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Gospel Identity: Ephesians 1:3-14 · Providence Baptist Church - Sermons

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Please take out your copy of God's Word. Turn with me to the book of Ephesians, chapter 1.
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I ask also at the same time that you take out the handout that was given to you on the way in.
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I hope it was that we managed to pull that off.
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If not, it's okay. That won't be detrimental to your study.
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The intention there is to give you a summary statement for the sermon today
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that you might mark it up, take a pen out and write, write additional notes.
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I would encourage you to take the text that I provided for you,
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not because I don't want you to have a copy of God's Word open in front of you.
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I don't want to remove things from their context.
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It's not what we're trying to accomplish by handing this printed out to you,
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but I want you to be able to mark on it.
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I want you to have the same translation that I'm using, which is the ESV,
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which is not an inspired translation.
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It's just a good one.
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It's okay if you have another, but this way you'll have those words there in front of you.
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If you're new to our fellowship, we typically do verse-by-verse exposition,
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and we have been as of late working through the book of Acts.
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This has been the great labor in front of us.
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We are on the cusp of starting chapter 11,
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but because we have just started as a church another church,
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we've multiplied into two congregations.
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Christ Family Church has become Christ Family Church Dahlonega.
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Welcome.
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And Christ Family Church Oakwood meeting really kind of flowery branch,
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but we're calling it CFC Oakwood,
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and they're meeting this morning even now.
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And we thought it would be good to take some time to focus and refocus,
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make sure that we're all on the same page,
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and we're all moving forward together into this next year.
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Just as a precursor to this,
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I really don't enjoy topical preaching.
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I enjoy preaching.
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I enjoy teaching things systematically,
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or having you at least understand things systematically.
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But it is a real work,
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because we come to a topic like gospel identity.
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Who are we in Christ?
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And there is so much to say.
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Even just listening to the three songs that we've sung,
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there's different things I'm going,
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oh, we could talk about that,
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and we could talk about it.
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And my head is starting to rewrite the sermon that I've already written.
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So I'll do my best this morning.
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We're going to look at Ephesians 1, verses 3-14.
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And I know for some of you, that really gets you excited.
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Ephesians 1.
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We are not going to look at it in every bit of detail.
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And if that dramatically disappoints you,
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then I would suggest you care a bit too much about soteriology.
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Possibly.
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Possibly.
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But before I read it,
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let me start by reading to you the summary statement for this morning
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about our gospel identity,
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which reads as follows,
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By grace alone, through faith alone,
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in the person and work of Jesus Christ alone,
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we are justified before God,
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forgiven and adopted by Him.
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This gospel identity is our great motivation for worship.
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Now Ephesians 1, the word of the Lord,
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beginning in verse 3.
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Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
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who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,
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even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world,
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that we should be holy and blameless before Him.
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In love He predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ,
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according to the purpose of His will,
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to the praise of His glorious grace,
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with which He has blessed us in the Beloved.
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In Him we have redemption through His blood,
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the forgiveness of our trespasses,
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according to the riches of His grace,
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which He lavished upon us in all wisdom and insight,
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making known to us the mystery of His will,
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according to His purpose,
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which He set forth in Christ
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as a plan for the fullness of time
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to unite all things in Him,
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things in heaven and things on earth.
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In Him we have obtained an inheritance,
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having been predestined according to the purpose of Him
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who works all things according to the counsel of His will,
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so that we who were the first to hope in Christ
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might be to the praise of His glory.
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In Him you also,
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when you heard the word of truth,
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the gospel of your salvation,
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and believed in Him,
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were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,
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who is the guarantee of our inheritance
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until we acquire possession of it,
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to the praise of His glory.
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Beloved, this is God's word to us.
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It was written for His glory and for our good.
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We would all do well to listen to it
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in order to believe its promises
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and obey its commands.
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Now, before I break down the summary statement,
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I want to just take a few moments to look at verse 3.
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Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
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who has blessed us in Christ
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with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.
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And you see this word root here being blessed.
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Blessed, blessed, and blessing.
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And I want to just point out to us very quickly
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that just in verse 3,
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we note that there is a blesser,
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the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
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You will note that I read that word,
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blessed.
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I say blessed be.
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Not blessed be, but blessed be.
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And then when we get to who has blessed,
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we tend to read that differently.
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And the reason for that
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is because they are not the same Greek word.
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It's important to note this.
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The Greek word here translated,
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blessed be,
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is eulogio,
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which means blessed one or praised one.
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We get the word eulogy from this Greek word.
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A word of commendation.
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Typically, you think of a eulogy
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being preached at a funeral.
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All of the praise that's given to the person
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that has passed.
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All of the reasons that we love this person
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and the reasons that we will miss this person.
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Here, Paul is not communicating
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that God needs our blessing,
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but that He is already the blessed one.
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He is worthy of praise.
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He is worthy of honor.
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And He is the blesser.
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He has blessed us in Christ.
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So who are those who are blessed?
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Here meaning joyful, enriched.
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Those who are in Christ.
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Those who have believed in Christ
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are blessed by God.
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Apart from faith in Christ,
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a person is in a grievous state.
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Romans 3.23-26 reads,
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All have sinned and fall short
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of the glory of God.
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There's no one exempt from this.
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Everybody in the world
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is the condition of man.
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Apart from Christ,
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all have sinned.
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They all fall short.
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They all fail to measure up
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to the holiness required of God
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on our behalf to be pleasing before Him.
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And this puts us in this grievous state
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because God hates sin.
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And because God hates sinners,
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they are an affront to His character.
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The person who is in the state of sin
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openly and willingly rejects God as king.
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Good king.
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Given to us a good word
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and we disregard it.
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And we have it as our own.
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It's a saying that God hates sin
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but loves the sinner.
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And that's so true in part,
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but it's not completely true.
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Let me show you why.
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Psalm 11.5 says,
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The Lord tests the righteous,
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but His soul hates the wicked
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and the one who loves violence.
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The person who has not placed their faith in Christ
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is in a grievous state
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because the wrath of God
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is being stored up for them.
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Beloved, we must understand this.
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I hear on a regular basis
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about people who come and visit
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and why they won't come back.
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And some of you might find yourselves
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in that place this morning.
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One of my favorite complaints
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is that I don't make people
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feel good about themselves.
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building up your self-esteem.
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Be damned if you'll be damned.
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Care about your souls.
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This is a weighty thing that we do.
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Considering the truth of God
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and what it means for our lives
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matters.
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Doctrine matters.
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The truth opened up to you.
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This is why I say every Sunday,
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this is God's Word to us.
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You would do well to listen to it.
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Believe His promises.
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Obey His commands.
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You must understand
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that God hates sin.
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And God hates sinners.
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He will punish sinners.
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But the wonderful truth of the Gospel
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is that at the same time,
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God loves sinners.
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Praise Him.
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I was loved by God
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and saved by God
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as a sinner.
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So the statement,
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God hates sin but loves the sinner
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is partially true.
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It should say,
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God hates sin and hates the sinner
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and loves the sinner.
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And it's a difficult thing
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for us to comprehend that
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because we're not God.
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God.
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And we fail so often
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to understand God
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by His revealed Word
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because we want to put ourselves
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in His shoe.
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How dare we?
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We can't possibly understand
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how it is that God
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can both hate and love
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at the very same time,
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but He does.
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And there's a beautiful picture
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of this.
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The great high point of redemption,
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the cross of Christ.
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where He loves us
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as He hates us.
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He pours out His wrath
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on Jesus.
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The hatred towards us.
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Jesus takes us.
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Propitiation.
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He takes on our sin
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and He pours His wrath
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out on it.
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It's a great loving act
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on His part.
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Verse 24.
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Romans 3.
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And are justified
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by His grace as a gift
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through the redemption
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that is in Christ Jesus,
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whom God put forward
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as a propitiation,
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a blood sacrifice replacement
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to be received by faith.
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This was to show
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God's righteousness,
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God's perfection,
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because in His divine forbearance,
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He had passed over
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former sins.
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It was to show His righteousness
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at the present time
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so that He might be just
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punishing sin in Christ
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and the justifier
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of the one who has faith
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in Jesus.
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If you have believed in Christ,
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you are saved by God
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from God to God.
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God is the blesser.
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Those who have placed faith
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in Christ are the blessed.
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What is the blessing?
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Paul here writes
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that we're blessed
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with every spiritual blessing
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in the heavenly places.
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And there's much
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that could be said
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at this point.
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But the idea of it being
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a spiritual blessing
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speaks not to the extent
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of the blessing
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or the particular outworking
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of the blessing.
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Paul's not here
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talking about spiritual
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gifting in its entirety.
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What he's speaking to
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is the source
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of the blessing.
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It comes from God Himself.
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We are blessed spiritually
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because God is Spirit
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and has given us blessing.
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Not only that,
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but He's given us
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every spiritual blessing.
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We have all the power
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that we need
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to love as we should,
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to have peace and joy,
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to find contentment,
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to be obedient in all things,
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etc., etc., etc.
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And He has blessed us
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with every spiritual blessing
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in the heavenly places
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which refers to the domain
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of God.
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Not just future blessing,
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although future blessing
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is included in this,
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but present blessing now
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as those of us
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who have placed faith in Christ
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are part of God's kingdom.
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If you have believed in Christ,
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you are blessed in Christ
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with a new identity.
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A gospel identity.
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which I have summarized
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with a portion of today's
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summary statement,
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the middle portion of it,
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we are justified before God,
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forgiven,
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and adopted by Him.
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And I'll speak at length
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to the portion
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of the summary statement,
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but let's take the statement
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in its written order
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and ask the question first,
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what is the cause
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of our gospel identity?
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If you have placed faith
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in the personal work
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of Jesus Christ,
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you are justified before God,
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forgiven and adopted by Him,
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but what is the cause
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of this gospel identity?
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The first part of our statement,
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by grace alone,
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through faith alone,
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in the personal work
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of Jesus Christ alone.
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Beloved, we undoubtedly
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must believe in Christ.
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I like the clarification.
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You have heard me
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or you will hear me
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if you stick around,
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in the person and work
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of Jesus Christ.
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I think my head's tallied
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at least a dozen times.
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I've said it already
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this morning.
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In the person
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and the work,
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to believe that Jesus
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is who He said He was,
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that He is the Son of God,
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and that He lived
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a perfect life,
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that He died a sinner's death,
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that He was raised
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on the third day,
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that He's ascended
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and seated with the Father.
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We must believe these things.
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When we say we must believe
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in Christ,
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it means that we believe
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all of those things.
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It doesn't mean
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that we believe
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that Jesus was a good teacher,
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but that He was the Son of God.
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That we place our faith in Him
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for the remediation of our sin.
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Not just that we believe
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that He could be our buddy.
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There's specifics about
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what we must believe
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about Christ
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to be saved by Him.
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But undoubtedly,
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we must believe.
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Paul writes in Romans 10.9,
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if you confess with your mouth
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that Jesus is Lord
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and believe in your heart
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that God raised Him
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from the dead work,
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you will be saved.
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Our text this morning
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confirms this.
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You can look at verse 12
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and verse 13.
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I underline these
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with squiggly marks
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on my page.
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So that we who were the first
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to what?
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Hope in Christ.
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There's a work on our part.
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We hoped in Christ.
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In verse 13,
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in Him you also,
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when you heard the word of truth,
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the gospel of your salvation,
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and believed in Him.
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So something happens.
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Something takes place
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in our conversion.
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We place faith
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in the person and work
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of Jesus Christ.
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So you could say
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that our faith is the cause
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of our gospel identity.
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That would be accurate.
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Our faith is the cause
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of our gospel identity,
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but what is the cause
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of our faith?
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What made dead people
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who were bent against
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the worship of God
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suddenly decide
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to worship God?
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Our text this morning
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speaks to this.
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I don't intend at this moment
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to make a complex
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soteriological argument.
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If you don't know
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what soteriology is,
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that's probably okay.
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It's the study
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of the doctrines
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of salvation.
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I hope you're familiar
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with the doctrines
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of salvation though.
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I don't care to work out
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all the intricacies
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of such doctrines,
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precious though they are,
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but for the sake
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of your understanding
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of your gospel identity.
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If you've placed faith
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in Christ,
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person and work,
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you need to see
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that God is the cause
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of your faith.
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It's very important
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to see the way
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in which God brings
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things about faith
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in the life
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of a believer.
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I don't want
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to get into
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a debate about this.
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These doctrines
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are taught to you
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to give you
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a pillow
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to rest your head on
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and I want to show you
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why.
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Note with me
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some phrases
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and some verses
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in our text.
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I put these in parentheses
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if you're marking
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yours up.
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verse 4,
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He,
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being God,
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chose us
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in Him,
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being Jesus Christ,
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when?
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Before the foundation
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of the world.
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Don't make this
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too complex, beloved.
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Paul's not trying
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to pull some
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semantical tricks
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on us here.
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Read it as it reads.
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It's the doctrine
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of the clarity
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of Scripture.
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He chose us in Him
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before the foundation
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of the world.
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Before all of this
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came to be,
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before original sin,
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there was a plan
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in place.
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Christ was always
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plan A.
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Never a plan B.
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And God chose us
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in Christ
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before the foundation
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of the world.
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Very last part
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of verse 4
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and verse 5.
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I don't understand
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why the numbers
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fall this way.
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In love,
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He predestined
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us
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according
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to the purpose
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of His will.
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Again,
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according to His purpose
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in verse 9.
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Verse 11.
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Having been
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predestined
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according
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to the purpose
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of Him
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who works
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all things
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according
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to the counsel
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of His will.
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It's very difficult
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to get around this.
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And I know
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that for some of you,
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your brains
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are racing out
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implications.
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Stop.
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Calm down
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for a minute
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and look at
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what Paul's
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trying to
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communicate to us.
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He's simply
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trying to say
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that our faith
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was brought about
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by God.
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Why is that
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going to be important?
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I'll tell you
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momentarily.
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Don't get away
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from this.
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The word
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predestined
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is such a scary
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word this day.
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But I'll tell you
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what it means.
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In Greek,
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it means
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decided beforehand
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or predetermined.
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Paul's statement
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in verse 4
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so beautifully
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defines the word
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for us.
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Chose us in Him
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before the foundation
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of the world.
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Predetermined.
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Decided beforehand
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that we would
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believe in Christ.
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So what is the cause
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of our gospel identity?
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Ultimately,
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God.
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Specifically,
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God's grace to us.
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In His loving kindness,
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He brought about
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faith in us.
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If you look just
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a little further on
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in Ephesians 2,
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beginning in verse 8,
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Paul says,
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For by grace
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you have been saved
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through faith.
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And this is not
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your own doing.
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Paul's referring here
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to the faith,
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not to the grace.
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And this is not
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your own doing.
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It is the gift
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of God.
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Not a result
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of works.
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Why?
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So that no one
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may boast.
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Oh, proud me,
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I have faith.
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Oh, poor pitiful me,
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I would not have faith
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apart from Christ.
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Oh, Christ
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is to be praised.
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Why is this doctrine
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important to your
20:36
understanding
20:37
of your gospel identity?
20:40
It's important
20:41
because your identity
20:42
is secure.
20:45
It was wrought
20:46
by God.
20:48
He brought it about
20:49
and He will not
20:51
change His mind.
20:53
God made you
20:54
and He will keep you.
20:57
Numbers 23, 19.
21:00
God is not man
21:02
that He should lie
21:02
or of son of man
21:04
that He should change
21:05
His mind.
21:06
Has He said
21:07
and will He not do it?
21:08
Or has He spoken
21:10
and will He not
21:11
fulfill it?
21:14
Paul says in Romans 8,
21:16
verse 29 and 30,
21:18
for those whom He foredo,
21:20
He also predestined
21:21
to be conformed
21:23
to the image of a son
21:24
in order that He might
21:25
be the firstborn
21:26
or preeminent
21:27
among many brothers.
21:30
And those whom He predestined,
21:31
He also called.
21:32
And those whom He called,
21:33
He also justified.
21:34
And those whom He justified,
21:36
He also glorified.
21:37
Future tense,
21:38
one day we will be made
21:39
entirely perfect
21:40
and be in His presence
21:41
forever.
21:43
So who has brought about
21:44
this gospel identity
21:46
that we're speaking about today?
21:48
It's God, beloved.
21:51
You may not know this,
21:52
but I call you beloved.
21:55
I'm hoping that I'm referring
21:56
to everyone in the room.
21:58
When I say beloved,
21:59
I'm referring to Christians.
22:01
Jesus calls His own Son,
22:04
God calls His own Son,
22:05
Jesus, beloved.
22:07
And that's a title
22:08
passed on to us,
22:10
loved in Christ.
22:12
Adopted sons and daughters
22:14
of the Most High.
22:17
So what is our gospel identity?
22:19
Again, here we are,
22:20
middle of the phrase,
22:21
we are justified before God,
22:24
forgiven and adopted by Him.
22:28
We are justified before God.
22:30
To be justified before God
22:32
means to be declared righteous
22:35
before God as our judge.
22:39
It's a courtroom term.
22:41
Standing before a judge
22:43
and the judge not only
22:44
dismisses our offense,
22:48
our sin has been forgiven,
22:50
but also declares us perfect.
22:54
There's two sides to justification.
22:57
Right?
22:58
Verse 4 says that we should be holy
23:00
and blameless before Him.
23:04
If you are in Christ,
23:05
if you have believed in Him,
23:07
you stand before God justified.
23:10
And there's really not another great word
23:12
for this word.
23:15
Two sides of the coin.
23:17
Debt canceled
23:18
and a deposit has been made.
23:21
Christ took your sin.
23:23
The debt has been canceled.
23:24
Christ gave you His righteousness.
23:28
You're seen as perfect before God.
23:32
We are justified, beloved.
23:34
Important, important doctrine
23:36
to understand who we are.
23:41
We've been forgiven.
23:42
Verse 7,
23:42
in Him we have redemption
23:44
through His blood,
23:46
the forgiveness of our trespasses.
23:47
We have been adopted.
23:50
Verse 5,
23:51
He predestined us for adoption
23:52
as sons through Jesus Christ.
23:56
And ladies,
23:57
it's okay that Paul is using this terminology
23:59
because culturally,
24:02
you want to be a son.
24:03
Sons got inheritance.
24:05
Sons took over the Father's place.
24:09
Women at this time
24:10
had very little rights to inheritance.
24:13
Very little.
24:13
They needed to marry into family
24:15
to have those things.
24:16
So, to call you a son of God
24:18
is not a gender offense
24:20
in this way.
24:21
We've been adopted as sons
24:23
through Jesus Christ.
24:25
And I fear in my own mind
24:26
and sometimes then
24:27
in your minds
24:28
that here as we
24:30
hold high God
24:32
and we present Him
24:33
as sovereign King,
24:34
as ruler,
24:35
as creator and sustainer,
24:36
which He is,
24:37
all of those things
24:38
that we sometimes forget
24:39
to call Him Father.
24:42
And as we talk about Christ
24:44
as the prophet,
24:45
priest,
24:46
and king,
24:47
supreme in all things,
24:49
we forget to call Him
24:50
friend.
24:53
Our relationship is
24:55
deep and intimate
24:56
with the Lord of the universe.
25:00
And this is an astounding reality.
25:03
J.I. Packer,
25:04
in his work entitled
25:05
Knowing God,
25:07
which you should read,
25:07
wrote the following,
25:10
that justification
25:12
by which we mean
25:13
God's forgiveness
25:14
of the past
25:15
together with His acceptance
25:16
for the future
25:17
is the primary
25:19
and fundamental blessing
25:20
of the gospel
25:21
is not in question.
25:23
Justification
25:24
is the primary blessing
25:25
because it meets
25:26
our primary spiritual need.
25:28
We all stand by nature
25:29
under God's judgment.
25:31
His law condemns us.
25:33
Guilt gnaws at us,
25:35
making us restless,
25:36
miserable,
25:37
and in our lucid moments
25:39
afraid.
25:40
We have no peace
25:41
in ourselves
25:42
because we have no peace
25:43
with our Maker.
25:45
So we need the forgiveness
25:46
of our sins
25:47
and assurance
25:47
of a restored relationship
25:49
with God
25:49
more than we need
25:50
anything else
25:51
in the world.
25:52
And this,
25:53
the gospel offers us
25:54
before it offers us
25:55
anything else.
25:58
But contrast this now
26:00
with adoption.
26:02
Adoption is a family idea
26:04
conceived in terms of love,
26:06
and viewing God
26:08
as Father.
26:09
In adoption,
26:10
God takes us
26:11
into His family
26:12
and fellowship.
26:13
He establishes us
26:14
as His children
26:15
and heirs.
26:17
Closeness,
26:18
affection,
26:19
and generosity
26:20
are at the heart
26:21
of the relationship.
26:23
To be right with the God,
26:25
the judge,
26:26
is a great thing.
26:27
But to be loved
26:28
and cared for by God,
26:30
the Father,
26:31
is greater.
26:32
this is who we are
26:35
in Christ.
26:37
Accepted by God
26:39
and drawn into
26:39
a familial relationship
26:42
with Him.
26:43
And beloved,
26:44
this is based
26:45
in His work
26:47
before the foundation
26:49
of the world
26:50
that we might have faith
26:52
and believe
26:53
in the personal work
26:54
of Jesus Christ.
26:55
I hope that even
26:56
if that's a strange doctrine
26:58
to you,
26:58
that you could see
26:59
the beauty of it.
27:00
I hope to say,
27:02
I can rest in that.
27:04
That in the midst
27:05
of all of the best
27:06
that I am,
27:08
I am God's
27:10
in Christ.
27:13
That's our gospel identity.
27:15
That's what He's done
27:16
on our behalf.
27:20
And it should rightly
27:22
have some effect
27:23
in our lives.
27:24
If you are Christ's,
27:28
you don't have the option
27:29
from to be merely
27:30
your Savior
27:31
and not also
27:32
your Lord.
27:35
He said,
27:35
those who love me
27:36
keep my commandments.
27:40
It becomes the natural
27:41
response
27:42
of the heart
27:43
that's been turned
27:44
to God in Christ
27:45
to follow Him.
27:47
To be His disciples.
27:49
And far too long,
27:50
we've had presented
27:51
in America
27:52
a complacent Christianity
27:54
that says,
27:55
it's just okay
27:56
that you show up
27:58
and you consume.
27:59
We're just happy
28:00
you're here.
28:02
We're happy you're here
28:03
because we want you
28:04
to be engaged
28:05
in obedience
28:06
to Christ
28:07
in the world.
28:09
It's good for the world
28:10
and it's good for you.
28:13
How dare we not
28:14
press obedience
28:16
on the people of God?
28:18
How dare we not
28:19
show them
28:20
the great joy
28:21
that's found in Christ
28:22
and obedience
28:23
to Him?
28:25
We won't be doing
28:26
that here anymore.
28:29
You're either
28:29
going to get caught up
28:30
in the mission of God
28:31
because you're His
28:32
or you're going to get
28:34
really uncomfortable
28:35
around here.
28:38
What is
28:39
the effect
28:40
of our gospel
28:42
identity?
28:44
Last sentence
28:45
of our summary statement.
28:46
This gospel identity
28:48
is our great motivation
28:50
for worship.
28:54
Because of what God
28:55
has done for us
28:56
in Christ,
28:56
we worship Him.
29:00
I am not simply
29:01
referring to
29:02
congregational singing.
29:04
I appreciate it.
29:04
It's been said a few times
29:05
already this morning.
29:08
It's a poor nomenclature
29:10
that we call
29:11
singing in church
29:12
worship.
29:13
It is worship,
29:14
but it's not all
29:15
that worship is.
29:16
I think that some people
29:17
begin to think
29:18
that that's the extent
29:19
of it all.
29:20
It's a type of worship.
29:22
Musical worship.
29:25
But worship,
29:26
beloved,
29:27
is all that we do.
29:29
It extends into
29:29
every aspect
29:31
of our lives.
29:32
It is sharing
29:33
the gospel.
29:34
It is showing up
29:35
on Sunday morning
29:35
and singing songs.
29:37
It is listening
29:38
to sermons preached.
29:39
It is preaching sermons.
29:41
But it is also
29:42
washing dishes
29:43
and changing diapers
29:45
and vacuuming floors.
29:47
All of those things
29:49
in life
29:50
are done
29:51
to the honor
29:52
and glory
29:53
of God.
29:54
This is also
29:56
worshipped.
29:59
Your purpose
29:59
as a justified,
30:02
redeemed,
30:03
and adopted person
30:04
is to live
30:06
as a holy person
30:07
in all things
30:08
to the praise of God.
30:11
God.
30:12
I say to my sons,
30:14
those of you
30:14
who don't know me,
30:15
I have three sons now.
30:16
I have a six-year-old,
30:17
a four-year-old,
30:18
and an almost
30:19
four-month-old.
30:20
So to the older two,
30:22
I say,
30:23
boys,
30:25
my sons
30:26
obey their father.
30:27
Are you acting
30:28
like my sons
30:29
right now?
30:30
And they go,
30:32
well, you are my sons,
30:33
aren't you?
30:34
My sons
30:35
obey their father.
30:36
And when they're
30:37
punished,
30:37
when I discipline them,
30:39
I get a spanking
30:39
and they're sent
30:40
off to their room
30:41
to lay in their bed.
30:43
We reconcile afterward
30:44
and I always say,
30:46
you're my son
30:47
and I love you
30:49
and that's why
30:51
I want you to
30:52
obey.
30:53
Your father is good
30:55
and he cares about you.
30:56
He is concerned.
30:57
And let me tell you
30:58
that I fail
30:59
so often at this,
31:00
but God never fails
31:02
to give us good
31:03
and right
31:04
and proper commandment
31:05
for us
31:06
to live
31:06
and flourish
31:07
under his
31:08
rule.
31:11
You hear me say
31:11
to the kids
31:12
on Sunday mornings,
31:13
I love you,
31:13
which is why
31:13
I want to remind you
31:14
that God loves you,
31:15
which is why
31:16
he gave you
31:16
parents that love you,
31:18
which is why
31:19
you should
31:19
obey them.
31:22
We glorify God
31:24
when we act
31:25
in appropriate response
31:27
to who we are
31:28
in Christ.
31:30
We bring him
31:31
great honor.
31:31
Not that he needs it
31:32
bestowed upon him,
31:34
but we show him
31:35
for who he actually is
31:37
when we live
31:38
in accordance
31:39
with what he's
31:40
done for us
31:40
in Christ.
31:42
Note this
31:42
in our text.
31:43
Ephesians 1,
31:45
verse 6,
31:46
you'll see the phrase.
31:47
I did a big scribbly
31:48
circle around these
31:49
phrases.
31:50
To the praise
31:52
of his glorious grace.
31:55
Verse 12,
31:56
to the praise
31:57
of his glory.
31:59
Verse 14,
32:01
to the praise
32:02
of his glory.
32:06
There are two types
32:07
of magnification.
32:08
This is a classic
32:08
John Piper.
32:11
Type of magnification
32:12
that a microscope does
32:13
where it makes something
32:14
very, very tiny.
32:15
It looks bigger
32:16
than it is.
32:17
Many people think
32:17
of glory in that way.
32:19
Glorifying God
32:19
in that way.
32:21
This is not the case
32:22
at all.
32:23
The type of magnifying
32:24
we do
32:25
is making something
32:27
that's huge
32:28
and massive
32:28
and far off
32:30
and distant
32:30
look much more
32:32
like it actually is.
32:34
And in obedience
32:35
we do this.
32:36
We magnify God
32:37
in that way.
32:38
We show him
32:39
to be king
32:39
and ruler
32:40
in our hearts.
32:43
In Matthew 7,
32:44
verses 17 and 18,
32:45
Jesus says,
32:46
So,
32:47
every healthy tree
32:49
bears good fruit.
32:53
But the diseased tree
32:54
bears bad fruit.
32:56
Good trees bear good fruit.
32:58
Bad trees bear
32:59
bad fruit.
33:00
Verse 18,
33:01
A healthy tree
33:01
cannot bear bad fruit
33:03
nor can a diseased tree
33:05
bear good fruit.
33:08
We are changed
33:10
by God
33:11
from a bad tree
33:12
only producing evil
33:14
to a good tree.
33:18
This reality
33:19
is the doctrine
33:20
of regeneration.
33:23
This is the new birth.
33:25
We're not the same
33:26
anymore.
33:27
We're made new.
33:30
We're not changed
33:31
in degree.
33:33
We don't encounter Christ
33:34
and we're made
33:35
a little better.
33:35
We're changed
33:36
in kind.
33:40
Subliminally,
33:41
!
33:41
Subtly,
33:41
maybe not so much.
33:43
The church has a new logo.
33:47
The astute amongst you
33:48
have noticed this.
33:50
We had a bunch of trees
33:51
before.
33:51
It's a single tree now.
33:52
Mostly Facebook
33:53
and Instagram
33:54
that's forcing everything
33:55
into circles and squares
33:56
is causing this.
33:58
But,
33:59
when you see this logo,
34:03
I want you to think
34:04
good tree.
34:06
Who am I
34:07
in Christ?
34:09
In Christ,
34:11
I'm a good tree.
34:12
What do good trees do?
34:13
Good trees produce
34:14
good fruit.
34:16
On the front of your bulletin,
34:17
you'll see a
34:17
Spurgeon
34:18
quote.
34:20
I do this
34:22
because I want to
34:23
connect you to history.
34:24
I want to connect you
34:25
to the church
34:26
that existed before.
34:28
These are
34:28
blessed brothers.
34:30
We stand on their shoulders.
34:31
They have so much wisdom.
34:32
And Spurgeon says things
34:33
so much better than I do.
34:35
He wrote,
34:36
God works in man
34:37
a change so great
34:38
that no reformation
34:39
can even so much
34:40
as thoroughly imitate it.
34:42
So,
34:42
no change a man can do
34:44
can even imitate
34:44
the change that God
34:46
brings about in a man.
34:47
It is an entire change.
34:49
A change of the will
34:50
of the being
34:50
of the desires
34:51
of the hates
34:52
of the disliking
34:53
and of the likings.
34:55
In every respect,
34:56
the man becomes new
34:57
when divine grace
34:59
enters into his heart.
35:01
Our gospel identity
35:03
produces obedience,
35:07
but we do not become
35:10
perfectly obedient,
35:13
do we?
35:15
Oh, I wish we did.
35:16
We do not become
35:18
perfectly obedient.
35:21
And I think we can
35:22
muse about the why
35:23
of that at length.
35:25
I think one of the
35:26
primary reasons for it
35:27
is that we still have
35:29
our flesh
35:30
and we carry that around.
35:31
And I have to tell you
35:32
that for me,
35:33
I sympathize deeply
35:34
with lost people
35:35
because I see
35:36
the vileness
35:37
of my sin.
35:39
I step back
35:40
into my old self-functioning
35:42
and I remember
35:43
how miserable
35:44
I was before Christ.
35:46
My heart goes out
35:47
to people who don't
35:48
know him
35:49
because I still
35:50
need him.
35:53
There's a concept,
35:54
a biblical concept,
35:56
first systematized
35:57
by Augustine
35:58
called the fourfold
35:59
state of man.
36:00
I think we have a slide
36:00
for this.
36:02
It was later made popular
36:03
in a book entitled
36:06
Human Nature
36:07
in Its Fourfold State
36:08
by a man named
36:09
Thomas Boston.
36:10
He was a 17th century
36:11
Scottish pastor
36:12
and theologian.
36:14
So this is a biblical concept.
36:16
It's taught in the scriptures.
36:17
I'm going to show it
36:18
to you in Latin.
36:19
And not again,
36:20
I'm not doing this.
36:21
I don't quote people
36:22
and do this
36:22
because I want you
36:23
to think that I'm smart
36:24
because I'm not.
36:25
I steal everything
36:26
that I present to you.
36:27
There's nothing new
36:28
under the sun.
36:30
I'm just a mockingbird.
36:33
For me,
36:34
Latin helps me
36:35
remember things.
36:36
And that may not be
36:36
the case for you,
36:37
but getting phrases
36:37
in my mind in Latin
36:38
helps me remember things.
36:39
But in addition to that,
36:40
I want you to be comfortable
36:41
in some respect with Latin
36:42
because if you read
36:43
the guys you should be reading,
36:44
the old dead guys,
36:45
they do this a lot.
36:47
They just throw Latin phrases
36:48
into the mix of things.
36:49
And you need to know
36:50
that it's Latin
36:51
and you need to try
36:52
to start figuring out
36:53
what these things mean.
36:54
With no explanation,
36:55
they'll just use a Latin phrase
36:56
and keep on going.
36:57
So I want you to get
36:58
comfortable around Latin.
36:59
So you're going to see it
37:00
a bit more
37:02
in our meetings together.
37:03
But the fourfold state of man
37:04
is a biblical concept,
37:05
systematic theology here
37:07
being brought together.
37:08
The very first state
37:09
is the state of innocence.
37:12
This is the pre-fall state.
37:14
Only two people ever lived
37:15
in the pre-fall state,
37:16
the state of innocence,
37:17
Adam and Eve.
37:19
Adam and Eve.
37:21
And in that state,
37:22
they had
37:23
passe non pecare,
37:26
et passe pecare.
37:28
Right?
37:29
The power
37:29
not to sin,
37:32
passe non pecare,
37:33
and
37:34
et the power to sin,
37:36
passe pecare.
37:37
They had both.
37:38
They could do either.
37:39
And we see that picture.
37:41
Genesis chapter 2
37:41
into the beginning
37:42
of Genesis chapter 3.
37:43
They commanded not to eat
37:44
of a tree.
37:46
And what did they do?
37:47
They eat of the tree.
37:48
They didn't have to eat of the tree.
37:50
They had the power
37:50
to do either.
37:52
Passe non pecare,
37:53
et passe pecare.
37:54
And they immediately,
37:56
and all that have followed them
37:58
at birth,
37:59
enter into
38:00
what's secondly called
38:02
the state of nature.
38:05
The state of nature.
38:06
The post-fall,
38:08
pre-conversion state.
38:11
If you are not in Christ
38:12
this morning,
38:14
if you know people
38:14
who are not in Christ,
38:15
this is where they function.
38:17
And in this state,
38:18
people only have
38:20
the power
38:21
to sin.
38:22
Passe pecare.
38:23
Even things that we would deem
38:25
as good activity
38:27
are not rightly motivated
38:29
by faith
38:30
through the glory of God
38:31
and therefore
38:31
they're sin.
38:34
Passe pecare.
38:37
Thirdly,
38:37
you have the state of grace.
38:39
The converted state.
38:40
If you're in Christ,
38:41
this is where we find ourselves.
38:42
Gospel identity
38:43
is what we're talking about.
38:44
So this is where we land
38:45
in the third state,
38:46
the state of grace.
38:48
And we once again
38:49
return to
38:50
the nature
38:52
of the state of innocence.
38:53
Passe non pecare
38:55
et passe pecare.
38:56
We have the power
38:57
not to sin.
38:59
Praise God
39:00
by the work of the Spirit.
39:01
We're made new.
39:02
We have the power
39:03
not to sin.
39:05
And
39:06
we have the power
39:07
to sin.
39:08
We still choose
39:09
to be disobedient.
39:12
And then fourthly,
39:13
and praise God
39:13
for the fourth,
39:14
the eternal state,
39:15
the glorified state,
39:18
when we will
39:19
only have power
39:20
not to sin.
39:23
Passe non pecare.
39:25
We long for that day.
39:27
Passe non pecare
39:29
is the truth.
39:30
So,
39:31
we find that living
39:33
as a holy person
39:35
for the praise of God
39:38
in the state of grace
39:39
takes effort.
39:42
Our salvation is monergistic.
39:44
It's a work of God.
39:46
God works.
39:48
We're saved.
39:48
Our sanctification,
39:51
the process of becoming
39:52
like Christ,
39:54
is a synergistic process.
39:56
We work
39:56
and God works.
39:59
Wonderful proof text for this
40:00
is Philippians 2,
40:01
12 and 13.
40:02
Paul writes,
40:03
Therefore, my beloved,
40:04
as you have always obeyed,
40:06
so now,
40:07
not only as in my presence,
40:08
but much more in my absence,
40:10
work out your own salvation
40:13
with fear and trembling.
40:15
Verse 13,
40:16
for
40:17
this is the reason
40:18
for the fear and trembling,
40:19
for
40:19
it is God who works in you
40:22
both to will
40:23
and to work
40:24
for His good pleasure.
40:26
So,
40:27
you work,
40:28
God
40:29
works.
40:32
And too often, beloved,
40:33
those who
40:33
hold dear
40:34
the sovereignty of God,
40:35
those who understand
40:36
our need
40:37
of grace
40:38
become complacent
40:40
and lazy
40:41
as if we're waiting
40:42
to be compelled
40:43
to obedience,
40:45
animated,
40:45
I should even say
40:46
to obedience.
40:48
I hear so much
40:50
from you.
40:52
This is what I want to do.
40:54
I really desire to do.
40:56
But then you don't do it.
40:59
If the desire is genuine,
41:01
you will go.
41:02
You will do the thing
41:03
that you said
41:04
you would do.
41:06
I think sometimes
41:07
you desire me to think
41:08
that you desire to do
41:10
the things you're supposed to do.
41:12
we will be obedient
41:14
and it takes effort
41:15
on our part.
41:16
It takes work
41:17
on our part.
41:20
Our sanctification,
41:21
biblically,
41:22
biblical sanctification
41:23
is progressive.
41:24
We've got a slide
41:24
for this one as well.
41:25
You've heard me say this before.
41:27
You can see it in picture now
41:28
because it's
41:29
going to astound you.
41:30
I know, right?
41:38
Yay for visuals.
41:40
You need to see, right?
41:41
Moving towards holiness, right?
41:43
Away from unrighteousness,
41:44
towards righteousness.
41:45
Looking more like Christ.
41:47
Across time,
41:48
we progress.
41:50
We still sin, right?
41:51
There's downward spikes
41:52
in this.
41:53
But we keep working
41:54
our way upward
41:55
by the grace of God
41:56
toward Christ's likeness.
41:58
longing one day
41:59
for glorification
42:00
where we will be
42:01
made perfect,
42:02
complete.
42:03
That process will be over.
42:05
Progressive sanctification.
42:06
And there are a lot
42:07
of erroneous views
42:08
on sanctification.
42:09
I don't have time
42:10
for it today,
42:11
but there are popular
42:12
erroneous views.
42:16
Methodism
42:17
is a dangerous one.
42:18
If you grew up
42:19
a Methodist,
42:19
you may not even think
42:20
this way.
42:20
You may think
42:21
the proper biblical way
42:22
about sanctification,
42:23
but many Methodists
42:23
have a skewed version.
42:26
Wesleyan sanctification
42:27
is not biblical sanctification.
42:30
Tezik sanctification
42:31
is another one
42:31
you need to watch out for.
42:33
And both of them
42:34
suggest that we have
42:35
spikes in our life
42:36
where we suddenly
42:37
become holy.
42:39
And then we live
42:40
that existence out.
42:42
I've never talked
42:43
to a Methodist,
42:44
for example,
42:45
that's ever said that
42:45
to me
42:46
and ever seemed
42:47
to believe that.
42:49
I've heard a tale
42:50
of some older Methodists
42:53
that have claimed
42:53
to be perfect
42:54
for decades.
42:55
They've reached
42:56
that point.
42:56
that point of perfection
42:58
and they've moved on
42:59
from there.
43:01
All the offense
43:04
to the Gospel
43:04
that that is.
43:06
Sanctification is
43:07
progressive
43:08
and it's synergistic.
43:11
And we're going
43:12
to begin talking
43:13
as a church
43:14
about four areas
43:15
of sanctification.
43:17
Four areas
43:18
of good fruit bearing
43:20
if you prefer.
43:22
Four areas
43:23
of Christian living.
43:25
and we're going
43:27
to talk about those
43:28
in the next four weeks.
43:30
I want it to be a thing
43:31
that you're talking
43:32
about together.
43:33
You can structure
43:34
all of your Christian
43:35
meetings around
43:36
these things
43:36
to be sure
43:37
that this activity
43:38
is happening
43:39
in one another's lives.
43:40
These things
43:41
are disciplines
43:42
of grace to us.
43:43
They're things
43:43
we must work at
43:44
and lean into.
43:46
They're places
43:47
that we experience Christ.
43:49
We're so motivated
43:50
and our joy
43:51
when we get to be
43:52
caught up
43:53
in His work
43:53
in the world.
43:55
They matter.
43:56
And there's different
43:56
ways to structure this
43:57
but we're going to
43:57
structure it
43:58
in the following way.
43:58
Number one,
43:59
conviction.
44:01
Those of you who are
44:01
members and got
44:02
the member health survey,
44:03
this has been subtly
44:04
getting interjected as well.
44:06
We asked you questions
44:07
based on these four
44:08
different areas
44:09
and we'll be talking
44:10
about some of the results
44:11
of that survey
44:12
in the coming weeks.
44:13
Conviction.
44:14
What do we believe
44:14
to be true
44:15
about God,
44:16
about ourselves,
44:16
about Christ?
44:18
How well do we know
44:19
the scripture
44:19
and how does that
44:20
turn us to prayer?
44:23
My suggestion is
44:24
that if we have
44:24
proper convictions
44:25
we will pray a lot
44:27
and we'll pray properly.
44:29
So conviction.
44:30
Second,
44:30
community.
44:32
We've been given
44:34
to a community.
44:35
We've been saved
44:35
certainly as individuals
44:36
but we've been saved
44:37
as a people.
44:38
Community is a grace
44:39
to us.
44:42
Young people,
44:43
college students,
44:44
freshmen up here
44:45
don't neglect this grace.
44:47
Too many college students
44:48
have gone asunder
44:50
as a result.
44:52
A thirdly,
44:52
character.
44:54
Who are we supposed
44:55
to be both in private
44:56
and in public
44:57
as a result?
44:58
What are the things
44:59
that characterize
45:00
the Christian?
45:02
And fourthly,
45:03
commission.
45:04
We cannot say
45:05
that we're disciples
45:06
of Jesus Christ
45:06
if we're not on
45:07
the mission of Christ,
45:09
the redemption
45:09
of His people
45:11
in the world.
45:12
And so we're going
45:13
to be pressing
45:14
at these things.
45:14
We're going to be
45:15
ramping up the expectations
45:18
on members
45:18
and just kind of
45:19
trying to draw
45:20
those of you
45:20
who aren't members
45:21
into what we're doing.
45:23
And we'll be talking
45:24
about these things
45:25
at length
45:27
in these four areas.
45:29
I really hope
45:30
in a year
45:31
you are just
45:32
sick and tired
45:33
of hearing about
45:33
the four C's
45:34
but that it's changed
45:35
the way you live
45:36
by grace.
45:39
What is happening
45:40
when we sin
45:41
is a failure
45:42
to remember
45:43
who we are?
45:45
Beloved,
45:46
it always goes
45:46
back to identity.
45:48
You have failed
45:49
to believe
45:49
in the moment
45:50
that you sin
45:51
the wondrous truth
45:52
of the Gospel.
45:53
You have forgotten
45:53
who you are.
45:55
My sons forget
45:56
that they're my sons
45:57
when they're disobedient.
46:00
The Gospel-centered Christian,
46:03
the person who's
46:03
recognizing
46:04
who they are in Christ,
46:05
is humble
46:07
before God.
46:09
I am failing you
46:11
if you leave this place
46:12
feeling good about yourself.
46:14
I don't want you
46:15
to feel good about yourself
46:16
but I want you
46:17
to feel good about Christ
46:18
and then who you are in Him.
46:21
Don't walk out of here
46:22
with your head hung low
46:23
but recognize
46:25
who you once were
46:26
and who you still tend to be
46:28
and praise God
46:29
for what He's done for you
46:30
in Christ.
46:33
The Gospel-centered Christian
46:33
is humble before God,
46:34
recognize that they
46:36
could do no good thing
46:37
to gain God's favor,
46:40
is motivated
46:41
by their Gospel identity
46:42
to obedience.
46:44
In their failures,
46:45
they repent quickly,
46:47
confess to the Lord
46:47
and get back into the race,
46:49
straining for what lies ahead.
46:52
The Gospel-centered Christian
46:53
boasts only in the cross
46:55
of Jesus Christ.
46:58
Paul says,
46:59
Galatians 6.14,
46:59
but far be it from me
47:00
to boast except in the cross
47:01
of our Lord Jesus Christ
47:03
by which the world
47:04
has been crucified to me
47:05
and I to the world.
47:08
Gospel-centered Christianity,
47:10
right?
47:10
Recognizing our identity
47:12
and working as a result
47:13
out of that.
47:15
And as so many Christian doctrines
47:16
are this way,
47:17
there's a tight rope
47:18
to walk on
47:19
and we try to get
47:20
right down the middle,
47:21
but there's always
47:22
two ways to fall off.
47:24
And I want to just expose you
47:25
to those two ways
47:26
and I want to ask you
47:27
to consider
47:28
if you fall into these,
47:30
which one you fall into.
47:32
You do at times.
47:34
I'm assured.
47:35
The first
47:35
is the self-loving Christian.
47:40
Self-loving Christians.
47:42
Self-loving Christians
47:43
find themselves justified
47:44
by their obedience.
47:47
Find themselves justified
47:48
by works.
47:50
They're self-righteous.
47:52
They're always good enough.
47:54
They view God
47:55
as loving them
47:56
just as they are.
47:58
They view God
47:58
as properly loving them
48:00
as if He's saying,
48:02
why wouldn't I love you?
48:04
You're doing so good.
48:06
These people always have
48:07
an outward trapping
48:08
of having it put together.
48:10
Never question
48:11
their own motivations
48:13
for why they do
48:14
the things that they do.
48:16
They believe that they deserve
48:18
God's grace,
48:19
which is an oxymoron.
48:23
The other side
48:24
of that tightrope
48:24
to fall off of
48:25
and just knowing our church
48:27
most of us
48:29
find ourselves here
48:30
is the self-hating Christian.
48:34
Self-hating Christian
48:35
knows that they will
48:36
never be justified
48:37
by their obedience.
48:39
So,
48:40
they try to be justified
48:41
by their penance.
48:44
They know they can't ever
48:46
do enough work.
48:47
They get that doctrine right.
48:48
But rather than placing
48:49
their identity in Christ
48:50
and His righteousness,
48:52
they seek to
48:54
beat themselves up
48:55
over their sin.
48:57
not true repentance,
48:58
but just penance.
49:00
Walking around
49:01
with a head hung low,
49:03
not remembering
49:04
that they've been
49:05
forgiven and adopted.
49:07
They stand before God
49:08
justified in Christ.
49:13
Self-hating Christians
49:13
are never good enough.
49:15
They view God
49:16
as unable
49:16
to love someone
49:18
as wretched
49:19
as them.
49:21
There's two ways
49:22
to fall off
49:23
rather than coming
49:24
back to the center
49:25
saying that we're
49:27
to be humble before Him.
49:29
No good
49:29
in and of myself.
49:32
Nothing I could do
49:33
to earn God's favor,
49:34
but praise be to God
49:35
that in Christ
49:37
He has loved me.
49:39
He has justified me.
49:40
He has forgiven me.
49:41
He has adopted me.
49:43
I am His.
49:45
This is His work.
49:47
And I fail
49:48
to live for Him
49:49
as I ought,
49:49
but praise the Lord,
49:50
my sins were wiped away
49:52
the cross of Calvary.
49:55
What a motivation
49:56
to act
49:58
and to move
49:59
and to want to honor Him
50:00
with the way that I live.
50:03
Confession
50:03
for the gospel-centered
50:05
Christian
50:05
goes quickly.
50:07
We repent,
50:08
we turn from sin,
50:09
and we move.
50:11
Oh, again.
50:12
Oh, this thing
50:13
that keeps coming up
50:14
in my heart.
50:15
This thing that doesn't belong
50:16
is not as it ought to be.
50:18
Lord, I confess,
50:20
this is an offense to You.
50:21
I know that,
50:22
and I hate it.
50:24
Help me to put it to death.
50:26
Help me to live righteously
50:27
for You,
50:28
and then we go.
50:30
We act.
50:31
We do.
50:32
We're obedient.
50:35
So it comes back
50:36
to how we walk,
50:38
what we understand,
50:39
by grace alone
50:40
through faith alone.
50:41
In the person and work
50:42
of Jesus Christ alone,
50:43
we are justified
50:44
before God.
50:45
Forgiven
50:45
and adopted by Him.
50:48
This gospel identity
50:49
is our great motivation
50:51
for worship,
50:52
and I look forward
50:53
to bringing out
50:55
the implications
50:56
of the way
50:57
that carries out
50:57
in our lives
50:59
over the next four weeks.
51:00
Let's pray together.