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Romans 16:25-27 · Providence Baptist Church - Sermons

0:00
And take out, at least for some time, for us on Sunday morning, for the last time, and turn in your Bibles to Romans chapter 16, beginning in verse 25.
0:12
And while you're doing that, the stab this morning about my contact was from last week. If you weren't here, I couldn't see, so I had somebody preach for me.
0:20
And my glasses were broken. They're fixed, and I can see this morning. And it's such a wonderful thing to be able to look out and see you together as we gather.
0:28
Let me also say, as you're turning there, and as I'm getting situated here, that I really, really, really appreciate the way Wes is committed to bringing to us songs that have true content in them.
0:45
He referred to the song we sang by Rich Mullins as, the words of it are the Apostles' Creed, and we don't actually affirm every part of the Apostles' Creed.
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That may come as a shock to you, but we don't believe that Jesus, when he was buried, descended to hell and preached the gospel.
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I'm not going to get into why we don't believe that. I think there's a very clear biblical explanation for it.
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But the Apostles' Creed affirms that, and so Wes wisely changed the wording, so we're not singing something that we don't affirm together as a church.
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Secondly, the song we just sang, you may know the words a little bit different.
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The second verse says, it was my sin that held him there, was the original writing of that.
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And Wes didn't appreciate the way it seemed that our sin had power over Christ.
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So he changed the words to, it was his love that held him there.
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It was his desire to love us, to make the sacrifice for our sins that kept him on the cross,
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as he did it sacrificially as a volunteer in our place.
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And so, I just want to point that out. I know some of you are looking for a home church right now.
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Some of you are settled here, but may not be here forever.
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And I just would encourage you that as you go places and you see what they have to offer,
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make sure that what they do is true in every way.
2:00
So let's learn to Romans chapter 16. I hope that you're there already.
2:04
And before we get into this, I want to point out one potential discrepancy that you may notice in the text.
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If you look carefully at your Bible, you will probably notice that you do not have a verse 24.
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Is that the case for everybody? Probably so.
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You do not have a verse 24.
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And if you carefully look at your footnotes, it will show you that this didn't exist.
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Verse 24 didn't exist in some of the early manuscripts.
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I just want to deal with that before we move on.
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And then verse 24 in some of the later manuscripts says,
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The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
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And simply because it's not in some of the early manuscripts, they've excluded it here.
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At least in the ESV, they've excluded it by giving us a footnote.
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So, as you're looking around in the text, I know my eyes tend to wander a bit as I'm listening to sermons.
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Don't panic.
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There's not a typo in your copy of God's Word.
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If it's excluded, that was for that very reason.
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And I take no issue with that.
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I also take no issue with it being included because it's very consistent.
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There's no untruth there in the potential of verse 24.
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Well, we come to the end of Romans.
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I did a little bit of research just looking back at our recorded sermons.
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The first sermon that we preached on the book of Romans was on March 20th of 2011.
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I realized that at the time, Cademan, our three-year-old now, was not even one.
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Sam, I believe, if I'm doing my math correctly, was pregnant with Judah, but we had no idea when that was the case.
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And we so now have a one-year-old as well.
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Life was a little bit different.
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It seemed like a long, long time ago that we began looking at this book together.
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We have 72 sermons on record.
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Today would make 73.
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There were a few Sundays that were not recorded for various technological reasons.
4:00
For example, the Sunday that I unmuted the mic but had never turned it on, so there was just no power to it at all.
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So I would say we've done 75 to 76 sermons or so through the book of Romans.
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And I say braggadociously with boasting that we have just barely scratched the surface of the book of Romans.
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Not to boast on me by any minute.
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If you are paying attention to my words, I'm actually deflecting that for myself.
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To say we have spent roughly two years with some breaks in there, 76 times together looking at this book.
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And there is so much more to be wrung out of it.
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There's so much more depth to be found in it.
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I hope in this time together, though, that it's been beneficial to you.
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I hope that the pages in your Bible, if we were to look at it, are looking a little more worn in this particular section.
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I hope also that you're not done with it.
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As we go from this and move on, we're going to be looking at the book of Nehemiah together beginning next week, Lord willing.
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That you come back to Romans and you soak in it and you let it work in you and through you.
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It is certainly a precious, precious book.
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Martin Luther called it the greatest letter ever penned.
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I look back, just of interest, just to look back at the very first sermon that I preached.
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And be aware, too, I didn't preach all of those sermons.
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I had lots of help throughout that.
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But I did preach the very first sermon that we did in the book of Romans.
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And I want to read to you something that I wrote and spoke at that time as a reminder to what we had hoped to accomplish as we studied the book of Romans together.
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I know many of you weren't here on March 20, 2011.
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God has used Paul's letter to the Romans in mighty ways before.
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In AD 386, a man took up a scroll of the book of Romans and read from it.
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Chapter 13, verses 13 and 14.
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He later wrote of the occasion.
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No further would I read, nor did I need.
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For instantly, as the sentence ended, by a light, as it were, or security infused into my heart, all the gloom of doubt vanished away.
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That man was Aurelius Augustine, Augustine of Hippo.
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A thousand years later, an Augustinian monk was teaching the book of Romans to his students and struggled with the expression, the righteousness of God.
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When he came to understand it, he wrote,
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This man was Martin Luther.
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Several centuries later, another man would record the account of his salvation in these words,
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I went very unwillingly to a society in Aldersgate Street, where one was reading Luther's preface to the epistle to the Romans.
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About a quarter before nine, while he was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ,
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I felt my heart strangely warmed.
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I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for my salvation.
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And an assurance was given me that had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death.
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This man's name was John Wesley.
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I long to see, I wrote this here, I long to see us join this great lineage.
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Let it be said one day, when Christ's family church studied Romans together,
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there ignited a flame amongst them that spread throughout North Georgia and beyond.
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And we have yet to see that flame extinguished.
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Has that been accomplished in our hearts?
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Are the truths contained in Paul's letter to the Romans working on us in this way?
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It's my prayer that it is.
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It's with some sorrow I come to the end of Romans.
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And as I looked over the past two weeks,
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I had an extra week due to the contact issue to revisit what it was I was going to say this morning.
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I struggled with how do I conclude this book?
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Because honestly, what I really want to do is go back to the beginning and start all over,
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just to be sure that you've got it.
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Just to be sure that the truth really worked into you.
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Because we're not going to come back to the book of Romans together for quite some time.
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Praise God that I'm young enough that at least statistically,
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I'll still be preaching the gospel.
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I may get hit by a bus,
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but statistically I'll be preaching the gospel,
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and we'll have another chance to preach through the book of Romans.
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I hope in ten years or so at Christ Family Church we go back through Romans together.
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But I struggled.
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How do I close this up?
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How is it that I reintroduce and drive these truths?
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And then I realized that Paul had the same struggle,
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but he does so beautifully in these last three verses.
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These last three verses are a doxology,
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a glory saying if you translate that literally,
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or an ascribing of glory.
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They happen occasionally throughout the scriptures.
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We see people just burst into praise of God
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in light of the truths that they've been proclaiming.
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And here we see Paul burst into,
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as a closing to this grand letter, a doxology.
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Read with me.
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Now to him who is able to strengthen you,
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according to my gospel,
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and the preaching of Jesus Christ,
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according to the revelation of the mysteries
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that was kept secret for long ages,
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but has now been disclosed,
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and through the prophetic writings
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has been made known to all nations,
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according to the command of the eternal God
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to bring about the obedience of faith,
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to the only wise God,
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be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ.
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Amen.
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Let's pray together.
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Father God, I praise you this morning
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for Paul's letter to the Romans.
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We know that by your Spirit,
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you moved in him to pen these words.
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And as such, they are your very words.
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And they were delivered to the churches in Rome
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for their benefit.
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And they have been immortalized for ours.
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We can see, Father,
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that these are your words for us this day.
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And I pray, Father, that you will find us,
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and if you don't find us this way,
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you will work in us,
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and desire to meet with you,
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and to hear from you this morning.
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I pray this in Christ's name.
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Amen.
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So even as we come to the closing here,
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as Sinclair Ferguson put it,
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even in the conclusion of Paul's letter to the Romans,
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we must apply a great deal of gray matter.
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He doesn't sum it up for us quite simply, does he?
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It's rather complex.
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I'm kind of looking forward to Nehemiah being a narrative mix.
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It'll exercise a different part of my brain.
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I know most of you won't be able to see this,
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but this is the sentence diagrammed Greek
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from these last three verses.
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I've been doing this kind of stuff
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for the last couple of years.
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I'm really tired.
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This is what I'm spending my time doing
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if you want to take a look at that later.
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Feel free to do that.
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A great deal of gray matter
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still must be applied to this.
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So let me see if I can break it down for you simply.
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Beginning in verse 25,
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he says,
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Now to him who is able,
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and he elaborates upon that,
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but if you will,
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allow me to extract the middle
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and note that what he's saying is,
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Now to him who is able,
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to the only wise God,
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skip to verse 27,
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Now to him who is able,
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to the only wise God,
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be glory forevermore,
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through Jesus Christ.
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Amen.
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So the overarching thing he's trying to accomplish here,
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the main point of the text,
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is that Paul is giving to God
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the glory that's due him.
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Right?
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For two things.
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For his power,
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and for his wisdom.
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Verse 25, the very beginning,
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says,
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Now to him who is able to strengthen you,
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and I think our English text kind of loses the veracity of the word able.
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The word able here,
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I think would be better translated power.
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So now to him who has the power,
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or to him who has the strength to strengthen.
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The word here, able, in the Greek,
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in the original language,
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is dynamai.
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Bring any other words in the English language to your mind?
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It's the root word of the word dynamite.
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Dynamite sets out to accomplish the very thing it was meant to accomplish.
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A person who knows the power of dynamite puts dynamite in place,
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and it accomplishes the thing that it was set to.
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And here we have God who has infinite power
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to accomplish whatever it is that he wants to accomplish.
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And it's consistent,
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and it's appropriate that Paul ends praising God for his power.
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Because if you'll turn back to the beginning of Romans,
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to chapter 1,
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verse 16,
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the thesis statement, if you'll allow,
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of the book of Romans.
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Paul says,
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For I am not ashamed of the gospel,
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for it is the power of God
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for salvation to everyone who believes.
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It's the same word.
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It is the ability of God.
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In it is the veracity of the gospel.
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The very substance.
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This gospel is the power of God.
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And recall as well,
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in chapter 1,
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verse 11,
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he says,
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For I long to see you,
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that I may impart to you some spiritual gift
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to strengthen you.
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As he longs to come to them,
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he writes them a letter
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that accomplishes this very thing.
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And he has the confidence
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that God has the ability,
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the power,
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the strength,
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to strengthen them.
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To strengthen them according to the gospel
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and to the preaching of Jesus Christ,
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which he elaborates on here to say,
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according to my gospel,
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this thing that is precious to me,
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these very words that I have penned for you,
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my gospel,
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and the very words of our Lord and Savior,
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Jesus Christ.
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That's why he uses these two phrases in this way.
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So,
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God is able,
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by the power of the gospel,
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to strengthen us,
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to make us firm,
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to make us stable,
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to help us to stand fast
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in Christian living.
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Beloved,
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it is foolish
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for us to look
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to any other source
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for strength
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for Christian living
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than to the gospel.
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The gospel is the source
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of all strength
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for proper living
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in God's kingdom.
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It's foolish to look to pop psychology.
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It makes no sense.
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The gospel is the power of God
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for righteousness.
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Notice what he goes on
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to praise him for
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in verse 26.
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To bring about what?
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He's going to strengthen us
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according to the gospel
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and the preaching of Jesus Christ
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to bring about
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the obedience
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of faith.
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That's what all this crazy diagramming
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helps you see.
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This is the connection
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that he's making for us.
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That he strengthens us
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by the gospel
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to bring about
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obedience
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of faith.
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That we might
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walk in his ways.
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Be not just
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hearers
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but doers
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of the word of God.
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And this
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is the power of God
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at work
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in us.
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He praises us
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also
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for his
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wisdom.
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Recall at the end
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of chapter 11
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verse 33
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that he bursts forth
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into one of these doxologies.
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We turn back
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just a bit.
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Verse 33
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he says,
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Oh,
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the depth
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of the riches
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and wisdom
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and knowledge
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of God.
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How unsearchable
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are his judgments
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and how inscrutable
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his ways.
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So as Paul
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comes to close
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out this book,
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just as I feel
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the desire
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to go back
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through it again
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to make sure
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that you get
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these important
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gospel truths
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that they have worked
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down into your heart
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in such a way
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that they've taken root
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and they're now causing
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Christian living
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to come out
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of who you are.
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You've changed
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your very being.
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As Paul,
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I'm sure,
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experiences the same emotion,
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he comforts himself
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by praising God
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for his strength
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and his wisdom.
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As Paul concludes
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his letter,
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he's able to say,
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I've done my part.
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He hands it,
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we suppose,
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more than likely
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to Phoebe
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to deliver it
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to the church in Rome.
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And he knows
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that God's sovereign purpose
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will be carried out
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for his people.
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That brought comfort
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to me
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this past two weeks.
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It's good.
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We've finished
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the book of Romans.
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And I can have confidence
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in the fact
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that it is
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God's power,
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his strength,
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his ability,
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which will accomplish
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in you
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his good pleasure.
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But this gospel
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we should talk
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more about, right?
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It's the strength
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of God
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to us.
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Charles Spurgeon wrote,
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See what vitality
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the gospel has.
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Plunge her under the wave
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and she rises,
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the pure for her washing.
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Thrust her in the fire
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and she comes out
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the more bright
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for her burning.
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Cut her in sunder
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and each piece
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shall make another church.
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Behead her
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and like the hydra of old
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she shall have
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a hundred heads
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for every one
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you cut away.
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She cannot die,
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she must live,
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for she has
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the power of God
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within her.
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We should talk
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about that gospel.
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Here,
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Paul calls it
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the mystery
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that was kept secret
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for long ages,
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that was hidden,
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that was veiled
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from those readers
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of the scriptures,
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from God's people.
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They didn't see
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that Jesus
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was the puzzle piece
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that made it all
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make sense.
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I think most of us
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in this room
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have probably done
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a jigsaw puzzle
18:16
at one point
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in your life.
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Maybe you went through
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a jigsaw puzzle phase
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and you always had
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the picture on the box.
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If you really wanted
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to challenge yourself
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you threw the box away.
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You had the picture
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on the box to look at
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and you got the edge pieces,
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you did all those
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types of things.
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And if you were missing
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one piece
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at the very end
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of putting all the puzzle
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together,
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the puzzle still looked
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like the picture,
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did it not?
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It was just one piece
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in a much larger picture.
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Like you got the corner
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of the barn was there.
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You could imagine it
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being there.
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The wagon wheel
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still exists in your mind
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because it was just
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a little piece.
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In the same way
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the scriptures
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have painted for us
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a puzzle
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of how it was
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that God was going
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to redeem his people.
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But in this case
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Jesus was the missing piece
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but he was so key to it
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that everything else
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was blurry.
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It was put together
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for them
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but they couldn't
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quite see
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the whole picture.
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And then Jesus comes
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and plugs in that perfectly
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and everything
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becomes abundantly clear.
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We can see that
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Jesus is the offspring
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of Eve
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that crushes the head
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of Satan
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spoken of in Genesis 3.
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In Genesis 22
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Abraham was told
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that the nations
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would be blessed in him.
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Jesus is that blessing.
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Jesus is the spotless lamb
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foreshadowed in Exodus 12.
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Jesus is the ruling king
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of Psalm 2.
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Jesus is the suffering servant
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of Isaiah 53.
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All of it comes
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into perfect clarity
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when Jesus
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came on to the scene.
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And this mystery
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like this puzzle
19:50
even the apostles
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didn't fully realize
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what it all meant
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until Jesus
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expounded it
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for them.
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Until he met them
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on the road
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and taught himself
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from the scriptures.
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Until he
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said in
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John 10
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14 and 16
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I am the good shepherd.
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I know my own
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and my own know me.
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Just as the father
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knows me
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and I know the father
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and I lay down my life
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for the sheep
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and I have other sheep
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that are not of this fold.
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I must bring them also
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and they will listen
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to my voice
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so it will be one flock
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one shepherd.
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And in Matthew 28
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19
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he sends the disciples
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to go
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and make disciples
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of all the nations.
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And suddenly
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these promises
20:30
these realities
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are coming into clear focus
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for even the disciples.
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They are seeing
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how it is
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that the promises
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to Abraham
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are to be fulfilled.
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It is all coming
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into clear focus.
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And this book
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is a magnificent
20:44
presentation
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of the gospel of Christ.
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A mind-blowingly
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brilliant presentation
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of the gospel of Christ.
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And on a number
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of occasions
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I have summed it up
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for you
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but I feel like
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I just haven't done it
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quite the justice
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it deserves.
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And so in my studying
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last week
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I came across
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a prayer
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that John Piper wrote.
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I want to read it to you
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and I'm going to
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insert the reference
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for you
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as he's quoting
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scripture throughout this.
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And so I just ask you
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if you need to close
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your eyes to pay attention
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just try to listen
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carefully to this
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as he praises God
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for the things
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he's accomplished
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in Christ.
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With all of our hearts
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now we thank you
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for what you accomplished
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for us
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when you came.
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No one else
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could do it.
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It had to be you
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or there would be
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no salvation
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from our sin
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and from our own wrath
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the wrath
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of the Lamb.
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Only you could do it.
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That's what your servant
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means in Romans 8.3
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God has done
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what the law
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weakened by the flesh
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could not do
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by sending his own son
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in the likeness
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of sinful flesh
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and for sin.
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Only you
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Lord Jesus
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only God made flesh
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could accomplish
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what had to be done
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if we were to be saved.
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No ordinary man
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would do.
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You were a faithful servant
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to the circumcised
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to show God's truthfulness
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in order to confirm
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the promises
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given to the patriarchs.
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Chapter 15
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verse 3
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You secured
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every promise
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God ever made.
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You were sinlessly
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chapter 8
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verse 3
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obedient to your Father
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your whole life
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and fulfilled
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all righteousness
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at every point
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where we have failed.
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And that obedience
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reaches the most glorious climax
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when you became
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obedient unto death
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even death
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on a cross.
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For as by one man's
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disobedience
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the many were made sinners
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so by the one man's
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obedience
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the many will be made
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righteous.
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Chapter 5
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verse 19
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Oh how you suffered
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and bore reproach
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on our behalf
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for you did not
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please yourself
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but as it is written
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the reproaches of those
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who reproached you
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fell on me.
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Chapter 15
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verse 3
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And then you died.
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And this is the most
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important moment
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in the history of the world.
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Once for all
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sins were paid for.
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Nothing before
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and nothing since
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has contributed anything
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to the payment you made
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for sins
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when you died.
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For while we were still weak
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at the right time
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you died for the ungodly.
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For one will scarcely die
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for a righteous person
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though perhaps for a good person
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one would dare even to die.
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But God shows his love for us
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and that while we were still sinners
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you Christ
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died for us.
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Chapter 5
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verses 6 through 8
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And then you rose from the dead
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three days later
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never to die again.
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We know that you Christ
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being raised from the dead
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will never die again.
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Death no longer has dominion
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over you.
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Chapter 6
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verse 9
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You were declared to be
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the Son of God in power
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by your resurrection
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from the dead.
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Chapter 1
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verse 4
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And you did not die
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without us
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but you took us
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all of your elect
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the ones who trust in you
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you took us into death
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with you
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so that the curse of your death
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might be behind us
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and not in front of us.
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For if we have been united
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with you in a death
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like yours
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we shall certainly be united
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with you
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in a resurrection
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like yours.
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Chapter 6
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verse 5
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I hope your hearts are warming.
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And when you died
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our sin was condemned
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in your flesh
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by sending his own Son
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by sending you
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in the likeness of sinful flesh
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and for sin
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God condemned sin
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in the flesh.
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Chapter 8
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verse 3
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Were clear words
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ever spoken
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Lord Jesus
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concerning the glory
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of penal substitution.
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this glorious doctrine
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that today
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to our shame in the church
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is so embattled
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and denied
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that God
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in your flesh
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condemned sin
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not yours
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ours
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our sin
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you
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the substitute sacrifice
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you were wounded
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for our transgressions
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you were crushed
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for our iniquities
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upon you
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was the chastisement
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that brought us peace
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and with your stripes
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we are healed.
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O Lord
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rescue this great truth
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from the mangling hands
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of foolish men
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and may it be the foundation
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of all our faith
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and joy
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and worship
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and obedience
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and because you bore
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God's condemnation
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in your flesh
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for our sins
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there is redemption
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chapter 3
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verse 24
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the forgiveness of sins
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countless sins
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was purchased once for all
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nothing we do
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can add
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to your payment
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every debt
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that we ever has had
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was paid up in full
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by your blood
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O Lamb of God
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and all your obedience
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and all your righteousness
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was consummated
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when you died
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so there would be
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for us
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a perfect righteousness
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by which we could
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stand acceptable to God
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justified by grace alone
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through faith alone
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on the basis of
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your imputed righteousness alone
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to the glory of God alone
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chapter 5
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verse 19
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and 4
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verse 25
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and by all this
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and as the goal
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of all this
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the greatest good
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of the gospel
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was achieved for us
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reconciliation
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with God
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not just forgiveness
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of sins
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not just imputed righteousness
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but being at home
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in the presence
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of your Father
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and our God
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while we were enemies
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we were reconciled to God
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by the death
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of his Son
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chapter 5
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verse 10
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your death
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Lord Jesus
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restored us
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to what we were created for
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seeing
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and enjoying
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and reflecting God
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and what is all this
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but eternal life
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to know
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and enjoy God
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forever
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all because of you
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for the wages of sin
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is death
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but the free gift of God
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is eternal life
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in you
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Christ Jesus
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our Lord
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chapter 6
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verse 23
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oh how much more
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we could say
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about your work for us
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your sending work
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chapter 1 verse 5
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your faith awakening work
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chapter 10 verse 17
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your welcoming work
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chapter 15 verse 7
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your church building
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church uniting work
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chapter 12 verse 5
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your signs and wonders
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and sanctifying work
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chapter 15
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verse 18
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and 19
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what a glorious
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glorious
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gospel
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we have
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received
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and this book
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is such
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a precious
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treatise
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to that end
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not that we just
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know these things
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that is not why
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Paul wrote the letter
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he didn't write
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a systematic theology
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that we might
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debate with others
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that we might boast
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in our knowledge
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that our wisdom
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somehow becomes
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valuable to us
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but to produce
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in us
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righteousness
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in chapter 11
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he concludes his
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doctrine
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in chapter 12
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he goes on to talk
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about how these
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things ought to work
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in and through
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our lives
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and he so
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beautifully
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sums this up
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as he begins to talk
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about how this power
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of God works in us
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to bring about
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the obedience of faith
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to say
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to the only
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wise God
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be glory
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forevermore
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through Jesus Christ
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Amen
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that is the
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desired work
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of this book
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this is why
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Paul penned it
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this is why
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the spirit moved
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through him
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this is why
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I believe
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we are moved
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to preach
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through the book
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of Romans
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that these doctrines
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might work down in us
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so that they will
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work back
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out of us
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to the glory of God
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to the nations
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is that the desire
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of your heart
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does the gospel
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does even my reading
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I know sometimes
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somebody reads
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something to you
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it's hard to
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click your brain
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into what's going on
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but I hope
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that as you hear
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these things
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this great gospel
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proclamation
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that it
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that it awakens
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your soul
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that it causes you
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to spring to life
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to the praise
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of our God
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and that you can't
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wait to stand up
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and sing praises
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to a name
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to partake
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in the Lord's
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supper
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that you can't
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wait to get out
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of here
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that you might
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go and share
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his glorious
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goodness
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with the world
28:33
do you desire
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to see God's
28:37
glory spread
28:38
it belongs to him
28:41
it's his
28:41
it's our work
28:42
to ascribe it to him
28:44
to let our lives
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be a doxology
28:47
that is my desire
28:49
as we complete this book
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that you see
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that that is what
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the gospel should be
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doing in your life
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let's pray together
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thank you
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Thank you.