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Philippians 3:10-21 · Providence Baptist Church - Sermons

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I'm glad that you were here this morning and I'm glad to be here with you.
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Please take your copy of God's Word and join me in Philippians chapter 3.
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Our text for today is Philippians chapter 3 verses 10 through 21.
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Before I begin reading this morning's text, I have a brief note for our guests.
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Many churches this morning will spend extensive time making an apologetic case for the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
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They will do so because they will be inundated with guests this morning.
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And the resurrection of Jesus is the linchpin to a camelline case for the Christian faith.
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Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians chapter 15 verse 19 and 20.
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If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.
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But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
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Without the resurrection, we have no Christianity.
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However, this inundation of guests is not typically the case for us.
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Our gatherings most regularly consist of devoted followers of Jesus Christ.
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So we think it best to press on in our exposition of the book of Philippians as we have arrived at a text that speaks to the sanctifying implications of the resurrection.
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That said, if you have found yourself here this morning, we do not believe that this is an accident and hope.
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If you haven't already turned from your sin and thrown yourself on the mercy of God found in the personal work of Jesus Christ, that you will do so today.
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If Jesus was not raised from the dead, then he was a liar and a lunatic.
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If he was, then he is God.
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And we should listen to all that he said and all that was written concerning him in the scripture.
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To help you believe that Jesus is God, if you don't find yourself in that position this morning,
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there's a little book available out in the book, Nick, called Your Verdict on the Empty Tomb.
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It looks like this.
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I think there's about a dozen of them out there and they're available for free.
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And I would just strongly encourage you to take one and read it.
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It won't take you very long to read and see if God doesn't work believing faith in you as a result.
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So today, Philippians chapter 3, beginning in verse 10 is our text formally for this morning.
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But I would like to begin by reading, starting at verse 7.
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Let me remind you before I do, beloved, that this is God's word to us, written for his glory and our good.
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So we would all do well to listen to it in order to believe its promises and obey its commands.
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Beginning in verse 7.
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But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.
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Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus, my Lord.
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For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish,
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in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him,
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not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law,
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but that which comes through faith in Christ,
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the righteousness from God that depends on faith,
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that I may know him and the power of his resurrection
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and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,
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that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
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Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect,
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but I press on to make it my own because Christ Jesus has made me his own.
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Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own,
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but one thing I do,
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forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,
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I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
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Let those of us who are mature think this way,
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and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you.
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Only let us hold true to what we have attained.
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Brothers, join in imitating me
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and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us.
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For many of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears
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walk as enemies of the cross of Christ.
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Their end is destruction.
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Their God is their belly,
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and they glory in their shame with minds set on earthly things.
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But our citizenship is in heaven,
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and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,
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who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body
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by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.
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If we are to have any hope in this world at all,
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it must be a gospel hope.
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This world is a terribly wretched and broken place.
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If you don't feel this to be true, you just haven't lived very long.
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Begin to pay attention to the world around you.
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Something is deeply wrong with it.
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I think that I feel this especially as a pastor.
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Much of what I do is dealing with the brokenness,
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the sin ravages of the world in which we live.
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And I find that if I'm going to have any motivation for living at all,
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it must be rooted in the transforming, resurrected power of Jesus Christ.
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My gospel hope has to outbound all of the misery that I experience around me.
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So I look for joy in this.
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This text is packed full of it,
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and we won't have time this morning to look at every one of these phrases.
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I really wish we did.
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I'd love to keep you here until 2 o'clock this afternoon.
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But there would be a mutiny, I'm quite sure.
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So we're going to keep the main point of this text in mind,
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and I may have to skip over some phrases as we do that together.
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But this large, this overarching hope that is out in front of us
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is what we are looking to today.
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We must have it.
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I will say also, as an aside, as a pastor,
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I look for tiny joys, right?
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This is the large joy.
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I need the large joy, the hope of the gospel.
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But I look for tiny joys as well.
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And alliteration brings me a tiny bit of joy.
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And so the outline in advance of our study is as follows.
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It's five points, and they alliterate.
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Number one, new motivation.
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Number two, new memory.
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Number three, new mindset.
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Number four, new mentors.
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And number five, new mediator.
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First, let's look at a new motivation.
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We can see this in verses 10 and 11.
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And we'll spend the majority of our time here
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with the other points supporting and building on this one.
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We see Paul say in verse 10,
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that I may know him and the power of his resurrection
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and may share his sufferings,
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becoming like him in his death.
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Now, he has just begun to address
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with these Philippian believers
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a heresy that was going around in their day.
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And it was common.
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He wrote about it to other churches as well.
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And we know these people, these teachers,
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as the Judaizers.
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They were saying, yes, faith in Christ is good,
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but you must add to that faith the law.
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You must be circumcised specifically
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in order to be found righteous before God.
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They were suggesting that salvation comes by works.
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And Paul does not mince words about this.
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He is clear to say, no, no.
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Righteousness comes by faith.
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And so he uses himself as an example.
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He says, if anybody should have any confidence
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in the flesh at all, I should.
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He uses himself.
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I, the Jew of Jews, should have confidence in the flesh.
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Who are these men to tell you to have confidence in the flesh?
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But then he says that he counts all of that gain,
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all the things that would have been
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in that Judaic system of benefit to him as loss.
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He puts it in a loss column.
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And what he puts in the gain column is Christ.
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Paul is willing to lose all things.
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He now counts them as loss.
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Why?
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Verse 7 tells us, for the sake of Christ.
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And verse 8 tells us, because of the surpassing worth
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of knowing Christ Jesus, my Lord.
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And, in verse 8, in order that I may gain Christ.
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Paul wrote in Philippians chapter 1 and verse 21,
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for to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
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Because?
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More.
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Christ.
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Here in verse 10, he says,
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that I may know him and the power of his resurrection,
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and may share his sufferings,
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becoming like him in his death,
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identified with him in his death.
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All of Paul's spiritual fervor has a new motivation.
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Christ himself.
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And it has a new aim.
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He says in verse 11,
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that by any means possible,
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I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
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Let's look first at the first part of this verse,
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that by any means possible,
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I may attain,
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or you can think,
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arrive at,
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the resurrection from the dead.
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James Montgomery Boyce,
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this is on your bulletin this morning,
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said of this text,
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Paul wanted to know Jesus in the truest
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biblical sense,
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personally and experientially.
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And he wanted this to affect his day-to-day living.
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And so here we find the doctrine of progressive sanctification.
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Those who are in Christ will persevere in holiness and be preserved to the end.
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If you are saved,
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you will grow in Christlikeness until the end,
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until your life is over or until the Lord returns.
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We are saved by grace alone,
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through faith alone,
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in Christ alone.
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And we are kept by grace alone,
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through faith alone,
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in Christ alone.
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But this saving and this keeping
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will be evidenced in our living.
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How, after all,
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are we to know that we are saved?
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How can you know that you are saved?
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Should we tie our confidence
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to a particular pastor
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or ministry
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or event?
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What does the Bible have to say
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about this?
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Does it tell us to know that we are in Christ
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because we
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prayed a prayer
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or raised a hand
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or walked an aisle?
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No.
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A thousand times no.
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The scripture does not say this.
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Although many in our day
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do.
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Listen to the teaching
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of the apostles.
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John in 1 John chapter 5.
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Everyone who believes
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that Jesus is the Christ
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has been born of God.
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And everyone who loves the Father
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loves whoever has been born
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of Him.
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So if you're in Christ,
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you're going to love the church.
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By this we know
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that we love the children of God
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when we love God
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and obey
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His commandments.
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For this is the love of God
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that we keep
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His commandments.
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And His commandments
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are not
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burdensome.
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God, by the power of His Spirit,
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makes us new creations.
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Sets us on a different trajectory.
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Not a trajectory of rebellion
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against His good commands,
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but one of grateful obedience
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to them.
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Peter,
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the Apostle Peter,
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after a list of divine qualities
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found in 2 Peter chapter 1,
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says in verse 10,
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Therefore,
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brothers,
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be all the more diligent
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to confirm
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your calling and election.
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For if you practice
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these qualities,
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you will never
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fall.
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So he's saying,
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look at your life.
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Examine it.
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Be sure that it's exemplifying
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these things.
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Be diligent
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in this practice
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to confirm
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your calling and election.
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And Paul in Philippians chapter 2,
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verse 12 and 13,
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says,
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Therefore, my beloved,
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as you have always obeyed,
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so now,
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not only as in my presence,
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but much more in my absence,
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work out your own salvation
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with fear
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and trembling.
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For it is God
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who works in you
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both to will
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and to work
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for His good pleasure.
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So if God is in you,
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these efforts to obey
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will be rewarded
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with obedience.
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We'll be able to see that,
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yes, in fact,
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I am growing in grace.
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And finally,
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if you just say,
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well, those are the apostles,
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I hope you don't do that
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with the scripture,
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but just in case you do,
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some people only want
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to listen to red letters,
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so here they are.
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Jesus in Matthew chapter 7,
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verse 17 and 18,
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says,
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So every healthy tree
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bears good fruit,
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but the diseased tree
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bears bad fruit.
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A healthy tree
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cannot bear bad fruit,
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nor can a diseased tree
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bear good fruit.
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And in John chapter 14
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and verse 15,
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he says,
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If you love me,
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you will keep
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my commandments.
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Now, we must be so careful
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at this point.
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No one is suggesting
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that we are saved
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by our works.
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None of us are perfect.
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I have a confidence
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that I am redeemed.
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I can see that God
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works mightily in my life,
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but I am far
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from perfect.
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But the trajectory
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of my life,
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the graph,
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if I were able to graph
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holiness day to day,
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would trend
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toward holiness.
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It's got its ups
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and it's got its downs,
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but it would trend
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toward holiness.
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We cannot be saved
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by our works.
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We will never be good enough
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to meet God's standard
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because God's standard
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is perfection.
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Every one of us,
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every person
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who has ever lived
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has fallen short
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of perfection.
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We are saved
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by grace alone,
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through faith alone,
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in Christ alone.
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And any holiness
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we possess
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is because of God.
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It's divine
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because we are kept
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by grace alone,
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through faith alone,
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in Christ alone.
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Let's not lose sight
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as Paul's going to talk
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about attaining
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and striving
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that he stated
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in Philippians 3,
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verse 9,
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which I read
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as part of the intro
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to today's text,
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that he would be found
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in Christ,
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not having a righteousness
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of his own
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that comes from the law,
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but that which comes
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through faith
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in Christ,
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the righteousness
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from God
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that depends
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on faith.
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Reese referenced earlier,
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Martin,
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last week,
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Martin Luther
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called this
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an alien righteousness,
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a righteousness
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from outside
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given to us
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by God.
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We are saved
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by grace alone,
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through faith alone,
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in Christ alone,
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and we are kept
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by grace alone,
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through faith alone,
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in Christ alone,
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but this saving
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and this keeping
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will be evidenced
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in our living.
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This is what Paul
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is talking about.
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Showing himself
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to be in Christ
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to the very end.
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And, beloved,
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the way of Christ
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is the way of suffering.
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We will give up
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every advantage
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that this world
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has to offer
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for the sake
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of Christ
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in order to know
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him
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and be known
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by him.
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Why would someone
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do
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such a thing?
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It's divine.
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It's supernatural.
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God gives us
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a new
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motivation.
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He
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recreates us
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as we
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were meant
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to be.
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To be in fellowship
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with him
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in this life
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and
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forevermore.
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this is so
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important
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to understand
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for your Christian
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living.
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So that,
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by any means
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possible,
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I may attain
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the resurrection
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of the dead.
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One day,
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those who are in Christ
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will have
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resurrection
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bodies.
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We are saved,
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soul and body.
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And the work
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of redemption
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is not fully complete
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until we are
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transformed
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transformed to be
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like Christ.
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Embodied.
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The embodied
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Christ
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will be like
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him with
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resurrection
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bodies.
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In Romans
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chapter 8,
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verse 23
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and 24,
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Paul stated
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that we
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wait eagerly
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for the redemption
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of our bodies.
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And he adds,
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for in this
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hope
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we were saved.
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saved.
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This is also
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called
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glorification.
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We run
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across those
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texts from
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time to
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time.
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Paul wrote
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further in
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Romans chapter
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8,
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this is
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verse 30,
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and those
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whom he
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predestined
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he also
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called.
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Those whom
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he called
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he also
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justified,
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and those
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whom he
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justified
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he also
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glorified.
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Because
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you're saved,
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if you're
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in Christ,
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there's a
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future
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guarantee
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that you
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will have
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a resurrected
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body.
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You will
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be glorified,
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set free
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from the
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bondage of
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sin
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forever.
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Wayne
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Grudeman's
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seminal
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work,
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Systematic
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Theology,
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defines
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glorification
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this way.
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Glorification
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is the
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final step
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in the
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application
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of redemption.
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It will
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happen when
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Christ returns
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and raises
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from the
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dead the
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bodies of
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all believers
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for all
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time who
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have died,
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and reunites
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them with
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their souls,
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and changes
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the bodies
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of all
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believers
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who remain
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alive,
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thereby giving
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all believers
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at the same
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time perfect
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resurrection
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bodies like
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his own.
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So you see,
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glorification is
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Paul's new
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motivation.
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It's the
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thing that he
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is looking
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forward to,
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this wonderful
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forever state
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of freedom
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from the
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death of
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sin in the
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presence of
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our Savior.
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We will
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experience Christ
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more fully
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than we
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could possibly
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experience
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him here
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and now
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because we
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will be
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freed from
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sin forever.
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The
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resurrection of
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Jesus Christ
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guaranteed for
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all who are
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in Christ a
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resurrection and
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future hope.
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What a
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wonderful truth.
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I will close
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this point with
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one further
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scripture reading
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which makes
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the point a
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bit further.
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Romans chapter
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6 verses 1
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through 6.
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Paul says,
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What shall we
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say then?
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Are we to
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continue in
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sin that
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grace may
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abound?
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By no
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means.
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How can
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we who
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died to
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sin still
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live in
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it?
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Do you
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not know
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that all
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of us who
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have been
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baptized into
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Christ Jesus
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were baptized
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into his
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death?
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We were
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buried
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therefore with
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him by
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baptism into
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death in
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order that
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just as
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Christ was
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raised from
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the dead by
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the glory of
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the Father we
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too might
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walk in
20:37
newness of
20:37
life.
20:38
For if we
20:39
have been
20:39
united with
20:40
him in a
20:40
death like
20:41
his we
20:42
shall certainly
20:43
be united
20:43
with him in
20:44
a resurrection
20:45
like his.
20:47
We know
20:47
that our old
20:48
self was
20:49
crucified with
20:50
him in
20:50
order that
20:51
the body
20:51
of sin
20:52
might be
20:52
brought to
20:53
nothing so
20:55
that we
20:55
would no
20:55
longer be
20:56
enslaved to
20:58
sin.
20:59
If you
20:59
are in
21:00
Christ the
21:02
resurrection of
21:03
Christ is a
21:04
foundation for
21:06
a new
21:06
motivation.
21:08
Secondly,
21:10
new memory.
21:11
We see this in
21:12
verses 12
21:13
through 14.
21:16
Paul says
21:17
not that I've
21:18
already obtained
21:18
this or I'm
21:19
already perfect.
21:20
Right?
21:20
He's being very
21:21
clear.
21:21
We haven't
21:22
reached sinlessness.
21:23
He's saying as
21:24
an apostle I've
21:25
not reached
21:25
sinlessness but I
21:26
press on to
21:27
make it my
21:28
own because
21:29
Christ Jesus
21:29
has made me
21:30
his own.
21:32
Right?
21:32
grateful
21:33
obedience.
21:34
A response
21:34
to the grace
21:35
of God to
21:35
him in
21:36
Christ.
21:37
Verse 13.
21:38
Brothers, I do
21:38
not consider
21:39
that I've
21:39
made it my
21:39
own but
21:40
one thing
21:41
I do
21:42
forgetting
21:43
what lies
21:44
behind and
21:45
straining
21:46
forward to
21:47
what lies
21:47
ahead.
21:47
I press
21:48
on toward
21:49
the goal
21:50
for the
21:50
prize of
21:51
the upward
21:51
call of
21:52
God in
21:53
Christ Jesus.
21:55
Paul's
21:56
sanctification
21:56
depends on
21:58
a reorientation
22:00
of his
22:02
memory.
22:03
You see that
22:03
he's going to
22:04
apply a
22:05
great deal
22:06
of effort.
22:08
He's
22:08
forgetting and
22:09
he's straining
22:10
and he's
22:11
pressing towards
22:12
this goal.
22:13
The upward
22:14
call of God
22:15
in Christ
22:16
Jesus.
22:17
The
22:17
resurrection
22:18
of his
22:19
body.
22:20
He states
22:21
that in his
22:21
effort to
22:22
attain the
22:22
resurrection
22:23
from the
22:23
dead,
22:23
he is
22:24
forgetting
22:25
what lies
22:26
behind.
22:28
What's he
22:28
referring to
22:29
there?
22:30
I think he
22:31
means all
22:32
the things
22:32
that he
22:32
thought were
22:34
his game
22:35
that he
22:35
has now
22:35
countered at
22:36
his loss
22:36
right back
22:37
in verses
22:37
five through
22:38
six of the
22:39
chapter.
22:39
I think he's
22:39
referring to
22:40
all of those
22:41
things but I
22:41
also think
22:42
that he is
22:43
referring more
22:44
broadly to
22:45
a sin
22:46
because he
22:47
is forgetting.
22:49
He hasn't
22:49
just forgotten
22:50
but it says
22:51
forgetting and
22:52
this is one of
22:52
those wonderful
22:53
places where
22:53
the English
22:54
nails it
22:55
right on
22:55
the head.
22:56
The original
22:57
Greek word
22:57
for this
22:58
is in the
22:59
present tense
23:00
which means
23:01
it's active
23:02
and it's
23:03
incomplete.
23:04
So he's
23:05
continually
23:05
forgetting.
23:06
He's forgetting
23:06
and he's
23:06
forgetting
23:07
and he's
23:07
forgetting
23:07
and he's
23:08
forgetting
23:08
as he's
23:09
straining
23:10
and pressing.
23:13
The power
23:14
of the gospel
23:14
has set us
23:15
free from
23:16
bondage to
23:17
present and
23:18
future sin
23:19
and it has
23:20
set us free
23:21
from the guilt
23:22
of past
23:24
sin.
23:25
Remember that
23:26
Paul was a
23:27
persecutor of
23:28
the church.
23:28
He mentions
23:29
this in
23:29
verse 6.
23:32
He stood
23:32
over the
23:33
execution of
23:33
Stephen the
23:34
very first
23:35
Christian
23:35
martyr.
23:38
A highly
23:39
psychologized
23:39
version of
23:40
Christianity
23:40
would give
23:41
Paul a
23:41
free pass
23:42
to be
23:43
forlorn
23:44
and
23:44
listness.
23:45
Would just
23:46
say like
23:46
oh we get
23:47
it.
23:47
You were
23:47
that guy
23:48
that put
23:48
Stephen to
23:49
death.
23:49
You got a
23:50
lot of
23:50
baggage you're
23:51
carrying around
23:51
with us.
23:52
We're not
23:53
going to
23:53
expect much
23:54
of you.
23:56
But he
23:56
says he's
23:57
forgetting what
23:58
lies behind
23:59
and straining
24:00
forward to
24:01
what lies
24:02
ahead.
24:04
Now as
24:05
Paul's stating
24:06
that he's
24:06
forgotten
24:06
everything as
24:07
as he's had
24:08
a brain
24:09
wipe on
24:10
his encounter
24:11
with Christ
24:12
he got his
24:13
brain zipped
24:15
out.
24:16
Absolutely
24:17
not.
24:18
He's still
24:18
a human
24:19
man who
24:19
had memories.
24:20
We're going
24:20
to have
24:21
memories but
24:22
I suggest
24:23
that the
24:23
prominent
24:24
thought of
24:24
the past
24:25
was what
24:26
Christ had
24:27
done to
24:28
deliver him
24:28
from his
24:30
sin.
24:31
That as
24:32
he considered
24:33
his past
24:33
when he
24:34
calls himself
24:35
the worst
24:35
of sinners
24:36
why?
24:37
So that
24:38
God could
24:38
show his
24:38
great mercy
24:40
in Christ.
24:42
As he
24:42
thought about
24:43
his past
24:44
what he
24:44
remembers is
24:45
what Christ
24:46
did for
24:47
him.
24:47
How unworthy
24:48
he is but
24:50
what Christ
24:51
has done.
24:53
Which is why
24:53
I'm suggesting
24:54
that Paul
24:54
had a
24:55
new
24:55
memory.
24:58
He knew
24:58
that the
24:59
past had
24:59
no bearing
25:00
on his
25:01
future
25:01
because Jesus
25:03
had paid
25:03
the penalty
25:04
for sin
25:04
and confirmed
25:06
his redemption
25:06
by being
25:08
raised
25:08
from the
25:09
dead.
25:11
Beloved,
25:11
I wonder
25:12
how many
25:12
of you
25:13
live in
25:14
the past
25:15
would suggest
25:17
in some
25:18
way that
25:19
Jesus'
25:19
death was
25:19
not enough
25:21
for your
25:21
sin.
25:22
That he
25:22
needs to
25:23
come back
25:23
down from
25:23
heaven and
25:24
get back
25:25
up on the
25:25
cross to
25:25
complete that
25:26
work.
25:28
That you
25:28
fail functionally
25:29
to believe
25:30
that when
25:30
Jesus says
25:31
it is
25:31
finished,
25:32
it really
25:33
is
25:34
finished.
25:36
Your past
25:37
sin has
25:38
been expunged
25:40
as has
25:41
your present
25:42
and your
25:43
future.
25:44
Jesus died
25:45
for you.
25:46
He died
25:46
for every
25:47
sin that
25:48
you have
25:48
ever or
25:49
will ever
25:50
commit.
25:51
Praise be
25:52
to God.
25:53
When we
25:53
think about
25:54
the past,
25:56
our minds
25:56
ought to be
25:57
set on what
25:58
Jesus has
25:59
done.
26:01
And,
26:02
thirdly,
26:03
we should
26:03
have a new
26:04
mindset.
26:05
This is
26:05
related, I
26:06
understand.
26:07
One maybe
26:08
is the
26:08
negative, the
26:08
other the
26:09
positive.
26:10
Verses 15
26:11
and 16,
26:12
he says,
26:13
let those
26:13
of us who
26:14
are mature
26:14
think this
26:16
way.
26:17
Which way
26:17
is he
26:17
talking about?
26:18
Right?
26:18
This forgetting
26:19
what lies
26:20
behind and
26:20
straining
26:21
forward to
26:21
what lies
26:22
ahead.
26:24
And he
26:25
says that
26:25
this is a
26:26
mark of
26:27
Christian
26:27
maturity.
26:30
The
26:30
mature
26:30
think this
26:32
way.
26:34
A
26:34
functionally
26:35
active belief
26:36
in the
26:36
gospel of
26:36
Jesus Christ
26:37
will evidence
26:38
itself in
26:39
the day
26:39
to day
26:40
of one
26:40
who is
26:41
growing in
26:41
their
26:42
understanding
26:42
of all
26:43
that the
26:44
gospel means
26:45
for them.
26:47
It affects
26:48
every iota
26:49
of our
26:50
life.
26:52
I just got a
26:53
text message and
26:53
flipped it away and
26:54
lost my place in my
26:55
notes.
26:55
So give me a
26:56
second.
26:58
UPS just
26:58
text me.
26:59
So thanks
27:01
UPS.
27:01
my package
27:03
arrived.
27:03
You guys will
27:04
all be glad to
27:04
hear that.
27:09
Man, I
27:09
really lost.
27:10
Oh, here we
27:10
are.
27:10
Okay, here we
27:10
go.
27:11
Good.
27:11
Hey, back
27:11
on track.
27:14
Let me say
27:15
that again because
27:16
I lost my
27:16
mindset.
27:17
A functionally
27:18
active belief in
27:19
the gospel of
27:19
Jesus Christ will
27:20
evident itself in
27:21
the day-to-day of
27:22
one who is
27:23
growing in their
27:23
understanding of
27:24
all that the
27:25
gospel means for
27:27
them.
27:28
It'll inform
27:28
everything, right?
27:31
This ought to be
27:31
our mindset.
27:33
Our knee-jerk
27:34
reaction to our
27:36
sin as we press
27:38
on toward the
27:39
goal for the
27:39
prize of the
27:40
upward call of
27:40
God in Christ
27:41
Jesus should be
27:42
repentance and
27:44
faith, right?
27:46
Forgetting and
27:47
straining.
27:49
Often with
27:49
counselees, I use
27:50
an example of
27:51
running a race,
27:52
right?
27:52
Paul uses this
27:53
kind of language.
27:55
And we're running
27:55
a race and sin in
27:57
our life causes us
27:57
to stumble and we
27:58
fall, right?
27:58
We skin up our
28:00
knees, look at the
28:01
children sometimes,
28:02
their noses, right?
28:03
They don't catch
28:03
themselves that way.
28:04
We're just all
28:05
shredded by the
28:07
texture of the
28:08
track.
28:09
And instead of
28:10
getting up and
28:10
continuing to run
28:12
because the race
28:13
has been assured,
28:15
right?
28:15
We will finish
28:17
the race.
28:18
We sit on the
28:19
track and we
28:19
cry.
28:21
Oh, woe is
28:22
me.
28:22
I fell down.
28:24
Get up and run.
28:26
That's what I say.
28:27
Yes, you fell.
28:27
Yes, you fell.
28:29
Recognize that you
28:29
fell.
28:30
Repent and
28:32
believe.
28:33
Forget and
28:34
strain forward.
28:38
You may be
28:39
familiar with this
28:40
quote from
28:40
Pastor John
28:41
Piper, but I
28:42
think it's so
28:42
good at this
28:43
point.
28:44
He says, I
28:45
hear so many
28:46
Christians murmuring
28:47
about their
28:48
imperfections and
28:49
their failures and
28:50
their addictions and
28:51
their shortcomings,
28:52
and I see so
28:54
little war.
28:56
Murmur,
28:57
murmur,
28:57
murmur.
28:57
Why am I this
28:58
way?
28:59
Make war.
29:01
If you wonder
29:02
how to make
29:02
war go to
29:04
the manual,
29:05
don't just
29:06
bellyache about
29:07
your failures.
29:09
Make war.
29:11
That's what Paul
29:12
is talking about
29:13
here.
29:14
Pressing on,
29:16
putting behind,
29:17
and straining
29:18
forward.
29:19
It should be the
29:20
knee-jerk reaction.
29:22
And a lot of
29:23
people will ask
29:24
me, but aren't
29:24
we supposed to
29:25
feel something
29:26
when we sin?
29:27
I'd say, yes,
29:28
absolutely you
29:29
should.
29:29
Well, how much
29:30
and for how
29:31
long?
29:32
I would say
29:32
only as much
29:33
as it takes to
29:34
get you back to
29:35
the cross of
29:35
Christ.
29:36
Let that sorrow
29:38
drive you to the
29:39
cross of Christ.
29:40
Forget.
29:41
Remember what
29:42
he has done and
29:43
press on.
29:45
How do we make
29:46
war?
29:47
By having this
29:48
mindset.
29:50
Paul wrote in
29:51
Romans chapter 12
29:51
verse 2.
29:52
Do not be
29:52
conformed to
29:53
this world,
29:53
but be
29:54
transformed by
29:55
the renewal
29:56
of your mind.
29:59
This ought to
29:59
be the way we
30:00
think.
30:00
The mature
30:01
will think
30:01
in this way.
30:03
And Paul is
30:04
so sure of
30:04
the importance
30:05
of this
30:05
mindset that
30:07
he encourages
30:08
the immature
30:08
that God
30:10
will mature
30:11
them.
30:12
He's going
30:12
to build
30:13
you so that
30:14
you'll think
30:15
in this way.
30:16
To stay
30:17
this course.
30:19
And he
30:19
says,
30:20
only let
30:21
us hold
30:21
true to
30:22
what we
30:23
have
30:23
attained.
30:24
He's saying,
30:25
but you have
30:26
attained some
30:26
maturity.
30:28
So continue to
30:28
walk in
30:29
that.
30:32
If we're going
30:32
to do this
30:33
well,
30:34
fourthly,
30:34
we need new
30:36
mentors.
30:37
Verses 17
30:38
through 19.
30:40
Paul says,
30:43
brothers,
30:43
join in
30:44
imitating
30:45
me and
30:46
keep your
30:46
eyes on
30:47
those who
30:47
walk
30:48
according to
30:49
the example
30:49
you have
30:50
in us.
30:51
God created
30:52
us for
30:52
fellowship.
30:53
We are
30:53
easily
30:54
influenced
30:55
and need
30:56
good
30:57
influences
30:58
in our
30:59
lives.
31:00
Just think
31:01
for a moment
31:01
about how
31:02
easily
31:02
influenced
31:03
you are.
31:05
A simple
31:05
matter,
31:06
I have a
31:07
brother-in-law
31:07
who's
31:07
British.
31:09
And I
31:10
have no
31:11
part of
31:11
me,
31:12
I mean,
31:12
maybe
31:12
somewhere in
31:13
my,
31:13
like,
31:13
generations
31:14
ago past
31:15
was British,
31:16
but if I
31:16
spend a bit
31:17
of time
31:17
around him,
31:18
I start
31:18
to use
31:18
words I
31:19
don't use
31:20
normally.
31:21
If you
31:22
ever have
31:22
me call
31:22
you mate,
31:23
it's probably
31:24
because I've
31:24
been hanging
31:25
out with
31:25
my brother-in-law
31:27
and you can
31:27
just go,
31:28
yeah,
31:28
okay,
31:28
right?
31:29
We pick
31:30
up things
31:31
from people.
31:33
So if we're
31:33
going to follow
31:34
after Christ
31:34
this way,
31:35
if we're
31:35
going to
31:35
attain this
31:36
resurrection
31:36
from the
31:37
dead,
31:37
we're going
31:37
to need
31:38
good
31:38
influence
31:38
in our
31:39
lives.
31:41
Paul is
31:41
not specific
31:42
about the
31:43
good example,
31:44
but we can
31:45
infer that the
31:46
example you
31:47
have in us
31:47
is found in
31:48
the pressing
31:48
on toward
31:49
the goal
31:49
for the prize
31:50
of the
31:50
upper call
31:51
of God
31:51
in Christ
31:52
Jesus.
31:53
Surround
31:53
yourself by
31:54
people doing
31:55
that,
31:56
right?
31:56
Straining
31:57
forward,
31:58
right?
31:59
Pressing for
31:59
holiness,
32:00
right?
32:01
Looking to
32:01
please the
32:03
Lord.
32:03
God
32:04
we can
32:04
also
32:05
infer
32:05
that's
32:05
the
32:06
opposite
32:06
of
32:07
the
32:07
bad
32:07
example
32:07
that
32:08
he
32:08
lists
32:08
out
32:09
in
32:09
some
32:09
detail
32:09
here.
32:10
People
32:11
whose
32:11
end is
32:12
destruction.
32:14
Their God
32:15
is their
32:16
belly,
32:16
meaning they
32:17
serve all
32:17
of their
32:17
appetites,
32:18
and he
32:18
doesn't just
32:19
mean food
32:21
appetites,
32:21
but all of
32:22
the lusts
32:23
of the
32:23
world,
32:24
and they
32:24
glory,
32:25
they're proud
32:26
in things
32:27
that ought
32:27
to be
32:28
to their
32:29
shame.
32:30
their
32:31
minds
32:32
are set
32:32
on
32:33
earthly
32:34
things,
32:34
right?
32:35
They're
32:35
concerned
32:35
about
32:36
the
32:36
temporal,
32:37
they're
32:37
concerned
32:37
about
32:38
the
32:38
now,
32:38
instead
32:39
of being
32:39
concerned
32:40
about
32:41
the
32:41
eternal.
32:42
You
32:42
need to
32:42
get
32:42
yourself
32:43
around
32:43
people
32:44
who are
32:44
thinking
32:45
heavenward,
32:47
always
32:47
thinking,
32:48
how is
32:48
this
32:48
life
32:49
best
32:49
spent
32:50
for
32:51
that
32:51
life,
32:52
that
32:52
forever
32:53
life?
32:55
And I
32:56
can tell
32:56
you now
32:56
that if
32:57
you live
32:57
this way
32:57
and you
32:58
think
32:58
in this
32:58
way,
32:58
you're
32:59
going to
32:59
be laying
32:59
down
32:59
your
33:00
life,
33:00
you're
33:00
going to
33:00
be
33:00
suffering
33:00
the
33:01
loss
33:01
of
33:01
all
33:01
things,
33:01
you
33:02
are
33:02
going
33:02
to
33:03
be
33:03
uncomfortable
33:03
in
33:04
this
33:04
world
33:05
for
33:05
the
33:05
sake
33:05
of
33:06
the
33:06
next.
33:09
And Paul
33:09
exhorts us
33:10
to be
33:11
cautious
33:11
about
33:12
these
33:12
kind
33:13
of
33:13
people,
33:13
right?
33:14
Mind set
33:15
on
33:15
earthly
33:16
things,
33:17
right?
33:17
We're
33:18
to avoid
33:18
them,
33:19
but I
33:19
want
33:19
to
33:20
note
33:20
that
33:21
he
33:21
does
33:21
it
33:21
with
33:22
heartbreak.
33:23
He's
33:24
not just
33:24
dismissive
33:25
to
33:25
them,
33:26
but he
33:26
does it
33:27
with
33:28
heartbreak.
33:28
He says
33:30
with
33:30
tears
33:31
they
33:32
walk
33:32
as
33:33
enemies
33:33
of the
33:34
cross
33:34
of
33:35
Christ.
33:37
Fifth
33:37
and
33:37
lastly,
33:39
we
33:40
need
33:40
and in
33:41
Christ
33:41
we
33:41
have
33:42
a
33:42
new
33:42
mediator.
33:44
The
33:44
last
33:45
two
33:45
verses
33:45
of our
33:46
text.
33:47
But our
33:47
citizenship,
33:48
we're not
33:49
those who
33:49
are going
33:50
to be
33:50
destroyed.
33:51
Our
33:51
end
33:51
is not
33:51
destruction.
33:52
Our
33:52
citizenship
33:52
is in
33:53
heaven,
33:53
and from
33:54
it we
33:54
await
33:54
a
33:55
Savior,
33:56
the
33:56
Lord
33:56
Jesus
33:57
Christ.
33:58
We
33:59
will
33:59
transform
33:59
our
34:00
lowly
34:00
body
34:00
to be
34:00
like
34:00
his
34:01
glorious
34:01
body
34:02
by the
34:02
power
34:02
that
34:02
enables
34:03
him
34:03
even
34:03
to
34:04
subject
34:04
all
34:05
things
34:05
to
34:06
himself.
34:07
We
34:07
have a
34:08
resurrected
34:08
Savior,
34:09
the Lord
34:09
Jesus
34:09
Christ.
34:10
He
34:11
is
34:11
ascended
34:11
to the
34:11
right
34:12
hand
34:12
of
34:12
God
34:12
the
34:13
Father
34:13
where
34:13
he
34:13
rules
34:14
over
34:15
all
34:15
things.
34:17
Right?
34:17
Paul
34:17
mentions
34:18
that here
34:18
in
34:18
verse
34:18
21,
34:19
by the
34:19
power
34:20
that
34:20
enables
34:20
him
34:20
even
34:21
to
34:21
subject
34:21
all
34:22
things
34:22
to
34:23
himself.
34:24
!
34:28
Or as
34:29
our
34:29
catechism
34:30
question
34:30
this
34:30
morning
34:30
said,
34:31
interceding
34:32
for us.
34:33
God
34:34
the
34:35
Father
34:35
is
34:35
pleased
34:36
with
34:36
us
34:36
if
34:37
we
34:37
are
34:38
in
34:38
Christ.
34:40
Further,
34:40
he
34:40
has
34:41
given
34:41
us
34:41
his
34:41
good
34:42
word
34:42
and
34:42
he
34:42
has
34:42
sent
34:43
us
34:43
his
34:43
spirit.
34:44
We
34:45
have
34:45
the
34:45
word
34:45
of
34:45
Christ
34:46
to
34:47
lead
34:47
us
34:48
in
34:48
the
34:48
truth
34:48
and
34:49
empower
34:49
us
34:50
in
34:51
holiness.
34:52
What
34:53
a
34:53
confidence
34:53
we
34:54
should
34:54
have
34:55
because
34:55
Jesus
34:55
is
34:56
alive.
34:58
One
34:58
wonderful
34:59
day
34:59
he
35:00
will
35:00
return
35:01
for
35:01
the
35:01
citizens
35:01
of
35:01
his
35:02
kingdom
35:02
and
35:03
will
35:03
transform
35:04
our
35:04
lowly
35:05
bodies
35:05
to be
35:05
like
35:06
his
35:06
glorious
35:08
body.
35:10
So let
35:11
me ask
35:11
you in
35:11
closing
35:12
this
35:12
Easter
35:12
Sunday
35:13
do
35:13
you
35:13
have
35:14
new
35:15
motivation
35:15
new
35:16
memory
35:16
new
35:17
mindset
35:18
new
35:18
mentors
35:19
and a
35:20
new
35:20
mediator?
35:22
Do
35:22
you have
35:23
future
35:23
hope
35:24
in the
35:24
resurrection
35:25
of your
35:26
body?
35:27
Do
35:27
you have
35:27
hope
35:28
in this
35:28
life
35:29
and
35:29
the
35:29
life
35:30
to
35:31
come?
35:32
You
35:32
can
35:33
because
35:34
Jesus
35:34
is
35:35
alive.
35:36
Let's
35:36
pray
35:36
together.