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The Five Solas (2017): Sola Gratia · Providence Baptist Church - Sermons

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So I just kind of want to go ahead and let you know that I'm extremely physically fatigued this morning.
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Shorter breath.
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Really tired.
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And I think I might even would have passed this off to somebody else, but I thought I'll let Caleb do it.
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! Wait a minute, Caleb's doing music. He can't do it.
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So I was kind of just thinking I have to deal with it.
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So I'm really tired, but I wonder why sometimes God allows me to be so driven down at a time like this.
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Where I'm like, this is so important. This is so rich.
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I want to feel good for it. I want to have energy for it.
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But, and two brothers have quoted the same scripture to me on separate occasions this morning.
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But, ultimately, it's so that I may not boast in my own strength that God's grace is sufficient.
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And that His power has made perfect in weakness.
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And so I've got nothing. I have nothing for you this morning.
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Like, you're going to be, if you receive anything good this morning, it's going to be simply because of the grace of God and because of the power of His Word.
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And so, throughout the service, just keep me in prayer.
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And I pray that.
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I was remembering Richard Baxter, who was a Puritan pastor.
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He said, a man only preacheth well to others when he first preacheth to his own soul.
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And so I've been trying to remind myself that this is not just a lecture on grace.
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This is something that's life-giving, even to me, as I think about it, pray over it, read it.
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And so, just join me in prayer one more time here.
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Father, we gather this morning, not because of any other reason, but to celebrate Your greatness, to celebrate who You are and what You've done for us.
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So, Lord, I ask this morning that You would give me just enough to make it through this time,
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that Your Word would minister to people, that it would have its desired effect on people.
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You would meet each one of us where we are.
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You would convict us of sin.
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You would break us down.
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But then You would build us up and fill us with life because of Christ.
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Heal the brokenhearted.
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Set the captive free.
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Lord, have Your way this morning.
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In Christ's name, Amen.
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So last week, we started a five-week series on the five solos of the Reformation.
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And so, if you don't know, the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation is coming up on October 31st.
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And I just kind of want to be clear about this.
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It's not a movement that we worship.
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It's not certain men that we worship.
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It's about the God that worked in that time and brought about certain things for His glory during that time that we worship.
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And so, we can learn from the past.
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We can learn from those who went before us.
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I think it's the height of arrogance, especially in our culture, that we don't need things from the past.
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That we're much more advanced and smarter than a lot of the men and women who went before us.
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But, you know, as a pastor, as someone who does find much encouragement from history,
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I think you would be terrified if you could see the parallels between the modern evangelical church and the medieval church.
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I think you would be really terrified.
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There's so much that has come back.
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And we have very much slipped back into medievalism in a lot of ways.
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So, October 31st, 1517 is the day when the German Augustinian monk Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of the All Saints Church in Wittenberg, Germany.
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And it was a protest against the selling of indulgences by the Roman church.
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The irony of it is that Luther actually thought that Rome was being misrepresented by the selling of indulgences.
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He thought this was something that if the Pope knew that this was happening, he would not be okay with it.
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So, the irony is he dedicated the 95 theses to Pope Leo.
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Pretty funny.
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So, then later on he came to find out that, like, wait a minute, this has actually got Rome's stamp of approval on it.
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The selling of indulgences, a certified document from Rome that could absolve someone from their sins if they bought it, if they bought it with money.
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And you could get yourself or a dead relative out of purgatory or out of hell to go to heaven.
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With an indulgence.
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And it started when a man named John Tetzel, who was like the number one seller of indulgences in the Holy Roman Empire at the time,
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came to Luther's area and he started corrupting his people with the teaching of indulgences.
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And it really ticked Luther off.
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And so, he said, wait a minute, this is not Scripture.
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This is not what grace is.
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This is not what salvation is.
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And so, he protested, again, to his horror, only to find out at the end of the day that Rome was behind this.
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Rome was supporting it.
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And so, instead of leaning into Luther's call for reformation, Rome, you know, bucked up against it and pushed against the need for reform.
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But I think it's important to say that Luther was not the first reformer.
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There were plenty of men who went before him who taught the same things, including people in England like John Wycliffe, which we talked about before.
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A man named John Huss, who was a bohemian pastor, who taught that salvation was by grace alone, that the Scripture alone was our authority.
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He taught in the language of the common people and not in Latin.
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And for that, he was eventually burned at the stake by Rome, stripped him of all his preaching garments.
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And supposedly, okay, John Huss said to the bishop who was setting him on fire,
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in a hundred years, there's a man that's going to come, and you're not going to be able to stop him.
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You're not going to be able to silence him like you're trying to silence me.
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And so, almost to the day, a hundred years later, is when Luther came into being a monk.
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And here's the irony.
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He was actually ordained as a monk in the same cathedral where that bishop was buried.
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Like, he was buried underneath where Luther was taking that oath.
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And so, the joke goes that after John Huss said,
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in a hundred years, someone's going to come and you won't be able to silence,
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the bishop said, over my dead body.
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So, really, that was a prophecy that came true.
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And so, but I want you to be clear that Luther,
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Swingley,
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John Calvin,
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John Huss,
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none of these men were perfect men.
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If you study them,
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you will see that they were in just as much need of these doctrines as we were.
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They were not perfect men.
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And indeed, some of the things that they did would frighten you, I think.
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So, we don't celebrate them.
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We celebrate our God that they made much of, right?
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And so, the five solas really were consolidated as doctrines,
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maybe around the 20th century.
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So, it wasn't like the Reformers got together and said,
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hey, these are five things that we believe.
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It was just things that were being taught.
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And we brought them together probably around the 20th century.
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And why is important?
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Why is that important?
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Because, well, first let me tell you what they are.
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I apologize.
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It means that Scripture alone is our authority.
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The salvation is by God's grace alone,
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through faith alone,
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in Christ alone,
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and all to the glory of God alone.
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And why is that so important?
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Well, if it's not alone,
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then you're saying something has to be added.
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Then you're saying the Scripture and something.
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Grace and something.
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Faith and something.
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Christ and something.
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And to the glory of God and something else.
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So, that's why it has to be alone, right?
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So, by stating these solas,
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you were stating what's true,
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and at the same time,
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you're stating what was false.
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So, the Reformers were saying,
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Scripture is not only necessary,
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it's sufficient.
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Christ is not only necessary,
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He's enough.
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And that grace is not only necessary,
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but God's grace alone is what saves.
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So, those are just so important
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to keep in our mind
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that Rome taught these things,
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but they didn't teach them alone.
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They just thought that they were necessary and good.
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So, today,
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it brings us to sola gratia,
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grace alone.
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And there is so much about this.
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I think part of my problem
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was I had just a wealth of things
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I was looking at this week
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that I was just overwhelmed by it all.
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So,
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God's grace alone is what saves us.
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It encompasses all our salvation.
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And so,
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just to start with this,
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the Roman view of grace,
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the Roman Catholic view of grace,
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then,
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and now,
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is that grace,
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in essence,
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is God's merited favor
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or divine assistance
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that He dispenses
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to those who seek to please Him.
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Alright?
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Grace,
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in essence,
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is God's merited favor,
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which doesn't quite sound right.
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So,
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they were taught,
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then and now,
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taught that sinners are justified
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by God's grace
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plus some merit of their own,
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and that the road of salvation
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begins with the individual's efforts
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aided by the grace of God.
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So,
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through keeping the commands of Christ,
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regular confession,
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penance,
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taking of the sacraments,
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God's grace is,
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in fact,
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infused into believers.
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Like,
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it's something that God dispenses
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and strengthens you with.
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Right?
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So,
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when enough merit
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has been obtained,
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then and only then
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is it right for God
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to justify you
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and make you right
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in His sight.
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But Rome,
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at this time,
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taught that actually
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no one could ever
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merit enough
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to have salvation.
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No one.
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Right?
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And so,
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that's why
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purgatory exists.
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So,
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purgatory
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is not a
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biblical idea
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at all.
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But Rome taught,
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again,
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that no one
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can merit enough
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salvation,
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merit enough
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to achieve salvation.
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So,
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purgatory
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is a safety net.
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So,
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if you can't work it out
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in this life,
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you fall down
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to the next one
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and you
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are able to work it out
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there
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and then
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later on
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be admitted
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to heaven.
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But if I could,
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I would,
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many people
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have summed up
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Rome's teaching
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on grace
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just like this.
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God helps those
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who help
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themselves.
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Okay?
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So,
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that was a Roman idea.
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And,
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here's the shocking
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thing though.
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A study a few years ago
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of evangelicals,
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half of them
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thought that that was
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a direct
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biblical quotation.
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Eighty-four percent
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of them believed
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it was at least
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a biblical idea.
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And so,
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it's not just
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scary
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to think that we are
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again,
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drifting back
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into medievalism.
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It is
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very frightening
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indeed.
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In fact,
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Benjamin Franklin
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is the one
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who penned that.
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God helps those
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who help themselves
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in Paul Richard's
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Almanac
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in 1739.
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But he really
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was echoing
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something that
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the Roman church
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taught
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at the time
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of the Reformation.
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A very popular
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phrase that Rome
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taught
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to the masses
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was this phrase,
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God will not
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deny His grace
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to those
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who do
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what they can.
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So,
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deep down,
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right,
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man's sinful
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pride wants
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to believe
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that if we
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cannot save
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ourselves,
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that we at
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least can
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contribute
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something
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to aid
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in our
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salvation.
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So,
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the Reformers
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came along
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and said,
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no,
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God is not,
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grace is not
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God's merited
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favor.
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Grace means
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His unmerited
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favor.
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It's the very
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opposite of
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grace.
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You can't have
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grace and
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merit.
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You can either
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have merit
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or grace.
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And so,
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if you want a
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definition of
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God's grace,
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here you go.
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God's grace
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means His
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unmerited
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favor and
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goodness
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towards those
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who only
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deserve
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punishment.
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God's grace
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means His
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unmerited
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favor and
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goodness
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towards those
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who only
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deserve
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punishment.
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Romans 11,
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6 says,
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if it is by
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grace,
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then it is
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no longer
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on the
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basis of
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works.
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Otherwise,
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grace would
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no longer
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be grace.
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So,
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you can't
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have both
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together.
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So,
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the Reformers
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were saying
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grace is not
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something God
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just dispenses.
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It's an
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attribute He
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possesses.
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It's in His
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nature to
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be gracious.
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It's His
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kindness and
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His grace
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alone that
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saves.
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So,
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as we look
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at this,
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we're going
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to use
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Ephesians 2
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to walk
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through this
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idea of
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grace.
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And again,
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this is a
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scripture alone,
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not on just
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what people
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say.
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We're going
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to do it in
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the form of
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questions like
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I like to
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do a lot
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of the time.
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So,
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I'll read
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the text
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with you
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and
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we'll go
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from there.
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Chapter 2,
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verse 1.
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And you
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were dead
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in your
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trespasses
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and sins,
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in which
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you once
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walked,
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following the
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course of
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this world,
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following the
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prince of
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the power
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of the air,
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the spirit
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that is now
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at work,
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and the
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sons of
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disobedience,
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among whom
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we all
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once
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live in
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the passions
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of our
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flesh,
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carrying out
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the desires
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of the body
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and the mind,
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and by
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nature,
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children of
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wrath like
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the rest
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of mankind.
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But God,
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being rich in
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mercy,
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because of the
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great love
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with which
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he loved us,
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even when we
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were dead
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and our
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trespasses,
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made us alive
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together with
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Christ,
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by grace
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you have
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been saved,
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and raised
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us up with
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him and
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seated us
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with him
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in heavenly
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places in
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Christ Jesus,
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so that in
16:29
the coming
16:30
ages he
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might show
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the immeasurable
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riches of
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his grace
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and kindness
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towards us
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in Christ
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Jesus.
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For by grace
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you have been
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saved through
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faith,
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and this is
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not your
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undoing,
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it is the
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gift of
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God,
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not a result
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of works,
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so that no
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one may
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boast.
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For we are
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his workmanship,
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created in
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Christ Jesus
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for good
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works,
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which God
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prepared beforehand
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that we
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should walk
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in them.
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So that's
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our text,
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and there is
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so much to
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learn about
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grace in
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this text,
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so much.
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So,
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the first
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question we're
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going to ask
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is,
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how great
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is our
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need for
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God's
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grace?
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How great
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is our
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need for
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God's
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grace?
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We see
17:18
this in
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the first
17:19
three verses,
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one through
17:20
three,
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we see
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that our
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need is
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very,
17:24
very great
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for God's
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grace.
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We were
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created in
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the image
17:29
of God,
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to walk
17:30
with him,
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to know
17:31
him,
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to live
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in joyful
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obedience
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and relationship
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with him,
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and to honor
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him in all
17:36
we do,
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to reflect
17:38
his image
17:39
wherever we
17:40
go.
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We had a
17:41
special standing
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with God,
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unlike anyone
17:43
else,
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any other
17:45
thing in
17:45
all the
17:45
created
17:46
order.
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Yet,
17:47
tragically,
17:48
we know
17:49
that each
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one of
17:51
us have
17:52
completely
17:52
forfeited
17:53
our special
17:53
standing
17:54
with God
17:54
by rebelling
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against him,
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sinning
17:57
against him,
17:58
and turning
17:58
away from
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him.
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Isaiah 53,
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6,
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all we like
18:03
sheep have
18:04
gone astray.
18:05
We have
18:06
turned everyone
18:06
to his own
18:07
way.
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We all
18:10
have done
18:11
this,
18:11
every one
18:12
of us.
18:12
we have
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separated
18:14
ourselves
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from God
18:16
and now
18:16
we are
18:16
alienated
18:17
from him
18:18
in our
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lost,
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fallen
18:20
state.
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So,
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that's the
18:24
testimony of
18:24
scripture.
18:25
It's the
18:25
testimony of
18:26
history.
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If you
18:27
think that
18:28
man has
18:28
some goodness
18:29
in him,
18:30
you need
18:30
to open
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your eyes
18:31
to your
18:32
own heart
18:32
and the
18:33
world around
18:34
you,
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and you
18:35
will see
18:36
that it's
18:36
not there.
18:38
St. Augustine,
18:39
who was a
18:39
fourth-century
18:40
church father,
18:42
he was one
18:43
that a lot
18:43
of the
18:43
reformers
18:44
looked to
18:45
rediscover,
18:47
to pick back
18:47
up on
18:48
the gospel.
18:50
He said,
18:52
the whole
18:52
humility of
18:53
man consists
18:54
in the
18:55
knowledge of
18:55
himself.
18:57
So,
18:58
let's look at
18:58
this text so
18:59
we can gain
19:00
a better
19:00
idea of
19:01
that.
19:03
First off,
19:04
we see that
19:04
man is
19:06
dead in
19:07
his
19:07
trespasses
19:08
and sin.
19:10
So,
19:10
again,
19:10
many in
19:13
our
19:13
churches
19:14
today,
19:14
just like
19:15
in the
19:16
medieval
19:16
Roman
19:17
church,
19:18
we
19:18
believe
19:19
in a
19:20
lot of
19:21
ways.
19:21
If you
19:21
just go
19:22
around the
19:22
churches,
19:23
listen to
19:24
sermons,
19:25
listen to
19:25
what people
19:26
look for
19:26
in church,
19:27
we really
19:28
believe that
19:29
we're born
19:30
basically
19:30
good,
19:32
that we
19:32
need God
19:33
to help
19:33
us a little
19:33
bit and
19:34
give us
19:34
some moral
19:35
guidance on
19:35
how to
19:36
live a good
19:36
life,
19:37
but we
19:38
just need
19:38
some
19:38
encouragement.
19:39
And that
19:40
would be a
19:41
heresy
19:41
called
19:41
Pelagianism
19:42
because
19:43
we believe
19:44
that man
19:44
is born
19:44
basically
19:45
good.
19:47
Pelagianism.
19:48
Man is
19:49
not just
19:50
born
19:51
spiritually
19:51
sick.
19:53
Okay?
19:54
If you're
19:55
sick,
19:56
you just
19:57
need a
19:57
doctor to
19:58
give you
19:58
some medical
19:58
attention to
19:59
make you
19:59
better.
20:00
That's what
20:01
would be
20:01
called
20:01
semi-Pelagianism
20:02
or Arminianism.
20:04
You can
20:05
cooperate.
20:05
You just
20:06
have to have
20:06
somebody come
20:07
and help
20:07
you.
20:07
Like you're
20:08
sick,
20:09
you're
20:09
desperate for
20:10
some help
20:11
and all
20:11
you need
20:11
is someone
20:11
to come
20:12
and give
20:12
you some
20:13
attention.
20:14
But we
20:15
see that
20:16
man is
20:16
dead in
20:18
his
20:18
trespasses,
20:19
born in
20:20
sin and
20:21
by nature
20:21
spiritually
20:22
dead.
20:22
That word
20:22
means corpse.
20:24
So not
20:24
just spiritually
20:25
misguided,
20:27
are spiritually
20:27
sick,
20:29
but we're
20:29
spiritually
20:29
dead.
20:31
Meaning our
20:31
souls are
20:32
dead to
20:33
all that
20:33
God is and
20:34
that we have
20:34
no ability
20:35
to do
20:36
spiritual
20:36
good.
20:37
before God
20:38
or to
20:40
initiate
20:40
a relationship
20:41
with God.
20:43
We're born
20:44
dead in
20:45
sin.
20:46
It says
20:46
this in our
20:47
text.
20:47
This is what
20:48
he's trying
20:48
to say.
20:49
And he's
20:50
setting it
20:50
up for
20:51
something else
20:51
though.
20:53
Not only
20:53
are we
20:53
dead in
20:54
sin,
20:54
let's see
20:54
that our
20:55
spiritual
20:56
senses have
20:57
been darkened
20:58
by sin.
21:00
Men are
21:00
born blind
21:02
in death
21:02
to spiritual
21:03
truth.
21:04
That's what
21:04
the Bible
21:05
teaches.
21:06
Verse 3,
21:06
they live
21:07
in the
21:07
passions
21:07
of our
21:08
flesh,
21:08
carrying out
21:08
the desires
21:09
of the
21:09
body and
21:10
the mind.
21:12
Our minds
21:13
are darkened
21:14
by sin
21:15
and our
21:15
hearts
21:15
corrupted
21:16
by evil
21:17
and fallen
21:19
man cannot
21:20
even begin
21:21
to initiate
21:22
to initiate
21:22
something good
21:23
with God.
21:24
Paul wrote
21:25
later on
21:26
in the same
21:26
letter,
21:27
just turn
21:28
up a couple
21:28
chapters to
21:29
chapter 4
21:30
in Ephesians,
21:32
but verse
21:32
17,
21:33
chapter 4,
21:35
he says,
21:35
Now this I
21:37
say in
21:37
testifying
21:38
the Lord,
21:39
that you
21:40
must no
21:40
longer walk
21:41
as the
21:41
Gentiles do
21:42
in the
21:43
futility
21:44
of their
21:44
minds.
21:45
They are
21:46
darkened
21:46
in their
21:47
understanding,
21:48
alienated
21:49
from the
21:49
life of
21:50
God
21:50
because of
21:51
the ignorance
21:52
that is in
21:53
them due
21:54
to the
21:54
hardness
21:55
of heart,
21:56
their
21:56
hardness
21:56
of heart.
21:57
They have
21:58
become
21:58
callous
21:59
and have
22:00
even given
22:00
themselves
22:01
up to
22:01
sensuality,
22:03
greedy to
22:04
practice every
22:04
kind of
22:05
impurity.
22:06
So look at
22:07
those terms,
22:08
darkened
22:08
in understanding,
22:09
alienated
22:10
from God,
22:11
ignorant,
22:12
hardness
22:12
of heart,
22:14
callous.
22:14
That is a
22:15
description of
22:17
who we are
22:17
before Christ.
22:20
It's
22:21
terrifying.
22:23
Not only
22:23
this,
22:24
if we keep
22:24
reading back
22:25
in our text
22:25
in Ephesians
22:26
2, it says
22:26
that we
22:26
followed the
22:28
prince of
22:29
the power
22:29
of the
22:30
air.
22:32
That's
22:32
Satan,
22:33
the devil.
22:34
This is
22:35
terrifying.
22:38
Before we
22:38
are in
22:39
Christ,
22:40
scripture
22:41
says that
22:43
we are
22:43
children of
22:43
the devil,
22:44
under his
22:45
control,
22:46
enslaved to
22:47
sin.
22:49
Alright?
22:49
If you don't
22:51
agree with that,
22:52
just listen to
22:53
this.
22:54
Jesus was
22:55
talking in
22:55
John 8
22:56
with a large
22:57
group of
22:58
people who
22:58
refused to
22:59
believe that
23:00
he was the
23:00
son of
23:00
God.
23:02
And this
23:02
is what he
23:03
said to
23:03
them.
23:03
This is
23:04
not real
23:05
seeker friendly
23:06
at all.
23:07
He says,
23:08
you are of
23:08
your father,
23:09
the devil,
23:10
and you
23:11
want to
23:11
do the
23:12
will of
23:13
your father.
23:14
That's
23:15
scary.
23:17
Paul later
23:17
on prayed
23:18
that unbelievers
23:19
would escape
23:21
the snare
23:22
of the devil
23:22
after being
23:24
captured by
23:25
him to
23:25
do his
23:26
will.
23:27
2 Timothy
23:28
2.26
23:28
God.
23:29
So not
23:30
all belong
23:31
to God,
23:31
and that's
23:31
a frightening
23:32
thought.
23:33
It says
23:33
that we
23:33
are sons
23:34
of
23:34
disobedience
23:35
and our
23:36
end is
23:36
wrath.
23:37
That's what
23:37
we read
23:38
right here
23:38
in our
23:38
text.
23:39
By
23:39
nature,
23:39
we are
23:40
children
23:40
of
23:40
wrath
23:41
like the
23:41
rest
23:42
of
23:42
mankind.
23:44
So,
23:45
left in
23:46
our fallen
23:46
original
23:48
state,
23:49
we are
23:49
only objects
23:50
of God's
23:51
wrath
23:52
and
23:53
condemnation.
23:53
So,
23:56
not just
23:56
sick,
23:57
not just
23:58
misguided,
23:59
but desperately,
24:01
desperately
24:02
fallen.
24:03
We are
24:03
dead in
24:04
our
24:04
trespasses.
24:06
So,
24:07
why is this
24:07
so important,
24:08
right?
24:09
Well,
24:10
you will
24:11
minimize
24:11
the grace
24:13
of God
24:13
if you
24:13
hold too
24:14
high a
24:14
view of
24:14
yourself.
24:17
In the
24:18
Roman church
24:18
at this
24:19
time,
24:20
they had
24:20
pragmatic
24:21
theologians
24:22
and they
24:24
taught,
24:25
at least
24:26
in this
24:26
time,
24:28
right,
24:28
they judged
24:29
a doctrine
24:29
to be
24:30
true or
24:30
not,
24:31
if it
24:31
was useful
24:32
for
24:33
contemporary
24:33
life,
24:34
and if
24:34
it wasn't
24:35
hard to
24:35
grasp.
24:36
So,
24:37
Erasmus,
24:38
who was
24:38
one of
24:39
Luther's
24:39
opponents
24:40
later on,
24:41
Roman
24:42
Catholic
24:42
theologian,
24:44
Desiderius
24:45
Erasmus,
24:46
he basically
24:47
said,
24:47
look,
24:48
Luther,
24:49
even if
24:50
Scripture
24:51
does teach
24:51
that man
24:52
is so
24:52
fallen,
24:53
so
24:54
depraved,
24:55
so
24:56
helpless,
24:56
we
24:57
shouldn't
24:57
teach the
24:58
people
24:58
that,
24:59
because if
25:00
we do,
25:01
they're just
25:01
going to
25:01
despair,
25:02
and they're
25:03
not even
25:03
going to
25:03
want to
25:04
even try
25:04
to improve
25:05
their
25:05
condition.
25:07
That's
25:07
what they
25:08
taught.
25:09
Sound
25:09
familiar
25:10
today?
25:12
As where
25:13
the
25:13
reformers
25:14
and Luther
25:15
said,
25:16
no,
25:18
it's the
25:18
eternal
25:19
idea of
25:19
God's
25:20
truth that
25:21
matters,
25:21
not our
25:22
feelings,
25:23
or whether
25:23
or not
25:23
we think
25:24
something's
25:24
helpful or
25:25
not,
25:26
and you
25:26
will
25:26
diminish,
25:28
if you
25:29
diminish our
25:29
desperate
25:30
spiritual
25:30
condition,
25:31
you will
25:31
diminish the
25:32
glory of
25:33
God in
25:33
saving us.
25:35
That's what
25:35
they were
25:36
saying.
25:37
So it
25:37
doesn't matter
25:38
if it's
25:38
helpful in
25:40
our moment
25:40
or not,
25:40
in this
25:41
moment or
25:41
not.
25:42
So,
25:43
such a
25:44
desperate
25:44
spiritual
25:45
state leaves
25:46
us at
25:47
God's
25:47
mercy.
25:48
And it
25:49
goes to
25:50
question
25:50
number
25:50
two.
25:52
Go back
25:52
to Ephesians
25:53
two.
25:55
You see
25:56
this in
25:56
verses five
25:57
and six.
25:58
Okay,
25:59
the question
25:59
is,
26:00
how did
26:02
God provide
26:03
his grace
26:04
for us?
26:06
Verses
26:07
five and
26:07
six.
26:08
And we
26:09
see
26:09
beautifully
26:10
that he
26:11
did it
26:12
in Christ
26:12
by sending
26:14
his son.
26:14
this saving
26:17
grace that
26:17
we know,
26:18
this unmerited
26:18
favor of
26:19
the Father
26:20
came at
26:21
a great
26:22
cost.
26:23
It
26:23
was costly
26:25
grace because
26:27
it cost the
26:27
precious blood
26:28
of Christ,
26:30
the only
26:30
blood of
26:31
the Father.
26:33
Ephesians
26:33
one,
26:34
verse seven,
26:34
it says,
26:35
in him,
26:35
in Christ,
26:36
we have
26:36
redemption
26:36
through his
26:37
blood,
26:38
the forgiveness
26:38
of our
26:39
trespasses
26:40
according to
26:41
the riches
26:42
of his
26:42
grace,
26:44
which he
26:44
lavished on
26:45
us.
26:46
So,
26:47
we don't
26:47
have really
26:48
many places
26:48
to turn this
26:49
morning other
26:49
than Ephesians
26:50
two,
26:50
but my
26:52
classic text,
26:53
go to
26:53
Romans five,
26:55
Romans five
26:56
really quick.
26:57
I just
26:58
want you to
26:58
see this.
26:59
Romans five
27:00
and go to
27:02
verse six.
27:06
God
27:07
provided his
27:07
grace for
27:08
us and
27:08
he sent
27:09
Christ to
27:11
come and
27:11
die on
27:12
our behalf.
27:14
provided in
27:15
the Savior.
27:17
Okay.
27:19
Romans five
27:20
verse six.
27:23
For while
27:24
we were
27:25
still weak,
27:26
at the
27:27
right time
27:27
Christ died
27:28
for the
27:29
ungodly.
27:30
Okay,
27:31
now,
27:31
pause.
27:32
So,
27:33
God doesn't
27:33
help those
27:34
who help
27:34
themselves.
27:35
It says
27:36
that we
27:36
are weak
27:37
and helpless.
27:39
We cannot
27:39
help
27:39
ourselves.
27:41
Right?
27:41
We're not
27:42
in any
27:42
position.
27:43
At the
27:44
right time
27:44
Christ died
27:45
for the
27:45
ungodly.
27:47
For one
27:47
will scarcely
27:48
die for
27:49
a righteous
27:49
person,
27:50
though perhaps
27:51
for a good
27:52
person one
27:52
would even
27:53
dare to
27:53
die.
27:54
Listen to
27:55
this.
27:55
But God
27:56
chose his
27:57
love for
27:58
us and
27:58
that while
27:59
we were
27:59
still
28:00
sinners,
28:01
Christ
28:01
died for
28:02
us.
28:03
Since
28:03
therefore we
28:04
now have
28:04
been justified
28:05
by his
28:05
blood,
28:07
much more
28:07
shall I be
28:08
saved by
28:09
him from
28:09
the wrath
28:10
of God.
28:10
For if
28:12
we were
28:12
enemies,
28:13
we were
28:13
reconciled
28:13
to God
28:14
by the
28:15
death
28:15
of his
28:15
son.
28:16
Much
28:17
more,
28:18
now that
28:18
we are
28:18
reconciled,
28:20
shall we
28:20
be saved
28:21
by his
28:21
life.
28:23
So good.
28:24
Chew on
28:24
those verses
28:25
today when
28:25
you go
28:25
home.
28:27
But you
28:28
see these
28:28
phrases that
28:29
are used
28:29
of a lost
28:30
person?
28:31
Without
28:32
Christ,
28:32
they are
28:32
ungodly,
28:34
they are
28:34
weak,
28:35
they are
28:36
enemies,
28:38
they are
28:38
sinners,
28:39
and they are
28:39
separated.
28:40
That is
28:41
all scary
28:42
news,
28:42
right?
28:43
But we
28:43
see that
28:44
Christ died
28:46
for us,
28:48
reconciled us
28:49
to God,
28:49
and made
28:49
us right
28:50
with God.
28:52
Beautiful
28:52
picture.
28:54
Okay?
28:54
So,
28:55
this is a
28:56
picture of
28:56
the work,
28:57
how God
28:58
provided his
28:58
grace for
28:59
us,
29:00
that he
29:00
sent Christ
29:01
to die
29:01
for us.
29:03
So listen
29:03
to this,
29:04
if you can,
29:05
just pull
29:05
in,
29:06
take this
29:07
in.
29:08
again,
29:10
it's in
29:10
God's
29:11
nature
29:11
to be
29:12
gracious.
29:14
So God
29:14
is not
29:15
gracious
29:15
to us
29:16
because
29:17
Jesus
29:18
died for
29:18
us.
29:20
Jesus
29:20
died for
29:21
us because
29:21
God is
29:22
gracious to
29:23
us.
29:24
You
29:24
follow that?
29:26
God is
29:26
not gracious
29:27
to us
29:27
because Christ
29:28
died for
29:29
us,
29:30
but Christ
29:31
died for
29:31
us because
29:32
God is
29:32
gracious.
29:33
gracious.
29:34
So it
29:35
is the
29:35
grace of
29:36
the Father
29:36
who initiated
29:38
with us
29:39
and that
29:39
Jesus came
29:40
and died
29:42
in our
29:42
place.
29:44
He is
29:44
how we
29:45
have the
29:45
grace of
29:46
God.
29:47
So in a
29:48
sense,
29:48
the reformers
29:49
were saying
29:49
that grace
29:50
isn't some
29:51
thing that
29:52
God just
29:53
sort of
29:54
throws out
29:54
to us.
29:56
He sent
29:56
us Christ
29:57
and in
29:57
Christ is
29:58
all the
29:58
grace we
29:59
need.
29:59
In
30:00
Christ,
30:00
not outside
30:01
of Christ.
30:04
So,
30:05
they were
30:06
saying we
30:08
can distort
30:09
the character
30:09
of the
30:09
Father.
30:10
He is
30:11
just,
30:11
he is
30:12
righteous,
30:12
but he
30:13
is also
30:13
gracious
30:13
and loving.
30:15
Right?
30:16
And that's
30:17
how we see
30:17
in Romans,
30:18
right,
30:18
that God
30:19
remained
30:19
just by
30:20
punishing
30:20
Christ,
30:21
but in
30:21
through that
30:22
he became
30:22
the justifier
30:23
of the
30:24
one who
30:24
had faith
30:25
in Christ.
30:28
Brings us
30:28
to our
30:28
third
30:29
question.
30:31
What is
30:32
the means
30:33
of receiving
30:34
God's
30:35
grace?
30:36
Alright,
30:37
look at
30:37
verses 8
30:38
and 9.
30:39
For by
30:40
grace you
30:40
have been
30:40
saved
30:41
through
30:41
faith,
30:42
and this
30:43
is not
30:43
your own
30:43
doing,
30:44
it is
30:44
the gift
30:44
of God,
30:46
not of
30:46
the result
30:47
of works,
30:48
so that
30:48
no one
30:49
may boast.
30:51
So,
30:52
as fallen
30:52
human beings,
30:53
we all
30:53
have a
30:54
tendency,
30:54
every one
30:54
of you,
30:55
and me,
30:56
we have a
30:56
tendency to
30:57
want to seek
30:58
to earn
30:58
God's favor.
30:59
behavior.
31:00
This is
31:01
how the
31:01
world operates
31:02
around us,
31:04
every day,
31:05
right?
31:06
Kids try to
31:07
be on good
31:07
behavior to
31:08
earn their
31:08
parents'
31:09
favor.
31:10
Students
31:11
work really
31:12
hard to
31:12
make good
31:13
grazing class.
31:14
You work
31:15
really hard
31:15
to make a
31:16
sports team
31:17
and perform
31:18
well at work
31:19
to hopefully
31:20
get a
31:20
promotion.
31:21
Our whole
31:22
life is
31:23
saturated with
31:24
performance-based
31:25
acceptance.
31:26
acceptance.
31:27
So,
31:27
very easily
31:28
that drips
31:29
into our
31:30
relationship
31:30
with God.
31:32
So,
31:32
if you
31:32
struggle with
31:33
that,
31:33
just know
31:33
that's
31:34
affecting,
31:35
you know,
31:35
your
31:36
understanding
31:36
of the
31:37
nature of
31:37
God,
31:39
right?
31:39
And it's
31:39
something that
31:40
the other
31:40
religions and
31:41
cults of the
31:42
world have
31:42
picked up on.
31:43
You know,
31:43
work your
31:44
way,
31:44
earn your
31:44
way to
31:45
God,
31:46
appease
31:46
Him some
31:47
way,
31:48
and that's
31:50
not how it
31:50
is.
31:51
The reality
31:52
is that God's
31:53
salvation is by
31:54
grace alone.
31:56
And that's a
31:57
message that the
31:58
whole world needs
31:58
to hear.
32:00
So,
32:00
God doesn't even
32:01
want you to
32:02
contribute 1%
32:03
of your
32:03
salvation so
32:05
that you have
32:05
no grounds
32:06
to boast,
32:07
right?
32:08
So,
32:09
imagine if
32:10
someone committed
32:10
the most
32:11
atrocious crime
32:12
to you,
32:13
towards you,
32:14
and then they
32:15
tried to make
32:15
amends by giving
32:16
you just a little
32:17
bit of money
32:17
for it.
32:19
You know,
32:19
that makes no
32:20
sense at all.
32:21
And that's how
32:21
we kind of act
32:22
with God,
32:23
that,
32:24
you know,
32:24
we can
32:24
disapace His
32:26
justice if we
32:26
just do a
32:27
few,
32:28
quote,
32:28
good things.
32:30
And that's
32:30
not how His
32:31
justice works.
32:33
Remember,
32:34
God's grace
32:35
means that His
32:36
unmerited favor
32:37
and goodness
32:37
towards those
32:38
who deserve
32:39
only punishment.
32:41
None of us
32:42
deserve it.
32:43
Again,
32:43
otherwise,
32:44
grace would
32:44
not be
32:45
grace.
32:46
And He is
32:46
not under
32:47
obligation to
32:48
show us
32:48
grace.
32:49
You should
32:49
hear that.
32:50
God is not
32:51
obligated to
32:52
show us
32:52
grace.
32:53
Exodus 33,
32:55
19,
32:57
also quoted
32:58
in Romans
32:58
9,
33:00
Lord,
33:00
the Lord
33:01
said,
33:01
I will be
33:01
gracious to
33:02
whom I
33:03
will be
33:03
gracious,
33:04
and I
33:05
will show
33:05
mercy on
33:05
whom I
33:06
will show
33:06
mercy.
33:08
Yet,
33:08
astonishingly,
33:09
astonishingly,
33:11
shockingly,
33:12
God did
33:13
choose to
33:14
show us
33:14
His grace.
33:15
And it
33:15
was a
33:15
gift,
33:16
a gift
33:17
of God
33:17
that we
33:17
read,
33:19
right?
33:19
That means
33:20
like the
33:21
faith,
33:22
the faith
33:23
itself is
33:24
a gift
33:24
of God
33:25
towards you.
33:28
So,
33:29
one commentator
33:30
I read,
33:30
he said,
33:31
faith is
33:32
simply breathing
33:33
the breath
33:34
that God's
33:34
grace provides.
33:36
Faith is
33:37
breathing the
33:38
breath that
33:38
God's grace
33:39
provides.
33:40
So we
33:41
cannot be
33:42
good enough,
33:43
we cannot
33:44
do enough
33:44
good works
33:45
to make
33:46
ourselves
33:47
right with
33:47
God.
33:48
we cannot.
33:50
So,
33:51
the only
33:52
way to
33:53
receive it
33:53
again is
33:54
by faith.
33:56
And God's
33:56
grace provides
33:57
this.
33:58
Question
33:59
number four.
34:01
Thanks for
34:01
bearing with
34:02
me,
34:02
I'm
34:02
struggling
34:02
right now.
34:05
Question
34:05
number four.
34:07
Why,
34:08
this is
34:08
important,
34:09
why did
34:10
God choose
34:11
to show
34:12
us His
34:12
grace?
34:14
Why?
34:16
See this
34:16
in verses
34:16
four and
34:17
seven.
34:18
God being
34:19
rich in
34:20
mercy
34:20
because of
34:23
the great
34:23
love which
34:24
He loved
34:24
us.
34:25
And in
34:26
verse seven,
34:27
so that in
34:27
the coming
34:28
age He
34:28
might show
34:29
the immeasurable
34:30
riches of
34:30
His grace
34:31
and kindness
34:32
towards us
34:33
in Christ
34:34
Jesus.
34:36
So,
34:37
it could
34:38
be said
34:38
that the
34:39
first two
34:40
words of
34:40
that are
34:41
so beautiful,
34:42
but God,
34:44
right?
34:45
though we
34:48
were helplessly
34:48
lost,
34:50
enslaved to
34:51
sin,
34:52
children of
34:52
the devil,
34:53
held captive
34:54
to do
34:54
His will,
34:56
hearts darkened
34:56
by sin,
34:58
minds
34:58
corrupted by
34:59
evil,
35:01
though we
35:02
had done
35:02
nothing but
35:03
rebel against
35:03
Him,
35:04
but God.
35:05
So,
35:07
why did
35:08
God choose
35:08
us to
35:08
show us
35:09
His grace?
35:09
Not because
35:10
we were
35:10
worthy,
35:11
not because
35:12
we cleaned
35:12
ourselves up
35:13
enough to
35:14
make ourselves
35:14
acceptable to
35:15
God,
35:16
not because
35:17
we earned
35:18
His favor,
35:20
we earned
35:21
only death,
35:22
Romans 6,
35:23
the wages of
35:23
sin is death,
35:25
right?
35:26
only because
35:29
of the
35:29
riches of
35:30
His mercy
35:31
and grace.
35:33
So,
35:33
this word,
35:34
this word
35:35
rich right
35:35
here that
35:36
you see,
35:37
it means
35:37
overabounding
35:38
without measure
35:40
in mercy
35:41
towards us.
35:43
So,
35:43
that is
35:45
God's mercy,
35:45
His pardoning,
35:46
His forgiving.
35:48
So,
35:48
then we read
35:49
because of
35:50
the great
35:51
love with
35:52
which He
35:52
loved us,
35:54
agape,
35:55
my favorite,
35:57
one of my
35:57
favorite words,
35:59
agape,
35:59
the highest
36:00
form of
36:01
love and
36:02
existence.
36:03
So,
36:04
it's not like,
36:04
I think most
36:05
of us can't
36:05
get our heads
36:06
around this.
36:07
I think we
36:08
minimize like
36:08
how great
36:09
this idea
36:10
of love is.
36:12
It's not
36:12
brotherly love.
36:14
It's not even
36:15
like the affection
36:16
that a marital
36:17
couple has
36:17
with each other.
36:19
It's higher
36:19
than that.
36:22
God in His
36:23
nature is by
36:24
definition,
36:25
love.
36:27
His love is
36:27
infinitely greater
36:28
than any human
36:29
love can express.
36:31
And,
36:32
this word,
36:34
in Greek
36:34
speaking culture,
36:36
back then,
36:37
it hardly ever
36:38
pops up.
36:40
It was never
36:40
really used a lot
36:41
because they
36:42
didn't really have
36:42
a right context
36:43
for it.
36:44
But the New
36:44
Testament,
36:46
it occurs
36:46
320 times,
36:49
speaking about
36:49
God's
36:50
self-sacrificing,
36:51
unconditional
36:52
love.
36:53
love.
36:54
So,
36:54
it's a love
36:55
not of human
36:56
origin.
36:58
Right?
36:58
Humans don't
36:59
have this kind
37:00
of love.
37:00
We don't
37:01
die for our
37:02
enemies.
37:04
Right?
37:06
This is only
37:07
the God type
37:08
love that
37:08
Christ died
37:09
for us
37:10
while we were
37:10
His enemies,
37:11
while we were
37:11
still sinners.
37:13
So,
37:14
listen to this.
37:15
You must have
37:15
a high view
37:16
of sin
37:17
and depravity
37:19
because if
37:20
you do,
37:20
it will
37:20
help you
37:21
magnify
37:21
the love
37:22
of God
37:23
much more
37:24
than those
37:25
who have
37:25
a low view
37:25
of sin.
37:27
If you
37:27
think that
37:27
you're actually
37:28
worthy of
37:29
God's love,
37:30
then God's
37:31
love is
37:31
puny.
37:33
But God's
37:34
love is
37:34
magnified
37:35
because He
37:35
chose to
37:36
love that
37:37
which was
37:37
unlovable.
37:40
Us.
37:41
Right?
37:42
It's so much
37:43
more beautiful,
37:43
so much more
37:44
glorious when
37:46
we see that
37:46
He just simply
37:47
chose to
37:48
love us,
37:49
not because
37:50
we deserve
37:50
it.
37:51
Right?
37:53
It says that
37:54
in 1 John
37:54
does it not?
37:56
We love
37:56
why?
37:57
Because He
37:57
first loved
37:58
us.
38:00
Right?
38:01
So that He
38:02
might show
38:02
the immeasurable
38:03
riches of
38:04
His grace.
38:05
Each one of
38:06
you who are
38:06
in Christ,
38:07
you're a
38:07
trophy of
38:09
God's grace.
38:10
I like to
38:11
deer hunt.
38:12
I've only
38:13
killed a couple
38:13
of big bucks.
38:14
I only mounted
38:15
one of them,
38:15
and that's my
38:16
trophy.
38:16
I don't even
38:16
have it in my
38:17
house,
38:17
in my parents'
38:17
house.
38:19
My brother
38:20
is a deer
38:20
slayer,
38:21
though.
38:21
He has
38:21
like,
38:23
deers all
38:23
over the
38:24
wall,
38:25
massive
38:25
deers.
38:27
And,
38:28
not a
38:30
direct
38:31
connection,
38:32
but each
38:32
one of us
38:32
who are in
38:33
Christ,
38:33
we are a
38:33
trophy of
38:35
God's grace.
38:36
We are a
38:37
trophy of
38:38
God's goodness.
38:40
Why,
38:40
each one of
38:41
us have
38:41
been changed
38:42
and redeemed
38:43
by Christ.
38:45
We are a
38:45
trophy of
38:46
grace,
38:47
each one of
38:48
us.
38:49
So,
38:50
this is the
38:51
last place I
38:52
want you to
38:52
look,
38:53
but just flip
38:54
over to
38:55
Ephesians 1.
38:55
I'm trying to
38:56
keep you in
38:56
Ephesians.
38:57
Ephesians 1,
38:59
verse 5.
39:04
And we see
39:04
this, that God
39:05
did this to the
39:06
praise of His
39:06
glory.
39:08
Sola
39:09
Dei
39:09
Gloria.
39:09
says,
39:13
in love,
39:13
He predestined
39:14
us for
39:14
adoption as
39:15
sons through
39:16
Jesus Christ,
39:17
according to
39:18
the purpose
39:19
of His
39:19
will,
39:21
listen to this,
39:21
to the praise
39:22
of His
39:22
glorious grace
39:24
with which He
39:25
has blessed us
39:26
in the
39:26
beloved.
39:28
In Him,
39:28
we have
39:29
redemption
39:29
through His
39:30
blood,
39:30
the forgiveness
39:31
of our
39:32
trespasses,
39:33
according to
39:34
the riches
39:34
of His
39:35
grace,
39:36
which He
39:36
lavished upon
39:37
us in all
39:38
wisdom and
39:39
insight,
39:40
making known
39:41
to us the
39:41
mystery of
39:42
His will,
39:43
according to
39:44
His purpose,
39:46
which He
39:46
set forth
39:47
in Christ,
39:48
as a plan
39:49
for the
39:50
fullness of
39:50
time to
39:51
unite all
39:51
things in
39:52
Him,
39:52
things in
39:53
heaven and
39:54
things on
39:54
earth.
39:56
So,
39:57
He did
39:57
this for
39:58
the praise
39:59
of His
39:59
glorious
39:59
grace.
40:01
That's
40:01
mind-blowing
40:02
to me.
40:03
But listen
40:04
to this,
40:04
if God's
40:05
glory is at
40:06
stake here,
40:08
that's
40:09
huge,
40:09
because it
40:10
means that
40:10
He won't
40:11
suffer His
40:12
glory to
40:12
be diminished.
40:14
Okay,
40:14
so that leads
40:15
us to the
40:16
fifth thing,
40:17
the last
40:17
question.
40:19
How should
40:20
we respond
40:21
to God's
40:23
grace?
40:24
How should
40:25
we respond
40:26
to God's
40:26
grace?
40:28
In a way,
40:29
in verse
40:29
10,
40:31
back in
40:31
chapter 2,
40:33
it says that
40:33
we are His
40:33
workmanship,
40:34
created in
40:35
Christ Jesus
40:35
for good
40:36
works,
40:36
which He
40:36
prepared
40:37
beforehand
40:38
that we
40:39
should walk
40:39
in them.
40:41
So,
40:42
I think
40:43
each one of
40:44
us would
40:44
find ourselves
40:45
in one
40:45
of these
40:46
two
40:46
positions,
40:47
naturally
40:48
speaking.
40:49
We would
40:50
find that
40:50
our natural
40:51
tendency is
40:51
either to
40:52
drift away
40:54
from God's
40:54
grace with
40:56
either legalism
40:57
or licentiousness.
40:59
We either
40:59
de-appreciate
41:01
God's grace.
41:02
this is
41:04
sad.
41:05
So,
41:05
let's just
41:06
unpack this.
41:07
These are
41:07
two wrong
41:08
responses
41:08
to God's
41:10
grace that
41:11
each one of
41:12
us will
41:12
find ourselves
41:13
in at
41:13
some point.
41:15
The first
41:15
one is
41:16
the cheap
41:17
grace
41:19
mentality.
41:20
We look at
41:20
God's grace
41:21
and we treat
41:22
it like it
41:22
wasn't costly,
41:23
like it's
41:23
not valuable.
41:26
Many of
41:27
you may
41:28
have found
41:28
yourself in
41:28
this position.
41:30
This was
41:30
the story of
41:31
my life.
41:32
If you
41:33
ever heard
41:33
me tell
41:34
you my
41:34
story,
41:35
it would
41:35
be filled
41:36
with this
41:36
kind of
41:36
stuff.
41:38
Or we
41:39
say,
41:39
grace,
41:40
that's
41:41
awesome.
41:41
Boy,
41:41
I'm glad
41:42
I'm
41:42
saved,
41:42
so no
41:42
matter
41:43
what I
41:43
do now,
41:44
I'm
41:45
okay with
41:45
God.
41:46
I've
41:46
got my
41:46
get out
41:46
of hell
41:47
free ticket
41:47
because of
41:48
God's
41:49
grace and
41:49
now I
41:50
can send
41:50
all I
41:51
want to.
41:52
I
41:52
thought
41:52
that way
41:53
for years.
41:56
So,
41:57
as long
41:57
as I
41:58
go to
41:58
church on
41:59
Sunday and
41:59
Wednesday
42:00
and try
42:02
to go
42:02
do the
42:03
thing,
42:03
get baptized,
42:05
join the
42:05
church,
42:06
I'm
42:06
okay.
42:08
Yet,
42:09
if that's
42:10
you this
42:10
morning,
42:12
know that
42:13
Scripture
42:13
says that a
42:15
lot of people
42:15
are deceived
42:16
into thinking
42:17
they belong
42:18
to Christ
42:19
and they
42:19
are not.
42:20
2 Corinthians
42:22
13.5,
42:23
a verse I
42:23
had never
42:23
read until
42:24
about ten
42:27
years ago
42:28
when I
42:28
became a
42:28
believer.
42:30
It says,
42:31
examine
42:31
yourselves to
42:32
see whether
42:32
or not you
42:32
are in the
42:33
faith.
42:34
Test
42:35
yourselves.
42:36
Well, I
42:37
was told not
42:37
to doubt
42:38
myself, so I'm
42:38
not going to
42:39
listen to
42:39
that.
42:40
I pray my
42:40
prayers, I'm
42:41
good.
42:42
No, he
42:43
says test
42:43
yourself to
42:44
see if you
42:45
are in
42:46
the faith.
42:46
And I
42:48
had no
42:49
love of
42:50
God.
42:50
If you
42:51
had watched
42:51
my life, I
42:52
had no fear
42:52
of God.
42:54
And that's
42:54
the tragedy
42:55
of the Bible
42:56
belt in a
42:56
lot of ways,
42:57
that we are
42:58
so accustomed
42:58
to the good
42:59
news that it's
43:00
really just
43:00
dull and old
43:01
news to us.
43:03
And so, if you
43:03
find yourself
43:04
there, if you
43:05
can walk up
43:06
to Jesus,
43:09
hang on the
43:10
cross, and
43:12
say to Him,
43:12
I know that
43:13
you're suffering
43:13
now from my
43:14
sin, and
43:16
that you're
43:16
dying wish is
43:17
that I go
43:18
and sin no
43:18
more, but
43:20
there's just
43:20
one need I
43:21
have that
43:21
can only be
43:22
fulfilled by
43:22
sinning.
43:24
So I hope
43:24
you understand
43:25
as I thrust
43:26
this sword
43:27
into your
43:27
side.
43:31
So now I'm
43:32
glad that
43:32
your blood
43:33
forgives me
43:33
because I'm
43:34
doing this.
43:36
Those who
43:36
are born of
43:37
God cannot
43:38
think that
43:38
way.
43:40
Cannot
43:40
think that
43:41
way.
43:42
If you see
43:43
God's grace
43:44
as a license
43:44
to sin,
43:45
hear this,
43:46
Paul says
43:47
in Romans
43:47
6,
43:49
what shall
43:49
we say
43:49
then?
43:50
Will we
43:50
continue that
43:51
grace may
43:51
abound?
43:53
By no
43:53
means.
43:55
How can
43:55
we who
43:56
died to
43:56
sin still
43:57
live in
43:58
it?
43:59
Your sin
44:00
killed Christ,
44:01
right?
44:02
We can't be
44:03
friends with it
44:03
any longer.
44:05
And if that's
44:05
how you think,
44:06
just advance
44:06
at your own
44:07
peril.
44:07
You're getting
44:08
a warning
44:08
this morning.
44:09
Stop and
44:10
look at your
44:11
life.
44:12
That is not
44:13
the right way
44:13
to respond
44:14
to the
44:14
grace of
44:15
God.
44:17
Paul actually
44:17
says later
44:18
on,
44:18
Romans 3,
44:19
8,
44:20
if you
44:20
think this
44:21
way,
44:22
let us
44:22
sin that
44:23
good may
44:23
come,
44:24
he says,
44:25
as some
44:25
slanderously
44:26
charge us,
44:27
he says,
44:27
your condemnation
44:28
is just,
44:30
if we think
44:30
this way.
44:34
So,
44:35
that's the
44:35
first wrong
44:36
response.
44:37
To treat
44:37
the precious
44:38
blood of
44:38
Christ is
44:39
cheap.
44:39
the second
44:41
wrong response,
44:42
which is just
44:43
as bad,
44:44
is legalism.
44:46
There's so
44:47
much talk
44:48
about legalism.
44:49
I think most
44:50
people can't
44:50
even really
44:51
properly define
44:52
it.
44:53
But in our
44:55
case,
44:56
we're going
44:57
to say that
44:57
it's an attempt
44:58
to basically
44:58
improve upon
45:00
the grace
45:01
of God.
45:02
Like,
45:02
I like God's
45:03
grace,
45:03
but I want
45:04
to make sure
45:04
that I still
45:05
add a little
45:05
bit of my
45:06
own goodness
45:06
into it,
45:07
just in
45:08
case.
45:08
I want
45:09
to have
45:10
Christ plus
45:11
some good
45:11
things to
45:13
my account.
45:15
And that
45:15
is making
45:16
a mockery
45:16
of the
45:18
sacrifice of
45:18
Christ.
45:19
It's a slap
45:19
in the face
45:20
of God
45:20
to say
45:22
that the
45:22
blood of
45:23
His Son
45:23
was not
45:24
enough.
45:26
Alright?
45:27
You cannot
45:27
add or
45:28
try to improve
45:29
the grace
45:30
of God.
45:31
Christ's
45:32
death was
45:33
sufficient.
45:35
Okay?
45:36
So,
45:37
I'm going
45:37
to try to
45:37
spend the
45:38
rest of
45:38
this time
45:38
on our
45:40
right
45:40
response.
45:42
Alright?
45:42
So,
45:42
here's a
45:42
few things,
45:43
I think,
45:44
four things
45:45
that can
45:46
kind of,
45:47
what's the
45:47
right response
45:48
to the
45:49
grace of
45:49
God?
45:50
For one,
45:52
is
45:52
obedience.
45:55
Listen to
45:55
this.
45:56
Saving grace
45:57
not only
45:57
sets us
45:58
free from
45:59
spiritual
45:59
bondage,
46:01
but at the
46:02
same,
46:02
saving grace
46:03
also transforms
46:04
our lives
46:05
into joyful
46:06
obedience.
46:06
obedience.
46:08
Alright?
46:09
Saving grace
46:10
not only
46:11
sets us
46:11
free from
46:11
spiritual
46:12
bondage,
46:12
but it
46:13
transforms
46:13
our lives
46:14
into joyful
46:15
obedience.
46:17
Good works
46:17
don't earn
46:18
God's grace
46:19
for us,
46:19
but the
46:21
church has
46:21
taught for a
46:22
long time,
46:23
the Protestant
46:24
evangelical
46:24
church,
46:26
the good works
46:26
aren't the
46:27
means of
46:27
salvation,
46:28
but they're
46:28
the fruit of
46:29
salvation,
46:30
the evidence
46:30
of salvation.
46:31
we want
46:32
to serve
46:33
God.
46:34
Our hearts
46:35
are changed.
46:36
So that is
46:37
the outflow,
46:38
is a desire
46:39
to want to
46:40
follow God.
46:41
There's a
46:41
change in
46:41
your heart.
46:43
I want
46:43
to do
46:44
what he
46:44
says,
46:44
not that I
46:45
have to
46:45
or whatever,
46:47
it's a
46:47
desire
46:48
change.
46:51
Joyful
46:51
obedience,
46:52
not legal
46:53
obedience.
46:55
Another
46:55
thing that
46:56
it accomplishes
46:56
is humility.
46:58
humility.
47:00
So humility
47:01
in this case
47:02
isn't just
47:02
trying to
47:03
feel small
47:04
or feel
47:04
useless
47:05
or inferior,
47:07
but it's
47:09
this idea
47:10
that God
47:12
is so great,
47:13
so majestic,
47:13
so glorious
47:14
in his grace
47:16
and we see
47:17
ourselves in
47:18
light of that.
47:20
So we're
47:21
humbled by
47:22
the knowledge
47:22
that such a
47:23
holy,
47:24
righteous God
47:24
would show
47:25
us grace.
47:26
That should
47:26
make us
47:27
just feel
47:27
overwhelmed,
47:29
completely
47:29
humbled,
47:31
humbled at
47:31
that reality
47:32
that he
47:32
would show
47:33
such amazing
47:33
grace to
47:34
us in
47:35
Christ Jesus.
47:35
Like,
47:36
why?
47:36
Why?
47:37
Why?
47:38
Why me?
47:39
Why you?
47:41
Right?
47:43
No sense
47:44
of entitlement.
47:45
It's a
47:46
humbling
47:46
reality.
47:47
God's grace
47:47
humbles us.
47:50
And this
47:50
is a great
47:50
one.
47:52
Assurance.
47:53
Okay?
47:54
Another
47:54
response.
47:56
Assurance.
47:57
Because salvation
47:59
began as a
48:00
work of God's
48:01
grace,
48:01
it's also
48:02
going to be
48:03
brought to
48:03
completion by
48:04
God's grace.
48:06
God's,
48:07
the same
48:07
sovereign grace
48:08
that saved us
48:09
is the grace
48:09
that leads us
48:11
home.
48:12
Right?
48:12
That's what
48:13
Newton said.
48:14
It was grace
48:15
that taught my
48:16
heart to fear,
48:17
in grace my
48:18
fears relieved.
48:20
How precious
48:21
did the grace
48:22
appear the hour
48:23
I first
48:24
believed.
48:25
Christ.
48:26
So,
48:28
he will
48:28
finish it.
48:30
Paul says,
48:30
I am confident
48:31
that he who
48:33
began the
48:34
good work in
48:34
you will
48:35
bring it to
48:37
completion at
48:37
the day of
48:38
Christ Jesus.
48:40
Humans are
48:41
notorious for
48:41
starting projects
48:42
they can't
48:43
finish.
48:44
I'm the best
48:44
example.
48:47
And it's
48:48
usually either
48:48
a lack of
48:49
resources or
48:50
lack of
48:50
desire to
48:52
finish a
48:52
project,
48:53
lack of
48:54
time,
48:55
whatever.
48:56
God lacks
48:57
none of those
48:57
things to
48:58
finish what
48:58
he starts.
48:59
He always
49:00
finishes what
49:00
he starts.
49:02
And so,
49:03
take comfort
49:04
in that
49:04
reality that
49:05
grace started
49:06
this and
49:06
grace is
49:06
going to
49:07
finish it.
49:08
And then
49:09
lastly,
49:09
worship.
49:11
As we find
49:11
our minds
49:12
expanded by
49:13
the grace
49:13
of God,
49:14
our hearts
49:15
should
49:15
correspondingly
49:16
be enlarged
49:17
for love
49:17
for him,
49:19
for what
49:19
Christ has
49:19
done.
49:20
So,
49:21
we should
49:21
fall at
49:22
Christ's
49:22
feet and
49:23
worship because
49:24
of the
49:25
greatness of
49:26
this grace.
49:28
2 Corinthians
49:29
9,
49:30
listen to
49:30
this,
49:31
he just
49:31
says,
49:33
because of
49:33
the surpassing
49:34
grace of
49:34
God that
49:35
is upon
49:35
us,
49:37
thanks be
49:38
to God
49:38
for his
49:39
inexpressible
49:39
gift.
49:41
Grace is
49:42
an inexpressible
49:43
gift of
49:44
God.
49:45
And I
49:46
hope that
49:46
you're taking
49:48
comfort in
49:48
these realities
49:49
that salvation
49:50
and our
49:50
acceptance,
49:51
our standing
49:52
with God
49:52
is solely
49:54
based on
49:54
his grace,
49:56
his unmerited
49:57
goodness
49:59
and favor
50:00
towards us
50:01
who don't
50:02
deserve it
50:03
at all.
50:07
Join me
50:08
in prayer.