Latest / Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago / The Grace of God Appeared | Titus 2:11-15 | Pastor Daniel Batarseh

Transcript

The Grace of God Appeared | Titus 2:11-15 | Pastor Daniel Batarseh · Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago

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  I'm going to come to a text with you at this very moment, and I
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  want to give you a fresh look into the gospel of Jesus Christ,
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  the gospel of Jesus Christ. Not in the gospel accounts, but
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  I want you to hear how one man who experienced the grace of
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  God, an unlikely candidate to be a follower of Jesus Christ, was
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  used to tell others how they can also become trophies of His
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  grace. And so if you do have a Bible in
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  your hands, maybe you don't look over to the person next to you.
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  I'm sure they'll be open to sharing in the book of Titus
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  chapter 2. In Titus chapter 2, we will read
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  in verse 11. Here's what the Holy Spirit says
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  in His word. For the grace of God has
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  appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to
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  renounce ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self
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  controlled, upright and godly lives in the present age,
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  waiting for our blessed hope, The appearing of the glory of
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  our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself up for
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  us to redeem us from all lawlessness, and to purify for
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  Himself a people for His own possession who are zealous for
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  good works. Declare these things, exhort and
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  rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you.
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  I want to obey this command today in your presence by
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  declaring these things in your hearing.
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  The beauty of the Christian message is that it is so simple
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  to understand. In fact, it is so simple and
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  direct it actually offends some people.
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  It disturbs them for many reasons.
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  One of those reasons is because it's humbles the intellect.
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  The essence of what it means to be a believer is to be
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  understanding of one sin and realizing that there's nothing
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  within yourself that can grant you right standing before God.
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  It essentially calls you to surrender and trust in self you.
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  You cannot look to anything in your pedigree, in your family
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  heritage, in your performance. It's simply you looking at
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  yourself and determining I am a child of wrath, that if I look
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  to my left or to my right, I may seem like a good person, but if
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  I stand in the presence of God's moral perfection, I am doomed.
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  If He holds me according to His measure and His word and His
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  command, I will never be able to attain His acceptance.
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  And it's it's not that God places something on us that is
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  unrealistic because He is sadistic.
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  It's because His Holiness demands it.
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  He is the Creator of all things. He has determined every aspect
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  of our universe. And as imperfect as it is, He is
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  the originator, not the author of the imperfections.
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  We are the author of the imperfections in this life.
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  He's given us a choice from the beginning of time.
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  Will you continue to fellowship with me or go your own way?
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  Understand this, love has a choice and our parents chose to
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  walk away from him inheriting A fractured universe because of
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  our disobedience. And So what it means to become a
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  Christian from the beginning is understanding that I am not just
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  a Sinner, but I am an object of His wrath.
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  That as the judge of the universe, if He holds me to
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  account, I will have no chance to be deemed innocent.
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  And yet at the same time, I realized that in His great love
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  He extends a payment. He extends his hand of
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  fellowship, and He asks you in your humility to reach out as
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  though you're drowning in the ocean and receiving the rescue
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  that you desperately need. But here's what I want to make
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  mention of in the verses that we read.
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  For the grace of God in verse 11 has appeared.
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  It came 2000 years ago. It was prophesied about since
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  the beginning of time. And this book, though it is not
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  a science book, though it is not strictly a history book, it is a
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  book that defines redemptive history, where we went wrong,
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  how we continue to do wrong, and how God brought a remedy.
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  And so we know that from the beginning of time, God has
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  promised the human race that there would be a Savior to come.
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  I'm going to bring salvation. It has appeared.
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  We don't need to look anywhere else.
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  We don't have to guess. It already came and we're on
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  this side of the cross. You see how we're safe today is
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  we look back and we see what Christ has done and we believe
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  on that truth by faith, how they were saved before Christ as they
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  looked forward and they said, OK, there is someone coming who
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  is going to redeem us. I believe that it has appeared,
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  but notice this also. It has appeared bringing
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  salvation for all people. Salvation in Christ never
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  discriminates. It doesn't have a certain
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  category of wrongdoers that can never be accepted.
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  When Jesus Christ came to rescue sinners, He had every sin in
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  mind and He had every Sinner in mind.
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  And there's not one thing that anyone has ever done that
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  discounts them from actually being accepted in the Beloved.
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  It is for all people. And that in itself is an offense
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  to some. How is it that you can say that
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  so and so in history that has brought massacres to countries
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  and nations and societies? You're saying salvation is
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  available to them. Yes, it is, according to the
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  Bible. Or may you may think of people
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  you know personally that are undeserving of any grace, an
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  ounce of mercy. And yet the Bible says it's
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  available. And you may be even sitting here
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  looking at your own heart saying, brother, if you only
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  knew the corruption that I enjoy and the pain that I've caused
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  and the indifference in my heart towards the things of God, you
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  would question if I am worthy and I'm here to tell you're not
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  worthy. That's the point.
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  None of us are. All of us are equal in the sight
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  of God, and we're comforted by this truth that salvation is for
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  all people. Do you have salvation today?
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  Do you know for certain I am accepted?
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  My name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life.
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  I have a testimony. I was something.
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  I was someone, but Christ intervened and now I am
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  something and someone else. You don't have to do anything in
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  preparation to encounter the person of Jesus Christ.
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  Listen carefully. You don't become holy to be
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  accepted in Christ. You come to Christ so that he
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  can make you holy. That's the beauty of the gospel.
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  And that's why in part also it's offensive.
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  Again, there are many reasons why it's offensive, though the
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  the essence of the message is gorgeous.
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  It's beautiful, it's wonderful. Why are some people offended?
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  There's got to be something that I do.
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  There's some kind of contribution that I have to
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  make. There's something that I must
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  invest in in order for me to attain this.
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  And the whole message is no, you give up and you look to Christ.
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  But notice this salvation is not just this invisible ticket that
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  you inherit that one day will appear when you give your final
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  breath and you stand before the living God and say, well, on May
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  whatever day, 2000, whatever year, I gave my life to Christ
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  and here I am. My name is in the registry,
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  right? That's not salvation.
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  And Paul wants to clarify that because look at verse 12.
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  This grace that has appeared in verse 12 trains us to renounce
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  ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self controlled,
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  upright and godly lives in the present age.
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  So here's what I want to tell you about this grace.
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  As wonderful as it is, as glorious as it is, as free as it
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  is, if you really accept it, if you really understand it and
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  apply your faith to it, it will change you.
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  It demands change. It transforms you.
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  Look at this. Look at this language verse of
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  it trains us to renounce ungodliness and worldly
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  passions. You've heard many testimonies of
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  people here who are getting baptized saying I'm not perfect,
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  I'm not where I'm supposed to be, but here I am wanting to
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  obey Christ. Yes, that fits with what the
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  Bible says a Christian looks like.
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  It's not about immediate perfection once you profess
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  Christ, but it is about a miraculous instant
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  transformation of your heart direction.
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  Once you taste this grace, now you have this strength and this
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  motivation to say, I want to renounce this ungodliness.
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  I want to walk away from this sin.
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  I no longer want to live in enmity with God.
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  And it trains you, you, you develop in your understanding of
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  who he is, his beauty, his wonders, and that compels you
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  now to move away from sin more and more and more.
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  And here's the beauty of this verse.
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  He trains as a good trainer, is patient, doesn't give up on us
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  so easily, and when we understand who Christ is, he
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  walks with us in this journey the moment you confess Him, and
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  is committed to work in and through you until you meet face
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  to face. It trains us to renounce
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  ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self controlled,
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  upright and godly lives in the present age.
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  Here's another thing to mention. Why are Christians different?
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  If a If a believer is truly a follower of Jesus Christ, there
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  is a difference between them and the world.
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  Those who do not profess Christ, can I tell you the true
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  motivation? If they really understand this
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  book, they really understand the will of God.
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  The reason why they don't go there or do this or act this way
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  is because of grace. It's the mercy of God, the
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  kindness of God, the long-suffering of God that
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  encourages and stimulates holiness.
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  Why do I do what I do? Because I am loved by Him.
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  Why do I do what I do? Because He first loved me and
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  now I can love him. That's the greatest force to
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  true holiness, to true conformity and transformation.
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  The Bible says it's grace. The love in his eyes, the wounds
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  in his hands and feet and the Pierce side.
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  That is the thing before me always that encourages me to
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  live for His glory. So if you're motivated by an
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  ungodly fear, the terror of being judged, Pascal's Wager, I
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  don't even know if this is really real, but just in case it
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  is real, I'm going to live religiously and and I'm not
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  going to lose if I do that, really.
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  So let me just do this. That's not the gospel.
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  The gospel is the grace of God has appeared.
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  You've accepted it. It's working in you and that is
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  the means for you to live a holy life.
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  But there's something else about this gospel in verse 13.
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  It doesn't just train you, it tells you to wait.
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  It encourages you for something to come.
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  Hasn't just appeared in the past on this side of the cross.
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  It also has a message for tomorrow.
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  Look at verse 13. Waiting for our blessed hope,
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  the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus
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  Christ. Where does it say in the Bible
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  that Jesus Christ is God? Well, there's one verse.
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  Memorize it. Christian.
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  Paul called Jesus our great God and Savior.
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  But notice that in the context of the Gospel, Christians who
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  really understand the message, the Christian message, have this
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  hope, have this inner awareness that yes, in the past Christ did
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  something for me. Yes, today he is working in me.
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  But there is something tomorrow that awaits.
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  What's the crescendo of the Christian life?
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  What's the climax of the Christian faith?
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  The appearing of Jesus Christ, the appearing of Jesus Christ.
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  And so when you collect the data in the Old Testament, especially
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  the literature that predicted Christ, then you understand that
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  the mission of God in the flesh is not just to come and judge
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  and rule and clean up this world, the mess that we made,
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  but it's also and primarily to clean you and me up, to cleanse
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  our hearts, to renew us. And that's why he came to die.
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  You know, He could have immediately come and establish
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  his rule in his reign, get rid of all of us and start all over.
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  He could have. Who says he couldn't?
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  But instead, he first comes to you and I as enemies of Him and
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  redeems us and makes us subjects of his Kingdom more than
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  subjects, servants in his Kingdom more than servants,
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  friends in his Kingdom more than friends, children adopted.
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  And he give. Think about this.
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  He gives us the privilege now, in this window of time in human
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  history, to operate as agents of hope and truth, ambassadors of
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  this Kingdom, to tell others, this is for you.
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  This is free. You can come in.
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  I'm not going to. I'm not going to have either.
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  Welcome to the club, and I want to tell you what it says here in
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  verse 14 as a final thought. Who gave himself for us to
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  redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a
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  people for his own possession, who are zealous for good works.
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  It's almost as though he brings it full circle.
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  He talks about grace being manifest, us experiencing that
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  salvation, and then He almost clarifies what the salvation
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  entails. It delivers us from all
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  lawlessness, all not some lawlessness, all lawlessness,
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  and it purifies us unto himself. But here's the most beautiful
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  attribute of the salvation, a people for his own possession.
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  He owns us, which means, which means at least two things.
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  One, when you become a follower of Christ, you surrender your
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  rights, all of them. That's another reason why this
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  gospel is offensive. It demands everything of who you
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  are. It's not intellectual ascent.
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  It's not just you doing something on Sunday morning
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  instead of sleeping in. It's about you saying, if you
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  save me in this way, I gladly surrender everything,
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  everything. And it's not this begrudging,
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  slavish, defeat dragging way of life.
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  It's you entering into the reason why you exist to begin
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  with. So he owns you.
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  So everybody who is, who is baptized today, they made a
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  decision. I let go of my ambitions, my
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  dreams, my ideas of what's good, what's bad, my criteria, my
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  standards. And now I give everything to
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  Christ. He is my Lord.
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  He is the commander in chief of my brief existence on earth, and
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  I gladly do it. On what basis?
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  Because the grace of God has appeared not to reach for His
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  grace, not to win His affection. No, He already showed it to you
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  when your back was turned towards Him.
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  But it also means the second thing, a people for His own
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  possession. He owns you, yes, but He will
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  keep you. He will hold on to you.
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  He will never let you go. If you truly have repented and
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  believed on Christ, there shouldn't be a moment where you
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  doubt Him renouncing you. But what if I fail while you're
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  being trained? What if my heart grows cold?
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  You're being trained. What if I am a Lord and tempted
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  by things that hurt Him? He still owns you and He will
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  work in you day by day and moment by moment.
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  There might be moments where you look at yourself, say I don't
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  recognize myself in a good way, and there might be other times
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  where you say I'm ashamed of myself.
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  Either way, it does not change his ownership of you.
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  He is committed to your conformity.
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  He is committed to holding on to you and nothing snatching you
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  out of his hand. So again, the gospel is not
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  performance enhancement. It's not behavioral
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  modification. It's about you giving your heart
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  and your future to a good and gracious king.
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  And I like how Paul ends here. Yes, a people for his own
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  possession who are zealous for good works.
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  Why am I zealous like this little guy here?
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  Zealous because of this grace. I wonder if you know this grace
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  today. I'm not asking if you know it.
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  Theologically, Satan has the most accurate, robust theology,
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  and he will be tormented forever because of his rebellion.
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  Did you taste it? Is it real to you?
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  As I've been speaking the past 1520 minutes, could your heart
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  actually say Amen? I know what you're talking
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  about, preacher. Or is all of this foreign to
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  you? Is it alien?
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  Is it strange? Is it confusing?
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  Yet you understand the mechanics of it, You understand the core
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  message, but it doesn't resonate.
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  Can I ask you one more question and I'll end it here?
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  Do you sense a little conviction?
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  Is there something in you that says, I may not understand
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  everything fully, but I want it? There's this strange realization
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  that this is indeed true, or at least could be true.
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  May encourage you to do something.
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  Both visitor and frequent visitor.
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  We had people here say that they've sat in these pews for
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  months and years and not really understood it.
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  Do not turn off your conscience. Do not dismiss what may be
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  taking place in your heart. Like Brandon said, something
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  miraculous can happen the moment you just humble yourself.
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  That's it. You need a preacher to walk by
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  you. As valuable as I might be,
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  Christian friends and family, they can point us in the right
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  direction, but it ultimately boils down to this.
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  You humbling yourself and saying, Lord, if this is true,
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  show me. Lord, if this book is of you,
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  show me. Lord, if you truly love me, show
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  me. If you're willing to forgive me,
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  show me. Make this real to me and I'll
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  tell you he will. Let's pray.
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  Thank you, Father, for this incredible service.
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  Thank you for these precious Saints who stood before us
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  today, and more importantly, they stood before you.
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  Help us also leaving this place. Be bold and zealous for good
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  works. We pray even now that there
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  would be a fresh wave of revelation concerning your grace
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  for each of our lives. And Lord, we pray that this
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  Church, by Your grace, would continue to see salvations,
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  people coming to know you, people saying this grace has not
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  just appeared in history, it appeared to me and I'm changed
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  because of it. Lord, we ask that as we
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  celebrate our fellowship, you bless the food, that the joy
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  that's being realized in the hearts of those who made this
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  decision today would be shared in our hearts as well.
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  And Lord, for those who don't know you in this place, move in
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  their hearts. Every means possible was used
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  today to communicate truth. Your ordinances, songs,
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  preaching, people who have testimonies, only you can do the
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  work of conviction. And we pray that it would be
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  real today. Lord, we love you and we honor
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  you with all of our hearts. We give you praise for this
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  time. In Jesus name we pray, Amen and
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  Amen.