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Romans 8:13-17 · Providence Baptist Church - Sermons

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All right. Well, I was going to suggest the same, but I didn't know how to, so I'm glad Wes decided to do that.
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I'm thankful for talented musicians. I think it's rather amazing that Wes broke a string or two, maybe, I heard.
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And that was his harmonica guitar playing debut, and he carried on just the same.
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So we appreciate that, Wes. A very good morning to you.
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If you'll take out your copy of God's Word and turn with me to Romans chapter 8.
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But it's very, very good to be back with you today.
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You may or may not know this, but I wasn't here last week because I had a stomach bug,
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and I appreciate the concern and the prayers of everyone who knew that and was worried about me.
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Please keep praying for our family. You may notice that the rest of my family is not here this morning.
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Our house over the past couple of weeks has kind of felt like a health clinic and not a home.
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We have another little guy sick now.
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Cademan yesterday, we took him to the park, and rather than his normal joyful self to be at the park,
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he walked around with his arms hanging like this and just walked around,
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at which point we thought, something's wrong with Cade.
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And got him home, and he had 103 temperature.
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We laid him down at 12.15, and he took a five-hour nap.
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And we went back in and checked on him at 5.15.
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And, I mean, I don't know how much he actually slept during all that time.
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We went in there, and he was laying on his back in his crib, just staring at the ceiling.
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And so we've given him medication.
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He's doing much, much better this morning.
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But that's where the family is, and we're ready for a little relief from illness around our house.
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So please keep them in your prayers.
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Let's read this text together.
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This morning, I'm going to be focusing our attention on verses 14 through 17,
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but I want to include in our reading verse 13.
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I really want these five verses, and although I'm going to be focusing on four of them,
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I want you to include verse 13 in your minds.
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I really want you to take these home and meditate on them, carry them with you in the coming weeks.
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I believe it'll have a profound effect on your life if you do.
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So let's read together, beginning chapter 8, verse 13.
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For if you live according to the flesh, you will die.
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But if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
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For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
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For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear,
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but you have received the spirit of adoption as a son by whom we cry, Abba, Father.
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The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.
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And if children, then heirs.
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Heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him,
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in order that we may also be glorified with him.
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Please join me in prayer.
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Father God, we thank you for the blessing of your word.
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We thank you that you sent us Christ, your word embodied.
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And we also thank you for the written word that we can study this morning.
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And I pray, Father, that today the truths of these four verses will not be lost on us.
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That they will affect us in a deep way.
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And an understanding of who we are in Christ will cause us to live as Christ lived.
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In spite of all my preparation, I am incapable of changing hearts.
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No amazing thing I can say or say anything in an amazing way
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will cause anyone to think any differently unless your spirit intercedes.
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So I pray, Father, that you will do so this morning.
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That you will be at work in our lives.
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That we will all believe the truth of your word this morning.
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And I pray this in the precious name of Christ.
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Amen.
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So, Paul in chapter 8 has been talking to us about life in the Spirit.
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What that looks like.
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We have been justified by faith and we now have the Spirit of God.
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And how is it that our life should look in light of the great truth of the Gospel?
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And how is it that we live by the Spirit?
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And he turns to kind of conclude that section to speak of our sonship.
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This great doctrine of our adoption as sons in Christ.
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And it is a precious, precious truth.
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And so, I want to show you from these four verses, verses 14 through 17 this morning, three things.
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Number one, if you have placed your faith in Christ, then you are a son of God.
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If you have placed your faith, saving faith, in the personal work of Jesus Christ,
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then you are counted as a son of God.
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And you have His Spirit dwelling within you.
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The Spirit of God then dwells within you and you are a son of God.
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So, how is it that we live righteously before God?
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It is by His Spirit.
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Because we will be led by Him if we are sons of God.
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The parallel text to this text is found in Galatians 4, verses 4 through 6.
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And it reads,
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But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of woman, born under the law,
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to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.
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And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
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So you are no longer a slave, but a son.
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And if a son, then an heir through God.
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So we see that the Spirit generates within us two changes in our attitude toward God.
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We see that we are no longer slaves, but sons.
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Our text in Romans says,
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We did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall into fear,
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but we received the spirit of adoption as sons.
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And so we see this change that's generated within us.
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Number one, we now have, as Christians, a humble submission to Jesus' Lordship.
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A humble submission to Jesus' Lordship.
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In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul wrote,
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Therefore, I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says,
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Jesus is accursed.
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And no one can say, Jesus is Lord, except in the Holy Spirit.
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So the Spirit of God generates in us this new attitude toward Christ.
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We recognize humbly that Jesus is Lord.
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We can't do so otherwise.
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And we submit to that Lordship.
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Number two, the Spirit generates within us a bold and childlike confidence.
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In Mark 14, 36, Jesus says,
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Abba, Father, all things are possible for you.
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Remove this cup from me, yet not what I will, but what you will.
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And we know this is the prayer he prays in the Garden of Gethsemane,
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before he's to be delivered to Pilate to be crucified.
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Abba, Father, all things are possible for you.
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And here's where Paul is borrowing this language,
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this terminology of Abba, Father.
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It's this bold, childlike confidence.
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The word Abba is actually the Hebrew word,
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which you've probably commonly heard as Daddy.
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was that endearing term that Jewish people called their fathers, Daddy.
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And I recognize fully now as a father,
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and as a father of a son who says Daddy to me,
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that he's laying a claim on me when he says Daddy.
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I am Cade's provider, and I'm his protector.
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When Cade comes to me and says Daddy,
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he's coming to me because he knows that I love him,
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and I want what's best for him.
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When Cade's doing his own thing,
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he never includes me in that process.
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But when Cade needs the love of his father,
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he comes to me saying Daddy.
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The English word we have here for father in this phrase,
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Abba, Father, is the Greek word pater.
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And it means literally father in the Greek,
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but that terminology would have been
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giving the great reverence and respect
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that a father deserved.
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So this Abba, Father,
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is as if what we're claiming when we say this
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is that He is mine, God is mine, Abba,
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and I am His Father.
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What a precious truth.
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If we could just take hold of that
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and believe it this day,
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believe our lives would look radically different.
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Another way we can say this,
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as we saw in 1 Corinthians 12, 3,
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Jesus is Lord and God is my Father.
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What a great thing to proclaim.
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And out of this humble confidence,
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we're empowered to live
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as the children of God ought to.
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Now, ladies, it's important for you
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to see and understand
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that Paul is not being sexist
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when he speaks of our adoption.
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As sons.
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The Roman Greek understanding of adoption
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played a major part
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in his writing here.
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Adoption was something
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that was incredibly important
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in this culture.
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And someone who was adopted
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could not be unadopted.
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Did you know that's the case
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with our adoption laws?
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That when a child is adopted,
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that child can never be unadopted.
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A child,
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if I was in a situation
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where I could no longer care for Cade,
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I could drop him off someplace
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and say,
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I no longer could be this child's father.
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But if I were to have adopted Cade,
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I can't do that any longer.
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The law does not permit me
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to unfather that child.
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Substantial for our understanding
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of who we are in Christ.
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That there is nothing
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and no one
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that can take us out of his hand.
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We have been adopted.
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It has been sealed for us
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forever
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to be sons of God.
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Now,
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in the Greek culture,
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being a son of a father
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meant a lot.
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It meant that you were to be
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a herald of the father.
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You were to be
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a reflection
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of who the father was.
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You were meant
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to show the father's character
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in the community.
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In the same way,
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as Christians,
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we are called
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to do just that.
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to show the world
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who our father is
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by properly reflecting
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his character.
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And we'll speak about that
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more in a moment.
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But it was
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a substantial thing
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to understand
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that when
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a son
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was adopted,
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he was asked
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to do the very same thing.
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So the father
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had come
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to this orphan child
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and adopted the son
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and given him
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the full rights
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to his inheritance
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and to the bearing
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of his character
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as one who wasn't adopted.
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So ladies,
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you are,
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in this cultural context,
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a son of God.
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You want to be
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a son of God.
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Paul wasn't sexist,
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but he was speaking
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to a very masculine-dominated
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culture.
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So he was using
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the language
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that they would have understood
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and would have found precious.
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the ladies
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who read this letter
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or had this letter read
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to them
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would have said,
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me,
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a son
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of God,
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would have been
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substantial
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and mind-blowing
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for them.
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So as
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the sons of God,
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number two,
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if you are
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a son of God,
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then
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you will live
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as a son of God.
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That's the implication here.
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We see,
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verse 14,
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that those who are led
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by the Spirit
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of God
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are sons
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of God.
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Now,
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what he's trying to give us
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is some empirical data,
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some way that we can observe
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who the sons of God are.
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Those who are led
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by the Spirit
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into righteousness,
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verse 13,
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to put to death
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the deeds of the body,
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those who are
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killing sin
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and living to God,
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those are sons of God.
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That's the exterior measure
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of that thing.
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But that is not
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what makes us sons.
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Living like sons
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does not make us sons.
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Being sons
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causes us
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to live
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like sons.
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You know,
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it's one of my great
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struggles
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to find the perfect analogy.
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And I always say to you
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that analogies
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always fall short.
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And they often do.
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And so,
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if you're trying to come up
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with a great analogy
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for this,
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and I've had a few
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that came closer
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than others,
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and I think the favorite
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one that came into my head,
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as you can see,
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I'm attempting
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to grow a beard.
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I don't know
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that I'm doing
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a great job of it,
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but certainly,
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growing a beard
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does not make me a man.
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But being a man,
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I can grow a beard.
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Now,
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that falls short
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because not all men
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can grow beards.
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Some men
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I respect deeply.
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Wes,
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being one of them,
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gave it a good shot
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for seven months,
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and it was bad.
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But he's a man
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I respect.
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So the analogy
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falls short.
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But here's another one
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for you.
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This is a rock.
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And the rock
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always does its job
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perfectly.
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Without fail,
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this rock,
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I'm going to try
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to set it up the edge
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here so you can see it,
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this rock
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is just sitting here.
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Doing the very thing
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that this rock
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was created
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to do.
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This is what it was doing
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when I found it
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in the parking lot.
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Doing nothing else.
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But the fact that
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this rock
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is just sitting here
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does not make it a rock,
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but it's a rock,
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therefore it just sits here.
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Are you with me
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on that?
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Now,
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there are some
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exterior things
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we can see
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about the rock
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that let us know
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it's a rock.
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This rock
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is just sitting here
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would be one.
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It's gray.
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The fact that it's
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not jumping around
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in trees
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lets me know
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it's not a squirrel.
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There are things
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I can observe about it
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and say,
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that's a rock
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fit for my analogy
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this morning.
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I will pick it up
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and take it inside
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with me.
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And I should have
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washed it off.
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It's getting my Bible
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all dirty.
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But nonetheless,
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we can observe
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that it's a rock.
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But it's because
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it's a rock
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that it does
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its job perfectly.
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It just does
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what it was made
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to do.
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And that's how
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we should be
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like the rock.
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As sons of God,
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we should live
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as the sons of God.
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Now,
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of course,
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we carry around
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the baggage
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of our flesh.
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It's the point
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that Paul's making
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in verse 13
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that we should be
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putting to death
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those things in us.
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That flesh,
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those deeds.
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We should be putting
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that to death
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and living to God.
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It's the great
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truth that someday
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will be delivered
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from our body
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of flesh
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that should be
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so profound
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in your life.
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If you understand
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how you ought
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to live,
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how your life
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should look,
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and how vastly
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you fail at that,
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being delivered
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from that someday
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should blow
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your mind.
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Someday,
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my body
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will be glorified
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and I will be
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set free
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from this
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weight
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of my flesh.
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So,
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how does it look?
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What should our lives
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be looking like
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as the sons
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of God?
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Number one,
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we should be
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putting to death
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the deeds of the flesh.
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Verse 13,
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as I showed you,
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and a couple of weeks
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ago I showed you
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that if we're going
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to put off
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the old self,
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we must put on
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the new.
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We must live
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to God.
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And we have a great
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example of that
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in Christ.
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The only man
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who ever lived
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a sinless life.
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Let's take our
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cues from Him.
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And let's live
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in righteousness.
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And number two,
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and here in our text,
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we will suffer
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as Christ
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suffered.
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You see there
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in verse 17,
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we'll be heirs
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with Christ
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provided we suffer
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with Him
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in order that we
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may also
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be glorified
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with Him.
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We're going to
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celebrate that
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this week,
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aren't we,
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on Good Friday?
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The ultimate
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and final
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suffering of Christ
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on the cross,
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the bearing of
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God's wrath
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for our sin.
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Let's look
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quickly
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in the Scriptures.
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I'll encourage you
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to jot these down.
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What was said
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of suffering,
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that those
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who are sons
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of God,
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Christians,
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will suffer,
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Jesus said it
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in Luke 9,
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23,
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if anyone
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would come
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after me,
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let him deny
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himself and
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take up his
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cross daily
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and follow me.
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That verse
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has nothing
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to do with
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dieting
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or any of
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the other
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various things
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we want to
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apply it to
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in our life.
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That's not a
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cross.
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A cross is
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where you die.
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A cross is
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where you
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suffer and
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bleed out.
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It's not
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the place
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where we
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inconvenience
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ourselves
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slightly
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for our
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Savior.
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Paul said it,
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2 Timothy 3,
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12,
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Indeed,
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all who
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desire to
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live a
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godly life
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in Christ
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Jesus
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will be
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persecuted.
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The author
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of Hebrews
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said it,
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Hebrews 12,
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6 and 7,
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For the Lord
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disciplines the
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one he loves
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and chastises
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every son
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whom he receives.
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It is for
18:25
discipline that
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you have to
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endure.
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God is
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treating you
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as sons.
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For what
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son is there
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whom his
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father does
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not
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discipline?
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Peter said
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it,
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1 Peter 4,
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13,
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But rejoice
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insofar as
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you share
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Christ's
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sufferings,
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that you
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may also
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rejoice and
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be glad
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when his
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glory is
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revealed.
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Take joy
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in the fact
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that you
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suffer in
18:52
this world
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because it
18:54
is evidence,
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that's what
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he's saying,
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it is evidence
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that you are
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a son of
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God.
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Because if
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you suffer
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now,
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you will
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one day
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rejoice and
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be glad
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at the
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revelation
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of his
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glory.
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Because
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you're
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a son
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of God.
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And what
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kind of
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suffering is
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he speaking
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of here?
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I believe
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all kinds.
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The
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persecution,
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calamity,
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disease,
19:19
death,
19:19
those things
19:20
that sin
19:22
bought the
19:22
world.
19:24
We ought
19:25
to suffer
19:26
all the
19:27
time in
19:27
this world.
19:29
Look at
19:29
the following
19:29
verses in
19:30
Romans later.
19:32
As the
19:32
creation
19:33
groans,
19:34
for the
19:35
return of
19:35
Christ,
19:36
so should
19:36
we.
19:37
This world
19:38
ought to
19:38
feel so
19:38
foreign and
19:39
strange to
19:40
us that
19:41
we long
19:42
for Christ
19:43
to return
19:44
and set
19:45
all things
19:45
right.
19:48
Suffering
19:48
ought to be
19:49
a part of
19:50
our daily
19:51
activity.
19:52
Living in
19:52
a place that
19:53
we don't
19:54
belong.
19:56
On top
19:57
of that,
19:58
we're going
19:59
to deal
19:59
with
20:00
sicknesses.
20:01
My family
20:02
is going
20:02
through that
20:02
now.
20:03
consequence
20:04
of the
20:06
fall.
20:06
We're going
20:07
to deal
20:07
with
20:08
persecution.
20:09
If you
20:10
live godly
20:11
in this
20:11
world,
20:12
people will
20:12
not like
20:13
you for
20:13
it.
20:15
You will
20:15
be either
20:16
the fragrance
20:17
of life
20:18
or you'll
20:19
be the
20:20
fragrance
20:20
of death.
20:21
And those
20:21
who are
20:21
dying do
20:23
not like
20:24
that.
20:25
You will
20:26
be
20:27
persecuted.
20:29
how do
20:31
we
20:31
bear up
20:31
under
20:32
that
20:32
kind
20:33
of
20:33
thing?
20:34
How do
20:34
we
20:34
live in
20:35
this
20:35
world
20:35
so
20:36
uncomfortable?
20:38
What he's
20:39
trying to
20:39
tell us,
20:40
right?
20:41
Because we're
20:41
sons of
20:41
God.
20:42
And if
20:42
we're
20:43
sons of
20:43
God,
20:44
then we're
20:45
co-heirs
20:45
with Christ.
20:48
We are,
20:49
as he is
20:50
an inheritor
20:50
of God,
20:51
we are
20:51
also
20:52
inheritors.
20:55
Verse 16,
20:56
the Spirit
20:58
bears witness
20:59
that we're
20:59
children of
21:00
God,
21:00
and if
21:00
children,
21:01
then heirs.
21:02
Heirs of
21:02
God and
21:03
fellow
21:03
heirs with
21:05
Christ.
21:05
What are
21:06
we heirs
21:06
of?
21:07
We're
21:07
heirs of
21:08
a limitless
21:09
inheritance.
21:11
And I'm
21:11
going to
21:12
answer that
21:12
more completely,
21:13
at least in
21:14
part.
21:14
I don't
21:15
even know
21:15
if this
21:16
is a
21:16
complete
21:16
answer to
21:17
what we're
21:18
heirs of,
21:18
but at
21:19
least in
21:19
part.
21:21
This is
21:21
point number
21:21
three,
21:22
by the way.
21:22
If you're
21:22
a son of
21:23
God,
21:23
then you
21:23
have a
21:23
limitless
21:24
inheritance.
21:25
And there's
21:26
three things
21:26
we inherit
21:27
at least.
21:29
Number one,
21:30
the world.
21:32
Romans 4,
21:32
13,
21:34
Paul wrote,
21:34
for the promise
21:35
to Abraham
21:35
and his
21:36
offspring that
21:37
he would be
21:37
heir of
21:38
the world
21:39
did not
21:39
come through
21:40
the law,
21:40
but through
21:41
the righteousness
21:41
of faith.
21:44
And so if
21:44
you have placed
21:45
your faith in
21:45
Christ,
21:46
you're a
21:46
co-heir with
21:48
Abraham,
21:49
and Abraham
21:49
was promised
21:50
what?
21:51
The world.
21:53
Psalm 24,
21:53
1 says,
21:54
the earth
21:55
is the
21:55
Lord's
21:56
and the
21:56
fullness
21:57
thereof,
21:58
the world
21:59
and those
21:59
who dwell
22:00
therein.
22:01
So the
22:01
whole world
22:02
belongs to
22:03
Jesus Christ
22:04
and we
22:05
are a
22:05
co-heir
22:06
with him.
22:08
Psalm 2,
22:08
8,
22:09
ask of me
22:10
and I
22:10
will make
22:11
the nations
22:11
your heritage
22:12
and the ends
22:13
of the earth
22:14
your possession.
22:16
And this
22:16
is the
22:16
father asking
22:18
the son
22:18
in Psalm
22:19
2,
22:19
8,
22:20
ask of me
22:21
and I
22:21
will make
22:21
the nations
22:22
your heritage.
22:24
So the
22:24
world will
22:25
someday be
22:26
ours
22:27
because we
22:29
belong to
22:30
the one
22:30
to whom
22:31
the world
22:32
belongs.
22:34
Number 2,
22:36
we will
22:37
inherit God
22:38
himself,
22:40
which we
22:41
get to
22:41
experience in
22:42
part now.
22:43
The great
22:44
work of God
22:45
going on
22:45
around us,
22:46
our invitation
22:47
to be involved
22:48
in that work,
22:49
the invitation
22:51
to pray,
22:52
to share
22:52
our faith,
22:54
spread the
22:54
gospel around
22:55
the world,
22:55
is God's
22:56
great love
22:57
of us
22:57
to involve
22:58
us in
22:58
what he's
22:59
doing,
22:59
to give
23:00
us some
23:01
of himself.
23:03
But one
23:03
day,
23:05
we will
23:05
behold him
23:06
fully.
23:07
Now,
23:08
dimly as
23:09
in a mirror,
23:09
but one
23:10
day we
23:11
will see
23:11
him in
23:12
all of
23:13
his glory.
23:14
Romans 5,
23:15
2,
23:16
B,
23:16
the second
23:17
half of
23:17
5,
23:18
2,
23:19
says,
23:19
we rejoice
23:20
in the
23:21
hope of
23:22
the glory
23:22
of God.
23:23
We find
23:23
our great
23:24
joy in
23:26
the knowledge
23:26
that someday
23:27
we'll behold
23:29
the glory
23:30
of God.
23:31
Revelation
23:32
21,
23:33
3,
23:33
is a picture
23:34
of that
23:35
glory.
23:35
And I
23:35
heard a
23:36
loud voice
23:36
from the
23:37
throne saying,
23:37
behold,
23:38
the dwelling
23:39
place of
23:40
God is
23:40
with man.
23:41
He will
23:42
dwell with
23:42
them,
23:43
and they
23:44
will be
23:44
his people,
23:45
and God
23:45
himself will
23:46
be with
23:47
them,
23:47
as their
23:48
God.
23:51
Psalm 73,
23:52
25,
23:53
and 26,
23:54
one of my
23:55
favorites,
23:55
the Psalm
23:55
of Asaph.
23:58
He wrote,
23:59
Whom have
23:59
I in
23:59
heaven but
24:00
you?
24:01
And there
24:01
is nothing
24:02
on earth
24:02
that I
24:03
desire beside
24:04
you.
24:04
My flesh
24:05
and my
24:05
heart may
24:06
fail,
24:06
but God
24:07
is the
24:07
strength of
24:08
my heart
24:08
and my
24:09
portion
24:10
forever.
24:11
My full
24:13
satisfaction
24:14
forever.
24:15
forever.
24:17
So,
24:18
we get to
24:19
inherit the
24:19
world,
24:20
we get to
24:20
inherit God
24:21
himself,
24:22
and we
24:23
get to
24:23
inherit
24:24
redeemed
24:24
and glorified
24:26
bodies.
24:28
Romans 8,
24:28
23 speaks
24:30
of the
24:30
redemption
24:31
of our
24:31
bodies,
24:32
and I
24:32
believe that
24:33
this is
24:33
what Paul
24:34
is trying
24:35
to say
24:35
in verse
24:35
17,
24:36
that we
24:36
will be
24:37
glorified
24:38
with
24:39
him.
24:39
I have
24:42
a body
24:42
that I
24:43
am so
24:43
happy is
24:45
going to
24:45
get replaced.
24:46
I am in
24:47
lots of
24:47
pain all
24:49
the time,
24:49
and I
24:49
won't take
24:50
the time
24:50
to tell
24:50
you why,
24:51
but I'm
24:52
in rather
24:53
excruciating
24:53
pain most
24:55
of my
24:55
days.
24:56
I am so
24:57
happy to
24:58
experience that
24:58
because this
24:59
is such a
25:00
precious truth
25:01
to me.
25:02
Someday,
25:03
my pain
25:04
will stop,
25:05
and I
25:05
will have a
25:06
new,
25:06
redeemed,
25:07
set right
25:08
body.
25:10
What a
25:10
glorious
25:11
truth
25:12
that is.
25:14
So,
25:14
we've
25:15
received,
25:16
as
25:16
Christians,
25:18
an
25:19
inheritance.
25:22
Shouldn't
25:22
this impact
25:23
the way
25:24
we live?
25:26
Shouldn't
25:26
this spur
25:27
us on
25:28
to live
25:29
as those
25:30
who are
25:30
called
25:30
sons of
25:32
God,
25:32
to cry
25:34
to God,
25:35
Abba,
25:36
Father,
25:36
Daddy,
25:38
whom I
25:38
love and
25:39
respect,
25:41
Jesus,
25:41
my Lord,
25:42
God,
25:43
my Father,
25:44
empower me
25:44
to live
25:45
by these
25:45
great truths
25:46
carried along
25:48
by your
25:49
Spirit,
25:51
the great
25:51
glory of
25:51
your name.
25:54
I hope
25:55
that today,
25:56
in large
25:56
part,
25:57
is an
25:58
encouragement
25:58
to you.
26:00
We've
26:00
experienced
26:01
some
26:01
chastisement
26:03
throughout
26:04
Romans so
26:04
far.
26:05
I hope
26:06
that today
26:07
you walk
26:07
out of
26:08
here filled
26:08
with joy
26:09
as a
26:10
Son of
26:10
God.
26:11
If you
26:12
have never
26:12
placed your
26:13
faith in
26:15
Christ,
26:16
saving faith,
26:17
a recognition
26:18
that you
26:19
are utterly
26:20
sinful,
26:21
there is no
26:22
part of you
26:23
that is not
26:24
sin apart
26:26
from Him,
26:27
that you
26:27
have been
26:27
separated
26:28
from God
26:29
forever.
26:30
forever,
26:31
unless
26:32
you place
26:34
your faith
26:35
in the
26:36
one who
26:36
bore the
26:37
wrath for
26:38
your sins.
26:39
You believe
26:40
that Jesus
26:40
is the
26:42
Son of
26:42
God,
26:43
and that
26:43
He died
26:43
on your
26:44
behalf.
26:46
If you
26:47
haven't done
26:47
that,
26:48
do that
26:48
this day.
26:49
Be filled
26:50
with the
26:50
joy of
26:51
being called
26:52
a Son of
26:53
God.
26:53
I think
27:00
that we
27:01
as American
27:02
Christians
27:03
have
27:04
issues with
27:06
our identity.
27:08
I think
27:08
that we
27:09
tack
27:09
Christianity
27:10
on to the
27:11
end of a
27:12
list of
27:12
many other
27:13
things that
27:14
we are.
27:16
And if
27:16
you do
27:17
that,
27:18
any of
27:18
those other
27:19
things you
27:19
think you
27:20
are have
27:22
become an
27:23
idol.
27:23
to you.
27:25
If you
27:25
say,
27:26
I am a
27:26
husband who
27:29
works hard
27:30
to provide
27:30
for my
27:30
family,
27:31
and I'm
27:32
a Christian.
27:35
Check your
27:35
heart in
27:36
that.
27:37
Because what
27:37
you ought to
27:37
say is,
27:38
I'm a
27:38
Christian and
27:39
a husband who
27:40
works hard
27:41
to provide
27:42
for my
27:42
family.
27:43
All of
27:44
our life
27:44
should be
27:45
encompassed in
27:46
our identity
27:47
in Christ.
27:48
We are
27:49
sons because
27:51
we've been
27:51
adopted.
27:53
We weren't
27:53
part of
27:53
his family
27:54
to begin
27:54
with,
27:55
but because
27:55
of what
27:55
Christ has
27:56
done,
27:56
we've been
27:56
adopted into
27:58
his family.
27:58
And it is
27:59
a glorious,
28:00
profound truth
28:01
that we should
28:02
treasure in
28:03
our hearts.
28:04
Please pray
28:04
with me.
28:05
a lot of