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God's Plan of Salvation · Stornoway Free Church of Scotland - Sermons

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Well, in turning to the letter of Paul to the Galatians in chapter 1, we come to one of the
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! the earliest of the apostles' writings, and we notice that he's writing to encourage young Christians,
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! new congregations, churches planted in the first and second missionary journeys, who have began to feel
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pressure and heat from the world, and there's danger beginning to circle. Indeed, we notice that
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the gospel is spreading. Churches are taking root, hearts and lives are being changed in towns and
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cities across the ancient world, but as that spread of conversions takes place, as the gospel is preached
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and men and women and boys and girls are saved, there's a rising opposition, a pressure, a hardship.
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There's danger without, there's the intolerance of the world, but there's also danger from within,
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because as we know, if we're familiar with the New Testament story, that as the apostles preached and
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taught and planted churches and showed forth the praises of Jesus in their life and in their ministry,
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false teachers dogged their steps, it seems, at every turn, and these Galatian Christians are no
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different, and there's this quite stunning turn of phrase. By the time we come to verse 6, the very
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opening of this letter, I am astonished you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace
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of Christ and are turning to a different gospel. We'll explore a little bit of that this evening.
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So what Paul is seeking to do is he's identifying a threat, he's identifying a difficulty and a danger,
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and what he's doing, he's not looking out with the church, he's focusing in the church. And so we find
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him here speaking about a different gospel, a distorted gospel, and a contrary gospel.
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And this word here, to distort, to distort the gospel is to change something beyond recognition.
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And so what was going on was the false teachers had come in and they started to say, we like Paul,
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we admire the apostles. It's wonderful what's happening with the spread of the message of Christ,
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but don't forget circumcision. Don't forget the laws and the rules of the Judaism. And what we
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begin to find is a gospel plus and a gospel minus, as they began to add to what would be, have what had
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been proclaimed to them, freedom in Christ. And we find right throughout this letter in every chapter,
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there's a focus on the cross, and there's a very clear emphasis, chapter 5, verse 1, on the liberty we
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find through faith in Christ. And what's happened is these false teachers have come along and they've
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started to distort the gospel, to preach a different gospel, a gospel that is contrary to what they've
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heard before. And what happens, of course, is that the people are troubled. You are quickly deserting
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him who called you. Not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to
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distort the gospel of Christ. So what's happened is the devil has come in and he's sowing tears among
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the wheat. He's trying to disrupt and destroy. At the very outset, these new churches as they take
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root in towns and cities around the ancient world. And he's coming in there saying, I might not bring
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persecution first, but let's bring a false gospel, a false hope, a gospel of, a message of gospel plus.
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Let's try and bring them back to their Judaic roots and let's try and insist on circumcision. And so the
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false teachers come and the pressure grows and the people don't know whether to turn to the left or
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turn to the right. And so we find them beginning to turn away. They are quickly deserting him. We call you
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the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel. They're being led astray. And so Paul identifies
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this problem and he sees that what these false teachers have done is they've brought trouble into
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the hearts of the Lord's people. And this word trouble is to experience unrest, which is the exact
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opposite of what the gospel brings. And we notice in verse 3 that what the gospel brings is grace and peace.
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So Paul is calling out these false teachers and he's planting himself full square on the cross.
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And he says, don't forget, this is the gospel that drew you from darkness to light, that took you from
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death to life. And he focuses on that gospel and that cross and that saviour right to this letter, as we will
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for a few moments this evening. So this letter is a response to the danger that Paul has discerned that's
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beginning to stalk these early churches, these brand new Christians, and he wants their focus to be on
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the cross and on Christ because there is our source tonight, friends, for grace and peace.
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That is what Christ brings. That is what Christ gives. That is what Christ loves to give. And that is
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what he promises to those who would come to him in repentance and faith. And so before he even gets to
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the warnings, which kick off in verse 6, we have this wonderful emphasis on the gospel, God's plan of
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salvation. Grace to you and peace in verse 3 from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave
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himself for our sins to deliver us from this present evil age according to the will of our God and Father,
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to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen. So here then is the focus, first of all, on the heart of the
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gospel. The heart of the gospel. Now we know and can understand that these young converts were the fruit
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of Paul's labours in his first and second missionary journeys. And so what he's doing here is he's reminding
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them of what they heard when he first came into their towns and their cities and their villages,
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and he brought them the message of Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to deliver us.
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What a wonderful summary that is of the grace and peace of the gospel. How do we receive and know the grace
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and peace of the gospel? It is all of Christ who is the heart of this message. He gave himself for our sins.
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There is a Redeemer, Jesus, God's own Son. And that sets the tone for all six chapters to come. And as this letter
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focuses on the cross, so must we this evening to consider what? Not just what this message is. That's one thing.
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Of course it is. But there's something far more important this evening. And that's the question. What is this message to you
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and to me? How have we responded to this Jesus Christ who gave himself for our sins?
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And what Paul reminds us of here tonight is that it is in Christ we find forgiveness. He gave himself
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for our sins to deliver us. Full and free forgiveness is set forth in and through the person and work of
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Jesus Christ, the Son of God. So to the Christian tonight, the message is, do not wander from this
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message. Do not drift from the cross. Do not be tempted away down a blind alley or a sidetrack.
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Stay full square focused on the one who gave himself for you there. And to those who are yet unsaved,
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the one we may describe you this evening as a seeker, and I hope and pray that's an accurate
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description, he says, do not neglect so great a salvation. Don't turn away from not just this message,
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but this Savior who in his grace and mercy and forbearance again in the gospel is saying, come to me
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and I will give you rest. Grace and peace from Christ. He gives us what no one else can give us.
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He gives us what the world doesn't come close to giving us. Peace of heart, peace of mind,
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and the love of God, undeserving, unearned, and yet ours through the Lord Jesus, our Savior.
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This message then is all about a person, and we notice that right away. Paul, an apostle, not from
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men, not through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father. He puts Christ front and center,
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and that sets the tone for what comes right through this epistle. He's saying, where are you going?
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What are you doing? I am astonished you are so quickly deserting him who called you. Then chapter
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three, oh foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you? Why would you turn from the cross? And if you go
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through the letter, you'll find at each chapter a wonderful clear focus on the cross of Christ
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and the one who gave himself there. This then is a wonderful message, and it also in that very brief
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phrase brings us to not just what the gospel is, but what the gospel does. He gave himself for us,
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for our sins, to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,
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to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen. Why did Jesus give himself to that cross and to that death?
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Peter puts it so beautifully when he writes, the purpose to bring us to God. What no one else could do,
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what nothing else could achieve, he died, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring us to God.
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Jesus Christ is the heart of the gospel, and the church tonight must not deny or dilute this message.
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We must not seek to take away from God's plan of salvation. We must not seek to come up with our
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own agendas, our own ploys, our own plans, our own strategies, thinking, oh, that might get us
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somewhere. We must tonight stay fully focused on what this message is and who this saviour is,
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the Lord Jesus Christ, who in song it is put of him this way, his love has no limit,
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his grace has no measure, his power has no boundary known unto man. For out of his infinite riches in
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Jesus he giveth and giveth and giveth again. And what does he give? Grace and peace, which is ours
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through the forgiveness of our sin, which we seek through and in him and in him alone, the heart
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of the gospel. And so the question, if this is the message, and this is the man at the heart of this
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message, this Jesus of Nazareth, how have you and how have I responded? And what does he mean to you
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this evening? I guess that the ultimate question is, if you're going home tonight, are you going home a
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child of God? Or are you going home tonight still unconvinced, still unconverted? Why is that?
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Ask that question of yourself. I don't know what the answer might be, but you will. Why is it tonight,
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if you're here worshiping the Lord and singing psalms, standing and sitting and opening the Bible,
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what is it you've done with the message we read of here and the saviour we meet here? What
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have you done with him? That's what matters most of all. The heart of the gospel is here in verse 4.
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Secondly, there's this, there's the source of this gospel. He gave himself for our sins to deliver us
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from the present evil age according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forever
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and ever. Amen. This message is one thing, but it's crucial to remember the source of this message
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is God himself. Three times already, by the time we get into the first few sentences,
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Paul thanks God the Father for what he has done, for his provision, for his grace toward us,
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for all his goodness and for what he has provided for, as in his Son. And in hearing one phrase,
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in all its glory and grace, is the plan of redemption, God's plan. He gave himself according
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to the will of our God and Father. And yet people in Stornow tonight will be saying, what's God ever
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done for me? He's not done enough for me. Never answered the last time I prayed. I didn't get what I,
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he's got nothing for me. He doesn't give me this. He hasn't done that for me. What's he ever done?
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And they are oblivious to what he's already done, that he sent his only begotten Son,
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so that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life. He gave everything in
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giving his Son. And so the answer is again, or the question is again, what have you done
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with this provision that we meet in the gospel, the provision of Christ? This plan of redemption was
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formed in the Godhead from all eternity between Father and Son and Holy Spirit. There was a determination,
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a commitment, a covenant agreement that God would save a people to himself. And the empty grave tonight
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is the declaration of God's plan being fulfilled in and through Jesus. He is an apostle, not through man,
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but through Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised him from the dead. There again, right in the first sentence
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is the resurrection front and centre. He was dead and now is alive. Christianity sometimes, it seems, down through the
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centuries and generations has had a problem with this and has seemed to squirm and move around and try to
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come around this in some other way. And of course the other faiths in the world will come along and say,
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well, was he really dead? Maybe he revived. Maybe he was a good man. But they deny his divinity. They focus
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on his humanity. They say he revived in the cool of the grave and somehow slipped away. Anything but a dead
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Jesus of Nazareth. Why? Because here is the greatest test. When we come beyond the cross to the grave
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and going to the cemetery, the world wants us to think that the bones of Jesus of Nazareth are still
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there, somewhere in the dirt around Jerusalem. They want him dead. They want him consigned to the history
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books, leaving him there as a good man, a great man, but not the God man. But that's not what the
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scripture says. And here we see that in the very first sentence, Jesus Christ and God the Father
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who raised him from the dead. We worship tonight a living, risen, reigning Saviour. To God be the glory.
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Great things he has done. The source of the gospel, the plan of redemption is God's plan.
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And we see it here in Jesus. The gospel's source is nothing else and nothing less than the amazing
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grace of God. And so we have here the heart of the gospel and the source of the gospel in these first
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few sentences because there is a battle for the survival of the soul of these early churches,
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these Christians who were being dragged away from these great truths, who are being brought to think
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of what rules and regulations they should incorporate and what traditions they need to adopt and maintain
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and the place of circumcision and the place of the temple in Jerusalem. And they were being dragged back
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into the shadows that pointed to liberty in Christ. And Paul says, no, don't go there. That's not for a
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year to go. You've been set free by Christ in Christ. Why would you then take on the yoke
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of slavery to yourselves when Christ has set you free? The heart of the gospel and the source of
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the gospel. Thirdly, we see the scope of the gospel. I am astonished, he says in verse 6,
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you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different
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gospel. Not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel
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of Christ. And so we have these two phrases, the grace of Christ, the gospel of Christ. Wonderful
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language that should thrill our hearts tonight as we think of the wonderful provision that we have
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and not just the heart of the gospel and the source of the gospel. Now we can think about the scope of
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the gospel. Who is this message for? It's for you, friends, and me. It's for Stornoway, Lewis, Scotland.
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For God so loved the world, he gave his only begotten son. Here is a message of grace and peace to those
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who would seek forgiveness for sin in Christ.
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This is why the hymn is so accurate as it puts it, how deep the Father's love for us,
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how vast beyond all measure, that he should give his only son to make a wretch his treasure.
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Sometimes perhaps the language, we may find it a bit jarring, a bit coarse, a bit rough, but friends,
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the scripture describe us in ways of the way of sin is to be lost, darkness, chaos, lawlessness,
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children of wrath. We are indeed a wretch, but in Christ that wretchedness is transferred to being
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a treasure. We have then this scope of the gospel. Its scope is the authority for what we come to
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describe as the free offer of the gospel. And the apostles' preaching is very clear in this. As you go
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through the acts of the apostles, you'll find time and again from the very beginning as to begin to
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declare the gospel. Let me read to you just a few examples of the apostles declaring Christ.
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Peter said to them, to the thousands who gathered around him on the day of Pentecost, repent and be
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baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.
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The day of Pentecost, as the apostolic preaching of the cross begins. There it is, the free offer of
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the gospel, calling sinners to repent and believe in Jesus. Chapter 2, verse 38. Then we turn into
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chapter 3 and we read in verse 19 these words, repent therefore and turn again that your sins may
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be blotted out. We go into chapter 4 and we read in verse 2 that the Sadducees and the priests and the
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captain of the temple came upon the apostles greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and
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proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. What a picture of the church that is.
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And that is our heritage. That is one we must accept wholeheartedly that we are teaching the people
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and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. As then so now. The church of the first century
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setting the tone and the agenda for the church of every century. And here we seek to balance ourselves
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and hold the mirror up and assess how do we compare? How are we getting on in the mission and ministry
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that we have received? That we have inherited? What is our heritage? But this very same thing. Teach the
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people and proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord. That's what they were doing in the temple courts that day.
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And then again in chapter 4 and verse 12. The clarion called through Peter again. There is salvation
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in no one else. For there is no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved.
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Saved. Saved. But to be saved we need a saviour. And if we need a saviour that means we need to be
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saved from something. And what we are saved from is being under the wrath and judgment of God.
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Sinners. Lost. Without hope. Needing grace and peace. The language is so specific in the apostles
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preaching but also in the preaching of our Lord himself. You know well the words that he said come to me.
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All you who labour and are heavy laden. And I will give you rest. It was that personal appeal that the
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apostles pick up on and replicate as must we. The Philippian jailer falling on his knees in
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desperation crying out what must I do to be saved? Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be
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saved. The devil would have you believe tonight you need to complete a PhD in biblical studies before
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you could be converted. Don't you believe a word of it. He's a liar. He's a deceiver and a trickster.
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And he will try to take your heart and mind away from this and fill you with ideas and concepts that
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are completely unbiblical. And he'll spread them and sprinkle them with some biblical truths just to add
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to the confusion. And he'll say you need this and you need that. You should feel this and you should
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know that. All you need to know friends tonight is that you're a sinner in need of a saviour and that
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in Christ the saviour is revealed. And in his grace and mercy he is saying come to me and I will give you
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rest. Would you tonight put your trust in Christ who is the source and scope and heart of the gospel?
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Because friends while we talk about his giving himself for our sins to deliver us. His work upon
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the cross. His finished work upon the cross. Unless and until we come to him personally and unreservedly
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that sacrificial atonement is ineffectual for us. And we remain lost. We remain under the wrath and
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judgment of God. And that wrath and judgment is imminent. And so there is this urgency, this personal
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invitation to life, liberty, and the gospel. That's why Paul was so pained when the news reached him that
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these false teachers have come in and they're trying to enslave these converts. For freedom Christ has set us
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free. Stand firm therefore and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery. Keep in step with the spirit
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because the world out there will not and does not. And so we look to the gospel, the heart of it,
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the source of it, and the scope of it. And we see here wonderful provision. We see in the gospels Christ
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himself. The recounts of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and John. And we see Christ himself there preaching,
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assuring, warning, revealing the way of salvation. What provision! What provision! And we read of men
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and women responding. But we also read of men and women turning away. And we hear so little of them
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ever again. They walk off the pages of scripture and we hear nothing of so many. Friends, I wonder
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tonight where you stand. This is the question the gospel brings home to us, the need for a personal
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commitment to Christ that is wholehearted, that is unreserved.
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One final thing to make here this evening, to note this evening, that is the effect of the gospel,
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the impact of the gospel. We only read these first few verses and you'll notice that when he comes down
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to verse 10 again, he reasserts that he's not seeking the approval of men. He's not concerned what
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people think of him. Am I trying to please man? No. If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a
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servant of Christ. So you see the impact the gospel has had in his heart. He's not concerned too much
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about what people think of him. He's more concerned what his master thinks of him. And so he wants to
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serve him wholeheartedly and unreservedly. He wants to fight the good fight. He wants to run the race.
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He wants to look unto Jesus and encourage others to do so. And that's exactly what he's doing here
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when he calls out this different, distorted, contrary gospel. This message that is contrary to the one we
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preach to you. Let them be accursed. For they were bringing a false hope and they were destroying and
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they were undoing and such was the impact of what they were doing. They were distorting this message
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beyond recognition. And Paul is calling them out. So we close with this impact, the impact or effect of
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the gospel. As these truths and as the Lord himself takes root in our heart and control of our lives,
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we are changed from the inside out. That's what grace and peace does. There's a new set of rules now
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dominating. There's a new set of perspectives. There's a new desire. A hungering and thirsting after righteousness.
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A longing to be at worship. A longing to be at the prayer meeting. A longing to be with the Lord's people.
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A love for the word. And a longing for the lost to come to know the saviour you have come to know.
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All these things are marks of this newness of life that we experience through Christ.
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It's what came to be called in years past the effect of the tender conscience.
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A conscience that's been tenderised by the Holy Spirit.
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That sets our inner compass to Christ and his honour and his glory.
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rather than the prevailing culture around us. And these last few verses focus on the need to live out
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what God has worked in. And we notice that specifically in a couple of ways. We notice that
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in the language of verses 2 and 11, we have, he writes of the brothers. Verse 2,
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all the brothers who are with me. And then again in verse 11, I would have you know,
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brothers, that the gospel that was preached to me is not man's gospel.
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So this word there, adelphoi, in the Greek context, was a word used always in a familial context.
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And so what Paul is, we could write, and all the brothers and sisters who are with me.
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It would be nice if the ESV had done that, but it's called the extremely safe version for a reason.
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It stuck to brothers. But it's a word that in its original context had the impact and meaning of
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brothers and sisters. He's addressing all believers in Christ.
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And he's calling them to understand that they too are servants of Christ.
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We are one in him. And so we are to work out what God has worked in.
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There's a single-mindedness here, a determination here.
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But there's also a stress on unity.
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Christians, you are in this together.
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He delivers his people by setting us free to live to his glory.
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And the truth of the gospel is that in Christ, we have not just union, but unity.
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Christian friends, it's your calling to work together,
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to pray together,
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to worship together,
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to witness together,
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to stick together.
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Especially when there's a vacancy in the mix.
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That word always has potential to cause,
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have an impact, all of its own,
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in a congregation, in our system, in our Presbyterian world.
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Vacancy.
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Who? What? When? Why?
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Where's it going? What's happening next?
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Not hearing anything.
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We hear all these phrases,
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but let me say right away,
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if anything's happening,
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you'll be the first to know.
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If you don't think you know what's going on,
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it's because there's nothing going on.
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The work of trying to fill the vacancy is going on.
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Friends, we need to pray and work
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and worship and witness and stick together.
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It's so important.
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For the witnessing of the gospel
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from you as a congregation
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throughout and across the town
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in the community,
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in homes, in the workplace.
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All one in Christ Jesus.
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I want to tell you a story.
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Maybe some of you are aware of this story.
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There's a story of Marcus and Narcissa Wittman
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and Henry and Eliza Spaulding.
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It's a remarkable story.
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It's an epic story.
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Maybe they've made a movie of this
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because it's quite remarkable.
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In the 1830s,
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these two couples traveled
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from the east coast of the United States
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across to the west coast
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or the northwest coast.
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They were commissioned
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and committed missionaries
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and the American Missionary Board
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had sent them out
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to work among the Indian peoples of Oregon
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in the northwest Pacific region.
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And the Wittmans wrote these words,
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We are devoted to saving souls among the heathen.
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What a commitment.
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What a mission statement that is.
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What a vision.
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And they showed their commitment
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by traveling for seven months together.
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3,000 miles in the 1830s.
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It's an epic tale.
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There's tragedy.
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There's all sorts in this story.
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But I just want to tell you one thing about it.
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When they actually arrived
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or by the time they arrived in Oregon,
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they were barely on speaking terms.
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And this, friends, is human nature.
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It is the disruptor in chief.
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And we need to be aware of it.
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We need to watch for it.
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We need to eagerly and earnestly
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defend and protect and nurture
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the unity of the spirit
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and the bond of peace,
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especially in a time of vacancy.
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That's a story very much worthwhile reading.
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Sadly, as the two couples arrived
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in Oregon country,
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because they had fallen out so badly
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over these few months of traveling together
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that they separated.
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And they spent their years in mission work
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hundreds of miles apart.
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They couldn't even work together
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for the cause of Christ and the gospel,
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such as the fallout.
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So I want to raise that tonight
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as we draw things to a close,
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conscious of the current situation
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of the congregation
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working toward filling the vacancy
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since Jimmy retired some 14 months ago.
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And let's notice that
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the distinct kind of circumstance
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that you are dealing with there,
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we address it in terms of the unity of the gospel
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and the bond of peace.
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The brothers and sisters who are with me,
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says Paul,
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is right into the church of Galatia,
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but he doesn't hold back, does he?
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He pulls him back to the center ground.
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Don't stray, don't drift,
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stay focused on the cross.
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That is where the blessing will come.
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Because our message is one of salvation
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and we want to be conscious
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of the potential for the disruptor
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of human nature.
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The Wittmans and the Spauldings,
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they fell out so badly.
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Let's take a lesson from them
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and try to avoid the mistake that they made.
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I'm going to close by just reading to you
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from a passage that our own,
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to be reading from this book on a Sunday
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is a bit of a shock
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in my own understanding as well.
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But there's a passage in our blue book
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that speaks about,
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or gives guidance and advice
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and encouragement to congregations
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such as yours in the situation
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of trying to fill a vacancy.
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This is what it says.
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I read this back in July,
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but that's so far gone.
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I'm going to read it again.
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Brothers and sisters,
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you are to bear and forbear with each other
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as you seek the combined result
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of congregational opinion.
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This process is to be conducted
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in a spirit worthy of the religion you profess,
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worthy of Christ in whose name
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you are associated
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and in a way that promotes unity
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and brotherly love.
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So, strive after that love
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that seeketh not its own
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and be willing to give consideration
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to the preferences of others,
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resolving to protect the unity
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of the congregation
33:08
to which you belong.
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Working at unity can be tough.
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can be sacrificial.
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Can be demanding.
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There are no shortcuts here.
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If we try a shortcut,
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it's not going to end well.
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What are we thinking about
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when it comes to unity
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within the congregation
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in a time of vacancy?
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All we're looking at there is,
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I'm reflecting on in these few minutes,
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is the desire of the saviour for his church.
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Read John 17.
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The night he was betrayed,
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how our Lord poured out his heart
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in prayer that they may be one,
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as you, Father, are in me
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and I in you,
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that the world may know
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that you sent me.
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The unity of a congregation,
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our union in Christ,
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the unity that flows from that
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and binds us together
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in cords of love
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is a powerful weapon,
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a powerful gospel weapon
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in our witnessing,
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in our outreach,
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in our evangelism,
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in our making Jesus known.
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And that's why the devil goes after it.
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That's why he wants to tear it down
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and rob you of your unity.
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He doesn't want you to be
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enjoying the blessings of Adelphoi,
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brothers and sisters together.
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He doesn't want you reflecting
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and reveling in your servant
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or your service
34:36
of your Lord and Master.
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He wants you on each other's throats.
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He wants you arguing,
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bickering,
34:42
finding fault
34:43
and picking on each other.
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That's what the devil wants
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because that will undermine
34:48
the cause of Christ.
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So we resist him.
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We call him out.
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We refuse to go that way.
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We face him
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wearing the full armour of God,
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trusting in our saviour,
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who is the heart of the gospel,
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the source of the gospel,
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the scope of the gospel,
35:04
and as himself,
35:05
the impact of the gospel
35:06
and how we live and move
35:08
and have our being.
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And the great question again,
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what is this Christ to you?
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What is this Jesus of Nazareth to you?
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To many here tonight,
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he is Lord and saviour,
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king and friend.
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To others,
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I fear he is a stranger,
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an uncertain figure,
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someone spoken of,
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someone you may
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have heard about
35:36
and know about,
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but you feel you don't know him yourself.
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Well, to you, friend,
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tonight the gospel call
35:44
is made.
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Christ himself
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in his grace
35:49
and forbearance
35:51
and mercy and love
35:52
has seen to it
35:52
that there be
35:53
yet another opportunity given
35:56
on mercy's ground
35:57
for you to consider
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where you stand tonight.
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in relation to him.
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And what is he saying to you?
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Come to me
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and I will give you rest.
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That is what he is saying to sinners
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lost and in need of a saviour.
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And may by grace and mercy this evening,
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you find it
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in your heart
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to seek him
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until you find him.
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Let's pray for a moment together.
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Lord, our God,
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we pray tonight
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that you would be with us,
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that, Lord,
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you would undertake for us.
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We bless and praise your name tonight
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that we have
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in this letter to the Galatians
36:36
such a clarion call
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to stand firm
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in the liberty
36:41
that is ours in Christ.
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We thank you
36:44
that he gave himself
36:46
for our sins
36:47
in accordance
36:48
with the plan
36:49
of redemption
36:50
that was envisaged
36:52
by Father,
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Son,
36:53
and Spirit
36:54
from before the world was.
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May that
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thrill our hearts
36:58
in you tonight
36:58
as we go into the week ahead.
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Lord,
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bless and watch over
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your people here,
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we pray.
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Bless and protect
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and guide the congregation
37:05
in all the work
37:06
that comes to their hand
37:07
and go before us,
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Lord,
37:08
in the days ahead,
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we pray for Jesus' sake.
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Amen.
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So we'll turn
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to sing Psalms
37:17
this evening
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to close our service.
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We'll sing from Psalm 126,
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Psalm 126,
37:24
page 171
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in our blue Psalm books.
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When Zion's fortunes
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God restored,
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it was a dream come true.
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Our mouths were them
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with laughter filled
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our tongues
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with songs anew.
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Psalm 126,
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we'll sing the whole psalm,
37:39
we'll stand together.
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Amen.
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When Zion's fortunes
37:48
all his joy,
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it was a dream come true.
37:55
Our mouths were them
37:58
with laughter filled,
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our tongues
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songs anew.
38:03
Our tongues
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with laughter filled,
38:09
our tongues
38:11
with songs anew.
38:15
Our nations
38:17
said,
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the Lord has done great things
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for Israel.
38:23
The Lord did mighty things
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for us,
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and joy our hearts
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new well.
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The Lord did mighty things
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for us,
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and joy our hearts
38:43
new well.
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holy holy holy
38:48
Snow and fortune's gracious roar, like streams in desert soil.
38:57
A joyful harvest will reward the weeping soar's toil.
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A joyful harvest will reward the weeping soar's toil.
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A man who bidding, seated so, goes out with cheers of thee.
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Will come again with songs of joy, bidding his harvest shee.
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Will come again with songs of joy, bidding his harvest shee.
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May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.
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Amen.
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Amen.
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Amen.