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Romans 1:24-32 · Providence Baptist Church - Sermons

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Romans chapter one, and we're going to begin our reading in verse 24.
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Therefore, God gave him up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves,
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! Because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worship and serve the creature rather than the creator who is blessed forever.
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Amen.
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For this reason, God gave them up to dishonorable passions for their women, exchange natural relations for those that are contrary to nature.
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And the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another,
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men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.
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And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.
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They are filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice.
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They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness.
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They are gossips, slanders, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless.
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Though they know God's decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them, but give approval to those who practice them.
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Happy Easter, right?
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Let's pray together.
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Father God, I pray that you will bless us in our frailty this morning.
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Help us, Father, as we study your word to praise a risen king.
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We pray this in Christ's precious name.
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Amen.
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Please have a seat.
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For those of you who are guests with us this morning, I did not pick this text for this morning.
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It was kind of a sign to me as we have been preaching through Romans and started, oh, five weeks or so ago.
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And we arrived here at verse 24.
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Last week, we saw the characteristics of the fallen man starting in verse 18 through 23.
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Those who are not found in Christ rejected God's revelation, fail to give glory to God, is not thankful toward God, thinks foolishly, worships wrongly.
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And therefore, we saw in verse 20 are without excuse.
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The judgment, the condemnation that will be due them is right and it's just.
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So we come to verse 24.
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I'm going to focus primarily this morning on verse 24, 25 and 32.
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Therefore, God gave them up in the lust of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves,
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because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature, rather than the creator, who is blessed forever.
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Amen.
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So Paul says that that God gave them up.
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I want to read you a quick paragraph from MacArthur's commentary on this.
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The Greek term, therefore, gave up or gave over is paradidimo.
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Excuse me if I'm mispronouncing that.
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And he writes is an intense verb.
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In the New Testament, it is used of giving one's body to be burned and three times of Christ giving himself up to death.
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It is used in a judicial sense of men's being committed to prison or to judgment and of rebellious angels being delivered to pits of darkness.
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It is also used of Christ committing himself to his father's care and of the father's delivering his own son to propitiatory death.
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So a strong verb is being used here.
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This idea of giving over man because of man's sinfulness.
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God has said, I'm going to retract my restraining grace from him.
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I'm going to let him do what he wants to do because of his sin.
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And it's because of the lusts of their hearts.
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Jesus says in Matthew 15, 19,
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For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness and slander.
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So because of the condition of fallen man's heart, God removes his restraining grace and gives him over to it to serve the creature rather than the creator.
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And Paul is referring back to verse 23 from last week.
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And isn't that really, though, the essence of idolatry?
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When we turn and serve anything created versus the one who created them, who is the creator.
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It's the very essence of idolatry we see there.
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And I think Paul comes up for air for a moment as he's now half of chapter one talking about man's depravity.
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I think he comes up forever to speak of the creator, to give himself a little lift in his spirit.
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And he says, who was blessed forever.
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Amen.
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But I also think in that we can find a great truth because he said who is blessed forever.
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Not conditional based on man himself, on how we worship God.
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But God is, in fact, blessed forever in spite of what we do.
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Amen.
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Paul interjects that there for us in verse 25.
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He then goes on to show us the extent to which man's heart is depraved.
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I want to define that term for you, that the idea of depravity, depravity is a metallurgical term.
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When the metal worker would refine metal, he would refine it.
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He'd burn off the impurities, would rise to the top, and he'd skim them away.
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And he'd heat that metal again, and those impurities would rise to the top, and he'd skim them away.
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And he would pull the good metal out, but eventually he would get to the point where what was left was just the crud.
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Just the leftovers.
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And that metal could no longer be refined any longer.
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That metal was said to be depraved.
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Good for nothing.
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Worthless.
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Of no value.
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And that's what sin, that's what Adam's sin did to all of mankind.
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Left us dead.
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Of no value whatsoever.
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Whatever.
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Created in God's image, but totally corrupted because of sin.
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And that's where we find these people.
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Right?
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We see in the following verses, which we're not going to get into, I could list and talk about each one and tell you about all these things and what they mean and how horrid they are.
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I'm not going to do that.
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But what we see in those things is a person who lives in direct opposition to God's law.
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Breaks it at every point in this list.
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He builds.
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He really exposes the depravity of man to us as he works through these next few verses.
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And I think that's a value to us as Christians.
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We have been set free from the law of God, but yet we still break it on so many levels.
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So I think it's good for us to look at a list like this and hold ourselves up to it.
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Charles Spurgeon wrote this in a commentary on this text.
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He said,
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The law is also very useful because it shows us our defections and stains.
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It is like the looking glass, which my lady holds up to her face, that she may see if there be any spot on it.
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But she cannot wash her face with the looking glass.
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When the mirror has done its utmost, then there are the same stains.
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It cannot take away a single spot.
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It can only show where one is.
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And the law, though it reveals our sin, our shortcomings, our transgressions, it cannot remove the sin or the transgression.
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It is weak for that purpose because it was never intended to accomplish such an end.
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So the law exposes our sinfulness.
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And as Christians, that's the value here for us.
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And for the lost person, they need the bad news of the law, of the just condemnation of God,
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for good news to be good news at all.
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Praise God we get to talk about some good news this morning.
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I'm going to skip on down to verse 32.
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Paul writes,
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Though they know God's decree that those who practice such things deserve to die,
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they not only do them, but give approval to those who practice them.
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He says that they know God's decree.
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Romans 2.15, a little bit later, he writes,
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They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts,
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while their conscience also bears witness,
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and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even accuse them.
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Paul says to us that mankind is aware of God's law,
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that it's written on their hearts,
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that they know what is good and what is bad.
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And he takes it a step further to say that they actually know that they deserve to die because they transgressed it.
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They know that much.
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They don't have the gospel, which is the power of God unto salvation,
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but they at least know that they deserve death because they have transgressed God's law.
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And even though they know that,
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they not only do them, but they give approval to those who practice them.
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The evidence that the world knows that they have transgressed God's law and they deserve death
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is the guilt and the shame that everyone in this world carries around with them.
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No one in this world is happy.
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And you want to know why?
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Because they know they're living miserable lives.
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And what is misery love?
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Company.
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Right?
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So they not only know this,
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but they give approval to those who practice such things.
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And that's where we find ourselves without Christ.
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Living in sin.
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Completely aware that we deserve death as a result of it.
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Until the gospel intercedes.
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Ignatius, who was a super cool first century martyr,
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said,
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The life of a man is a continual death,
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unless it be that Christ lives in him.
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Isn't that good?
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The life of a man is a continual death,
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unless it be that Christ lives in him.
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So let's talk about the gospel.
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The good news of Jesus Christ.
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Martin Luther called it the great exchange.
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That we were unrighteous.
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And that Christ took his righteousness and gave it to us,
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imputed it,
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is the fancy word for that.
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Imputed his righteousness to us,
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and took our sin on himself.
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God couldn't let sin go unpunished.
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Otherwise, he wouldn't be completely just.
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He's completely just.
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That means he must punish all sin.
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He couldn't just say,
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Yeah, you guys are forgiven.
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You're not forgiven.
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Okay.
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Now the score is settled.
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He had to punish it all.
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So he punished the sins of those who place their faith in Christ,
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in Christ.
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He poured out his wrath on Christ for our sins.
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Romans 5.8, Paul writes,
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But God shows his love for us,
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in that while we were still sinners,
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Christ died for us.
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It's kind of a personal rendering of Isaiah 53.4.
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But he was wounded for your transgressions.
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He was crushed for your iniquities.
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Upon him was the chastisement that brought you peace.
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And with his stripes, you are healed.
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One of my favorite gospel presentations in all of Scripture is found in Ephesians chapter 2.
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I'd ask that you turn there with me real quick.
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I want to show you a few things from it.
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Ephesians chapter 2.
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I'll start reading in chapter 1.
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And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,
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in which you once walked,
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following the course of this world,
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following the prince of the power of the air,
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the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience,
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among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh,
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carrying out the desires of the body and the mind,
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and were by nature children of wrath like the rest of mankind.
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But God, being rich in mercy,
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because of the great love with which he loved us,
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even when we were dead in our trespasses,
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made us alive together with Christ.
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By grace you have been saved.
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And raised us up with him,
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and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
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so that in the coming ages he might show
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the immeasurable riches of his grace and kindness toward us.
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In Christ Jesus.
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So let me show you his logic in reverse.
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Okay?
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Verse 7.
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So that he might show the immeasurable riches of his gracious.
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So he might make himself great.
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So he might show the world his great grace to his church.
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What did he do?
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He raised us up with Christ,
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so that we may be made alive together with him.
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That truth hinges on the resurrection, doesn't it?
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And then verse 4, this phrase,
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but God, because we were dead.
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Isn't that what verse 1 says?
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We were dead in our trespasses and sins.
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But then this precious phrase in verse 4,
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But God,
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even though we deserve his just wrath,
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condemnation was ours,
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but God,
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being rich in mercy,
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made us alive together with Christ,
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and raised us up with him.
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Said he might make himself great.
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It's one of my favorite gospel presentations.
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John Stott once wrote,
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Christianity is a resurrection religion.
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The concept of resurrection lies at its heart.
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Remove it,
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and Christianity is destroyed.
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Turn to 1 Corinthians chapter 15.
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I hope that this text is being used all over the world this morning.
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1 Corinthians chapter 15.
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There have been some debates in the Corinthian church
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about whether or not it was possible for someone to be raised from the dead.
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And Paul begins to address that,
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but in his very poignant logic,
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takes it to Christ,
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and gets right at the heart of their religion.
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Remove the resurrection,
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and Christianity ceases to exist.
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1 Corinthians chapter 15.
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We'll start reading in verse 12.
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Now, if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead,
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how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?
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But if there is no resurrection of the dead,
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then not even Christ has been raised.
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So how can you say there is no resurrection?
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Because we know Christ was raised, right?
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That's what he's saying there.
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Verse 14.
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And if Christ has not been raised,
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then our preaching is in vain,
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and your faith is in vain.
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We're all wasting our time this morning.
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Go home.
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If the resurrection didn't happen.
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That's what he's saying.
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Forget about it.
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Eat, drink, be merry.
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This is such a waste of time.
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If the resurrection didn't happen.
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Verse 15.
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We are even found to be misrepresenting God.
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Therefore, I'm a blasphemer this morning.
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Because we testified about God that He raised Christ,
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whom He did not raise,
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if it is true that the dead are not raised.
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For if the dead are not raised,
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not even Christ has been raised.
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Verse 16.
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Oh, verse 17.
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And if Christ has not been raised,
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your faith is futile,
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and you are still in your sins.
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That work, that great exchange,
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it never happened.
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That exchange was made null and void,
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because Christ was defeated by death.
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Verse 18.
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Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.
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If in Christ we have hope in this life only,
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we are of all people most to be pitied.
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We are fools.
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Verse 20.
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But in fact,
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Christ has been raised from the dead,
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the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
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For as by a man came death,
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being Adam,
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by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead,
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being Christ.
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For as in Adam all die,
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so also in Christ shall all be made alive.
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Isn't that good?
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So Christ,
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not only bore the wrath of God for our sins,
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but conquered the death that accompanied our sin.
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He reigns over death,
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because he was, in fact,
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resurrected.
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You know, we're the only religion
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with a resurrected king.
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1 Corinthians 15, 55, and 56,
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later on in that chapter,
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Paul writes,
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O death, where is your victory?
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In jest.
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O death, where is your sting?
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The sting of death is sin,
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and the power of sin is the law.
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But thanks be to God
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who gives us the victory
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through our Lord Jesus Christ.
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It's good stuff this morning.
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But back to our text in Romans.
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I believe we,
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as Christ Family Church,
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as American Christians,
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have a bit of a problem
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as we read to this text.
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And I think that problem
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is that the things that Paul
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is talking about here
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aren't too incredibly shocking
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to us.
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I think we read it in passing.
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They go,
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oh yeah, yeah,
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those things, yeah.
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Evil, malice.
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Of course.
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Sure.
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And I think the reason for that
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is that we're not
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that much different
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than the people being described here.
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I don't think we're that different.
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I don't think that I'm so different
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that I look at my neighbor
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and go,
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whew,
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a depraved man
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lives next door to me
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who needs the gospel.
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Look at those across the street.
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Look at my coworkers
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and the way they live.
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My life looks so drastically different
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from this
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that this shocks me.
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Oh,
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people do live this way.
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Look at the fallen world around us.
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How horribly entrapped
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and enslaved it is by sin.
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Because I think we ourselves
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live this way.
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I think that if we
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would allow
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the truth of the resurrection
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to crack open
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our cold and hard hearts,
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we would live a lot differently.
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If we would actually embrace,
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hold on to
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the truth
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of the resurrection
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of Christ,
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we would live as children
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of a risen king.
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We would actually embrace
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his promises to us
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and live
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in light of them.
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What are some of those promises?
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Promises that would only be possible
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if Christ has risen.
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His promise to be with us
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always
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in Matthew 28, 20.
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He has promised that
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all those who belong to him
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will be saved
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in John 10, 4.
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He's promised that
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those who are saved
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will never be snatched
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from his hand.
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In John 10, 29.
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He's promised to give us
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power
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for holy living
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in John 15, 5.
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And he's promised
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to return and reign forever
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in Revelation 3,
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11 and 12.
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Do our lives
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reflect a belief
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in any of these things?
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I think we should
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examine ourselves.
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I think we should
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let this light
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expose our hearts.
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I think that
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these are the kinds of messages
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that our church needs to hear
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until we start living differently.
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Radically changed people.
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People who read
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a text like this
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and weep
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for the lost around us.
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that's the power
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of the resurrection
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for us today.
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I think the conviction
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that it brings
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that we live
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like the dead
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when we should be living
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like the risen.
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Those who have life.
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Those who have a gospel message
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and like Paul
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should be obligated
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to share it
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with those around us.
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Should have a compulsion
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within them
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to do so.
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We've tagged
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Christianity on
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to the end
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of all that we are.
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Of how we define ourselves.
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And recognize
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that that makes us
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idolaters.
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Because I worship
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my job
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and my car
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and my house
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and my family.
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And I put Christianity
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at the end
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of all those things.
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And I'm a guy
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that goes to church
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on Sunday.
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We're idolaters.
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I think there's
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no better time
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than this morning
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to lay that down
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and to begin living
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as the children
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of a risen king.
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In a few moments
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we're going to
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worship
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in taking the Lord's
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Supper together.
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And it's a symbol
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of Christ's
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broken body for us
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and his blood
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spilt for us.
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I can't even
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eat the cracker.
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I'm allergic to wheat.
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And you know
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what I do?
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I crush the cracker
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in my hand
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to remember
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what Christ has done.
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And I stick it
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in my cup
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after I've drank
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the juice.
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It's a symbol.
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It's a symbol
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that should be
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taken seriously.
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Understand what
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you're doing
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is that you're
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joining with
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the body of believers
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in celebrating
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and remembering
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what Christ has done
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for us.
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Died.
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Raised again.
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And what he's
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promised
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to do for us.
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These promises
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that I read to you.
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Looking to his coming.
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Looking to his power
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in our life.
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So if you take
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the Lord's Supper
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while you're harboring
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sin,
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shame on you.
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Have some time.
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Spend a little time
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repenting
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this morning.
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I hope you'll take
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advantage of it.
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But in closing
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I want to read to you
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the lyrics
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of a song
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by John Wesley
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called
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Christ the Lord
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is risen today.
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I'm not going to read
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the hallelujahs
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if you know the song.
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So listen to these lyrics.
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Christ the Lord
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is risen today.
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Son of men
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and angels
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say
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raise your joys
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and triumphs high
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sing ye heavens
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and earth reply.
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Love's redeeming work
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is done.
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fought the fight
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the battle won.
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Lo the sun's
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eclipse is o'er.
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Lo he sets
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in blood
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no more.
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Vain the stone
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the watch
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the seal.
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Christ hath burst
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the gates
23:55
of hell.
23:56
Death in vain
23:57
forbids him rise.
23:58
Christ hath opened
24:00
paradise.
24:02
Lives again
24:03
our glorious king
24:04
where of death
24:05
is now
24:06
thy sting.
24:07
Once he died
24:08
our souls to save
24:09
where thy victory
24:10
o'er the grave.
24:13
Soar we now
24:14
where Christ hath led
24:15
following our
24:16
exalted head.
24:18
Made like him
24:19
like him we rise.
24:21
Ours the cross
24:22
the grave
24:23
the skies.
24:24
Let's pray together.