35:39
I can't do it all myself.
35:40
Right?
35:41
I need your help.
35:41
You've got to be with people.
35:43
You've got to be out there
35:43
in the community
35:44
loving them sacrificially
35:45
as the circumstances arise.
35:48
And thirdly,
35:49
commit to proclaiming
35:51
the gospel
35:52
to three people
35:53
on this list
35:54
in the next two weeks.
35:57
I want you to make
35:57
a star,
35:58
an asterisk,
35:59
a smiley face,
36:01
a swirly thing.
36:03
I don't care.
36:04
Whatever you want to make,
36:05
I want you to put next
36:06
to three people on this,
36:07
three people that you believe
36:08
that you'll be able
36:09
to share,
36:09
make gospel proclamation
36:10
to in the next two weeks.
36:12
Right?
36:13
It's a simple thing.
36:14
Don't ask their permission
36:14
to do it.
36:15
Say, hey,
36:15
I have something
36:16
I want to tell you
36:17
that's really important
36:18
and preach the gospel
36:19
to them.
36:20
And I'm going to tell you
36:20
a little bit more
36:21
about that in a moment.
36:22
But let's do that.
36:23
Three people
36:23
over the next two weeks.
36:25
If you're part of
36:26
a community outreach group,
36:27
share it with them.
36:28
If you're not,
36:29
get involved with one.
36:30
If you're a guest
36:31
with us today,
36:31
find someone
36:32
back where you are,
36:34
a group of people
36:35
that you can be
36:35
accountable to doing this.
36:37
And be flexible.
36:38
Right?
36:38
You might find that
36:39
through the process
36:40
of loving people
36:41
sacrificially
36:41
as circumstances arise,
36:43
that your plan may change.
36:44
And that is good
36:45
and fine.
36:46
As the Spirit of God
36:47
is moving
36:47
and working
36:48
in the lives
36:49
of these people,
36:49
be willing
36:50
to be flexible
36:51
and to make
36:52
responses to it.
36:54
Now,
36:55
do I expect
36:57
that simply because
36:58
we get active
36:59
doing some things
37:00
like this
37:01
that people
37:02
are necessarily
37:03
going to come
37:03
to faith in Christ?
37:05
No.
37:06
I don't.
37:08
I think that the fact
37:09
that we don't see
37:09
more people
37:10
coming to faith in Christ
37:11
is indicative
37:12
that we don't do
37:13
this like we should.
37:15
I think that's very true
37:16
of our congregation.
37:17
That we're not going
37:19
and sharing the gospel
37:19
the way we ought to.
37:21
But God has at times
37:23
in history
37:23
withheld blessing
37:24
and we should be
37:25
very aware of this.
37:26
Right?
37:26
There are going to be
37:27
different types of soil.
37:28
Some of these people,
37:29
you're going to be faithful,
37:30
you're going to get in there,
37:31
you're going to do the thing
37:32
that you're supposed to do,
37:33
and they're going to reject you.
37:34
They're going to laugh at you.
37:35
Right?
37:35
They're going to mock at you.
37:36
They're just going to think
37:36
you're kind of nutty.
37:37
Or they may just not really care
37:38
at all.
37:39
This is going to happen.
37:41
And every time I think about this
37:43
and I experience this,
37:44
I'm always drawn
37:45
to the life of Jeremiah
37:46
who was a prophet,
37:48
one of the major prophets,
37:49
prophesied for a very long time,
37:52
for decades.
37:53
And it's presumed that he had,
37:55
depending on who you hear say,
37:57
that he had nobody turn back
37:58
to the ways of God
37:59
in his ministry.
38:00
Some people say won.
38:02
Guys, maybe he did.
38:04
The text gives us some clue to that.
38:06
He won in all of this time
38:08
that he was doing this.
38:09
And he was hated.
38:10
He was always telling people
38:11
about the destruction
38:12
that was going to come.
38:13
If they continued in their ways,
38:14
this destruction was coming on them.
38:15
Nobody liked Jeremiah.
38:19
And in chapter 20,
38:19
he laments this.
38:21
Chapter 20, verse 7,
38:22
he says,
38:23
Oh Lord,
38:24
you have deceived me
38:26
and I was deceived.
38:28
You are stronger than I
38:30
and you have prevailed.
38:31
I have become a laughingstock
38:33
all the day.
38:35
Everyone mocks me.
38:36
For whenever I speak,
38:37
I cry out,
38:38
I shout,
38:39
violence and destruction.
38:41
For the word of the Lord
38:42
has become for me
38:43
a reproach and derision
38:45
all day long.
38:47
God, you tricked me.
38:48
You said to me,
38:49
if I follow you,
38:51
I'm going to do great things
38:52
with you.
38:54
Fooled, right?
38:55
I'm a total laughingstock.
38:57
I'm always telling people
38:58
bad news.
39:00
In verse 9,
39:00
he says,
39:00
If I say,
39:01
I will not mention him
39:02
or speak any more
39:04
in his name,
39:04
there is in my heart,
39:06
as it were,
39:06
a burning fire
39:08
shut up in my bones
39:09
and I am weary
39:10
with holding it in
39:12
and I cannot.
39:14
The word of God
39:15
to Jeremiah
39:16
was so powerful in him
39:18
that he had to share it.
39:20
Even though he had
39:21
these emotions of,
39:22
Oh, I've been tricked.
39:24
What a path to walk in.
39:25
It's miserable.
39:27
But yet God had given him
39:28
a word to give to his people
39:29
and he had to share it.
39:32
So we ought to be
39:33
in that position.
39:34
If people are not responding
39:36
in faith to Christ
39:37
by our work,
39:37
we ought to still be
39:39
influenced in this way.
39:40
Pressing on.
39:41
Pushing.
39:42
Pushing.
39:42
Pushing.
39:43
Intercessory prayer.
39:44
Sacrificial love.
39:45
Gospel proclamation.
39:46
I believe God
39:47
will reward our efforts.
39:49
We'll see.
39:49
But if he doesn't,
39:51
if he delays the blessing
39:52
of our efforts,
39:53
we ought to still work
39:54
at this very thing.
39:59
So we must share the gospel.
40:00
We must share the gospel
40:02
regularly
40:03
and we must share
40:04
the gospel rightly.
40:06
We must share
40:06
the gospel rightly.
40:08
Alright, we're going to scoot.
40:09
You ready?
40:10
We're running out of time.
40:12
Verse 14 of Mark chapter 4
40:13
says,
40:14
The sower sows the word.
40:16
The good soil bears good fruit.
40:19
So the word brings forth
40:22
the word.
40:23
More proclamation.
40:25
More seed planting.
40:28
But in the doing of this,
40:29
we must preach the whole gospel.
40:33
We must preach the whole gospel.
40:36
And I hate that there's some kind
40:37
of a qualifier placed on gospel.
40:39
We should say gospel
40:40
and everybody knows exactly
40:41
what we're talking about.
40:43
The word simply means
40:44
good news.
40:45
We understand it to be
40:46
the good news
40:47
of Jesus Christ.
40:49
But there's this
40:49
cultural press
40:51
to say the whole gospel
40:53
because so often
40:54
people are being preached
40:55
the quote-unquote
40:56
gospel
40:57
in an abbreviated form.
40:59
And that is primarily
41:01
across our nation
41:03
this morning
41:04
even happening
41:05
as people are neutering
41:06
the gospel
41:06
because they're taking out
41:07
the judgment of God
41:08
for sin.
41:10
They're teaching simply
41:11
that God is love
41:12
which He most certainly is
41:13
but they're neglecting
41:14
the fact that God
41:15
is also full of wrath
41:16
and vengeance
41:17
against His enemies.
41:19
They're saying that
41:20
we need to be saved
41:21
from something
41:22
but what?
41:23
What exactly
41:24
are we being saved from?
41:26
Or being taught
41:27
that there's a God-sized hole
41:28
in the middle of our hearts
41:29
that only He can fill.
41:31
Right?
41:31
That our life
41:32
will just be better.
41:33
We can experience
41:34
our best life now
41:35
if we simply add
41:36
this little thing called Jesus
41:37
to the mix
41:38
of what's going on.
41:40
And I'll tell you
41:41
that this is a major reason
41:42
that there is rocky soil.
41:45
That they see
41:45
this little spring up
41:46
people go
41:46
that sounds fantastic.
41:48
Right?
41:48
Place my faith in Jesus Christ
41:50
and things are going to get
41:50
a little bit better
41:51
and then they don't.
41:52
They get worse.
41:54
Right?
41:54
The sun of tribulation comes
41:56
and those people fade away.
41:58
This is happening
41:59
in such massive
42:01
staggering degree.
42:03
False conversion
42:04
after false conversion
42:05
after false conversion
42:06
because the gospel itself
42:07
is not preached.
42:09
Some little trite version
42:10
of it is preached.
42:12
But not...
42:12
That's the third time
42:13
I've used that word
42:14
this morning.
42:14
Trite.
42:16
They're not being told
42:18
of the wrath to come.
42:19
People are not fleeing
42:20
from the destruction of God
42:23
to the salvation of God.
42:25
Right?
42:25
We are saved
42:26
from God
42:27
by God
42:28
to God.
42:29
Those are all
42:30
important elements
42:31
of good gospel
42:32
presentation.
42:33
A guy,
42:35
a street evangelist
42:35
by the name of Ray Comfort
42:36
wrote a book called
42:37
The Way of the Master.
42:39
You may or may not
42:39
be familiar with him.
42:40
Let me just give you
42:40
a couple of antidotes
42:42
from this book
42:42
about the nature
42:44
of this type of teaching,
42:46
this neutered version
42:47
of the gospel.
42:49
In Cleveland, Ohio,
42:49
an inner city outreach
42:50
brought 400 decisions.
42:53
The rejoicing no doubt
42:54
tapered off
42:54
when workers involved
42:55
in a follow-up campaign
42:57
couldn't find
42:58
a single one
42:59
of the 400
43:00
who had supposedly
43:01
made a decision.
43:03
In 1991,
43:04
organizer of a Salt Lake City
43:05
concert encouraged
43:06
follow-up.
43:07
They said
43:08
less than 5%
43:09
of those who respond
43:10
to an altar call
43:11
during a public crusade
43:13
are living a Christian life
43:14
one year later.
43:16
A pastor in Boulder,
43:17
Colorado,
43:18
sent a team to Russia
43:19
in 1991
43:20
and obtained
43:21
2,500 decisions.
43:23
The next year,
43:23
the team found
43:24
only 30
43:25
continuing in their faith.
43:27
That's a retention rate
43:28
of 1.2%.
43:31
George Barna
43:32
of the Barna Group
43:33
says that the majority
43:34
of people making decisions
43:35
leave the church
43:37
in six to eight weeks.
43:40
In Leeds, England,
43:42
a visiting American speaker
43:43
acquired 400 decisions
43:44
for a local church.
43:46
Six weeks later,
43:47
only two were still committed
43:49
and they eventually
43:50
fell away.
43:52
It's not a new problem.
43:53
In November 1970,
43:54
a number of churches
43:55
combined for a convention
43:56
in Fort Worth, Texas
43:57
and secured
43:58
30,000 decisions.
44:01
Six months later,
44:01
the follow-up committee
44:02
could find only 30
44:03
still continuing
44:05
in their faith.
44:07
In Omaha, Nebraska,
44:08
a pastor of a large church
44:09
said he was involved
44:10
with the crusade
44:10
where 1,300 decisions
44:12
were made,
44:13
yet not even
44:14
one convert
44:15
continued
44:17
in his or her faith.
44:20
Pastor Dennis Grinnell
44:21
from Auckland, New Zealand,
44:22
who has traveled to India
44:23
every year since 1980,
44:25
reported that he saw,
44:26
get this,
44:26
he saw 80,000 decision cards
44:29
stacked in a hut
44:30
in the city of Raja Mundri,
44:33
the results,
44:34
quote-unquote,
44:35
of past evangelistic crusades.
44:38
But he maintained
44:39
that one would be fortunate
44:40
to find even 80 Christians
44:42
in the entire city.
44:45
We must preach
44:47
the gospel rightly.
44:49
We see this to be the case
44:52
with the life of Jesus.
44:54
And I'm going to get there
44:55
in a moment
44:55
where he gives
44:56
the law
44:57
to the proud.
44:59
He tells the proud,
45:01
the self-righteous,
45:02
about the judgment
45:03
of God.
45:04
And he gives grace
45:06
to those who are
45:07
already humbled
45:08
by the law
45:09
and by the judgment
45:10
of God.
45:11
So they've already received
45:12
that component
45:13
of the gospel message
45:14
and then he just
45:15
simply gives them
45:16
grace.
45:17
Now the law serves us
45:19
in such great ways,
45:21
beloved.
45:21
Galatians 3,
45:22
23-27 says this,
45:25
Now before faith came,
45:27
we were held captive
45:28
under the law,
45:28
imprisoned
45:29
until the coming faith
45:31
would be revealed.
45:32
So then the law
45:33
was our guardian
45:34
until Christ came
45:35
in order that we might
45:36
be justified by faith.
45:38
But now that faith has come,
45:40
we are no longer
45:40
under a guardian
45:41
for in Christ Jesus
45:42
you are all sons of God
45:45
through faith.
45:46
Now the picture
45:48
that's happening here
45:48
for them is that
45:49
in this day
45:50
a wealthy man
45:52
who had a son
45:53
who was young
45:54
wasn't quite considered
45:56
a son yet.
45:56
While he had some
45:57
lineage there,
45:59
he was important
46:00
to the father.
46:01
He didn't have all
46:01
the rights of a son yet.
46:03
And the father
46:03
would hire for him
46:04
what was called
46:05
a guardian,
46:06
a tutor essentially.
46:08
And this man
46:08
raised the child
46:10
until the child
46:10
was ready to be
46:11
a son.
46:12
And this is the language
46:13
that Paul is using here.
46:14
That's what the law
46:15
is for us.
46:16
It's like a tutor.
46:16
It shows us
46:17
how desperately
46:18
we need to be saved.
46:20
It shows us
46:21
all our failings.
46:22
It's the light
46:23
that our dark hearts
46:23
are exposed to
46:24
so that we turn
46:26
to Christ.
46:27
That's why it's
46:28
significant in verse 26
46:29
he says,
46:29
for in Christ Jesus
46:30
you are all sons
46:32
of God
46:33
through faith.
46:34
We've been granted
46:35
sonship.
46:36
Even you ladies,
46:36
you want that
46:37
in this case
46:38
in this cultural
46:38
understanding.
46:39
You want all the
46:40
benefits of being
46:41
a son
46:42
of the living
46:43
God.
46:44
God.
46:45
The proud
46:46
need
46:47
the law.
46:49
Spurgeon in a sermon
46:50
which was particularly
46:51
addressed to preachers
46:52
but certainly applies
46:54
to anybody
46:55
who claims the name
46:55
of Christ
46:56
and will be speaking
46:57
the gospel
46:57
says it is absolutely
46:59
necessary to the
47:00
preaching the gospel
47:00
of Christ
47:01
that men be warned
47:02
as to what will happen
47:04
if they continue
47:04
in their sins.
47:07
Ho ho
47:07
sire surgeon
47:08
old English
47:09
kind of for you.
47:10
You are too delicate
47:11
to tell the man
47:12
that he is ill.
47:13
You hope to heal
47:14
the sick
47:15
without their knowing
47:15
it.
47:16
You therefore
47:17
flatter them
47:18
and what happens?
47:19
They laugh at you.
47:20
They dance upon
47:21
their own graves.
47:22
At last
47:23
they die.
47:24
Your delicacy
47:25
is cruelty.
47:27
Your flatteries
47:28
are poisons.
47:30
You are
47:30
a murderer.
47:33
Shall we keep men
47:33
in a fool's
47:34
paradise?
47:35
Shall we lull
47:36
them into soft
47:37
slumbers
47:37
from which they
47:37
will awake
47:38
in hell?
47:39
Are we to become
47:40
helpers
47:41
of their damnation
47:42
by our smooth
47:43
speeches?
47:45
In the name of God
47:46
we will not
47:47
is how he finishes
47:47
that particular
47:49
paragraph.
47:51
That preaching
47:52
the gospel wrongly
47:53
gives false
47:54
assurance to people.
47:56
Tells them that
47:57
they just must be
47:58
good enough
47:58
and have a little
47:59
Jesus.
48:00
Walk down an aisle
48:01
fill out a card
48:02
and now
48:03
they're saved.
48:05
I've heard many
48:05
many many times
48:06
in my life
48:07
that if you have
48:08
any doubt
48:09
of your salvation
48:09
simply remember
48:11
the day
48:11
that you responded.
48:13
A lot of people
48:14
will write it in
48:14
the front of their
48:15
Bible.
48:15
There's a spot
48:16
for you if you
48:16
flip to your
48:16
Bible.
48:17
The day that
48:18
you became
48:18
a Christian
48:19
you go look
48:19
at that and
48:20
you go oh
48:20
there's the
48:21
day.
48:21
There's the
48:22
date.
48:23
Right?
48:23
That is not
48:24
how we are
48:25
counted in
48:26
Christ.
48:27
It's by our
48:28
fruit.
48:29
The measure
48:30
of that.
48:32
The fruit
48:32
that we yield.
48:33
That's how we
48:34
know that we're
48:34
good soil.
48:36
How do I know
48:37
that I'm alive?
48:37
I never think
48:38
about my
48:39
birth date.
48:39
I get the
48:40
evidence that
48:41
I'm alive.
48:42
I'm alive.
48:43
I think
48:43
before I am.
48:45
I feel things.
48:46
Experience things.
48:47
I know that I'm
48:48
alive right now.
48:51
Robbie Flockhart
48:52
who was an
48:52
18th and 19th
48:53
century English
48:53
street preacher
48:54
said you must
48:55
preach the law
48:56
for the gospel
48:57
is a silken
48:58
thread and you
48:59
cannot get it
49:00
into the hearts
49:01
of men unless
49:02
you have made
49:02
a way for it
49:03
with a sharp
49:04
needle.
49:05
The sharp
49:05
needle of the
49:06
law will pull
49:07
the silken thread
49:08
of the gospel
49:08
after it.
49:11
Isn't that good?
49:12
One of my
49:13
very favorite
49:14
missionaries is a
49:14
guy named John G.
49:15
Patton who went
49:16
to a group of
49:16
islands called
49:17
the New Hebrides
49:17
now called
49:18
Vanuatu in the
49:19
South Pacific and
49:20
he went to this
49:21
little island of
49:22
headhunters where
49:24
one convert made
49:25
so this man would
49:26
stand over him
49:27
with a musket
49:28
while he was
49:28
doing his
49:29
studying and this
49:30
man was so bold
49:31
that these
49:34
headhunters would
49:32
come to him
49:33
with loaded
49:34
muskets ready
49:34
to kill him
49:35
and eat him
49:36
and he would
49:36
go up to the
49:37
leader of the
49:37
group and he
49:38
would grab the
49:38
musket in his
49:39
hand and lecture
49:40
him about how
49:40
evil he was
49:41
and the man
49:42
would be so
49:42
ashamed that he
49:43
would go away
49:44
and then a couple
49:45
days later they
49:45
would rebound
49:46
and come back to
49:47
him once again
49:48
and he went
49:48
through this
49:49
massive process
49:50
of this and
49:50
ended up seeing
49:51
many souls come
49:52
to Christ in
49:53
that incredible
49:55
boldness just to
49:55
go and tell people
49:56
that there is a
49:57
standard by which
49:58
they are to live
49:59
and that they've
49:59
transgressed it
50:00
and therefore
50:00
judgment is
50:02
theirs
50:02
so the proud
50:05
need the law
50:06
the humbled
50:07
need grace
50:08
those who have
50:09
already been
50:10
humbled by the
50:11
law by God's
50:12
standard they
50:13
need grace
50:14
we've been potty
50:16
training Judah
50:17
the past couple
50:18
of weeks which
50:20
has been pleasantly
50:21
enjoyable he
50:22
actually has done a
50:23
great great job
50:24
with it all and
50:25
he's very determined
50:26
to get his pants
50:27
off himself and
50:28
his little cute
50:29
little boy
50:30
underwear off
50:31
himself and get
50:32
on his little
50:33
froggy potty and
50:34
make it happen
50:34
and our tone has
50:37
changed with him
50:38
because we had in
50:39
the beginning some
50:40
just some accidents
50:40
right he's just
50:41
neglecting the work
50:42
itself he's playing
50:43
he's not paying
50:44
attention you ask him
50:45
if he needs to go
50:46
he tells you no and
50:46
then two minutes
50:47
later he's wetting
50:48
himself right and
50:49
your tone with him
50:50
then is not harsh
50:51
but you go oh buddy
50:52
like come on man
50:53
like we talked about
50:54
it I just asked you
50:55
you gotta pay
50:56
attention we gotta
50:57
go potty now now
50:59
he sometimes waits
50:59
too long the other
51:00
day he got himself
51:01
in there and said
51:02
Judy need my help
51:03
because you could
51:03
tell he was in a
51:03
hurry you need my
51:04
help he goes no I
51:05
got it daddy and he
51:06
goes in there and
51:07
all of a sudden I
51:07
just hear him bawling
51:08
and I open the door
51:09
to the bathroom and
51:10
he's standing like
51:10
this just standing in
51:11
a puddle with his
51:13
pants like pushed
51:14
down a little bit and
51:15
it just like totally
51:16
but he already was
51:17
broken about it like
51:18
he knew that he had
51:19
messed up and he
51:20
didn't need to go
51:20
oh man come on I
51:22
just asked you we
51:22
tried I asked you if
51:23
you needed help when
51:24
he needed it for me to
51:25
go buddy it's okay
51:26
it's okay like it's
51:28
alright you tried and
51:29
that's good right like
51:31
I'm not saying that's
51:31
what we do with the
51:32
law but there's a
51:34
there's a tone change
51:36
right you get you get
51:37
what I'm driving at
51:38
here there's a tone
51:40
change Martin Luther
51:41
in his commentary on
51:41
Galatians said to the
51:43
person who's broken
51:43
already says send
51:45
Moses away with his
51:46
law to those who are
51:48
complacent proud and
51:49
obstinate and in these
51:50
terrors and in this
51:51
anguish lay hold upon
51:54
Christ who was
51:55
crucified and died for
51:57
our sins right when
51:58
you are already broken
51:59
when a person comes to
52:00
you recognizing that
52:01
they are already guilty
52:02
before God show them
52:04
the mercy of God now I
52:06
had a bunch of
52:07
examples for you and
52:07
I'm going to skip over
52:08
them but let me just
52:09
tell you this is what
52:10
John the Baptist did
52:10
this is what Stephen did
52:12
is what Philip did is
52:12
what Peter did is what
52:13
Paul did and let's talk
52:15
about what Jesus did so
52:16
turn with me if you
52:17
will to I'm trying to
52:20
skip down a bit Luke
52:23
chapter 10 verse 29
52:24
excuse me verse 25
52:27
if you're getting
52:35
hungry don't be upset
52:36
at me be thankful I
52:37
just skipped a page and
52:38
a half of my notes I
52:42
just want you to see a
52:43
good clear example of
52:45
the way in which this
52:46
was done by Jesus
52:47
himself Luke chapter 10
52:48
beginning of verse 25
52:50
this is the parable of
52:51
the good Samaritan your
52:52
Bible probably subtitles
52:53
it for you it says and
52:54
behold a lawyer stood
52:56
up to put him to the
52:57
test saying teacher what
53:00
should I do to inherit
53:00
eternal life so here's a
53:01
man likely a scribe who
53:03
had a lot of religious
53:04
training and the point of
53:06
what he's doing is to put
53:07
Jesus to the test this is
53:08
a haughty thing this is
53:09
not a humble thing what
53:11
should I do to inherit
53:11
eternal life and he said
53:12
what is written the law
53:14
how do you read it and he
53:16
answered you shall love
53:17
the Lord your God with all
53:18
your heart with all your
53:19
soul with all your
53:19
strength with all your
53:20
mind and your neighbor as
53:22
yourself and Jesus says
53:23
you have answered correctly
53:25
do this and you will live
53:27
but he the lawyer desiring
53:32
to justify himself said to
53:34
Jesus and who is my
53:36
neighbor but define for me
53:38
exactly what it is the
53:39
thing I must fulfill and
53:42
Jesus goes on to tell the
53:43
parable of the good
53:44
Samaritan very shocking to
53:47
the people that would have
53:48
been listening to this in
53:49
fact that it was the
53:50
religious leaders that pass
53:52
around this man and it was
53:53
instead the Samaritan the one
53:55
that they considered totally
53:56
unholy totally unrighteous the
53:58
Samaritans were like a like an
54:00
inbreeding of Babylonians and
54:01
Jewish they were considered
54:02
dirty to the Jewish people and
54:05
he's the one that would be
54:06
justified before God so he gives
54:09
to this man the law another
54:12
good example of that if you
54:13
turn to Luke 18 there's a
54:16
story of the rich ruler
54:17
18 18 and a ruler asked him
54:31
good teacher what must I do to
54:33
inherit eternal life and Jesus
54:36
said to him why do you call me
54:37
good no one is good except God
54:39
alone you know the commandments
54:42
do not commit adultery do not
54:43
murder do not steal do not bear
54:45
false witness honor your father
54:46
and mother and he said all these
54:51
I have kept from my youth he's
54:54
certainly a liar at that point was
54:55
he not when Jesus heard this he
54:57
said to him one thing you still
54:59
lack sell all that you have and
55:01
distribute to the poor and you
55:02
will have measure treasure in
55:04
heaven and come follow me but when
55:07
he heard these things he became
55:08
very sad for he was extremely rich
55:12
he worshipped his goods he
55:14
worshipped his stuff he had
55:15
neglected the mercy of the law he
55:17
had not kept the law and Jesus
55:19
exposes that in him right and
55:21
unfortunately to this man's
55:23
condemnation he goes away sad
55:26
because he couldn't give up the
55:28
things he had in this earth for
55:29
eternal treasure in heaven now let's
55:33
look at example of the way Jesus
55:34
responds to a man who comes to him
55:36
humble John chapter 3
55:37
now there was a man of the
55:56
Pharisees named Nicodemus a ruler of
55:58
the Jews this man came to Jesus by
56:01
night and said to him rabbi we know
56:04
that you are a teacher come from
56:05
God for no one can do these signs
56:07
that you do unless God is with him
56:09
this man would have been
56:10
incredibly influential in this day
56:12
and the reason he's coming to him
56:14
at night is because the group he's
56:16
a part of is opposing Jesus at this
56:18
time but he says I've got to go talk
56:20
to him right humbled comes to him
56:23
to speak to him verse 3 Jesus
56:24
answered him truly truly I say to
56:26
you unless one is born again he
56:28
cannot see the kingdom of God
56:29
Nicodemus said to him how can a man
56:31
be born when he is old can he enter
56:33
a second time into his mother's
56:34
womb and be born Jesus answered
56:36
truly truly I say to you unless one
56:38
is born of water in the spirit he
56:39
cannot enter the kingdom of God
56:41
that which is born of the flesh is
56:42
flesh and that which is born of the
56:43
spirit is spirit do not marvel that I
56:45
said to you must be born again the
56:47
wind blows where it wishes and you
56:48
hear it sound but you do not where it
56:50
comes from or where it is going so it
56:51
is everyone who is born of the
56:54
spirit the Nicodemus says to him how
56:56
can these things be he says are you
56:59
the teacher of Israel and you do not
57:00
understand these things truly truly I
57:02
say to you we speak of what we know
57:04
and bear witness of what we have seen
57:05
but you do not receive our testimony
57:06
if I've told you earthly things you
57:08
don't believe how can you believe if I
57:10
tell you heavenly things no one has
57:12
ascended into heaven except he who
57:13
descended from heaven the son of man
57:15
and as Moses lifted up the servant in
57:17
the wilderness so must the son of man
57:19
be lifted up that whoever believes in
57:21
him may have eternal life so you see
57:23
this gospel presentation and then the
57:24
ever famous rightly so John 3 16 is on
57:29
the heels of this very thing do you
57:31
know that this is who Jesus is talking
57:33
about this leader of the Jews who
57:35
comes to him humbled he says for God
57:37
so loved the world that he gave his
57:39
only son that whoever believes in him
57:41
should not perish but have eternal
57:43
life for God did not send a son to the
57:45
world to condemn the world but in order
57:46
that the world might be saved through
57:48
him do you see the difference there
57:51
even though Jesus doesn't expressly
57:53
talk about the punishment of God for the
57:54
sins of man he does recognize that
57:57
Nicodemus is already aware of this he
58:00
already knows he knows the law and he
58:03
knows his inability to keep the law and
58:05
so therefore he gives to him the grace
58:08
of the gospel of Jesus Christ there are
58:12
literally hundreds of examples of gospel
58:17
proclamation in the scriptures the
58:19
epistles are full of them we see lots of
58:21
them in the historical narratives in the
58:22
gospels themselves in the book of Acts
58:24
they they abound as I said to you I
58:26
would have liked to share with you all
58:28
of the various ways in which let me
58:30
encourage you to go and read those
58:31
gospel proclamations right you're saying
58:33
but still what do I say right you know
58:36
the gospel if you don't know the gospel
58:39
very likely you're not a Christian if you
58:42
can't simply outline what it is that
58:45
you've been saved from and how it is
58:46
that you've been saved come to me I
58:49
will explain it to you clearly that you
58:51
might sort it out right you know the
58:54
gospel if you're a believer Jesus
58:56
Christ share the gospel Jesus Christ
58:59
your testimony is not the gospel it's a
59:04
result of the gospel you can very well
59:07
tell your story and interweave gospel
59:10
proclamation from the word of God but
59:12
let's be clear that you telling your
59:14
story about how you used to feel and
59:16
how you feel now is not the power of
59:18
God for salvation but the gospel is the
59:20
power of God for salvation know your
59:22
scriptures learn how to share your
59:24
faith it's scary it's scary you're
59:28
dealing with the things of God I tremble
59:30
to get up here and preach every Sunday
59:32
I don't know if you know that or not
59:33
sometimes I want to throw up in the
59:35
back of the room before I come up here
59:36
we do preaching earlier in the service
59:39
sometimes I wish we did it way at the
59:41
end all of a sudden we're doing the
59:42
offering I'm like what is it time oh my
59:44
gosh I got to get up there now I'm
59:46
extremely introverted maybe many of you
59:48
know that about me like I got to really
59:50
flip on a switch to get up and try to be
59:52
quasi charismatic when I get up here
59:55
right talking to people pressing into
59:57
things getting uncomfortable I love to
59:59
talk about politics I tremble talking
1:00:01
about that I don't want to make anybody
1:00:03
upset but there is eternal things on the
1:00:06
line here right who cares if you're a
1:00:08
Republican or a Democrat or a
1:00:09
Libertarian in the large scheme of
1:00:11
things but whether or not you're part
1:00:12
of God's family matters forever let's
1:00:16
be bold let's share how do we share it
1:00:20
we share the word we get into this
1:00:22
thing we understand it and we know it
1:00:24
you guys are equipped so much beyond
1:00:26
what you think and you have the spirit
1:00:28
of God within you who will give you
1:00:30
words to speak will give you words to
1:00:33
speak so you see we must share the
1:00:35
gospel we must share it regularly and
1:00:38
we must share it rightly let's pray
1:00:41
together