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Colossians 4:5-6 · Providence Baptist Church - Sermons

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Colossians chapter 4. Our text for today will be verses 5 and 6 as we are coming to the conclusion of our first by verse exposition through the book.
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Look, it's been a joy to be able to preach most of the book to you.
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I took a bit of a break this summer and had a couple of wonderfully gifted men in our church fill in on my behalf.
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And now we're coming to the end of Paul's exhortation to the church at Colossae.
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And then we'll glean, Lord willing, I believe next week we'll finish up the book and glean from it in his final greeting.
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A few lessons that we can learn from there as well.
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But this is kind of the end, the kind of final punches of what he's trying to say to the church at Colossae.
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So I'm going to read just for a little bit of context, beginning in verse 2 down through verse 6.
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And our text today will be verses 5 and 6.
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Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.
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At the same time, pray also for us that God may open to us a door for the word to declare the mystery of Christ,
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on account of which I am in prison, that I may make it clear which is how I ought to speak.
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Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time.
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Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.
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This is God's word to us.
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It was written for His glory and our good.
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And we would all do well to listen to it in order to believe its promises and obey its commands.
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Now let me remind you or catch you up if you're a guest with us here today.
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As we've been working through chapter 3,
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Paul's been presenting to us the concept, the idea of the life of the new self.
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Having been made new in Christ, Christ having changed our hearts and set us on a different road,
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our life necessarily looks different.
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And he lays that out for us, what that difference is and how that changes who we are.
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And he does it in an ever narrowing way.
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He starts broad and he's getting more and more particular in his exhortation.
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And we saw verses 5-17, these exhortations to the Christian church,
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the way in which we're meant to engage with one another as believers.
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Now in verse 18-4, 1, the Christian household.
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In our context, you'll find there at the end of chapter 3,
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in the beginning of verse 1, the workplace.
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And he comes down now a little more narrow to the individual
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and the way in which the individual is going to interact with the world around them.
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So last week we saw two exhortations from verses 2-3 and then part of 3, the second one.
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Firstly, the prayer of the new self.
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That the Christian person will pray because the road that the Christian has been put on
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is a road of godliness, it's a pursuit of holiness,
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it's living in this world in a different way, set apart.
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And this is something accomplished by God in our lives,
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by the work of the Spirit who's continually changing us.
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We've been set apart, we've been sanctified, but we are also being sanctified.
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And therefore, as people set on that road,
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we recognize our great need of God's intervention and His continued work in our life.
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He has given us grace and we continue by grace and so we pray for that grace.
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Christian people recognize that without prayer, nothing.
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Sine qua non.
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Without which, nothing happens.
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We can do nothing apart from God.
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And God uses the prayers of His people to enact,
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to put in play His providential purposes in our lives.
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And so, the new self prays.
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We saw, secondly, the opportunity of the new self.
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The way in which Paul sought to seize every opportunity,
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even his imprisonment for the sake of the gospel,
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for the advancement of the kingdom.
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And we ought to live in the same way with new eyes.
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At the beginning of chapter 3, it says,
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with our minds set on things above.
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Looking for and seizing every opportunity.
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Today, we'll look at verse 5 and verse 6 with a bit of verse 4,
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since I didn't quite get to it last week.
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For two more exhortations.
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That is the activity of the new self and the speech of the new self.
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The activity of the new self, verse 5,
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and the speech of the new self, verses 6 and 4.
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Now, my closing remark from last week was this.
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In summary of those first two exhortations to pray and to seize opportunities was this.
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Pray and seize every opportunity to experience, proclaim, and display the supremacy of Jesus Christ
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in all things to all peoples.
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Pray and seize every opportunity to experience, proclaim, and display the supremacy of Jesus Christ
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in all things to all peoples.
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And if you are wrapping your mind around that,
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you don't have it in front of you like I do.
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I guess you do a bit here.
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But you'll see that these other exhortations are found in that very statement itself.
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We are to proclaim, this is the speech of the new self,
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and we are to display, this is the activity of the new self,
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the supremacy of Jesus Christ in all things to all peoples.
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So we're missing something in that phrasing.
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Pray and seize every opportunity.
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To experience, proclaim, and display the supremacy of Jesus Christ in all things to all peoples.
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The word experience.
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Am I right?
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If you see it in our vision statement up here.
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The experience of Jesus Christ as supreme in all things to all peoples,
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as a more excellent way,
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the way for reconciliation back to God,
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has not been ignored in the text.
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So if you will with me to walk back up the text a bit,
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I just want you to see that.
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The beginning of chapter 3, Colossians 3, 1-3.
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If then you have been raised with Christ,
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seek the things that are above where Christ is,
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seated at the right hand of God.
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Set your minds on things that are above,
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not on things that are on earth.
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For you have died,
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and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
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This has been a reality in your life.
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You are finding that Christ is better than,
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more supreme than.
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You have been raised with Christ,
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and your life is now in Christ.
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Christ is your life.
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Verse 4 goes on to say.
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Back up a bit more.
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Colossians 2, 6.
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Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord,
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as you have received Him,
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as you have experienced the saving work of Christ,
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so walk in Him.
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Let me go back a bit further.
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Colossians 1, 15-23.
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Here's the strong supremacy statement.
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Jesus Christ is the image of the invisible God,
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the firstborn of all creation.
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For by Him all things were created in heaven and on earth,
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visible and invisible,
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whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities.
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All things were created through Him and for Him.
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And He is before all things,
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and in Him all things hold together.
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And He is the head of the body, the church.
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He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead,
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that in everything He might be preeminent or supreme.
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For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,
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and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things,
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whether on earth or in heaven,
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making peace by the blood of His cross.
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And you who once were alienated and hostile in mind,
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doing evil deeds,
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He is now reconciled in His body of flesh by His death,
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in order to present you holy and blameless
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and above reproach before Him.
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If indeed you continue in the faith,
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stable and steadfast,
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not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard,
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which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven,
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and of which I, Paul, became a minister.
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So do you see that the experience has been carried throughout,
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and then the appropriate response thereof?
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Verse 21 of chapter 1,
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you, Colossian believers,
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and us, those of us who have received the gospel,
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we once were alienated and hostile in mind.
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We once were separated from God.
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We once were not part of God's family.
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Our minds were hostile towards the things of God.
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We were doing evil deeds.
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We see the evidence of that.
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Everything we did was a fist shake at God.
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Everything we did said,
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I am king.
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I am self-directing.
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I rule, which is a massive offense to God.
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We were God's enemy.
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Verse 22,
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But He's now reconciled in His body,
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fleshed by His death,
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in order to present you holy and blameless
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and above reproach before Him.
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Because of what Christ has done on our behalf,
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if we place saving faith in Him,
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it was our sin that He died for on the cross.
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It is His righteousness that we now have.
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And Paul goes on to say,
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if indeed you continue in the faith,
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stable and steadfast.
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So we are not saved by works.
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We are saved by the providential purposes of God.
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God the Father is sovereign in salvation
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from the very beginning to the very end.
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God saves us.
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We cannot save ourselves.
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God saves us.
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However,
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once we are in Christ,
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this work of God takes part,
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there must be an evidencing of it beyond.
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There must be a reality
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that our heart has been changed.
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That our heart has been set on a different road.
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That we are no longer His enemy,
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but rather His friends.
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And this has been thematically developed
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throughout the book of Colossians.
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Gospel reconciliation leads to gospel living.
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And we live in a day
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where I'm so fearful
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that there are so many
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that are not found in Christ
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that they think they are
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because this is not being taught to them.
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That there's not an appropriate response
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to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
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Many fear that this is a works-based salvation.
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Hear me clearly.
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I'm not saying we ever earned it.
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What I'm saying is that we have it.
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Therefore, we live in light of it.
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There must be a healthy response.
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Right and proper living
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is the right and proper outcome
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of changed hearts.
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Paul writes in Romans 12.
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I appeal to you, therefore, brothers,
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by the mercies of God,
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to present your bodies
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as a living sacrifice,
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holy and acceptable to God,
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which is your spiritual worship.
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The first 11 chapters of Romans
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have been a systematic gospel presentation.
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It's in this beautiful outlay
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of the doctrines of salvation.
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And then he turns from there
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in chapter 12, verse 1,
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to say, now, in light of that,
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because of what God has done
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on your behalf,
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now live in this way.
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And beloved, we have to ask ourselves
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a serious question
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as we don't see our lives
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lining up with the command of Scripture.
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And we don't.
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None of us do.
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None of us are carrying this out perfectly.
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We all sin still,
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even if in Christ.
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Right?
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If you don't think you do,
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therein is your sin.
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Right?
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Be humble before God.
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You are not perfect.
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All of us still sin.
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All of us carry the old self.
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All of these things
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we're meant to be putting to death
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and putting off.
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All of that is still carried with us.
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We do still sin.
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We have to ask ourselves the question,
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am I in Christ?
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I progress in these things.
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Am I in Christ?
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Has He saved me?
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Or has He not?
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If He hasn't,
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repent and believe.
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I plead with you
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to repent and believe.
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Because final judgment
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is going to be harsh and severe
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and forever.
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If He has,
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repent and believe.
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You're in Christ.
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Repent and believe.
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Turn from the sin
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and pursue holiness.
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Unrighteousness should not
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be named amongst us.
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We too often, I think,
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elevate grace to this degree.
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This cheap grace idea
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where we can just go on
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being the messes that we are.
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And in so doing,
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we say that God doesn't have
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the power to change me.
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Heresy.
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Heresy that is.
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God can and He will
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change you
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if you're in Christ.
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Don't belittle
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the power of the Spirit of God
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in your life
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to make you new.
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You must progress
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in holiness.
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Right?
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I've talked to you before
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about laying the plot lines
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of your life.
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You should be able
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to look back on your life
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and see
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that you once loved sin
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more than you do now.
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Right?
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You're hating sin more today
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than you did before.
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And you once didn't
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love righteousness
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the way you do now.
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There's a progression
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in these things.
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Right?
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That you're moving toward
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the city of God.
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You're moving toward
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Christ-likeness
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and not away from it.
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So there has to be
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some activity.
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There has to be
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some outward display
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of what's been happening
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in your heart
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or it's not happened
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in your heart at all.
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So test yourself.
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Consider this
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as we look at these exhortations.
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So verse 5 says,
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Walk in wisdom
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toward outsiders,
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making the best use
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of the time.
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Put your salvation,
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put your faith
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on display
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in real ways
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to those
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outside
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the faith.
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Walk in wisdom.
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NASB,
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I like the rendering,
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says conduct yourselves
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with wisdom.
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It means to
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go about
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the dealings
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of your life
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wisely.
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Stated in the negative,
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that's the positive.
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Walk in wisdom.
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Stated in the negative,
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do not walk
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in foolishness.
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To be the opposite
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of wise
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is to be foolish.
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Don't be foolish.
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Be wise.
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Ephesians 5,
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11-15.
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It's a parallel text
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to ours today.
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It says,
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Take no part
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in the unfruitful works
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of darkness,
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but instead expose them.
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For it is shameful
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even to speak
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of the things
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they do in secret,
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but when anything
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is exposed
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by the light,
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it becomes visible.
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For anything
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that becomes visible
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is light.
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Therefore,
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it says,
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Awake, O sleeper,
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and arise from the dead,
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and Christ will shine
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on you.
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Look carefully then
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how you walk,
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not as unwise,
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but as wise.
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So what Paul is saying
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here is that
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if you were to walk
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in wisdom,
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you're going to walk
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in the light.
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You're going to do
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those things
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that we know
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or we're meant to do
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that are righteous things,
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that are good things,
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that are right things,
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and you're not going
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to walk in the darkness
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as those who aren't
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in Christ do.
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Careful.
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Be careful how you walk.
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Not as unwise,
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but as wise.
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So how do we know
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the difference?
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How do we know
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the difference
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between what is wise
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and what is unwise?
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How are we to discover
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the wise way
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in which we should walk?
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And I hope the answers
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are popping up in your head
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as I ask the question.
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How are we supposed
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to discover
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the wise way
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in which we should walk?
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Exhortation,
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walk in wisdom.
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How?
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What do we do?
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How do I know?
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I want to walk in wisdom.
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I want to be obedient
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to this exhortation.
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What do I do?
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And there are four sources
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of wisdom.
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Four sources of wisdom.
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The first one is worship.
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And I don't mean music
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when I say that.
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We don't call that...
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That's worship,
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but it's musical worship.
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I don't mean
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show up at a service
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and sing some songs.
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Right?
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Worship.
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Put yourself
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in proper relationship
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with the Lord God Almighty.
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The Creator of heaven
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and earth.
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The One who created
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ex nihilo
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from nothing.
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The One that existed
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before anything existed
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for all eternity past.
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He is the Creator
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and you are merely creation.
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Worship Him as such.
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Humble yourself before Him.
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Recognize that He is the Lord
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and you are merely
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a subject.
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Proverbs 9.10 says,
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The fear of the Lord
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is the beginning of wisdom
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and the knowledge
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of the Holy One
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is insight.
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Proverbs 3.7 says,
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Be not wise
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in your own eyes.
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Fear the Lord
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and turn away
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from evil.
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So it begins with that.
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It begins with that subjection.
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Understanding rightly.
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You come up underneath
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the Creator.
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Far too many people
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read their Scripture
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in judgment over it.
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Right?
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As if this is a book
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that's meant for us
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to critique and deal with.
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When we find error in it,
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the problem is not with it.
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The problem is with us.
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Right?
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Our dark minds
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are of inability
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to understand.
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This thing
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is the Holy Word of God.
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It stands over us.
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We should submit ourselves
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to it
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as we submit ourselves
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to God.
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So worship is the first.
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Second, prayer.
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We've already talked
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a bit about that last week
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from verse 2.
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James 1.5 says,
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If any of you lacks wisdom,
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let him ask God
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who gives generously
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to all without reproach
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and it will be given him.
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You want to know
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how to be wise
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and to walk wisely
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in the world?
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Ask that God would help you
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to walk wisely
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in the world.
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And it's just that.
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Simple.
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I get asked so many questions.
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Help me, Nathan.
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Help me with wisdom
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in this particular thing.
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And so often I say,
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Have you been in prayer
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about this?
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And the answer is no.
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Pray.
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Ask that God would show you
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the wise way
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and the more excellent way.
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Thirdly, the Scripture.
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Proverbs 2.6 says,
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For the Lord gives wisdom
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from His mouth
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come knowledge
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and understanding.
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Colossians 3.16
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Not too long ago
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we looked at it.
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Let the Word of Christ
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dwell in you richly,
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teaching
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and admonishing
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one another
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in all wisdom.
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God has spoken.
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He has written us
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a book.
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And it's not an outdated book.
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It's not an irrelevant book.
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It's a sufficient book.
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It contains within it
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everything we need to know
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as a guide and rule
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for holiness.
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You want to know
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how to walk wisely?
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As you worship God
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and you pray and ask for wisdom,
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read His Word.
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He's spoken to you
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for every situation
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that you're going to encounter
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to give you wisdom
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to walk as you should.
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And lastly,
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counsel.
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Now by counsel,
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I certainly mean
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godly counsel.
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It just seems
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a bit redundant
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to say that in this setting.
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But I do mean, of course,
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godly,
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well-informed,
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biblical counsel.
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I don't mean
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pop psychology counseling.
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Right?
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Ask a brother
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or ask a sister.
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Ask a leader
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about a situation.
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Do the others first
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and then ask.
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What do you think?
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What's your perception
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of this situation?
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Proverbs 27.9
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says,
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Oil and perfume
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make the heart glad
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and the sweetness
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of a friend
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comes from his earnest
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counsel.
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Again,
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in the book of Colossians
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1.28
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Him we proclaim,
20:12
Jesus Christ.
20:13
Him we proclaim,
20:14
warning everyone
20:15
and teaching everyone
20:16
with all wisdom
20:17
that we may present
20:18
everyone mature
20:20
in Christ.
20:22
So if you desire to,
20:23
if you want to walk
20:24
in wisdom,
20:25
these are the sources.
20:26
These are the ways
20:26
in which you gather wisdom
20:28
that you may walk
20:29
as such.
20:31
We're supposed to walk
20:32
in wisdom,
20:32
but specifically,
20:33
Paul says,
20:34
toward outsiders.
20:36
Toward outsiders.
20:37
And I just want to point
20:38
out two things
20:38
from that two-word phrase.
20:41
Firstly,
20:41
Christians should
20:43
interact with those
20:44
who are not of the faith.
20:47
Christians should
20:47
interact with those
20:48
who are not
20:50
of the faith.
20:51
We often tend
20:52
to be
20:53
so monastic.
20:55
We pull ourselves in.
20:56
We huddle together
20:58
in the castle,
21:00
rather than being
21:00
the army that goes
21:01
and advances
21:02
against
21:02
the purposes
21:04
of the devil.
21:05
The presupposition
21:07
in this phrase
21:07
is that they will.
21:08
There's an assumption
21:10
there that
21:10
Christian people
21:11
will be interacting
21:13
with outsiders.
21:14
That there will be
21:14
a normative thing
21:16
happening there,
21:17
not a monastic thing,
21:19
a pulling away
21:20
from the world.
21:22
But we are to follow
21:23
the example
21:24
of our Lord
21:24
who ate
21:26
with sinners
21:26
and tax collectors.
21:28
Mark 2.16.
21:31
Firstly,
21:32
secondly,
21:32
when those
21:34
who profess Christ
21:36
display foolishness
21:38
toward outsiders,
21:40
the gospel
21:41
of Jesus Christ
21:42
appears to be
21:43
of little worth.
21:46
Do you recognize
21:47
that so many of us
21:48
seem to be
21:50
peddlers
21:51
of a belief
21:54
that doesn't really
21:54
have any bearing
21:55
and effect
21:56
in our life
21:57
at all?
21:58
In some ways
22:00
it does.
22:00
Maybe for you,
22:01
your faith
22:02
somehow
22:03
is affirming
22:04
to you,
22:05
you have some
22:05
experience
22:06
that you enjoy,
22:07
but it hasn't
22:08
changed who you are
22:09
in an outward way
22:10
that people can see
22:11
and observe
22:12
that this person
22:13
doesn't walk
22:13
as a fool,
22:14
this person
22:15
walks in the way
22:16
of wisdom.
22:19
Quite a few months ago
22:20
we started studying
22:20
the book of Proverbs
22:21
together in our
22:22
community outreach groups
22:23
for this very reason.
22:24
We should be a people
22:25
very familiar
22:26
with the ways
22:27
of wisdom,
22:27
the way in which
22:28
God has designed
22:29
and built the world
22:30
though corrupted
22:31
by sin
22:32
and disrupted
22:32
there are still
22:33
things at play
22:34
in the world
22:35
that are right
22:36
and proper ways
22:37
that we should live
22:37
and people can see
22:38
that.
22:40
Do you know
22:41
a Christian person
22:42
whose life seems
22:43
to be fairly put
22:43
together
22:44
because they walk
22:45
in the way
22:46
of wisdom?
22:48
And there's this
22:48
affirming
22:50
note because
22:51
of who you are
22:52
to the gospel
22:53
of Jesus Christ.
22:56
Some of you
22:57
are more of a mess
22:58
than the people
22:59
around you.
23:00
Does the gospel
23:01
have power
23:01
to affect
23:02
and to change
23:03
and to direct
23:04
your life?
23:06
Of course it does.
23:08
You should be living
23:08
in light of that.
23:12
So we are to
23:13
walk in wisdom
23:14
towards outsiders
23:15
and make the best
23:17
use of the time
23:20
making the best
23:21
use of the time.
23:24
Beloved,
23:25
our lives
23:26
are very,
23:27
very short.
23:29
And I know
23:29
that it doesn't
23:30
always feel that way.
23:31
College students,
23:32
your life right now
23:33
seems to take
23:34
an eternity
23:35
because you have
23:36
a plan of study
23:37
and you can see
23:38
everything you're
23:39
going to have to do
23:39
until this phase
23:40
of your life
23:41
is over.
23:42
If you don't have
23:43
a plan of study
23:43
you should get one.
23:45
Trying to get
23:46
to that spot
23:46
and get to that end.
23:48
I'll tell you
23:48
right now
23:49
that being beyond
23:50
that and not
23:51
having the major
23:53
thing coming next,
23:55
your life accelerates.
23:56
I think if you ask
23:57
the older folks
23:58
in the room
23:59
if this is true,
24:00
it absolutely is.
24:01
Where has this
24:02
decade gone?
24:04
We are halfway
24:05
through it already.
24:06
It's staggering
24:06
to me
24:07
that this is the case.
24:08
Our life
24:09
is so incredibly
24:11
fleeting.
24:13
The Bible
24:13
speaks of this.
24:14
Psalm 103,
24:15
15 and 16,
24:15
as for man,
24:17
his days are like
24:18
grass.
24:19
He flourishes
24:20
like a flower
24:20
of the field
24:21
for the wind
24:22
passes over it
24:23
and it is gone
24:25
and its place
24:26
knows it
24:27
no more.
24:29
Not very significant
24:30
in span
24:31
are our lives.
24:33
Our lives
24:33
are incredibly
24:34
short.
24:36
And the opportunities
24:37
to share
24:38
the supremacy
24:39
of Jesus Christ
24:39
are limited.
24:41
so we should
24:43
leverage our time
24:44
for the sake
24:44
of the kingdom.
24:47
Every moment
24:48
that we have,
24:48
every possibility
24:49
that we have
24:49
to work for the kingdom
24:50
ought to be used
24:52
in that manner
24:53
because our lives
24:54
are so,
24:55
so very fleeting.
24:57
We too often
24:58
live as if
24:59
this life
25:00
is all that there is.
25:01
Christian people
25:02
who should have
25:03
minds set on eternity
25:04
so often live
25:05
like this is it.
25:07
My joy
25:07
and satisfaction
25:08
right now
25:09
in the things
25:10
of this world
25:10
is all that matters
25:11
because there is
25:12
nothing out
25:13
and beyond
25:14
which is so,
25:15
so very foolish.
25:20
Do not divorce
25:21
making the best use
25:23
of the time
25:24
from walk in wisdom.
25:26
The two things
25:27
carry together.
25:28
Remember,
25:28
we're in the same sentence
25:29
here.
25:30
Walk in wisdom
25:30
and make the best use
25:32
of the time.
25:33
It's foolish
25:34
not to do so.
25:37
Psalm 90,
25:38
verse 12
25:39
says,
25:39
so teach us
25:41
to number our days
25:43
that we may get
25:44
a heart
25:45
of wisdom.
25:47
The psalmist is saying,
25:48
give us proper
25:49
and right perspective
25:50
on our life.
25:52
Help us to know
25:53
not the specific
25:54
number of our days.
25:55
That's not the prayer
25:57
happening here,
25:57
but to help us to know
25:58
that our life is short
26:00
and it is passing
26:01
and it is fleeting
26:02
so that we will walk
26:03
wisely.
26:04
We will have hearts
26:05
of wisdom.
26:07
Again,
26:08
the parallel text
26:09
to our text
26:10
in Colossians,
26:10
Ephesians 5,
26:11
16 and 17
26:12
says,
26:14
making the best use
26:15
of the time
26:16
because the days
26:17
are evil.
26:19
The days are evil.
26:20
Verse 17,
26:21
therefore,
26:22
do not be foolish,
26:24
but understand
26:25
what the will
26:26
of the Lord
26:27
is.
26:29
Are you foolish
26:30
with your time?
26:31
We should not
26:34
waste it.
26:35
You have a limited
26:36
number of years,
26:38
a limited number
26:39
of days,
26:40
a limited number
26:41
of hours.
26:44
What do you waste
26:45
your time on?
26:47
I believe that in America
26:49
one of our greatest
26:50
vices is leisure.
26:54
Which isn't to say
26:55
that we're not
26:55
meant to rest.
26:57
We're designed
26:58
that way
26:58
as creation
27:01
that's sinful.
27:03
Things have been
27:04
disrupted.
27:04
We're falling apart.
27:06
A lot of you young people
27:07
are still building.
27:09
Soon,
27:09
you're going to start
27:10
degrading.
27:12
We're not invincible.
27:14
We're designed
27:15
to go through cycles.
27:16
We're designed to rest.
27:16
I'm not saying
27:17
that we can't rest.
27:18
I'm not even saying
27:18
that we can't rest
27:19
doing things.
27:20
I'm not just saying
27:21
only sleep.
27:22
There's relaxing things
27:24
that help us
27:24
to reset our minds.
27:26
There's a good design
27:27
for us to be
27:28
doing this.
27:31
But what are we doing
27:32
with the extra free time?
27:33
The out and beyond?
27:36
I want my life
27:37
to be spent
27:38
to the very last drop.
27:40
I want to leave it
27:41
all on the table
27:41
when I die.
27:43
You will not look back
27:44
at your life
27:45
on your deathbed
27:46
and say,
27:48
if only I had spent
27:49
a little more time
27:50
playing video games.
27:53
If I could have
27:54
just passed that level,
27:54
my life would be complete.
27:58
I wish I had given
27:59
more of my time
28:00
to Facebook.
28:03
My life would have
28:04
been better spent
28:05
being more versed
28:07
in UGA football
28:09
history and stats.
28:13
I'm not against
28:14
watch football.
28:14
I don't care.
28:15
I'm just saying,
28:16
how much of your time
28:17
do you invest
28:18
in these pursuits?
28:20
I just wanted
28:21
more time
28:22
in my deer stand.
28:23
I would be happy
28:27
if I could dig my toes
28:28
into beach sand
28:30
one more time.
28:32
You will, however,
28:33
if you are in Christ,
28:35
have more heavenward
28:37
regrets.
28:38
I think we all will.
28:39
I would like to be able
28:41
to say that on my deathbed
28:42
I will be fully satisfied
28:43
with the life
28:44
that I lived for the Lord.
28:45
I'm sure I will have regrets,
28:47
but I hope at least
28:48
they're heavenward.
28:49
Like,
28:49
I wish I had given
28:51
more time to my
28:51
lost family members.
28:53
If only I had invested
28:54
more gospel
28:56
in my children.
28:58
If only I had served
29:00
my pastor more.
29:01
I said that one
29:02
to make sure
29:03
you're paying attention.
29:06
I'm kidding, of course.
29:09
I hope that our hearts
29:10
can join with
29:10
that of David Brainerd.
29:12
This is on the front
29:13
of your bulletin.
29:14
David Brainerd
29:14
was an 18th century missionary
29:16
to the Delaware Indians
29:17
of New Jersey.
29:17
Not New Jersey as it is.
29:20
It was very rough.
29:21
It was a wilderness
29:22
at the time.
29:24
And he said,
29:25
Oh, how precious is time
29:26
and how it pains me
29:28
to see it slide away
29:30
while I do so little
29:32
to any good purpose.
29:35
Paul writes in Romans
29:36
chapter 13,
29:38
verse 11 through 14,
29:40
Besides this,
29:41
you know the time
29:42
that the hour has come
29:43
for you to wake
29:44
from sleep.
29:44
For salvation is nearer
29:46
to us now
29:46
than when we first believed.
29:48
The night is far gone,
29:49
the day is at hand.
29:50
So then let us
29:51
cast off the works
29:52
of darkness
29:52
and put on the armor
29:53
of light.
29:54
Let us walk properly
29:55
as in the daytime,
29:56
not in orgies
29:57
and drunkenness,
29:58
not in sexual immorality
30:00
and sensuality,
30:01
not in quarreling
30:02
and jealousy,
30:03
but put on
30:04
the Lord Jesus Christ
30:05
and make no provision
30:06
for the flesh
30:07
to gratify its desires.
30:09
You see that
30:09
what he's saying
30:10
about the importance
30:11
of us putting on
30:12
new self,
30:13
that is putting on
30:13
the Lord Jesus Christ
30:15
in light of
30:16
the evil days
30:17
and the shortness
30:18
of time.
30:19
Pursue righteousness
30:20
with your time.
30:23
Make the best use
30:24
of it.
30:26
Charles Spurgeon said,
30:27
this is all in your bulletin
30:28
as well,
30:28
serve God by doing
30:30
common actions
30:31
in a heavenly spirit
30:33
and then,
30:34
if your daily calling
30:36
only leaves you
30:37
cracks and crevices
30:38
of time,
30:39
fill them up
30:40
with holy service.
30:42
I'm not suggesting
30:43
that everybody
30:44
stop working,
30:47
please don't do that,
30:48
stop going to school
30:49
and devote
30:50
100% of their time
30:52
to vocational service
30:53
of the kingdom.
30:55
God has intended
30:56
to work in so many
30:57
varied ways
30:58
in the world
30:59
by giving us
31:00
tasks,
31:01
schooling,
31:02
jobs.
31:02
Those things are good
31:03
and right
31:04
and proper to do,
31:05
but to do so
31:06
with that heavenward
31:08
bent,
31:08
to do so in order
31:09
to glorify God.
31:10
Sometimes that means
31:11
you're going to do
31:12
things that are mundane
31:14
and seem pointless
31:15
and boring,
31:15
but you're to do them
31:16
with a right and proper
31:18
heart through the glory
31:19
of God.
31:20
You don't have to
31:20
understand completely
31:21
how it is that God
31:22
is working and moving
31:23
in those mundane
31:24
things of life.
31:25
Take the classes
31:26
that aren't part
31:27
of your major.
31:28
Work the job.
31:29
Do whatever is asked
31:29
of you to do.
31:31
That's cleaning the floors
31:32
or typing up a spreadsheet.
31:34
Do it for the glory
31:35
of God.
31:36
And what Spurgeon here
31:36
is suggesting
31:37
is you take the extra time
31:38
and you fill it in
31:39
with things that are
31:40
particularly of holy service.
31:44
The cracks
31:45
and the crevices.
31:46
Many of you don't fill
31:47
the cracks and crevices
31:48
with that type
31:50
of activity.
31:51
Some of you
31:51
have large gaps,
31:54
huge schisms
31:55
to fill
31:56
and you should figure
31:58
the best use
31:59
of that time.
32:01
So display.
32:02
Display the supremacy
32:03
of Jesus Christ
32:05
in the way you live
32:06
before others
32:06
and proclaim it.
32:09
Let your speech
32:10
always be gracious.
32:12
Season with salt
32:13
so that you
32:14
may know
32:15
how to answer.
32:16
Excuse me.
32:16
So that you may know
32:17
how you ought to answer
32:18
each person.
32:20
Now before we address
32:21
the specific exhortation,
32:23
I'd first like to make
32:24
just a few comments
32:25
and point you to
32:26
a few references
32:27
concerning speech.
32:30
And I want to do so
32:31
because the Scripture
32:32
throws a great deal
32:33
of weight
32:34
into warnings
32:35
concerning what we say
32:37
and how we say it.
32:39
I also want to do so
32:41
because we're a small
32:42
congregation
32:43
of a lot of young people
32:45
and news travels fast
32:47
in this congregation.
32:49
You all have no idea
32:51
how many things
32:52
I hear
32:53
throughout a week
32:54
that I find
32:55
it's not my business
32:55
to know.
32:57
There's a lot of
32:58
gossiping
32:59
that happens.
33:01
And I think sometimes
33:02
with the best intention,
33:03
with the hope of
33:04
helping us all
33:05
to be transparent,
33:07
a lot of times
33:08
that's not your place.
33:10
What you end up doing
33:11
is you betray trust
33:12
rather than helping
33:13
build it
33:14
in people.
33:16
So let's look
33:17
at a few places.
33:17
I want you to go with me
33:18
to Luke chapter 6.
33:34
Verses 43, 44, and 45.
33:38
This should be familiar
33:39
to you
33:39
if you were singing
33:41
with us this morning
33:42
with the kids.
33:46
Jesus said,
33:47
Therefore,
33:47
no good tree
33:48
bears bad fruit,
33:50
nor again does a bad tree
33:51
bear good fruit,
33:52
for each tree is known
33:53
by its own fruit.
33:55
For figs are not gathered
33:56
from thorn bushes,
33:57
nor are grapes
33:58
picked from a bramble bush
34:00
or bananas from plum trees.
34:02
The good person
34:04
out of the good treasure
34:05
of his heart
34:05
produces good,
34:06
and the evil person
34:07
out of his evil treasure
34:08
produces evil,
34:10
for out of the abundance
34:11
of the heart
34:12
his mouth speaks.
34:14
Now, Jesus is directly
34:17
speaking to,
34:18
he's specifically speaking
34:20
to in this text
34:21
to the Pharisees,
34:22
and he's pointing out
34:23
their evil nature
34:25
because of the words
34:26
that they speak.
34:28
But the truth of this
34:29
gives application
34:29
to us as well.
34:30
Those who are found
34:31
in Christ,
34:32
if we don't speak
34:33
true things,
34:34
if our language
34:35
is not grace-filled,
34:37
it says something
34:38
about our heart.
34:39
Even if it's redeemed
34:40
in Christ,
34:41
it says something
34:41
about our heart.
34:42
Possibly that we still
34:43
love the sin,
34:44
we love the gossip,
34:45
we love the no,
34:46
more than we love
34:48
Christ and his kingdom
34:49
and his ways.
34:51
It speaks about
34:52
who we are.
34:54
This is why I try
34:55
to be very careful
34:55
with my language.
34:56
I know I'm not always
34:57
very careful
34:58
with my language.
34:59
One of the great
35:00
troubles of my heart
35:01
when I get up to preach
35:02
is that I give
35:04
misunderstanding
35:04
to something that's
35:05
of weight
35:06
and is true.
35:08
It's the reason
35:09
that we're very careful
35:10
about what we call,
35:11
what we do up here
35:12
with music.
35:13
It's why we're very careful
35:14
to not talk about
35:15
altar calls
35:16
because Jesus
35:16
has once and for all
35:18
paid the price.
35:19
There's no longer
35:20
a need for an altar.
35:22
The work has been finished.
35:23
It's why we're careful
35:24
about calling this building
35:25
the church
35:27
because it's not.
35:28
It's a building.
35:29
It's turning to dust
35:30
someday,
35:31
but we are God's
35:32
holy people
35:33
because out of the
35:35
abundance of our hearts,
35:37
our mouth speaks.
35:39
Listen to what James
35:40
had to say
35:40
about the way
35:42
we speak.
35:42
James chapter 3.
35:43
Go there with me,
35:44
please.
35:57
James chapter 3,
35:57
beginning in verse 3.
35:58
James here talks
35:59
about the tongue.
36:00
He's talking about
36:00
the speech.
36:01
What we do
36:02
with our mouths
36:03
is what he means.
36:04
If we put bits
36:06
into the mouths
36:07
of horses
36:07
so that they obey us,
36:08
we guide their whole body
36:10
as well.
36:11
A very small thing
36:12
guides the entire body
36:13
of a horse.
36:14
Look at the ships also.
36:16
Though they are so large
36:17
and are driven
36:18
by strong winds,
36:19
they are guided
36:20
by a very small rudder
36:22
wherever the will
36:24
of the pilot directs.
36:26
So also,
36:27
the tongue
36:28
is a small member,
36:30
yet it boasts
36:30
of great things.
36:31
How great a forest
36:33
is set ablaze
36:34
by such a small fire.
36:37
And the tongue
36:38
is a fire,
36:38
a world of unrighteousness.
36:40
The tongue
36:41
is set among our members,
36:42
staining the whole body,
36:44
setting on fire
36:44
the entire course of life,
36:46
and set on fire
36:47
by hell.
36:49
Strong words
36:49
about the tongue,
36:50
are they not?
36:51
Verse 7.
36:52
For every kind
36:52
of beast and bird,
36:53
of reptile and sea creature
36:55
can be tamed
36:56
and has been tamed
36:57
by mankind,
36:58
but no human being
36:59
can tame the tongue.
37:00
It is a restless evil,
37:02
full of deadly poison.
37:04
With it we bless
37:05
our Lord and Father,
37:06
and with it we curse
37:06
people who are made
37:07
in the likeness of God.
37:09
From the same mouth
37:10
come blessing
37:11
and cursing.
37:12
My brothers,
37:13
these things
37:14
ought not be so.
37:16
Does a spring
37:17
pour forth
37:18
from the same opening
37:19
both fresh
37:19
and salt water?
37:21
Can a fig tree,
37:22
my brothers,
37:22
bear olives,
37:23
or a grapevine
37:24
produce figs?
37:25
Neither can a salt pond
37:27
yield fresh water.
37:29
And this question
37:30
should ring in our heads.
37:32
Is it even possible
37:32
to tame the tongue?
37:33
Can mankind
37:34
tame the tongue?
37:35
And the answer to that
37:36
is no,
37:37
but God can.
37:38
What we speak
37:39
is an overflow
37:40
of our heart.
37:42
And God changes
37:44
our hearts.
37:45
And so we have to be
37:46
constantly checking
37:47
what we say
37:48
and why we say it
37:50
because it's indicative.
37:51
It's a symptom
37:52
of what's going on
37:53
inside of our heart.
37:55
One last quick note
37:57
and we'll get back
37:58
to the main exhortation.
37:59
Proverbs 26, 20.
38:00
I happened across this
38:02
this week,
38:03
which was timely
38:04
and wonderful.
38:04
It says,
38:05
For lack of wood,
38:06
the fire goes out
38:08
and where there is
38:09
no whisperer,
38:11
quarreling ceases.
38:14
I think that needs
38:14
to set in some
38:15
of your minds
38:16
this week.
38:18
So verse 6,
38:19
let your speech
38:20
always be gracious.
38:23
Gracious speech
38:24
is what we're to have
38:25
as believers.
38:26
NASB renders this,
38:27
Let your speech
38:28
always be with grace,
38:30
which I really like
38:30
the translation that way.
38:32
Let your speech
38:33
always be with grace.
38:36
And that is,
38:37
the redeemed
38:38
should speak like
38:39
their Redeemer.
38:41
Luke 4, 22.
38:42
And all spoke well
38:43
of Him,
38:44
Jesus Christ,
38:45
and marveled
38:46
at the gracious words
38:47
that were coming
38:49
from His mouth.
38:50
The words that we speak
38:52
should be with grace.
38:53
And I take that
38:54
to mean that they
38:55
should be both
38:56
from grace
38:57
and for grace.
39:00
From grace,
39:00
we can see verse 3.
39:02
Paul writes,
39:03
At the same time,
39:04
pray also for us
39:06
that God may open
39:07
to us a door
39:07
for the Word
39:08
to declare the mystery
39:09
of Christ,
39:09
that God would give us
39:10
opportunity
39:11
to declare the gospel
39:12
on account of which
39:14
I am in prison.
39:14
And then verse 4,
39:15
here we're picking
39:15
verse 4 back up
39:16
from last week
39:17
and bringing it in,
39:19
that I may make it clear
39:20
which is how I ought
39:22
to speak.
39:22
And so you see
39:23
what Paul is saying is,
39:24
please pray for me
39:25
that I have both
39:26
opportunity and clarity
39:29
in my speech.
39:31
So it's from grace.
39:32
Paul recognizes
39:33
that he needs God
39:34
to work in the way
39:36
in which he shares.
39:38
Also the last part
39:39
of verse 6,
39:41
so that you may know
39:42
how you ought to answer
39:44
each person.
39:46
How are we to know?
39:47
We are to speak
39:49
with grace,
39:51
with the grace
39:52
that God provides
39:53
to give us words
39:54
for utterance
39:55
of the gospel.
39:56
So we're to speak
39:57
from grace,
39:57
we're also to speak
39:58
for grace.
40:00
To bring it about
40:01
in others.
40:03
Ephesians 4.29
40:04
says,
40:04
let no corrupting talk
40:05
come out of your mouths,
40:06
but only such as is good
40:08
for building up
40:09
as fits the occasion
40:11
that it may give grace
40:13
to those who hear.
40:15
So whether you're speaking
40:16
to an outsider
40:17
or for the sake of my language
40:20
call them the insiders,
40:22
those who are outside of faith
40:24
or in faith,
40:25
our talks should be
40:26
building one another up.
40:28
Our language is to be
40:30
seasoned with salt.
40:32
Salt is purifying.
40:35
Something is,
40:36
if you have a wound,
40:37
salt is a way
40:38
that you can heal that wound,
40:39
that you can kill
40:40
the stuff in the wound
40:41
that's bad for the wound.
40:42
It's purifying.
40:43
It's preserving.
40:44
Most of us know this.
40:46
In case you don't know this,
40:48
a lot of your preserved food
40:49
has salt in it.
40:50
It helps with that process.
40:52
And it's flavorful.
40:54
It's the way
40:54
that our speech should be.
40:55
It should be purifying,
40:56
preserving,
40:57
and it should be flavorful.
40:58
I really tried to find you
40:59
a third P there
41:00
for flavorful,
41:01
but pungent didn't have
41:03
the white ring to it.
41:04
So it's purifying,
41:06
it's preserving,
41:07
and it's flavorful.
41:08
And our speech
41:09
should also be such.
41:11
And we should know
41:13
how to answer
41:14
each person.
41:16
Again, verse 4,
41:17
that I may make it clear,
41:19
which is how I ought
41:21
to speak.
41:23
Because God employs
41:24
human means
41:25
in His salvific purposes,
41:28
we should give clear
41:29
presentations of the gospel
41:30
and appropriate responses
41:33
to objections
41:33
to the gospel.
41:35
We should be able
41:35
to do this.
41:36
If you're found in Christ,
41:38
you should be able
41:38
to do this.
41:39
And if you can't do this,
41:42
in even the basest of ways,
41:44
you may feel foolish
41:45
as you're doing it,
41:46
you may not think
41:47
you're giving clear
41:47
explanation,
41:48
but if you can't do this
41:49
in the basest of ways,
41:50
I have a concern
41:51
for your soul.
41:53
Hear me carefully.
41:54
If you have responded
41:56
in faith to the gospel
41:57
of Jesus Christ,
41:58
you should know
41:58
the doctrines
41:59
of the gospel
42:00
of Jesus Christ.
42:01
Not that you give them
42:01
fancy terms,
42:03
not that you use
42:04
flowery speech
42:05
to explain it,
42:06
that you give up
42:06
and you give a sermon
42:07
and someone's interested
42:08
in your faith
42:09
and you stand up
42:10
and you go,
42:10
well, let me tell you
42:11
and you thunder on with it.
42:13
But if you can't lay out
42:15
the simplicity
42:16
of the gospel,
42:18
I try to do this for you
42:19
week in and week out.
42:20
It's not all that complex.
42:22
But if you can't do that,
42:24
then I'm concerned
42:24
that you've believed
42:25
in something
42:26
that you don't even understand.
42:28
You can't possibly
42:29
be found in Christ
42:30
if you don't know
42:32
the gospel.
42:34
And there are too many churches
42:35
that don't preach
42:36
the gospel.
42:37
Churches that ignore
42:38
sin altogether
42:39
and the just punishment
42:41
of it.
42:41
And that's where
42:42
the gospel starts.
42:43
The gospel starts
42:44
with a holy God
42:45
who had a standard
42:47
for us.
42:47
We're covering it
42:48
with the kids.
42:49
He had one rule
42:50
and man broke it.
42:52
Separated us from him
42:53
eternally.
42:55
Nothing we could do
42:56
to get back
42:56
to that place.
42:57
We were then
42:58
by nature
42:59
sinful.
43:01
Adam is our
43:02
federal head.
43:03
We are all sinful
43:04
in Adam.
43:05
Born into sin.
43:07
If you don't have kids,
43:08
you'll know one day.
43:10
Born into that sin.
43:12
Willfully committing
43:13
sin.
43:14
In all kinds of ways
43:15
saying to God
43:16
that we hate him.
43:16
I've said this to you before.
43:17
We want to be king.
43:18
We want to be like God.
43:20
This very problem
43:21
that Adam and Eve had,
43:22
the very lie
43:23
that they believed
43:23
that Satan told them
43:24
is that they would be
43:24
like God
43:25
and they said
43:25
that sounds great.
43:27
We don't want to be creation.
43:28
We want to be creator.
43:30
And that's what
43:31
was disrupted there.
43:33
Christ sets that
43:34
straight for us.
43:35
Christ came and lived
43:36
a perfect life.
43:37
He had to.
43:37
He had to be both
43:38
human and divine.
43:40
He came and lived
43:40
a perfect life for us.
43:41
The perfect righteousness,
43:43
the fulfillment of the law,
43:44
God's holy standard
43:45
given to his people
43:47
to keep
43:47
in order for him
43:48
to keep his covenant promise,
43:49
we couldn't do.
43:50
Christ did it for us.
43:52
He came and lived
43:52
a perfect life,
43:54
right?
43:54
So that if we believe in him,
43:56
we're given righteousness.
43:57
We have his righteousness.
43:59
And he died a sinner's death.
44:01
He took our sin
44:02
and put it on himself,
44:04
right?
44:04
Just the death
44:05
wasn't enough,
44:06
right?
44:07
That would have brought us
44:07
back up to neutral.
44:08
That would have put us
44:09
at ground zero.
44:10
No longer a debt to God,
44:11
but we hadn't yet
44:12
made the payment
44:13
that was necessary,
44:14
which was righteousness.
44:15
So we have this
44:16
double imputation
44:18
that happens,
44:19
right?
44:20
Our sin given to Christ,
44:21
his righteousness
44:22
given to us.
44:23
Martin Luther called it
44:24
the great exchange,
44:26
right?
44:26
So that if we place
44:27
believing faith in him,
44:29
we are found right
44:30
before God.
44:32
You should be able
44:32
to explain this to people.
44:34
It doesn't have to use
44:34
the words I use.
44:36
You should be able
44:36
to do it.
44:37
There are resources
44:37
for you to do it with,
44:39
right?
44:39
You get all jumbled
44:40
and nervous.
44:41
There's some great tracks.
44:42
I'm not against tracks.
44:44
I'm just against you
44:44
putting them in random places
44:45
like on the back of your journals
44:46
and leaving,
44:47
right?
44:50
You ought to be able
44:50
to share the gospel.
44:53
You ought to be able
44:53
to entertain objections
44:54
to it,
44:55
right?
44:55
You have to have
44:56
all the answers.
44:57
No one expects you
44:57
to have all the answers.
44:59
But you ought to be able
45:00
to entertain
45:00
and go find the answers,
45:02
right?
45:02
You have resources
45:03
abounding at your fingertips.
45:05
You have resources
45:05
in this church.
45:07
Many, many faithful
45:08
men and women
45:09
who are wonderful
45:11
at sharing their faith
45:12
that you can pull
45:13
that information
45:14
from.
45:17
Now,
45:18
in the sharing
45:19
of the gospel,
45:21
even in the clearest
45:22
of ways,
45:23
right,
45:24
illumination by the Spirit
45:25
is required,
45:26
right?
45:27
For God to do
45:27
a work in people's lives,
45:29
our sharing
45:30
has to be combined
45:31
with His work
45:31
to change the hearts
45:33
of people
45:33
that they would believe it,
45:34
right?
45:34
Dark hearts
45:35
don't hear the gospel.
45:36
They don't want
45:36
to hear the gospel.
45:37
It's foolishness
45:38
to them.
45:39
So this won't
45:40
always find success,
45:42
but we ought to know
45:44
how to answer each person,
45:46
and we ought to make it clear
45:47
and let God work.
45:50
And sometimes this is going
45:51
to come out
45:51
in favor of what we would
45:54
think is the right outcome,
45:54
that people would turn
45:55
to Christ,
45:56
and sometimes it won't.
45:57
And that's up to God.
45:58
It's our job to share
45:59
and to go
46:00
and to do so faithfully.
46:02
2 Corinthians 2,
46:03
14-17 says,
46:04
But thanks be to God
46:05
who in Christ
46:06
always leads us
46:07
in triumphal procession
46:08
and through us
46:09
spreads the fragrance
46:10
of the knowledge
46:11
of Him everywhere.
46:13
Is this true
46:14
of our church?
46:15
For we are the aroma
46:16
of Christ to God
46:17
among those
46:17
who are being saved
46:18
and among those
46:19
who are perishing.
46:20
To one a fragrance
46:21
from death to death.
46:22
To the other a fragrance
46:23
from life to life.
46:25
Who is sufficient
46:26
for these things?
46:28
For we are not
46:30
like so many
46:31
peddlers
46:32
of God's Word,
46:33
but as men of sincerity,
46:35
as commissioned by God,
46:37
in the sight of God,
46:38
we speak in Christ.
46:42
If we go out this week
46:44
with that in mind.
46:46
In Thessalonica,
46:47
Paul and Silas
46:48
are accused of being
46:49
men who have turned
46:51
the world upside down.
46:54
And here Paul is just saying,
46:56
I just want to make it clear.
46:58
Just give me the opportunity
46:59
to make it clear
47:00
to preach the Gospel.
47:01
In other places,
47:02
in Ephesians,
47:02
he talks about
47:03
the way in which
47:05
we're to share
47:05
and to not be of offense.
47:07
1 Peter 3,
47:08
15-16 says,
47:09
In your hearts,
47:10
honor Christ the Lord
47:11
as holy,
47:12
always being prepared
47:13
to make an offense
47:14
to anyone who asks you
47:15
for a reason
47:15
for the hope
47:16
that is in you.
47:17
Yet do it
47:17
with gentleness
47:18
and respect.
47:20
Have a good conscience
47:21
so that when you are slandered,
47:23
those who revile
47:23
your good behavior
47:24
in Christ
47:25
may be put to shame.
47:26
These men shared
47:27
the Gospel in that way,
47:29
speaking it clearly,
47:30
in love,
47:31
and the Thessalonians
47:32
said that they were
47:33
turning the world
47:34
upside down.
47:36
These weren't
47:37
happy recipients
47:38
of the Gospel
47:39
of Jesus Christ.
47:40
They were disrupting
47:42
everything
47:42
with this kind
47:44
and loving,
47:45
amazing message
47:47
of Jesus Christ.
47:51
And so we are
47:52
to display
47:54
the supremacy
47:55
of Jesus Christ
47:56
in all things
47:57
to all people.
47:58
We are to proclaim it
47:59
as well.
48:03
And beloved,
48:03
I believe
48:04
that if we would
48:05
begin to pray,
48:06
if we would get
48:07
on our faces
48:07
and we begin
48:08
to ask that God
48:10
would pour His Spirit
48:11
out on our community
48:12
and that we would
48:13
be faithful
48:14
in our own experience,
48:16
not looking to this world,
48:18
not setting our mind
48:19
on it,
48:19
setting our mind
48:20
on things that are above,
48:22
pursuing holiness
48:22
in our living
48:23
so that we can display
48:25
that to people around us,
48:26
that we say
48:27
to people around us,
48:28
Christ is precious
48:30
and everything
48:31
that I do
48:32
should be a chorus
48:34
to that end.
48:36
Everything that I do
48:37
says Jesus Christ
48:38
is better
48:39
than anything else
48:40
and everything else.
48:41
Jesus Christ
48:42
is the way
48:42
back to God
48:44
and He is mine
48:45
and I am His.
48:48
And that if we would
48:49
just say that,
48:50
that God would bless it.
48:52
That God has a purpose
48:53
for our community.
48:54
God has a people
48:55
to call out of it.
48:57
But He wants to use us,
48:59
not because He needs us,
49:00
but because He loves us.
49:02
He wants to draw us
49:03
in to His purposes.
49:05
Do we love Him
49:06
in a response
49:08
to the Gospel
49:09
in such a way
49:10
that we will?
49:12
Please join me in prayer.
49:14
of God.
49:14
!
49:15
of God.