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Romans 1:18-23 · Providence Baptist Church - Sermons

• 0:00
  Good morning, I do hope you have a copy of God's Word with you this day, and that you will join me in Romans chapter 1.
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  We're doing it, and we're in Romans today.
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  Now, two weeks ago, we began our study of these six verses, Romans 1, 18-23.
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  But time prevented us from finishing, so I'm eager to progress through them with you this morning.
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  I really don't like it when our studies get disjointed like they have been over these past months.
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  But, I trust and hope that you trust in God's providential reign over even the smallest details of our church's life.
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  So, here we are. Let's begin by reading our text, and then I'll try to remind you what we have learned so far before we proceed together.
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  So, Romans chapter 1, verse 18-23.
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  Before I read it, let me remind you, beloved, that this is God's Word to us.
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  It was written for His glory and our good.
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  So, we would all do well to listen to it in order to believe its promises and to obey its commands.
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  For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men,
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  who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.
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  For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.
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  For His invisible attributes, namely His eternal power and divine nature,
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  have been clearly perceived ever since the creation of the world in the things that have been made.
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  So, they are without excuse.
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  For although they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks to Him,
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  but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
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  Claiming to be wise, they became fools,
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  and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
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  So, in verses 16 and 17 of this chapter,
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  Paul states that the gospel is the power of God for salvation.
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  For in it, the righteousness of God,
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  so the righteousness that comes from God,
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  is revealed from faith for faith.
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  As it is written, the righteous shall live by faith.
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  These two verses, I have told you repeatedly,
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  are the thesis for the entirety of this letter.
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  Paul tells us the specific case that he is going to make,
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  and then in verse 18,
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  he zooms back and begins his explanation.
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  In verse 18, he tells us why anyone would care that the gospel is the power of God.
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  Why does it matter that it's the power of God for salvation?
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  He begins telling us why we need the righteousness of God that comes through faith.
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  And the reason he tells us is,
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  the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness.
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  He's going to spend a bunch of time making the case that every single person has been ungodly and unrighteous.
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  And therefore, apart from the power of God for salvation,
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  we will experience now and forever the wrath of God.
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  We thought some together about the wrath of God two weeks ago
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  from texts like Jeremiah chapter 7 and verse 20,
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  where Jeremiah records,
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  Thus says the Lord God,
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  Behold, my anger and my wrath will be poured out on this place upon man and beast,
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  upon the trees of the field and the fruit of the ground.
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  It will burn and not be quenched.
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  And in the New Testament,
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  Colossians chapter 3, verse 5 and 6,
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  Paul says there,
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  Put to death, therefore, what is earthly in you,
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  sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness,
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  which is idolatry.
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  So he says in verse 5,
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  Put away the ungodliness and unrighteousness.
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  And then in verse 6, he says of Colossians 3,
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  On account of these, the wrath of God is coming.
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  God's wrath is a settled reality against sin.
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  He is a just God,
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  and he justly does and will punish sin.
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  We thought a bit about how we want this to be true.
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  We want the world to be set right.
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  We noted that God's wrath does not discriminate
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  as it is revealed against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men.
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  I told you that these two words,
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  ungodliness and unrighteousness,
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  are very similar in the Greek language.
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  They're almost synonyms.
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  The first stresses a severed relationship with God.
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  The second focuses on the activity that proceeds
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  from that severed relationship.
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  So both who we are in our sin
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  and then what happens out of who we are.
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  The one on whom God's wrath is revealed
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  is not living as an image bearer of God,
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  but in contradiction to that created purpose.
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  And in so doing, suppresses the truth.
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  Lives in contradiction to the truth.
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  We then considered verse 19,
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  which says,
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  for what can be known about God is plain to them
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  because God has shown it to them.
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  The four here is referring to the suppression of the truth.
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  This truth of who God is.
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  Sinful man denies or rejects the truth
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  that God has revealed to them.
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  And this is why, verse 20 says,
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  they are without excuse.
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  This is not an issue of what cannot be known,
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  but rather one of what will not be known.
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  Truth right there for the taking
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  that is refused to be taken up and understood.
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  Verse 20 says,
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  his invisible attributes,
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  namely his eternal power and divine nature,
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  have been clearly perceived
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  ever since the creation of the world
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  in the things that have been made.
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  So two weeks ago,
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  with a long quotation from a commentary,
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  we considered the two things
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  that can be clearly observed in the natural world.
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  First, that there is a creator God.
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  And secondly, that he is eternally powerful.
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  And so, mankind is without excuse.
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  This suppressed knowledge is enough to damn a person.
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  But it is not enough to save them.
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  They are without excuse.
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  But this is not saving knowledge.
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  This is why Paul is so eager to preach the gospel.
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  This is why he wants his original audience
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  and you and I to understand
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  that salvation comes by grace alone,
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  through faith alone,
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  in the personal work of Jesus Christ alone.
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  This is why he is not ashamed of the gospel.
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  For it is the power of God for salvation
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  to everyone who believes.
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  To the Jew first,
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  and also to the Greek.
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  Right?
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  It's a gospel that can save.
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  It's powerful to save.
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  Because mankind,
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  in our fallen state,
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  suppresses the truth.
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  The gospel is the powerful thing
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  that's employed by the Spirit
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  to break through our darkened hearts,
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  our foolish minds,
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  and bring us back to God.
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  It is why he will press at the church
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  in chapter 10,
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  where he says,
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  How then will they call on Him
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  in whom they have not believed?
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  And how are they to believe in Him
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  of whom they have never heard?
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  And how are they to hear
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  without someone preaching?
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  And how are they to preach
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  unless they are sent,
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  as it is written,
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  how beautiful are the feet
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  of those who preach the good news?
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  And let me tell you, beloved,
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  that the preaching he's talking about here
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  includes what we do
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  on Sunday mornings from the stage.
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  It includes that,
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  but it is not only that,
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  it is also your gospel proclamation
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  in the world in which you live
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  and where you go
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  as you share the good news.
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  Now, I think this sufficiently brings us
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  to the last three verses of this text.
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  That felt real fast.
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  But I will read them one more time
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  to get our minds moving toward
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  the truth contained therein.
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  Verse 21 and following.
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  Four, although they knew God,
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  they did not honor Him as God
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  or give thanks to Him,
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  but they became futile in their thinking
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  and their foolish hearts were darkened.
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  Claiming to be wise,
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  they became fools
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  and exchanged the glory of the immortal God
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  for images resembling mortal man
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  and birds and animals
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  and creeping things.
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  There is in our text today
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  a lesson concerning the thinking of mankind,
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  the thinking faculty of man.
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  We've seen knowledge, language throughout it.
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  Look back up in verse 18,
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  who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.
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  And verse 19,
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  for what can be known about God
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  is plain to them.
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  And then in verse 20,
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  having been clearly perceived.
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  And now, verse 21,
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  they knew God.
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  They became futile in their thinking.
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  And then verse 22,
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  claiming to be wise,
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  faculty of the mind,
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  they became fools.
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  There's a lot of thinking language
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  in this text.
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  Now, remember,
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  Paul is zooming back
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  and telling us why we ought to care
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  that the gospel is the power of God for salvation.
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  So, don't miss this.
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  Paul is talking about mankind in this text.
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  He is speaking in past tense
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  about a problem that began in the garden.
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  It is a problem that began with Adam and Eve
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  rejecting the truth,
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  acting on a lie,
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  and learning things that they could not unlearn.
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  Paul is referring to the state of mankind
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  ever since,
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  of which we are numbered apart
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  from God's intervening grace in our lives.
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  Paul is teaching that without God's intervention,
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  the way of man is a digression
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  away from the truth,
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  and sound reasoning not toward it.
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  Now, mankind is not altogether left
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  without the power to reason.
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  God in His common grace to mankind
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  has allowed us, mankind,
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  to think,
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  to order our societies,
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  and discover truth in creation.
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  And don't we as a people
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  do this with mixed success?
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  Sometimes we are improving upon our societies
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  and discovering amazing things,
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  and sometimes we move in the opposite direction.
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  Part of our image-bearing quality as humans
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  is our ability to reason,
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  albeit imperfectly.
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  So we still carry around the ability
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  to, in some measure,
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  be image-bearers of God.
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  Now, the study of how we reason
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  is called epistemology.
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  That may be your one big word for the day.
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  And represented in this room right now
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  is a mix of epistemological standpoints.
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  So, we have amongst us,
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  and probably embedded in all of us,
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  a little bit of the modernist.
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  Modernism is where we get,
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  comes out of the Enlightenment,
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  where we get things like
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  the scientific method,
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  measurable stuff.
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  We want to be able to have an idea
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  and test to see if it's true
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  or if it's not.
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  This, of course, has some strengths
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  and it has some weaknesses.
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  Beyond the modernists,
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  or the very cleverly called
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  post-modernists,
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  most defines my generation.
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  We think of things,
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  phrases like,
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  well, you have your truth
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  and I have my truth.
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  This is a post-modern way of thinking.
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  You can imagine an example for a moment.
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  Some of us were standing on a sidewalk
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  and having a conversation
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  and a car accident happened
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  just out on the street.
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  We would all have a different experience
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  of that car accident.
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  Some of us may have been facing it
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  and seen what happened.
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  Some of us might have been
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  particularly attuned to the noise
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  that it made as it wasn't in our sight.
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  Some might have really smelled the accident,
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  the screeching of tires,
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  things like this.
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  And we'd all have something to share
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  of our experience.
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  Yet, objectively,
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  there was a car accident
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  and something real happened
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  in that accident.
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  The post-modernist tends
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  to take up that truth
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  and make it the truth.
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  What I saw in that car accident
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  was the thing that absolutely happened
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  and becomes dismissive
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  of other experiences.
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  And now, even more cleverly,
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  we find ourselves,
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  and really,
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  they're going to rename these
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  at some point, I'm sure,
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  the epistemological standpoint
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  of many particularly young people,
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  but we are not,
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  as older people,
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  immune to this,
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  is called,
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  ready for it,
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  post-post-modernism.
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  It's got to stop at some point.
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  We can't have post-post-post-modernism,
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  I don't think.
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  Many people today
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  do not believe
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  that the truth
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  can be arrived at.
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  Just pick an issue
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  and get on the internet.
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  There's a lot of swirling facts out there.
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  It's difficult to arrive at the truth.
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  And because
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  this is so unsettling,
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  and really is a result
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  of post-modernity,
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  so unsettling,
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  people who are functioning
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  in this post-post-modern way
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  will define the truth
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  by their feelings.
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  If it makes me feel good,
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  it must be good.
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  If it makes me feel bad,
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  then it must be bad.
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  As I said,
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  we are all a mix
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  of these epistemological viewpoints.
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  And we must be careful
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  because their ultimate end,
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  although they have some value,
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  their ultimate end
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  is a digression
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  from the saving truth
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  of the gospel.
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  Their ultimate end
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  of any of these ways of thinking
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  moves away from God
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  and not toward Him.
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  We must recognize
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  that we will not
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  reason our way
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  to heaven.
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  It will not happen.
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  We need
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  the revelation of God
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  to be saved.
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  We need Him
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  to speak the truth
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  to us.
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  We will not arrive at it
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  on our own.
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  We need the intervening grace of God
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  worked in us
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  by the power of the Spirit
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  in the illumination
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  of His Word.
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  Now in Romans 12,
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  beginning of verse 2,
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  as Paul turns his letter
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  to practical application,
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  he says,
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  Do not be conformed
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  to this world,
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  but be transformed
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  by the renewal
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  of your mind.
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  So if we have been saved
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  by the intervening grace of God,
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  then we are categorically different
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  than the description
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  being given here.
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  We are not those
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  who the wrath of God
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  is being revealed to,
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  but we are yet
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  to be fully
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  sanctified.
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  We are not arriving.
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  We don't have
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  perfect reasoning
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  yet.
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  This side of glory,
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  we still carry around
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  the baggage
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  of the curse.
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  Last Sunday,
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  I was sick.
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  I tried to push through.
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  I actually came to the building
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  at 8 o'clock.
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  I could just barely lift my arms.
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  And so,
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  I went home.
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  I still have this body
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  of death.
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  I'm still carrying
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  the burden
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  of sin.
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  And it doesn't just affect
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  my body,
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  it also affects
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  my mind.
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  Which is why
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  Paul says in Romans 12,
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  to be transformed
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  by the renewal
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  of your mind.
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  A thing that must be
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  pursued
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  to reason
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  properly
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  as God
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  reveals Himself
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  to us
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  in His Word.
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  But what does this
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  renewing work
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  look like?
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  If you look at
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  verse 21,
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  the first part of it
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  says,
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  for although
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  they knew God,
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  they did not honor Him
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  as God
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  or give
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  thanks
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  to Him.
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  So,
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  Paul here states
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  in the negative
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  that a renewing mind
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  will honor God
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  and will give
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  thanks
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  to Him.
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  The person who has
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  been saved
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  by Christ
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  will
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  not live the way
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  these people live,
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  will give thanks
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  to Him.
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  Do you find in yourself
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  a mind
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  that is bent
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  toward
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  the praise of God
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  as He has revealed Himself
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  in the Bible?
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  Do you thank Him
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  in all circumstances,
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  trusting Him
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  in joy
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  and in sorrow?
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  Beloved,
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  we ought to be
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  growing in these matters,
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  these matters of
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  honor
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  and
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  thanksgiving.
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  It ought to be
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  an increasing reality
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  in our lives
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  if we find ourselves
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  in Christ.
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  I think
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  that the Westminster
• 19:13
  Larger Catechism
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  will help us
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  at this point.
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  I certainly
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  hope that it will.
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  I always,
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  with some trepidation,
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  read long things,
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  so I hope this will
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  serve us well
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  this morning.
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  Certainly,
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  we find in our text,
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  particularly in verse 23,
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  a breaking of the
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  Second Commandment.
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  But I want to draw
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  our attention this morning
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  to the First
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  Commandment.
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  In the Westminster
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  Larger Catechism
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  in the form of
• 19:39
  Catechesis,
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  question 103 says,
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  what is the First
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  Commandment?
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  And the answer is,
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  the First Commandment is,
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  Thou shalt have
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  no other gods
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  before me.
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  This is Exodus
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  chapter 20.
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  Thou shalt have
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  no other gods
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  before me.
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  So think in these terms
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  as Paul here is talking
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  about.
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  In the negative,
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  he's saying,
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  if people are
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  redeemed by Christ,
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  we will
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  honor
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  God.
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  And we will
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  give thanks
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  to
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  God.
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  So the
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  Westminster
• 20:11
  Larger Catechism
• 20:12
  follows question
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  103 with
• 20:14
  question 104,
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  which says,
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  what are the duties
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  required in the
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  First Commandment?
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  So just listen to
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  these carefully
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  and think,
• 20:24
  is this
• 20:25
  the
• 20:26
  bent?
• 20:28
  Is this the way
• 20:28
  my heart
• 20:29
  tends
• 20:30
  toward?
• 20:32
  The answer,
• 20:33
  the Westminster
• 20:33
  Divines wrote,
• 20:34
  the duties required
• 20:35
  in the First
• 20:36
  Commandment are
• 20:37
  the knowing
• 20:38
  and acknowledging
• 20:40
  of God to be
• 20:41
  the only true
• 20:42
  God and our
• 20:43
  God and to
• 20:45
  worship and
• 20:46
  glorify Him
• 20:47
  accordingly by
• 20:49
  thinking,
• 20:50
  meditating,
• 20:52
  remembering,
• 20:53
  highly esteeming,
• 20:56
  honoring,
• 20:57
  adoring,
• 20:59
  choosing,
• 21:00
  loving,
• 21:01
  desiring,
• 21:03
  fearing,
• 21:05
  believing,
• 21:06
  trusting,
• 21:08
  hoping,
• 21:09
  delighting,
• 21:11
  rejoicing in
• 21:12
  Him,
• 21:12
  being zealous
• 21:13
  for Him,
• 21:14
  calling upon
• 21:15
  Him,
• 21:16
  giving all
• 21:17
  praise and
• 21:18
  thanks,
• 21:18
  and yielding
• 21:19
  all obedience
• 21:20
  and submission
• 21:20
  to Him,
• 21:21
  with the whole
• 21:22
  man,
• 21:23
  being careful
• 21:24
  in all things
• 21:24
  to please Him,
• 21:26
  and sorrowful
• 21:26
  when in anything
• 21:28
  He has offended,
• 21:29
  and walking
• 21:30
  humbly
• 21:30
  with Him.
• 21:33
  And I know
• 21:33
  that you can't
• 21:34
  see it,
• 21:34
  but there's a
• 21:35
  footnote for
• 21:36
  every single
• 21:37
  one of those
• 21:37
  words where
• 21:38
  they have
• 21:39
  seen this
• 21:40
  in the
• 21:41
  Scripture.
• 21:42
  These are the
• 21:43
  duties required
• 21:44
  in the first
• 21:45
  commandment,
• 21:46
  right?
• 21:47
  To have no
• 21:48
  other God
• 21:49
  before God.
• 21:51
  God,
• 21:53
  if you do not
• 21:54
  find in
• 21:55
  yourself a
• 21:55
  mind that
• 21:56
  is bent
• 21:57
  in this
• 21:58
  way,
• 21:59
  then it is
• 22:00
  possible that
• 22:01
  you may be
• 22:02
  counted among
• 22:02
  those who
• 22:03
  are futile in
• 22:05
  their thinking
• 22:05
  and have
• 22:07
  foolish,
• 22:08
  darkened
• 22:09
  hearts.
• 22:10
  Westminster
• 22:14
  Larger
• 22:15
  Catechism,
• 22:16
  question 105.
• 22:19
  What are the
• 22:20
  sins forbidden
• 22:20
  in the first
• 22:22
  commandment?
• 22:23
  The answer,
• 22:25
  the sins
• 22:25
  forbidden in
• 22:26
  the first
• 22:26
  commandment
• 22:26
  are atheism
• 22:29
  in denying
• 22:29
  or not having
• 22:30
  a God,
• 22:31
  idolatry in
• 22:32
  having or
• 22:33
  worshipping
• 22:33
  more gods
• 22:34
  than one,
• 22:35
  or instead
• 22:36
  of the true
• 22:37
  God,
• 22:38
  the not
• 22:39
  having and
• 22:40
  vouching Him
• 22:40
  for God
• 22:41
  and our
• 22:42
  God,
• 22:43
  the omission
• 22:44
  or neglect
• 22:44
  of anything
• 22:45
  due to Him,
• 22:46
  required in
• 22:47
  His commandment,
• 22:48
  ignorance,
• 22:49
  forgetfulness,
• 22:50
  misapprehensions,
• 22:52
  false opinions,
• 22:53
  unworthy and
• 22:54
  wicked thoughts
• 22:55
  of Him,
• 22:56
  bold and
• 22:57
  curious searching
• 22:58
  into His
• 22:58
  secrets,
• 22:59
  all profaneness,
• 23:01
  hatred of
• 23:02
  God,
• 23:03
  self-love,
• 23:04
  self-seeking,
• 23:05
  and all other
• 23:06
  inordinate and
• 23:07
  immoderate setting
• 23:08
  of our mind,
• 23:09
  will,
• 23:09
  or affections
• 23:09
  upon other
• 23:10
  things and
• 23:11
  taking them
• 23:11
  off from Him
• 23:12
  in whole or
• 23:13
  in part,
• 23:15
  vain credulity,
• 23:16
  unbelief,
• 23:18
  heresy,
• 23:19
  misbelief,
• 23:20
  distrust,
• 23:21
  despair,
• 23:22
  incorrigibleness,
• 23:24
  and insensibleness
• 23:24
  under judgments,
• 23:26
  hardness of heart,
• 23:27
  pride,
• 23:28
  presumption,
• 23:29
  carnal security,
• 23:31
  tempting of God,
• 23:32
  using unlawful means
• 23:33
  and trusting in lawful,
• 23:35
  sorry,
• 23:36
  using of unlawful means
• 23:37
  and trusting in lawful means,
• 23:39
  carnal delights and joys,
• 23:41
  corrupt,
• 23:42
  blind,
• 23:43
  and indiscreet zeal,
• 23:45
  lukewarmness and deadness
• 23:46
  in the things of God,
• 23:48
  estranging ourselves
• 23:49
  and apostatizing from God,
• 23:52
  praying or giving any
• 23:53
  religious worship
• 23:53
  to saints,
• 23:54
  angels,
• 23:55
  or any other creatures,
• 23:57
  all compacts
• 23:58
  and consulting with the devil
• 23:59
  and hearkening
• 24:00
  to his suggestions,
• 24:01
  making men the lords
• 24:03
  of our faith and conscience,
• 24:04
  sliding and despising
• 24:05
  God and his commands,
• 24:07
  resisting and grieving
• 24:08
  of a spirit,
• 24:10
  discontent and impatience
• 24:11
  at his dispensations,
• 24:13
  charging him foolishly
• 24:14
  for the evil he inflicts on us,
• 24:16
  and ascribing the praise
• 24:18
  of any good we either are,
• 24:20
  have,
• 24:20
  or can do
• 24:21
  to fortune,
• 24:22
  idols,
• 24:23
  ourselves,
• 24:24
  or any other creature.
• 24:27
  Again,
• 24:28
  a scripture reference
• 24:29
  for every single one
• 24:31
  of those phrases
• 24:32
  or words.
• 24:34
  Did you know
• 24:36
  there was so much
• 24:37
  packed into that
• 24:38
  first commandment?
• 24:41
  You see,
• 24:42
  if you find
• 24:42
  that you are
• 24:43
  a transgressor
• 24:45
  of the first commandment,
• 24:46
  my plea with you
• 24:47
  this day
• 24:48
  is that you would repent
• 24:49
  of your unrighteousness,
• 24:52
  an unrighteousness
• 24:52
  that suppresses the truth,
• 24:54
  an unrighteousness
• 24:55
  on which the wrath
• 24:56
  of God
• 24:56
  is being revealed,
• 24:58
  and that you would
• 24:58
  throw yourself
• 24:59
  on the mercy
• 25:01
  of intervening grace.
• 25:04
  The offer
• 25:05
  of the gospel
• 25:06
  is made
• 25:07
  to you
• 25:07
  this day.
• 25:10
  Having already
• 25:11
  found yourself
• 25:11
  in Christ,
• 25:12
  praise be to God,
• 25:14
  we are counted
• 25:15
  as righteous
• 25:16
  before him,
• 25:17
  justified before him,
• 25:18
  and now being sanctified,
• 25:20
  we get to repent
• 25:21
  and believe afresh
• 25:22
  again
• 25:23
  and again
• 25:23
  and again.
• 25:24
  The righteous
• 25:24
  shall live
• 25:25
  by faith.
• 25:28
  Renewing our faith,
• 25:29
  renewing our faith,
• 25:30
  renewing our faith.
• 25:31
  Finding yourself
• 25:32
  this day
• 25:32
  outside the grace
• 25:33
  of God?
• 25:35
  The gospel
• 25:36
  is powerful
• 25:36
  to save.
• 25:38
  The gospel
• 25:39
  can save you
• 25:41
  if you would
• 25:42
  just believe
• 25:44
  that it will.
• 25:47
  So we see
• 25:48
  this digression
• 25:50
  of mankind,
• 25:51
  a digression
• 25:51
  that we have all
• 25:53
  once been
• 25:54
  or possibly
• 25:55
  are this morning
• 25:56
  guilty of.
• 25:59
  Verse 22 says,
• 26:01
  claiming to be wise,
• 26:03
  they became
• 26:04
  fools.
• 26:07
  God's declaration
• 26:08
  in this inspired text
• 26:10
  written by Paul
• 26:11
  is that the people
• 26:12
  who think they're wise
• 26:13
  in this world
• 26:14
  are fools.
• 26:17
  Paul writes
• 26:18
  in 1 Corinthians 1
• 26:20
  and verse 18,
• 26:21
  for the word
• 26:22
  of the cross
• 26:23
  is folly
• 26:24
  to those
• 26:25
  who are perishing.
• 26:27
  But to us
• 26:27
  who are being saved,
• 26:29
  it is the power
• 26:30
  of God.
• 26:32
  And in Philippians 3,
• 26:34
  verse 18
• 26:35
  and following,
• 26:36
  for many of whom
• 26:37
  I have often told you
• 26:38
  and now tell you
• 26:39
  even with tears
• 26:40
  walk as enemies
• 26:41
  of the cross
• 26:43
  of Christ.
• 26:44
  Their end
• 26:45
  is destruction,
• 26:46
  their God
• 26:47
  is their belly,
• 26:48
  and they glory
• 26:48
  in their shame
• 26:50
  with minds
• 26:50
  set on earthly things.
• 26:53
  But our citizenship
• 26:54
  is in heaven
• 26:55
  and from it
• 26:56
  we await
• 26:56
  a Savior,
• 26:57
  the Lord
• 26:58
  Jesus Christ.
• 27:02
  Claiming to be wise,
• 27:03
  right,
• 27:03
  glorying in their
• 27:05
  shame,
• 27:07
  they become fools.
• 27:09
  words.
• 27:10
  In this past week,
• 27:11
  I feel like I was
• 27:12
  just bombarded
• 27:13
  with the foolishness
• 27:15
  of the world
• 27:16
  trying to be
• 27:17
  framed as
• 27:19
  wisdom.
• 27:20
  we do a program
• 27:23
  on Fridays
• 27:24
  with some boys
• 27:26
  from our church
• 27:27
  and in partnership
• 27:28
  with Grace Community Church.
• 27:30
  We call it
• 27:31
  Corum Deo,
• 27:32
  which is Latin for
• 27:32
  before the face of God.
• 27:34
  And we've got
• 27:35
  10 11-13 year olds
• 27:36
  and when we begin
• 27:37
  the morning
• 27:38
  we ask if they have
• 27:39
  any prayer requests.
• 27:41
  And I will tell you
• 27:42
  that young boys
• 27:44
  ask for prayer
• 27:45
  the way many
• 27:46
  old men do
• 27:47
  because they have
• 27:48
  twisted ankles
• 27:49
  and people they know
• 27:51
  who are sick.
• 27:52
  And I often try
• 27:54
  to add
• 27:54
  something
• 27:55
  of
• 27:56
  more eternal
• 27:58
  substance
• 27:58
  to
• 27:59
  our praying.
• 28:01
  And this past Friday
• 28:03
  I just couldn't
• 28:03
  open my mouth
• 28:04
  because everything
• 28:05
  that was going to
• 28:06
  come out of it
• 28:06
  was going to be
• 28:07
  terribly depressing
• 28:08
  to 11-13 year olds.
• 28:11
  And so as we prayed
• 28:12
  with them
• 28:13
  and for them
• 28:13
  for toes
• 28:15
  and ankles
• 28:16
  and parents
• 28:17
  with sniffles
• 28:18
  I said
• 28:20
  come Lord Jesus
• 28:22
  this world
• 28:24
  is just
• 28:25
  falling apart.
• 28:27
  And Paul here
• 28:28
  is not teaching us
• 28:28
  that there's this
• 28:29
  progression
• 28:30
  that we're experiencing
• 28:31
  that progression
• 28:32
  but that it has
• 28:33
  been this way
• 28:34
  since
• 28:35
  the fall.
• 28:37
  Adam and Eve
• 28:38
  in the garden
• 28:38
  verse 22
• 28:39
  claiming to be wise
• 28:40
  they acted
• 28:42
  and they became
• 28:43
  fools
• 28:44
  and all of
• 28:46
  mankind
• 28:47
  ever since.
• 28:50
  Verse 23
• 28:51
  says
• 28:51
  and exchange
• 28:53
  the glory
• 28:54
  of the
• 28:55
  immortal God
• 28:56
  for
• 28:57
  images
• 28:58
  resembling
• 29:00
  mortal man
• 29:01
  and birds
• 29:03
  and animals
• 29:04
  and creeping
• 29:05
  things.
• 29:07
  Turned from
• 29:07
  the praise of God
• 29:08
  to idolatry.
• 29:10
  and we will
• 29:10
  talk at length
• 29:12
  about this
• 29:13
  in the text
• 29:14
  that will conclude
• 29:15
  chapter 1
• 29:16
  Lord willing
• 29:17
  next week.
• 29:20
  Beloved
• 29:21
  we ought not
• 29:21
  to be surprised
• 29:22
  when the world
• 29:23
  rejects the ways
• 29:24
  of our God.
• 29:26
  I see so many
• 29:27
  Christians
• 29:28
  so shocked
• 29:29
  when the world
• 29:30
  acts in contradiction
• 29:31
  to our God.
• 29:35
  This text
• 29:35
  makes it clear
• 29:36
  why they do.
• 29:38
  Their ungodliness
• 29:38
  and unrighteousness
• 29:40
  suppress the truth.
• 29:42
  It is the natural
• 29:44
  way of the
• 29:44
  fallen man
• 29:45
  to bend
• 29:47
  away from
• 29:48
  God
• 29:48
  and his ways.
• 29:51
  Now it is
• 29:51
  good for us
• 29:52
  to reason
• 29:53
  in the marketplace
• 29:54
  so don't
• 29:56
  hear me
• 29:57
  asking you
• 29:59
  to disengage
• 29:59
  from the world
• 30:00
  in which we live.
• 30:01
  By all
• 30:01
  means
• 30:02
  reason
• 30:03
  with people.
• 30:05
  By common
• 30:05
  grace
• 30:06
  the world
• 30:07
  has reasoning
• 30:08
  faculty.
• 30:09
  We want to
• 30:10
  labor for
• 30:11
  an equitable
• 30:11
  society.
• 30:13
  But
• 30:13
  what this
• 30:14
  world needs
• 30:15
  most
• 30:15
  is the
• 30:16
  intervening
• 30:17
  grace of
• 30:18
  God
• 30:18
  found in
• 30:19
  the powerful
• 30:20
  gospel
• 30:20
  of Jesus
• 30:21
  Christ.
• 30:24
  Paul doesn't
• 30:25
  go on his
• 30:26
  missionary journeys
• 30:27
  into cities
• 30:28
  and have
• 30:29
  political
• 30:30
  dialogue
• 30:30
  with people
• 30:31
  in that city.
• 30:32
  What does he
• 30:33
  do?
• 30:33
  He goes to
• 30:34
  the synagogue
• 30:34
  a place
• 30:35
  where people
• 30:35
  would have
• 30:35
  come for
• 30:35
  the worship
• 30:36
  of God
• 30:36
  and he
• 30:37
  reasons
• 30:37
  with them
• 30:38
  from the
• 30:38
  scripture
• 30:39
  that Jesus
• 30:40
  is the
• 30:41
  Christ.
• 30:42
  This should
• 30:43
  be the
• 30:44
  primary
• 30:44
  thrust
• 30:45
  of what
• 30:46
  we do.
• 30:47
  Knowing
• 30:48
  that
• 30:48
  we cannot
• 30:49
  reason
• 30:50
  people
• 30:51
  politically
• 30:52
  into heaven.
• 30:53
  It's not
• 30:54
  going to
• 30:54
  happen.
• 30:56
  God is
• 30:57
  going to
• 30:57
  make this
• 30:57
  world new
• 30:58
  one day
• 31:00
  and we
• 31:01
  as the
• 31:01
  church
• 31:02
  are meant
• 31:02
  to be
• 31:03
  about
• 31:03
  making
• 31:04
  disciples
• 31:05
  of the
• 31:05
  Lord
• 31:05
  Jesus
• 31:06
  Christ.
• 31:07
  It ought
• 31:07
  to be
• 31:08
  the
• 31:08
  central
• 31:08
  thing
• 31:09
  that
• 31:09
  we
• 31:09
  do
• 31:10
  in
• 31:11
  everything
• 31:11
  that
• 31:12
  we
• 31:13
  do.
• 31:14
  So I
• 31:15
  pray that
• 31:15
  as the
• 31:16
  world
• 31:16
  assails
• 31:16
  us
• 31:17
  with its
• 31:17
  warped
• 31:18
  thinking
• 31:18
  we will
• 31:20
  respond
• 31:20
  with the
• 31:20
  truth
• 31:21
  that we
• 31:22
  were once
• 31:23
  like
• 31:23
  them.
• 31:25
  That we
• 31:25
  have been
• 31:26
  saved by
• 31:26
  a loving
• 31:27
  kind
• 31:27
  God
• 31:28
  and that
• 31:29
  we will
• 31:29
  extend
• 31:30
  the
• 31:30
  saving
• 31:30
  offer
• 31:31
  of the
• 31:31
  gospel
• 31:31
  to them.
• 31:33
  And I
• 31:34
  pray that
• 31:35
  we would
• 31:35
  not just
• 31:36
  be
• 31:36
  theological
• 31:37
  heads
• 31:38
  but
• 31:39
  transformed
• 31:40
  people.
• 31:42
  So in
• 31:43
  closing let
• 31:44
  me just
• 31:44
  read the
• 31:45
  entirety of
• 31:46
  Romans 12
• 31:47
  2 for
• 31:49
  our benefit.
• 31:50
  Do not
• 31:51
  be conformed
• 31:52
  to this
• 31:52
  world but
• 31:53
  be transformed
• 31:55
  by the
• 31:56
  renewal of
• 31:56
  your mind
• 31:57
  that by
• 31:58
  testing you
• 31:59
  may discern
• 32:00
  what is the
• 32:00
  will of
• 32:01
  God what
• 32:02
  is good
• 32:02
  and acceptable
• 32:03
  and perfect.
• 32:06
  Let's pray
• 32:06
  together.
• 32:07
  Let's pray
• 32:06
  together.
• 32:07
  here.