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Roman 15:4-7 · Providence Baptist Church - Sermons

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Well, good morning, beloved. It's very good to see you here today with us.
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! And I'm so thankful to see so many guests on this special Easter morning.
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! Certainly, our Savior is risen, and not just on this day, but He has been for quite some time.
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And our freedom, our life, and our joy is bought by His person and by His work.
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So, I'm glad to be back today. Last week, I was traveling with Daniel Gentry, a member of our church, to the country of Nicaragua.
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We decided to undertake a cross-country drive, which we were able to find almost no information about.
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We even, in Managua, at the airport, were asking the car rental folks,
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is there a road that gets where we're going? And they had never heard of where we were going.
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We trusted with a little bit of information that, by God's providence, He would get us there.
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And the very beginning of Hebrews, chapter 1, verse 3, says that Jesus upholds the universe by the word of His power.
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And that's true in all circumstances, all the time.
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It's more evidenced in some circumstances, like Daniel Gentry and I driving across Nicaragua, speaking no Spanish at all.
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But as we were singing, Wes, I'm glad he did the Spanish version of that song.
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There's a good chance that I spoke in tongues down there, because people seemed to understand what I was saying
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in my very southern English, and we managed to get across the country and back safely.
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And I'll share later some more of what happened during that time.
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But today, I want you to turn with me to the book of Romans, chapter 15.
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We've been working our way, verse by verse, through the book of Romans.
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We're coming to a close, I think another maybe six weeks to eight, and we will finish out the book together.
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And we have come together today to chapter 15, verse 4.
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And we're going to look today together at verse 4 through verse 7.
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For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction,
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that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
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May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another,
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in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
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Therefore, welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you for the glory of God.
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Let's pray together.
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Father God, I pray this morning by the power of your Spirit that you will speak to us by your Word.
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We recognize this morning, Lord, that our preaching is in vain if Christ is not risen,
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and we praise you for that reality.
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That he is seated at your right hand even now, interceding for us,
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that our prayers would be heard by you because we're clothed in his righteousness.
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So we come to you humbly, asking that you work amongst us,
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recognizing that we are your people, and you want good things for us from your Word.
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We pray this in Christ's name. Amen.
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So some of you, I know, may already be wondering why we're in Romans chapter 15,
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looking at verse 4 through 7.
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And I will say to you, that's because that's where we are in the Scriptures.
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Many today are going to pause from whatever their preaching schedule is to preach a special Easter sermon.
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And I say to you that every sermon is an Easter sermon.
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Because every sermon contains within it the beauties, the glories of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
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And that includes his resurrection.
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So we'll certainly talk about that this morning.
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We're going to talk about that in the light of these truths that Paul's been trying to show us,
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the workings out of the Gospel,
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which he's presented in the first 11 chapters of this book.
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But before we go any further, I want to take a pause from Romans chapter 15
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to address quickly a social issue going on in our country right now.
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It's going to be very, very brief, and then we're going to move on.
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Currently, right now, the Supreme Court is debating DOMA, the Defense of Marriage Act.
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And we may see that repealed in our country.
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Gay marriage may become a reality very soon in our country.
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And I just want to say two things to you, if this comes about.
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Firstly, the federal government legalizing homosexual marriage
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in no way affects the sanctity of your marriage.
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Look to your personal holiness.
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Husbands, lead your wives.
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Pastor, provide and protect for her.
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Wives, submit to your husbands just as the church submits to Christ.
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Raise your kids well.
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Be a living example of what healthy marriage should look like in this world.
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It's meant to be a picture of Christ and the relationship with his church.
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Just continue to do that.
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It doesn't destroy your marriage.
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If you think it does, come see me.
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We've got a lot to talk about.
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Secondly, our primary goal as Christians is not to prevent gay marriage.
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Our primary goal as Christians is not to prevent gay marriage.
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It's the redemption of souls.
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So stay calm and carry on.
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Continue to propagate the gospel.
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Continue to speak to people's hearts.
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Because people really don't change until their hearts change.
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And so let's keep soldiering on together.
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Expect that this world is going to get worse.
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It's going to happen all around us.
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Not just this issue.
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This is one amongst many ways that our culture is rejecting almighty God and his standard for us.
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So keep calm.
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Carry on.
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Continue to present the gospel in every possible way.
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Close that.
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Back to Romans chapter 15.
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I want to bring to you four observations from the text this morning.
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And if you'll allow, I'm actually going to begin with verse 7.
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So we're going to begin with verse 7 and then we'll jump back up to verse 4.
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Because we're going to start with the first observation, which is that we have been welcomed by Christ.
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And therefore he is our example for what Paul is trying to say to us here in this text.
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That we ought to welcome one another.
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Chapter 14 has been all about the fact that there are these non-clear issues in our Christian faith.
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These things that are now permissible to us as Christians, but may or may not be beneficial.
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Gray areas, so to speak.
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I've said to you previously that they're non-issues that we tend to make into issues.
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And they develop and they form into legalism.
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And we tend to bash each other and beat each other up over these non-primary things.
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So let's not make issues out of non-issues.
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Let's continue to persevere and press on in the truth of the gospel with one another.
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And Christ here is set up as our supreme example for that.
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And I think it's so fitting that as he's coming to the close of his exhortations to us,
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the way that we're supposed to work the gospel out,
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that he ends it with Christ just as he began it with Christ.
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So you remember back in chapter 12, verse 1, he says,
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Brethren, by the mercies of God, I appeal to you by the mercies of God to present your bodies as a living sacrifice.
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And now he's working out what this life sacrifice to God looks like.
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So you would say, but wait, is that really starting with Christ?
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And I would say to you, yes, in the first 11 chapters.
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That's where he began with these doctrines of the gospel,
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that we are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone forever.
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That that is the way in which we stand right before God,
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not by any work that we can do on our own,
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not by any pressing of our own,
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but by his great work on our behalf.
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So he begins it with Christ and he ends it here in verse 7 with Christ once again.
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So therefore, welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you.
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It is Easter Sunday, is it not?
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I'd be remiss if we didn't read an Easter Sunday text.
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Luke chapter 24, verse 1 through 7.
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I invite you to turn there with me.
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Chapter 24, verse 1, the book of Luke, the gospel of Luke.
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But on the first day of the week, at early dawn,
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they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared.
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And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb.
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But when they went in, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.
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While they were perplexed about this,
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behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel.
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And as they were frightened and bowed their face to the ground,
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the men said to them,
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Why do you seek the living among the dead?
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He is not here, but has risen.
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Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee,
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that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men
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and be crucified, and on the third day, rise.
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So as we saw in the story,
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the presentation from the Jesus Storybook Bible,
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and I wish I had an English accent,
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because I think you would hear it better if I did, right?
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We had this dark grieving,
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this darkness that stood over the Christians,
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those who had devoted their lives to Christ,
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who were following him,
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thinking that he had come to conquer
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in a different way than he did.
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He was crucified.
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And here's some women that come to serve him just the same,
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to continue the preparation of burial,
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to put spices there in the tomb.
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Sad, mourning over this loss.
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And they get there, and he is risen.
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He has conquered death on our behalf in that great act.
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We don't just talk about the death of Christ.
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We talk about the death, the burial,
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and the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
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All of these things are key and important
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to our understanding of the Gospel.
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That he bore for us the wrath of our sin.
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He died.
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The ultimate penalty for sin
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was buried and then resurrected.
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He conquered death on our behalf.
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The person and the work of Jesus Christ
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is so important for us to understand.
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There are many people across the world today
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that are sitting in services
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thinking that the very act of coming
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to an Easter service in some way
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puts them in right standing with God.
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If I go on Christmas and celebrate his birth,
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I go on Easter Sunday,
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I celebrate his resurrection,
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he'll find me just.
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Nicaragua is this way.
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There's a lot of religion down there,
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but I think very little Christianity.
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Lots of striving on their own part
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to be found right before God.
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And I ask the question to so many people
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that we sat and talked with,
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when you stand before God,
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how will you be judged?
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If you're found right,
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why will you be found right?
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And more often than not,
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I got blank stares.
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So I fed him the answer.
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You'll be found right
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because you placed your faith in Christ,
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right?
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In his person and his work.
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In the things that he has done for you.
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And all of you have added to the equation
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is belief.
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You believe that when you get there,
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when you're finally judged,
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you'll stand before God
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and he will say to you,
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well done my good and faithful servant,
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because you're found in Christ.
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That is the beauty of Christianity.
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Of what our God has done for us.
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It depends not at all on us.
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I've used the analogy
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of a whitewater river before here
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as I've been a whitewater paddler
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and talked about how
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the end of our life,
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if we're not found in Christ,
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is certain destruction.
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It's a massive waterfall.
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That we're going to go over.
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And this river is so wide
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that by our greatest efforts
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of swimming upstream,
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away from this peril that's behind us,
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we'll never, ever, ever
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be able to work our way
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to the safety of the shore
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unless someone comes to get us.
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Really, that analogy falls short.
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In even talking about us
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trying to swim,
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right?
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We can't do anything
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to gain our own salvation.
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Really, we're dead
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in our trespasses and our sin.
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Right?
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Really, we're dead
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and we're limp
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already headed towards
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our destruction.
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But Jesus Christ comes
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because of the person in the world,
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because of what he's done for us.
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He comes and he plucks us out
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and he puts us safely
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on the shore.
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He pumps the water
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out of our lungs.
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He revives us
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and gives us life
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in him.
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This is so incredibly important
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to recognize
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and that the resurrection
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is one of the many keys
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that are so important
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for that to happen.
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We have life
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because he is alive.
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Seated for us now,
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holding the world
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by the power of his word,
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what glorious, glorious truths
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these are.
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John chapter 8,
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verse 31 through 36.
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Record,
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So Jesus said to the Jews
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who had believed in him,
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If you abide in my word,
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you are truly my disciples
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and you will know the truth
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and the truth will set you free.
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They answered him,
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We are offspring of Abraham
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and have never been enslaved
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to anyone.
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How is it that you say
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you will become free?
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Jesus answered them,
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Truly, truly,
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I say to you,
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everyone who practices sin
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is a slave to sin.
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The slave does not remain
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in the house forever.
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For the Son remains forever.
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So if the Son sets you free,
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you will be free indeed.
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So you see that these truths
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that I'm stating,
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these things about the personal work of Christ,
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are the overarching truths
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of this world.
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Every other truth
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is bound up in this,
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what Jesus Christ
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has accomplished
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for his church.
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And if we will abide
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in that truth,
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we will be set free
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by the Son.
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Now our text before us today
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talks also about the Scriptures,
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does it not?
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So our second point,
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just as Christ has welcomed us,
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those who were once enemies of God,
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utterly incapable
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of our own righteousness,
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he has welcomed us
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to set the example
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of the way we ought to welcome
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one another.
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The second point I want to make today,
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the observation,
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is that the Scriptures
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have been given to us
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for the blessing
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of hope.
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Look here at verse 4.
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For whatever was written
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in former days
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was written
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for our instruction,
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that through endurance
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and through the encouragement
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of the Scriptures,
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we might have hope.
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Whatever was written
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in the former days.
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So Paul was referring here
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to what we would call
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the Old Testament.
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These are the Scriptures
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that he's referencing
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at this point.
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The rest of the Scripture
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hadn't been canonized yet
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at this point.
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It hadn't been accepted
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as part of the revealed
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words of God.
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And so he's talking about
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the Old Testament here
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and directly he's referencing
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verse 3,
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the last half,
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here in chapter 15,
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where Jesus quotes
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from Psalm 69, 9,
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which is David speaking,
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but so much more so
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to Christ,
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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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So he's specifically referencing
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Psalm 69, 9
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as he talks about
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those things written
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in former days.
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The general instruction
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of the Scriptures
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is included in that for us,
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right?
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For our instruction.
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But more than that,
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all of their Scripture
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to that date,
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and certainly all
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that had been added
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since then,
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shows us Christ,
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his person,
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and his work.
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Now many Christians
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don't believe this.
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Many Christians
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ignore the Old Testament
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altogether.
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They look to the New.
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Have you ever heard
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a Christian say that?
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I'm kind of a
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New Testament Christian.
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What does that mean?
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What are you even
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talking about?
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The Old Testament
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was enough
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for people to know
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that they needed
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a Savior.
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We've just now seen
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the revealing of all that,
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the working of it all out.
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In fact,
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the Old Testament
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is quoted 263 times
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in the New Testament.
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Jesus quoted it 78 times.
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Paul,
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just in the book of Romans,
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quotes it 84 times.
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The Old Testament
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gave us what we needed
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to know
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to know that we needed
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a Savior.
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The New Testament
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reveals Him to us.
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When Jesus Christ
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came on the scene,
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the Jews
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should have known.
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Had it been
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capable for them
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to understand
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and wrap their minds around,
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if the Scriptures
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weren't spiritually discerned,
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they should have known.
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All the keys were there
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for them to see Him,
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and they missed it.
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The Old Testament
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is so important,
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we actually distribute
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as Americans
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just New Testaments.
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I got a box
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in the mail
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from the North American
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Mission Board.
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We didn't ask for it,
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but a box
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of New Testaments.
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I think they want us
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to give them out.
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I'm not really sure.
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They sent us a box
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of New Testaments
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in the mail.
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All the Scriptures
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are precious.
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I'll hand you
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a book of Romans.
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In there is all
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you need to know
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to come to Christ,
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for sure.
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But we,
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as Christians,
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we even divorce
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the book.
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We put it in half.
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You know,
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that's the Old Testament.
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We've got the New Testament
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now.
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It's all valuable.
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It's all precious
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because it all
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speaks of
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Christ.
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He even says here
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in verse 4,
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we're given
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these Scriptures,
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the endurance
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through encouragement
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of the Scriptures,
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that we might have
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hope.
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And what is it
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that we're to hope in?
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Christ.
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For what?
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What do we hope
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in Christ for?
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We hope in Christ
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for future glory.
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A few chapters back,
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Romans chapter 8,
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is all about that.
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Longing for future glory.
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All about waiting
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for us to be
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finally fixed up
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the way we were
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meant to be,
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the way we were
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created to be,
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unhindered by our flesh
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and the curse of sin.
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Able to worship
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and praise God
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forever and ever.
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This is the future glory
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that we're longing for
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here in chapter 8.
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And you remember,
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it's been a long time
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since we've been
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in chapter 8 together,
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but this would have
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been read.
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So,
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future glory
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would have been present
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on the minds
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of the original readers
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of this letter
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as he talks about it.
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Look at chapter 8,
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verse 23
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through 25
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as he talks about
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the creation,
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the creation itself
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longing for things
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to be set right,
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longing for Christ
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to finally return
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and finish
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his sovereign purpose
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in this world.
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And it says,
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but we ourselves
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who have the first fruits
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of the Spirit
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grown inwardly
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as we wait eagerly
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for adoption of sons,
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the redemption of our bodies,
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for in this hope
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we were saved.
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Now hope that is seen
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is not hope,
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for who hopes
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for what he sees?
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But if we hope
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for what we do not see,
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we wait for it
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with patience.
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And this is what
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the Scriptures
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are meant to do for us,
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to remind us
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of this great hope,
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to give us endurance
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and encouragement
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as we patiently wait
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for the coming
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of our Lord.
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The full fulfillment
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of all that he began
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in his death,
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burial,
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and resurrection.
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We want to see that
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come to culmination.
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We want to see him
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finish it all finally.
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And that's what he's
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referring to here
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as we have a hope.
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The word endurance
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here in ESV
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may be in some
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of your Bibles
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as perseverance,
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patience.
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We see that
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in chapter 8.
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And encouragement.
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So do you value
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the whole counsel of God
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for what it does
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for you in that way?
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I hope that you do.
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I hope that you
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treasure this book.
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This is an incredible book
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because these are
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the very words
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of God.
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Now granted,
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these are English
21:02
translations
21:02
of the very words
21:04
of God.
21:05
But still,
21:06
precious,
21:07
dividing our souls,
21:09
working in us.
21:09
If you've never
21:10
experienced the life
21:11
that comes from
21:12
the scriptures,
21:13
pray that you will.
21:16
They're of extreme value.
21:18
Let me just show you
21:19
an example.
21:20
Turn with me
21:21
to the book
21:21
of Psalm 119.
21:24
Psalm 119.
21:30
Psalm 119
21:31
being a psalm
21:32
all about
21:33
God's Word,
21:34
His precepts,
21:36
His orders,
21:37
His law.
21:39
It's a very fascinating book.
21:40
We'll probably look at it
21:41
all together
21:41
someday.
21:43
Let me just pull out
21:44
for you
21:44
a few
21:45
of the verses
21:46
from here.
21:48
Psalm 119,
21:49
46.
21:51
I will also speak
21:52
of your testimonies
21:53
before kings
21:54
and shall not be.
21:57
I'm sorry.
21:58
I'm reading the wrong one.
21:59
49.
22:00
Remember your word
22:01
to your servant
22:02
in which
22:03
you have made
22:04
me hope.
22:06
119,
22:07
116.
22:12
I marked these
22:13
but I have a lot
22:13
of them marked.
22:14
That's why I'm having
22:14
a hard time finding them.
22:16
Psalm 119,
22:17
116.
22:19
Uphold me
22:20
according to your promise
22:21
that I may live
22:22
and let me not be put
22:23
to shame
22:24
in my hope.
22:27
And Psalm 119,
22:28
166.
22:30
I hope
22:31
for your salvation,
22:32
O Lord,
22:32
and I do
22:33
your commandments.
22:36
So do you see here
22:37
to the psalmist
22:38
who we believe
22:38
is David,
22:39
right?
22:40
To the psalmist
22:41
the very words
22:42
of God
22:42
is what he hoped in.
22:44
He knew
22:45
that God's word
22:46
was sure.
22:49
Psalm 130,
22:51
verse 5.
22:55
I wait for the Lord.
22:56
My soul waits.
22:58
And in his word
22:59
I hope.
23:02
Because God's word
23:03
to us
23:04
is sure.
23:05
If God doesn't
23:06
keep his word,
23:07
he ceases to be holy,
23:09
he becomes a liar,
23:10
and therefore
23:11
he's not God.
23:12
So by very definition,
23:13
God himself cannot
23:15
be a liar.
23:18
Numbers 23,
23:19
verse 19
23:20
says,
23:21
God is not man
23:22
that he should lie,
23:23
or a son of man
23:24
that he should change
23:25
his mind.
23:26
Has he said
23:27
and will he not do it?
23:29
Or has he spoken
23:30
and will he not
23:31
fulfill it?
23:36
So the scriptures
23:37
for us
23:37
are a great guide,
23:39
a great promise
23:40
of the hope
23:40
that is to come.
23:42
So if we're to
23:42
live in this way
23:44
that Paul is showing us,
23:46
we have Christ
23:47
as our supreme example,
23:48
having been welcomed
23:49
by him,
23:50
and then we have
23:51
the scriptures
23:52
as a blessing
23:53
of hope.
23:57
Thirdly,
23:59
God is the source
24:01
of our endurance
24:03
and our encouragement.
24:06
Notice the first part
24:08
of verse 5.
24:09
May the God
24:10
of endurance
24:11
and encouragement
24:12
grant you
24:13
to live
24:13
in such harmony
24:14
with one another.
24:16
May the God,
24:17
the one who rules
24:19
over endurance
24:20
and encouragement.
24:21
So we see
24:22
that the scriptures
24:23
are a provision for,
24:25
but God is the source
24:26
of
24:27
this endurance
24:28
and this encouragement.
24:31
And Paul's
24:31
benediction here,
24:33
his brief benediction,
24:34
is that God
24:34
would grant us
24:35
to live
24:36
in harmony
24:37
with one another
24:38
the way we ought.
24:39
That God would give it to us
24:40
as a gift.
24:41
We would call that
24:42
in the church
24:43
a grace.
24:44
Something that we don't deserve.
24:46
By his power,
24:47
he would work
24:47
in us
24:48
harmony
24:50
with one
24:51
another.
24:53
So we see
24:54
in this little benediction,
24:55
we see
24:56
Paul's
24:57
movement,
24:58
his exhortation
24:59
to the Roman believers
25:00
to have a great
25:02
devotion to the scriptures
25:04
and
25:06
to prayer.
25:08
It follows
25:09
that if
25:10
our source
25:11
for living
25:12
in this way
25:13
comes from God,
25:14
that we
25:14
must ask him
25:15
for it.
25:17
And God is faithful
25:18
to provide
25:19
to his children
25:20
good things.
25:22
Things that are
25:23
within his will.
25:25
This is a good,
25:26
tested
25:26
thing.
25:27
This is something
25:28
that Paul is saying
25:29
to us we ought
25:30
to be doing
25:30
and therefore
25:31
if we ask
25:32
for it,
25:32
we will receive
25:34
this ability
25:35
to live
25:35
in harmony
25:36
with one another.
25:37
To put aside
25:38
the things
25:38
that are non-issue,
25:40
the gray things,
25:42
and to focus
25:43
on the primary things,
25:44
the black and white things,
25:46
right?
25:46
To embrace each other,
25:47
to welcome one another,
25:49
and to live in this way
25:50
is a great gift
25:51
from God.
25:52
So we
25:52
have the hope,
25:54
we see it from the scriptures,
25:55
what we ought to be doing
25:56
and the way we ought to be living,
25:57
and we pray
25:58
that God will grant us
25:59
the ability
26:00
to do so.
26:03
Recognize,
26:03
I get the strain
26:05
as we talk about
26:06
God's sovereign hand
26:07
in all things.
26:08
I fully understand that.
26:09
I started out today
26:10
talking about providence.
26:12
I fully believe
26:14
that Jesus Christ,
26:15
sitting at the right hand
26:16
of the Father,
26:16
by the power of his word,
26:18
holds everything
26:19
that happens in this world
26:20
in his power,
26:21
by his word,
26:23
which is awesome
26:23
because he's just
26:24
speaking it
26:24
and it happens.
26:25
everything is under
26:28
his control.
26:29
And I recognize then
26:30
some of the strain
26:31
that creates for us
26:32
and our responsibility.
26:33
I know what that does
26:34
to your minds sometimes.
26:36
I know what it does
26:37
to your hearts
26:37
because I've been there.
26:39
We recognize here
26:41
that Paul's benediction,
26:43
asking that God
26:44
would grant them
26:45
to live in harmony
26:47
with one another,
26:48
is not inconsistent.
26:52
God uses our prayers
26:54
as the means to his end.
26:57
There's power in our prayer.
26:59
God grants power
27:00
to our prayer
27:01
as the means to his end.
27:04
God wants to knit together
27:06
his church.
27:07
God wants to be called together
27:08
perfect and holy
27:09
and he uses the prayers
27:11
of his people
27:11
to accomplish that goal.
27:13
Why?
27:14
Because he loves you.
27:15
He doesn't just work it.
27:18
He just doesn't make us
27:19
into robots
27:20
and we just go around
27:21
loving one another.
27:23
I love you, brother.
27:23
Although I feel that way
27:24
sometimes, right?
27:26
But he asks that we
27:27
fellowship with him,
27:28
that we abide with him,
27:30
that we come to him
27:31
longing for the very things
27:32
he longs to give us.
27:34
And he does that
27:35
through the vehicle
27:36
of prayer.
27:39
Prayer is the breath
27:41
of the Christian life,
27:43
just as the scriptures
27:43
are the bread.
27:44
We need both.
27:46
We need to be fed
27:47
and we need to breathe oxygen
27:48
as Christians.
27:50
And when we stop doing
27:51
one or the other,
27:52
we'll very quickly die.
27:54
Right?
27:58
I have in recent years
28:01
recognized my prayerlessness.
28:04
We must pray.
28:06
It is a blessing to us.
28:07
Let us take hold of it.
28:10
So thirdly,
28:11
that was God
28:12
God is the source
28:13
of endurance
28:14
and encouragement.
28:16
And fourthly,
28:17
and finally,
28:19
all things work
28:21
to the great end
28:22
of God's glory.
28:25
All things work
28:26
to the great end
28:27
of God's glory.
28:29
glory.
28:29
So you see in verse 6
28:31
that together,
28:32
as we live in this way,
28:34
we may with one voice
28:35
glorify the God
28:37
and Father
28:37
of our Lord Jesus Christ.
28:39
And then notice
28:39
in verse 7,
28:41
as he speaks
28:41
of Christ welcoming us,
28:43
he did so
28:44
for the glory of God.
28:47
Right?
28:47
So we see here
28:48
in both ways,
28:49
we're meant to glorify God
28:51
just as Christ
28:53
glorified God
28:54
as our supreme example
28:55
of that.
28:56
We're called to this
28:58
together
28:59
to not
29:01
heap upon God
29:02
something that isn't
29:03
already his.
29:04
We don't have things
29:05
that he needs from us
29:07
to make him great.
29:08
He already is great.
29:10
He uses us
29:11
as his church
29:12
to show
29:13
his greatness.
29:15
So everything
29:16
he does
29:17
and works through us
29:18
is to show himself
29:20
as magnificent,
29:22
to show himself
29:23
as supreme,
29:24
to show himself
29:25
as glorious.
29:28
This is what's
29:28
taking place
29:29
in this activity.
29:31
Christ knew that.
29:32
He understood that
29:33
completely.
29:35
Christ did die
29:36
for you.
29:37
That's a reality.
29:38
That's true.
29:39
But it's a lesser reality
29:40
than the greater reality.
29:42
Ultimately,
29:43
Christ died
29:43
for God.
29:46
Christ died
29:46
as the great expression
29:48
of God's love
29:51
and justice
29:52
to the world.
29:52
I think all of God's story,
29:55
the climax of it,
29:57
comes together
29:58
in the death,
29:59
burial,
29:59
resurrection
30:00
of Jesus Christ.
30:01
He magnified himself.
30:02
He showed himself
30:03
in the greatest
30:04
possible way
30:05
to be him.
30:08
As he came
30:09
as a man,
30:11
lowly,
30:12
suffered,
30:13
died on our behalf,
30:14
but rose
30:15
as a great
30:16
conquering king.
30:18
This is a beautiful,
30:20
beautiful picture.
30:22
Christ knew
30:23
that his overarching,
30:26
his major purpose
30:27
was to honor God
30:29
as he died,
30:30
was buried,
30:31
and resurrected.
30:32
We should know
30:34
the same.
30:36
We tend to become
30:37
so humanistic
30:38
as Christians,
30:39
so inward focused,
30:40
so looking
30:41
to ourselves.
30:43
The gospel
30:44
is ultimately
30:44
not about us.
30:45
The gospel
30:46
is ultimately
30:46
about God.
30:47
we get to receive
30:48
the beautiful,
30:50
precious,
30:51
life-giving benefits
30:52
of this greater truth.
30:55
That God chose
30:56
to reveal himself
30:57
to man
30:58
in this way.
31:01
We ought to praise him
31:03
for it.
31:04
Let's pray together.