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The Sinner's Dilemma and God's Solution · Stornoway Free Church of Scotland - Sermons

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If you're using the psalm books, page 126.
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Psalm 96a, verses 1 to 9, the tune is Richmond.
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O sing a new song to the Lord, sing praises to his name,
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and his salvation day by day let all the earth proclaim.
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His glory and his mighty deeds to every land declare,
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how great and awesome is the Lord, with him no gods compare.
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That's Psalm 96a, page 126, and we'll stand to sing.
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O sing a new song to the Lord, sing praises to his name,
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and his salvation day by day let all the earth proclaim.
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His glory and his mighty deeds to every land declare,
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How great and awesome is the Lord, with him no gods compare.
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For other gods are wood and stone, the Lord made heaven's height.
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All power and majesty at his, he dwells in glorious light.
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All nations to the Lord, ascribe the glory that is true.
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Glory and strength ascribe to God, and praise his name on you.
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Enter his courts with joy and bring an offering with you.
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Worship the Lord in holy day, all earth before him bow.
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Let's call upon the Lord now in prayer.
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Let's all join together in prayer.
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Our gracious and holy God, you have called us into your presence today to worship you.
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And we give thanks that through the words we have been singing,
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we are reminded of your worthiness that we should worship you.
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Reminded, O Lord, of how much you deserve our worship at all times.
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And you describe yourself throughout your word as a God who is great and glorious and holy and majestic and mighty.
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A God full of grace and compassion, but also whose wrath burns against sin.
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We thank you, Lord, today for this opportunity.
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We pray that you would help us to appreciate it for what it is.
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For we come to have an audience with the King of heaven.
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We are able to come into your presence through Jesus Christ, your Son.
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We bless you today, Lord, for that privilege.
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We pray that we may never lose sight of how precious it is to your people.
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Of how wondrous a thing it is that we should come into the presence of God
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and find that we are made acceptable in your beloved Son.
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Lord, we thank you today that your invitation through the gospel reaches out to the whole world.
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And we thank you, Lord, that there is no prejudice with you.
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Whatever our background may be, whatever our past may be,
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whatever may be true of us in the present,
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we give thanks, Lord, that we are welcome
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as we come in the spirit of the fear of God.
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As we bow before you in repentance and in faith,
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so we are assured, Lord, that you will receive us.
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And we thank you today that you are true to your word at all times.
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A God who is to be trusted.
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God who is dependable.
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One who is foundational to his people
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and will always carry them in his steadfastness
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and in his commitment to his promises.
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We thank you today, Lord, for all that you have been to us
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throughout the course of life.
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For the way that you continue to watch over us
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and maintain us from day to day.
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For the way you uphold us
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and indeed for the way you uphold the whole of your creation.
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For we know that it is upheld by you,
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even though so many people in the world do not recognize you
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or wish to know you.
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We thank you, Lord, that as you have created all things for your glory,
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so you will bring all things to pass that you have promised.
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We pray that you would help us to hold on to these great and precious truths.
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Whenever our own lives are affected,
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so as we find a measure of disquiet or anxiety or upheaval
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in the course of life.
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Help us to look to you, O Lord, to your steadfastness.
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Help us to find our confidence in your throne,
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in your rule, in your perfect rule,
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in your will for us, in Jesus Christ.
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Enable us especially to enter more fully
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into the enjoyment of that salvation
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that you have brought to us in him.
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So bless us, we pray here today as a congregation.
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Lord, we ask that each of us here will know your presence for ourselves
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and that we may not rest with the mere fact of being here
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or formally worshiping you.
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Help us, we pray, to look to you
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and to seek that spiritual satisfaction of soul
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that comes from knowing you,
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coming from drawing near to you,
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and knowing that we meet with your approval.
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We come before you, Lord, to confess our sins.
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We know that, Lord, we sin against you every day we live,
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that we sin against you in different ways,
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in our very thoughts inwardly,
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which may be seen and unknown to anyone else.
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Yet we know that you read our hearts
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and that you read our hearts in such a way as takes note
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of all that we think and all that we say
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and all that we do.
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And we thank you, Lord, as we come to express our sin
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and our sorrow for our sins.
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As we repent of our sin,
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we give thanks that we meet with your mercy,
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a God who has declared himself to be merciful
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and who has made such abundant provision for us
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in the atonement of our Lord Jesus Christ
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so that we can know that forgiveness of sins in his name
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that you are pleased to bestow.
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Lord, help us, we pray,
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each one of us here to know of that forgiveness for ourselves
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and to appreciate it in such a way
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as would commend it to our fellow human beings in this world.
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Particularly, we remember today, Lord,
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the many people who are not in church
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and don't care to be in church services,
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who don't want to worship you,
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who even are hostile to you.
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O let your gospel, we pray,
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and the power of your spirit
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come to rest upon us as a people
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in our communities,
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in our homes and families.
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Bless us, we pray, to that end.
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Bless our young people and our children.
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Bless them here today.
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Bless them in our homes,
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in our family circles.
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Bless them in school.
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Bless them in all the ways, O Lord,
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in which they need your guidance through life.
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Guide and protect them, we pray,
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in days when so much confronts them
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that would seek to lead them away
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from the things of God
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and from your gospel,
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from the Lord Jesus Christ
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and from placing their faith in him.
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Lord, protect them, we pray,
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and help them as they learn
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about these things at home
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and in Sunday school and in church.
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Help them to hold on to them
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as precious truths for themselves,
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that they may indeed build up their lives
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in faith and in hope
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and help them, Lord,
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to be encouraged in the ways of God.
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Remember those today of our number
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who miss loved ones,
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who have been taken from the scene of time,
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whether in times past or in recent times,
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Lord, we pray that your blessing
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will be with all the bereaved today
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and ask that the mourning hearts
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will be consoled and comforted by yourself.
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And we commend them to you
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and to the strength of your grace
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and ask that you would do for them
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exceeding abundantly,
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even above what they're able to ask or think.
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Remember as we pray as a congregation,
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as we seek to move forward
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from these difficult times
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due to the COVID pandemic,
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we give thanks, Lord,
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for the way in which we find
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a greater measure of freedom
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and of advancement.
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And we pray that that will continue.
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And help us, we pray,
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to reflect upon all that has happened
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over these past years
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in such a way
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as would turn our hearts to wisdom
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and make us wise unto salvation.
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We ask, too, your blessing, Lord,
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as we anticipate shortly
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the presbytery coming to hear
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Mr. Smith's response to our call
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to be our assistant pastor.
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We pray that you'd bless him
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and his family
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and bless his congregation
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in North U.S. at this time
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as they look to his decision.
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We pray that you'd grant us, Lord,
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that we wait upon yourself.
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And we pray that
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as the days and weeks go by
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that you would lead us
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and guide us
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and bless us meantime
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under the gospel.
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So hear us, we pray now,
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and continue to watch over us
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and to guide us in life.
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And all we ask is in Jesus' name
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and for his sake.
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Amen.
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Amen.
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Okay, a word now to the children.
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It's good to see you here today, children.
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I know you've got a short holiday
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at this time,
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so it's really good
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that you're able to come to church.
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There's a name in the Bible
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I want you to remember today.
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It's found in the Old Testament
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and it's in the book of Jeremiah,
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especially in chapters 38 and 39.
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And that name is Ebed-Melech.
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It's the name of a man
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who was a servant of King Zedekiah
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at that time.
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His name was Ebed-Melech.
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It's quite easy to remember the two names.
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There are two Hebrew words.
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Ebed is the Hebrew word for servant or slave.
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Melech is the Hebrew word for king.
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So his name literally means servant of the king.
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Ebed-Melech.
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I'm going to read a few words in Jeremiah chapter 38
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just so we can find out something about this man.
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When Ebed-Melech, the Ethiopian,
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a eunuch who was in the king's house,
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heard that they had put Jeremiah into the cistern,
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this was a large pit that his enemies had put him into,
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the king was sitting in the Benjamin gate.
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Ebed-Melech went from the king's house
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and said to the king,
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My lord, the king,
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these men have done evil
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in all that they did to Jeremiah the prophet
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by casting him into the cistern,
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and he will die there of hunger,
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for there is no bread left in the city.
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Then the king commanded Ebed-Melech,
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the Ethiopian,
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take three men with you from here
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and lift Jeremiah the prophet
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out of the cistern before he dies.
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So Ebed-Melech took the men with him
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and went to the house of the king
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to a wardrobe in the storehouse
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and took from there old rags and worn-out clothes,
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which he let down to Jeremiah in the cistern by ropes.
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Then Ebed-Melech, the Ethiopian,
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said to Jeremiah,
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Put the rags and clothes
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between your armpits and the ropes.
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And Jeremiah did so.
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And when they drew Jeremiah up with the ropes
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and lifted him out of the cistern,
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and Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard.
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Now a number of things in that passage
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about Ebed-Melech as well as Jeremiah
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are very interesting.
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First of all, we're told that he was an Ethiopian.
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You know where Ethiopia is?
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Ethiopia is in Africa,
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so Ebed-Melech was almost certainly a black man,
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a man with the black skin,
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who was a servant of King Zedekiah.
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And that reminds us that God does not have any prejudice
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against the color of our skin.
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Some human beings sadly do that
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when they think of people of a different color
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and that they're inferior or different to themselves
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and not as good as themselves.
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The Bible doesn't allow us to think that way.
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We hear a lot in our days of racism,
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and racism is bad.
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We must never think badly of anyone
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just because they happen to differ from us
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in anything at all,
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especially in the color of their skin.
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So this man, an Ethiopian,
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Ebed-Melech was an Ethiopian,
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as mentioned twice in the passage,
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that he was an Ethiopian.
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But he was a servant of the king.
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In other words, it doesn't mean that
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what kind of color of skin we've got
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prevents us from being in a place of importance.
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He had a place of importance in the service of King Zedekiah.
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And as we said, his name, Ebed-Melech,
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means in Hebrew, servant of the king.
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And that too is a reminder to ourselves
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that it's important when we think of these words,
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what Christians are,
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you could say that every Christian is an Ebed-Melech.
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He's a servant of King Jesus.
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And it doesn't matter what our background is
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or what age we're at,
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for all you children today,
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it doesn't matter that your children,
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you can still be and should be,
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and I hope you are,
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Ebed-Melechs,
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that you're servants of the king,
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servants of Jesus.
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Whenever we come to Jesus,
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whatever our background is,
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as we come to trust in Jesus,
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we are told in the Bible that he will accept us,
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that he will never cast us out.
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But Ebed-Melech was also a man of God.
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We're told in the next chapter
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that when the end of the reign of Zedekiah came,
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when Jerusalem was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar's people,
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the Babylonians,
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that Ebed-Melech didn't die,
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though many people in Jerusalem died, sadly.
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He was protected by God because he had served God.
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And that's what we read there in chapter 39.
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I will surely save you, God said to him,
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and you shall not fall by the sword,
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but you shall have your life as a prize
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because you have put your trust in me,
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declares the Lord.
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And for us today,
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as we serve the Lord Jesus Christ,
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as we put our trust in him,
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that's what God assures us of.
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When the world comes to an end,
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when the day of judgment comes as it will,
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we are told we will not die.
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We will not end up lost.
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We will not be cast off with the wicked.
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We will be saved and safe
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because we have come to trust in the Lord.
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And so that's why Jeremiah was rescued
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because Ebed-Melech went to the king
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and said to the king
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that these people who had put Jeremiah in the pit,
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those who were his enemies,
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they had done an evil thing to him.
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And the king gave orders, as we read,
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for Ebed-Melech to actually go
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and take some men with him
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and lift Jeremiah out of the pit.
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And you see how kind he was
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and how considerate he was.
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He actually took some, as we read,
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some rags and some old clothes
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so that he put them,
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Jeremiah could put them under his arms.
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The pit wasn't full of water,
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but there was a lot of mud in it.
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And he was probably really stuck in the mud.
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When you would lift him up,
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it would be quite sore
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unless he had something under his arms.
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And that's why Ebed-Melech thought about that.
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He even thought about such a detail as that
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to actually make things as comfortable as possible for Jeremiah.
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And all who are servants of Jesus,
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all who are Ebed-Melechs,
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always think,
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what can I do to help people?
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What can I do to actually make things easier
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for those who have problems in their own lives?
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So remember this word,
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Ebed-Melech,
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servant of the king.
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And be yourself an Ebed-Melech,
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a servant of King Jesus.
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We're going to say the Lord's Prayer together.
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Let's say the Lord's Prayer.
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Amen.
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Our Father,
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which art in heaven,
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hallowed be thy name.
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Thy kingdom come.
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Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
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Give us this day our daily bread.
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And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.
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And lead us not into temptation,
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but deliver us from evil.
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For thine is the kingdom,
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and the power,
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and the glory forever.
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Amen.
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Now we're going to read from God's Word again.
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This time we're going to read in Isaiah chapter 6,
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and some verses from Luke's Gospel chapter 5.
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First of all, Isaiah chapter 6,
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and reading verses 1 to 8.
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In the year that King Uzziah died,
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I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne,
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high and lifted up,
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and the train of his robe filled the temple.
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Above him stood the seraphim,
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each had six wings,
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with two he covered his face,
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and with two he covered his feet,
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with two he flew.
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And one called to another and said,
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Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts.
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The whole earth is full of his glory.
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And the foundations of the thresholds
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shook at the voice of him who called,
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and the house was filled with smoke.
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And I said,
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Woe is me, for I am lost,
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for I am a man of unclean lips,
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and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips,
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for my eyes have seen the King,
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the Lord of hosts.
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Then one of the seraphim flew to me,
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having in his hand a burning coal
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that he had taken with tongues from the altar.
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And he touched my mouth,
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and said,
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Behold, this has touched your lips.
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Your guilt is taken away,
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and your sin atoned for.
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And I heard the voice of the Lord saying,
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Whom shall I send,
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and who will go for us?
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Then I said,
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Here am I,
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send me.
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And if we turn to the New Testament,
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to Luke chapter 5,
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reading some verses there,
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from the beginning,
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verses 1 to 11.
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Luke 5,
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at the beginning,
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on one occasion,
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while the crowd was pressing in on Jesus
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to hear the word of God,
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he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret.
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And he saw two boats by the lake,
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but the fishermen had gone out of them,
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and were washing their nets.
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Getting into one of the boats,
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which was Simon's,
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he asked him to put out a little from the land.
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And he sat down and taught the people from the boat.
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And when he had finished speaking,
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he said to Simon,
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Put out into the deep,
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and let down your nets for a catch.
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And Simon answered,
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Master,
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we toiled all night,
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and took nothing.
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But at your word,
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I will let down the nets.
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And when they had done this,
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they enclosed a large number of fish,
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and their nets were breaking.
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They signaled to their partners
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in the other boat to come and help them.
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And they came and filled both the boats
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so that they began to sink.
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But when Simon Peter saw it,
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he fell down at Jesus' knees,
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saying,
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Depart from me,
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for I am a sinful man, O Lord.
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For he and all who were with him
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were astonished at the catch of fish
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that they had taken.
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And so also were James and John,
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sons of Zebedee,
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who had partners with Simon.
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And Jesus said to Simon,
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Do not be afraid.
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From now on you will be catching men.
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And when they had brought their boats to land,
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they left everything
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and followed him.
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Amen.
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May God bless to us
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these readings of his word.
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Let's sing further to his praise,
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this time in Psalm 51.
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Psalm 51 in the Scottish Psalter.
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That's on page 280.
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Sing to the tune,
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Martyrdom,
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and verses 1 to 7.
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After thy loving kindness,
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Lord,
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have mercy upon me.
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For thy compassions great
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blot out all mine iniquity.
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Me cleanse from sin
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and throughly wash from mine iniquity.
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For my transgressions,
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I confess my sin I ever see.
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We'll go on down to verse 7
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from the beginning.
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After thy loving kindness.
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After thy loving kindness,
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Lord,
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have mercy upon me.
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For thy compassion,
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for thy compassion's great
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blot out all mine iniquity.
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Me cleanse from sin
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and throughly wash from mine iniquity.
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For my transgressions,
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I confess my sin I ever see.
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Against thee,
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Against thee,
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thee only have I sent
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In thy sight done this hell,
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That when thou speaks,
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Thou mayst be just
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And clear in judging still.
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Behold, I in
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Iniquity was formed
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For the womb within.
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My mother also me conceived
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In guiltiness and sin.
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In guiltiness and sin.
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Behold, thou in the inward parts,
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With true delight,
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And wisdom thou shalt make me know
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Within the hidden part.
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Do thou with his offspring kill me,
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I shall be cleansed soul,
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Yea, wash thou me,
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And then I shall be whiter than the snow.
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So,
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Would that you please turn to Isaiah chapter 6 with me?
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We're going to look at these verses
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In chapter 6 of Isaiah,
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Verses 1 to 8 especially.
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In verse 5 we read Isaiah's response
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In response to the vision that he had of God.
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And I said,
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Woe is me for I am lost.
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For I am a man of unclean lips.
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And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips.
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For my eyes have seen the King,
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The Lord of hosts.
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Now this is an account,
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In Isaiah's own words,
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Of his commissioning.
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His commissioning, as it were,
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To be a prophet of God,
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To be a spokesman for God,
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Which the prophets were,
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To his own people at that time.
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And the passage,
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Although it's specifically about Isaiah,
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And about Isaiah's commissioning to be a prophet,
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There is so much in it that teaches ourselves
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Some very necessary truths about ourselves
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And about God,
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And especially about the relation between us and God.
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And we're calling our study,
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The Sinner's Dilemma and God's Solution.
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Because both of these,
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Have to be held together by us,
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In our thoughts,
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As they are held together side by side,
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In the Gospel, in the Bible.
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The Sinner's Dilemma,
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What is true of us as sinners,
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The dilemma that is ours,
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The plight that is ours,
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But alongside of that,
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You actually have God's provision,
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Exactly to meet our need,
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In the dilemma that we face.
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Now this was a time of great instability in Judah.
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The instability was caused by a great movement of empires,
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Assyrian Empire,
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Assyrian Empire was beginning to flex its muscles.
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One of the kings, one of the famous kings,
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Tiglath-Pileser III,
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Was really beginning to expand his horizons, as it were,
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In trying to expand the Assyrian influence in the world.
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And that left a lot of instability and uncertainty,
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In places like Judah and Jerusalem.
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You can see that in the books of Kings and Chronicles,
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As well as in the prophecy of Isaiah particularly.
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And in these uncertain times,
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In this passage,
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Isaiah brings us certain contrasts and certain comparisons,
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Which were very meaningful to himself,
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And are very meaningful to us at all times.
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He contrasts, for example,
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The king, Uzziah,
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The king of Judah,
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The year that he died.
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He contrasts that reference to the death of this earthly king,
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To the sight that he had of the heavenly king of the Lord.
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The Lord, the king on his throne.
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And he says here in the passage,
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He saw the Lord high and lifted up,
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Sitting upon a throne,
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High and lifted up.
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And his garment, his robe filled the temple,
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And his vision that Isaiah had.
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So there's that contrast between the earthly king, Uzziah,
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And the living God, the king of heaven.
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And that contrast, of course, is important,
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Because the earthly throne,
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Which is in its own way so unstable and uncertain,
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And can so easily be overthrown by another throne,
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The likes of the Assyrian.
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Well, that's contrasted with the stability of God's throne.
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And you know that's something that always follows
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Into our experience as human beings,
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Whatever generation we belong to.
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The principles of this passage,
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And this particular emphasis,
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This contrast,
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Contrast follows through into the world,
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Into the world in which you and I live today.
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Because as you well know,
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We face times of instability.
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Indeed, most of the times in the history of the world,
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And in some way or other unstable and uncertain.
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And you only have to listen to the news,
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And look out at what's happening in the world.
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And you find expansionism.
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You find Putin seeking to flex his muscles,
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Seeking to expand his influence.
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And that's what's happening in that part of the world,
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As you very well know,
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To the detriment very much of the people of Ukraine.
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And in that situation,
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In that circumstance,
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In the world of our day,
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As you look at these unstable thrones,
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And uncertain thrones,
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You look upwards to the throne of heaven.
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Nothing has changed there.
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Nothing has become unstable there.
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There's nothing uncertain about the reign of God.
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Whatever it is we see happening in the world.
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So we're going to look at this under three headings.
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First of all,
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The problem of being a sinner.
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Focusing on these words in verse 5.
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And then secondly,
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The provision that God has made for sinners,
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In verses 6 and 7.
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And then thirdly,
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The proposal that God puts to save sinners,
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To be his servants,
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As we said to the children earlier,
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To be ebed melechs,
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To be servants of the king,
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Of the king of heaven.
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The problem, first of all,
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Of being a sinner.
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What is my greatest problem in being a sinner?
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What makes my problem so great,
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That I am actually a sinner?
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That you are a sinner?
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That we know ourselves to be sinners,
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As described in the word of God.
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Is the biggest problem the state of my heart?
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Is my own condition the biggest problem?
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Is what I find in myself the biggest problem?
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When I ask,
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What is the biggest problem in being a sinner?
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Well, it's not.
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My biggest problem in being a sinner,
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Is that I am a sinner in the presence of a holy God.
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That's my big problem.
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That's not what I am in myself merely,
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Although, of course,
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That's at the heart of the problem too.
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But it's what I am in relation to God.
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It's what I am in relation to my creator.
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It's what I am in relation to God,
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The judge of all the earth.
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That is what Isaiah's dilemma is,
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As he sees the Lord high,
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And lifted up on this throne.
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He sees and hears about this holy God.
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This God who is the enemy of sin.
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This God who detests sin.
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This God who cannot stand to look upon sin,
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And with approval for a moment.
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That is why he is saying what he is saying in verse 5.
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That's his big problem.
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That he has to deal with,
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And appear before this holy God.
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Now you see how he is described in verse 3,
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By the seraphim,
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These heavenly beings,
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That surrounded the throne of heaven.
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One said to another and said,
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Holy, holy, holy,
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Is the Lord of hosts.
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Three times the word holy is used.
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It's a super superlative, if you like.
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It's really the only way that an attempt can be made to describe what God is like.
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He is not just holy.
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He is holy, holy, holy.
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He is intensely holy.
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He is perfectly holy.
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And while it's difficult for us,
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And it's impossible for us to appreciate what perfect holiness is,
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This is what is true of God.
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This is why Isaiah has such a dilemma.
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Because he is dealing with a God who is holy.
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He is separate.
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He is there apart from sinners.
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He is apart from everything he has created.
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Although we know that God comes near to us,
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And we will see in the provision God has made,
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In the gospel, God has come near to us in Jesus Christ,
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And brings us salvation and a remedy in Jesus Christ.
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In himself, God, this thrice holy God, this holy, holy, holy God,
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Is the God you and I have to deal with.
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That's what makes my sin so serious.
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That's what makes your sin so serious.
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That's what makes being a sinner such a serious matter.
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The only way that sin cannot be serious,
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Is if you're not serious about God.
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And if you're not serious about the holiness of God,
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Then sin really becomes much smaller than it ought to be in our conception and our view of it.
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But once you actually see and appreciate what God is like,
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Indeed, what Jesus is like as well.
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Because Jesus, of course, the Son of God, being himself God,
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He came into this world to reveal God to us.
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And what you see in Jesus is what is true of God.
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Holiness in perfection.
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This thrice holy God.
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You remember the passage we read about Peter in Luke chapter 5,
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Where that miraculous catch of fish took place.
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Here were these experienced fishermen.
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They had spent all night the best time fishing.
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They had spent all night toiling, laboring,
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Out at sea fishing and caught nothing.
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And here was Jesus saying to them in the height of day,
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Take your boats, go out into the deep, let your nets down for a catch.
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And this is Peter's reaction.
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And it's not surprising he's got this reaction.
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We have toiled all night and caught nothing.
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So, he's really saying, Well, we don't expect that it's going to be different this time.
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But at your word, I will let down the net.
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And you see, there's, just in passing, let me say this.
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There's such a lesson in that itself, isn't there?
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Because here is something that goes against Peter's expectation.
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Indeed, against Peter's previous experience.
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But because it's the Lord who's saying it, he'll go along with it.
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He'll obey it.
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And for you and for me, that's so important.
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It doesn't matter what we've known in the past.
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It doesn't matter what we think might or might not expect.
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Whatever the Lord says to us, whatever the Lord's word says to us,
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whatever God is specifying for us, that's what he will have us to do.
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Without questioning his wisdom or his providence.
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And so, what was Peter's reaction when he saw you?
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He marveled, as the others did, at this great catch of fish.
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He said, depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.
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You see, that's what took hold of his mind.
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He didn't say, depart from me, for I am a small man, O Lord.
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For I am a weak man.
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For I don't have such power as this, O Lord.
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That's not what really grabbed his attention.
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What really caught him in his mind was this.
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In the presence of this Savior, this person, this Jesus,
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who had demonstrated not only his power, but his holiness in this great catch of fish.
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Depart from me.
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Put a distance between me and you, Lord.
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I am not worthy to be in your presence, for I am a sinful man.
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You know, when the Lord reveals himself to you, one of your immediate reactions is, Lord,
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I certainly don't deserve to be anywhere near you.
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Because I am a sinful person.
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And you are holy.
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And I have no business being in your presence, because you are holy.
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And this is what Isaiah is saying.
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That he is such a sinful person.
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In the presence of this holy God, look what he is saying here in verse 5.
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Woe is me, for I am lost.
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For I am a man of unclean lips.
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And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips.
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For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.
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You see what he is focusing on?
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He has seen the Lord of hosts in his vision of God on his throne.
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How do you come to really appreciate your own sinfulness?
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How do you come to believe for certain in your sinfulness, in your sinnership?
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Well, of course, you come to believe in it because God's word says it to you.
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Because you know that is what the teaching of God's word is.
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But how do you really come to appreciate it deep in your soul?
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How does your soul come to be moved in appreciation of your sinfulness?
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When you come to experience the holiness of God, that's when.
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Because when you come even in a small measure to appreciate that God is holy.
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That the holy God is speaking to you.
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That the holy God is the one that you need to face up to and meet with and deal with.
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Well, it's then you see that you see your sin for what it is.
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The more you come to see the holiness of God, the greater your appreciation of your sinfulness will be.
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And it's not that we need to have a massive appreciation or understanding of our sinfulness before we can appreciate God's salvation in Christ.
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But it does mean in a measure that we need to come to know God and our own selves in his presence.
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And this is what happens.
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And you can only appreciate the cross of Christ and the death of Christ when you come to appreciate this.
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The holiness of God, as you come to appreciate your own sinfulness in the light of that.
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Then you move to the cross of Christ, the death of Jesus.
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And you ask yourself, well, why did Jesus die?
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Why did he have to die the death of the cross?
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Why did all this have to happen to him, this perfect sinless son of God?
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And the only answer to that that really is adequate is the fact that it had to be the case because of what we were.
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And what we are.
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And what God is in his holiness.
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It's when you accept your own sinfulness in the light of God's holiness that then you begin to understand what is true about the cross of Christ.
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Why he needed to die that death.
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Because it's the death you and I deserved.
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And he chose to take that to himself.
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The holy God providing for us, as we'll see in a moment.
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Well, there's the holiness of God, the holy God and the sinful person that Isaiah is confessing himself to be.
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And notice what he's saying.
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Woe is me for I am lost.
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I am undone.
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For I am a man of unclean lips.
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Now, what does he focus on the unclean lips?
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Well, because he was going to be a prophet of God speaking for God.
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He needed to present God accurately and properly to people.
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So he needed to have clean speech.
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His mouth needed to be clean.
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His words needed to be words that fit it with the message that he was presenting.
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But again, we can take that to ourselves and apply it, even though we're not going to be prophets like Isaiah was.
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Because it's our speech that really betrays very largely what's in our hearts, isn't it?
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If we didn't speak, if we didn't have to speak, if it wasn't for our language, for the words that we use, the thoughts of our mind, the thoughts of our heart would not come forth.
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And that's what Jesus said on one occasion in Matthew chapter 10, I think it is, when he said to the disciples,
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It's not what goes into a person that defiles the Pharisees were complaining that the disciples had not washed their hands before they had eaten.
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And Jesus said, that's not what defiles a person to eat with unwashed hands.
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He's suggesting that it was a good thing to eat without washing their hands.
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But what he's saying is, what really defiles a person, morally and spiritually, is what's in their heart.
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For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, uncleanness.
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It's our mouth, our lips, our language, our speaking that reveals what's in our hearts.
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And so often you find that the case in the Bible.
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And that's why Isaiah is saying, woe is me, for I'm undone.
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I'm a man of unclean lips.
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I have a sinful heart.
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And it comes through in my lips.
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And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips.
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And you see, he's not making excuses for himself.
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He's not saying, well, it's the people's fault.
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They're unclean people.
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They're sinful people.
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No, he's saying, I am what I am.
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And I'm part of this sinful people.
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And woe is me.
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For I am undone.
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I am lost.
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Now, you mustn't think for a moment.
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Isaiah didn't mean that.
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Or that he was exaggerating.
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That somehow or other he was just going beyond what was necessary to say.
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This is exactly what he thought.
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This is exactly what he believed.
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Because when the holy God reveals himself to you and to me.
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And when he reveals our sin to us.
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And when our sin comes to the fore.
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And when we're struck by our sinfulness in the presence of such a holy God.
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Your immediate reaction should be and mine should be.
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Unless God does something to provide for this.
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I am lost.
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I am undone.
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There is no way out of this for me.
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I mean, Isaiah is really beginning to disintegrate.
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In the presence of God for that moment.
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That he's contemplating himself as a sinner in the presence of this holy God.
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And of course, thankfully.
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There is a provision made by God.
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But that's how you and I should feel.
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That's how you and I should conclude.
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Should think.
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About ourselves and our sinfulness.
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The problem of being a sinner.
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And it's a huge problem.
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We're going to make the answer to it in a minute.
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But the problem of being a sinner is not just for I am in myself.
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But it's meeting the moral majesty of God.
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The holiness of God.
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The God with whom I have to do.
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And you know, in Isaiah.
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You find that frequently.
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If you go back to the very beginning of Isaiah.
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And it's a great promise.
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In chapter 18.
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God is saying, come now.
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He's speaking to the people as a whole.
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As a sinful people.
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Let us reason together.
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Though your sins are like scarlet.
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They shall be white as snow.
45:35
Though they are red like crimson.
45:36
They shall become like wool.
45:39
And in a vision of Isaiah 6.
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What Isaiah is really coming to appreciate.
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Is that every fiber of his being.
45:46
Is stained red with sin.
45:50
And yet.
45:52
Here's the wonder of it all.
45:54
When you think of.
45:56
A fleece.
45:56
The fleece.
45:58
That comes off a sheep's back.
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If you think of that fleece.
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Every fiber of it.
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Dyed red with crimson color.
46:09
Imagine the difficulty.
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Indeed.
46:11
The impossibility.
46:13
Of taking all of that dye.
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Out of every single one.
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Of those fibers.
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But that's what God is saying.
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In verse 18 of chapter 1.
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Though your sins.
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Be like scarlet.
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Though they are crimson red.
46:27
They shall be white as wool.
46:29
They shall be completely washed away.
46:33
Because secondly.
46:35
The problem of being a sinner.
46:37
You have the provision.
46:39
God has made.
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One of the seraphim.
46:43
Flew to me.
46:44
Having in his hand.
46:44
A burning coal.
46:46
That he had taken with tongs.
46:48
From the altar.
46:49
He touched my mouth.
46:50
And said.
46:50
Behold.
46:51
This has touched your lips.
46:52
Your guilt.
46:53
Is taken away.
46:56
In other words.
46:57
I say.
46:57
I saw.
46:58
An altar.
47:00
Sacrifice.
47:01
A provision made.
47:03
For his sin.
47:04
God himself.
47:05
I mean.
47:05
Provided that.
47:07
And one of the seraph.
47:08
Took a coal.
47:09
A live coal.
47:10
A burning coal.
47:11
With tongs.
47:12
From the altar.
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Here is.
47:15
Really.
47:15
Our great.
47:17
Comfort today.
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When our sin.
47:20
Makes us so uncomfortable.
47:22
And rightly so.
47:24
When in the presence of God.
47:25
We learn something.
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Of what it's like.
47:28
To be a sinner.
47:28
And of the dilemma.
47:29
Of being a sinner.
47:30
When you turn to the gospel.
47:33
When you turn to the message.
47:34
That God has in his word.
47:36
He says to you.
47:37
Not only.
47:37
Are you a sinner.
47:39
And are really in a dilemma.
47:42
But I have a solution.
47:43
For you.
47:44
I have a remedy.
47:45
For it.
47:46
I have actually.
47:47
Got it ready.
47:49
I've done it.
47:50
I've prepared it.
47:51
It's here for you.
47:53
You see.
47:53
He's saying.
47:54
He took this burning coal.
47:55
With tongs on the altar.
47:57
And he touched my mouth.
47:59
And said.
47:59
Behold.
47:59
This has touched your lips.
48:01
Your guilt is taken away.
48:02
And your sin atoned for.
48:03
And you put that beside.
48:05
The confession that Isaiah made.
48:07
A man of unclean lips.
48:09
And living among a people.
48:10
Of unclean lips.
48:11
And here is.
48:12
God's remedy.
48:13
God's provision.
48:14
And it comes to meet.
48:16
His need.
48:17
Exactly.
48:18
Doesn't it?
48:18
That touches him.
48:19
On the lips.
48:20
That Isaiah had confessed.
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To be sinful lips.
48:23
There's the wonder of the gospel.
48:25
There's the wonder of Jesus.
48:26
There's the wonder of God's provision.
48:28
In the atonement.
48:29
In the sacrifice.
48:30
Of Jesus.
48:31
In his death.
48:33
What is it for?
48:33
Who is it for?
48:35
What does it meet?
48:36
It meets your need.
48:37
And it meets my need.
48:39
Exactly.
48:39
Whatever.
48:40
Our need may be.
48:41
And however difficult it is.
48:42
For us to describe it.
48:43
Or to appreciate it all.
48:45
God knows.
48:46
He knows every single fiber of your being.
48:49
He knows everything that's necessary to be done.
48:51
In order to wash you.
48:53
And make you clean.
48:54
In order to take your sin.
48:56
And your guilt away.
48:57
He's provided that.
48:59
In the atoning sacrifice.
49:00
And the death of Jesus.
49:02
But he comes to apply that.
49:03
Through the Holy Spirit.
49:04
Taking what Jesus has done.
49:06
And applying it to our souls.
49:07
Applying it to our lives.
49:09
There isn't any body in here today.
49:12
Whatever.
49:13
However great the variety of our need may be.
49:16
And however much we may vary.
49:18
As to how we see our need.
49:19
And whatever our backgrounds may be.
49:21
God is assuring you today.
49:25
The multiplicity of your needs as a sinner.
49:29
Are all taken account of.
49:32
In the wonderful.
49:34
Atoning death of Christ.
49:38
Nobody needs to leave this building today.
49:42
Saying woe is me.
49:44
I am undone.
49:44
There is no remedy for me.
49:47
Nobody needs to leave this building today.
49:49
Unsaved.
49:51
When you realize the abundant.
49:54
Relevant.
49:55
Particular provision.
49:56
That God has made for you.
49:58
The sinner.
49:58
And for me.
49:59
The sinner.
50:02
The death of Jesus.
50:04
Exactly matches.
50:07
What you and I need.
50:08
The person of Jesus.
50:11
Exactly matches.
50:13
What you and I need today.
50:15
To be saved.
50:18
It corresponds to it.
50:21
Exactly.
50:23
And God said to him.
50:24
Behold this has touched your lips.
50:26
Your guilt is taken away.
50:27
And your sin.
50:29
Atoned for.
50:32
You know we all have.
50:33
A record.
50:34
In the presence of God.
50:36
God.
50:39
The record book of God.
50:41
Is always accurate.
50:43
Never exaggerates.
50:44
It's never wrong.
50:47
And when you and I come.
50:49
To think of ourselves.
50:50
As sinful people.
50:53
And think of the record.
50:55
That God has in heaven.
50:58
Against us.
50:59
And about us.
51:00
For our sins.
51:02
Its pages are full.
51:03
Full.
51:04
Of details.
51:05
That condemn us.
51:09
But then you see.
51:10
You come.
51:11
To God's forgiveness.
51:14
To the salvation.
51:15
That is in Jesus.
51:17
To the application.
51:19
Of what Jesus has done.
51:20
On the cross.
51:21
And in his resurrection.
51:22
To our lives.
51:24
And then you look.
51:25
At the record books.
51:26
In heaven.
51:27
And there's no sign.
51:28
Of the sins.
51:29
That condemned you.
51:31
They've been washed away.
51:32
They've been cleaned away.
51:34
They no longer appear.
51:35
In the records of God.
51:37
And instead.
51:38
Of the details.
51:40
That condemned us.
51:41
As we are in ourselves.
51:42
As sinners.
51:43
Instead of that.
51:44
You find.
51:45
The righteousness.
51:47
Of Christ.
51:48
And when you find.
51:50
The righteousness.
51:50
Of Christ.
51:52
Well obviously.
51:53
You find God's approval.
51:55
Of you.
51:56
As a person.
51:57
That's the result.
52:02
Of God's applying to us.
52:04
What Jesus has done.
52:07
The plight of a sinner.
52:08
The sinner's dilemma.
52:10
And God's solution.
52:12
That's really the essence.
52:13
Of the gospel.
52:14
You wouldn't expect me today.
52:17
To stand in this pulpit.
52:19
And say.
52:19
You don't really need to worry.
52:21
Because the Bible.
52:21
Actually exaggerates sin.
52:23
And we've come to learn.
52:24
Since the Bible.
52:25
Was written.
52:26
That we don't need to think.
52:27
About ourselves.
52:27
The way they thought about it then.
52:30
Things aren't really as serious.
52:32
As you might make out.
52:33
And actually.
52:34
There's no such thing.
52:35
In God.
52:35
As anger.
52:36
Anyway.
52:37
We found out.
52:38
Since those days.
52:39
That we don't need to think of God.
52:40
In these terms.
52:41
God is love.
52:42
God is kind.
52:43
God is compassionate.
52:44
Of course.
52:45
God is all of that.
52:46
But he's not changed.
52:47
From what he was.
52:48
When the Bible was written.
52:53
B.B. Warfield.
52:54
In one of his.
52:56
Books.
52:56
In one of his essays.
52:58
He was dealing with the idea.
52:59
That people had.
53:01
That God is love.
53:03
Is really pretty much.
53:04
All we need to know.
53:05
About God.
53:07
And that because God is love.
53:09
There's no such thing.
53:10
As anger in God.
53:12
There's no such thing.
53:13
As wrath against sin.
53:15
There's no such thing.
53:16
In the death of Jesus.
53:18
As propitiation.
53:20
Something that deals.
53:21
With the wrath of God.
53:22
And pacifies.
53:24
If you like.
53:25
The wrath of God.
53:27
Well.
53:27
This is what.
53:29
B.B. Warfield said.
53:32
Yes.
53:32
He said.
53:33
God is love.
53:35
But love is not God.
53:37
God.
53:38
And the formula.
53:40
Love.
53:41
Must therefore.
53:42
Ever be inadequate.
53:43
To express God.
53:46
By that he meant.
53:47
That God is love.
53:48
But he's much more than love.
53:50
He has other things.
53:51
Along with love.
53:52
This is how he finished.
53:54
It is the distinguishing characteristic.
53:56
Of Christianity.
53:57
After all.
53:58
Not that it preaches.
54:00
A God of love.
54:01
But that it preaches.
54:03
A God of conscience.
54:06
He didn't mean by that.
54:07
That the preaching of the gospel.
54:09
Does not emphasize.
54:10
That God is love.
54:13
Woe be to me.
54:14
If I don't emphasize that.
54:16
Because God is love.
54:18
And it's in his love.
54:19
That he's provided.
54:20
The death of Jesus.
54:21
For me.
54:21
As a sinner.
54:23
But I also have to appreciate.
54:25
That if I don't trust in Christ.
54:27
The love of God.
54:28
Is not going to save me.
54:29
Although God is love.
54:31
Because God is angry with me.
54:33
For my sins.
54:35
And I need to turn to Jesus.
54:38
And to know God's forgiveness.
54:40
For that to change.
54:44
And so we come today.
54:45
To trust in Christ.
54:49
And as we trust in Christ.
54:51
To trust in this God.
54:52
We realize something amazing.
54:55
That this holy God.
54:58
Has himself in love.
55:03
Provided the death of Jesus.
55:05
For us.
55:06
To deal with his own wrath.
55:10
Isn't that amazing?
55:13
It's not that.
55:14
The death of Jesus.
55:15
Changed God.
55:17
From being a wrathful God.
55:18
To being a God of nothing but love.
55:20
But it is.
55:21
It is the fact that God.
55:23
Who does burn in his wrath against sin.
55:26
Chose himself in his love.
55:28
To provide for sinners.
55:30
So that they need not die.
55:33
And he did so.
55:35
In the wonder of the cross.
55:37
The provision.
55:39
That God has made.
55:41
For sinners.
55:41
And we finish.
55:45
With what he said here.
55:46
To Isaiah.
55:46
The voice of the Lord.
55:47
Saying whom shall I send.
55:49
Who will go for us.
55:50
Then I said.
55:50
Here am I.
55:52
Send me.
55:56
The problem of being a sinner.
55:58
Provision God has made.
55:59
For sinners.
56:00
The proposal God puts.
56:02
To save sinners.
56:05
Here's the question Isaiah heard.
56:08
Who am I going to send?
56:10
And God is saying.
56:11
Who's going to deliver this message from me.
56:13
To these people.
56:16
And Isaiah's immediate response is.
56:18
Here I am.
56:19
Send me.
56:20
Isn't that amazing in itself.
56:22
That that actually grew.
56:23
Out of this amazing vision.
56:25
That he had of God.
56:26
You might think.
56:27
And I might think.
56:27
It would be the other way about.
56:29
If you saw this God.
56:30
As he saw him.
56:31
In his holiness.
56:32
And had this reaction.
56:33
As he had to that holiness.
56:34
Woe is me.
56:35
For I am undone.
56:36
For I am lost.
56:38
And then had this provision.
56:40
Of God.
56:40
You might think.
56:41
Well.
56:42
I am certainly not fit.
56:43
To serve this God.
56:45
And it is just too awesome for me.
56:48
It is far too much.
56:49
I just can't take any such.
56:50
Such thing as that on in my life.
56:52
You see.
56:53
It is the very opposite.
56:56
Because as you appreciate.
56:59
God's forgiveness.
57:01
As you appreciate.
57:03
God's cleansing.
57:04
Of your life from sin.
57:05
As you appreciate.
57:08
That this holy God.
57:09
Has done that.
57:10
Through Jesus Christ.
57:11
And through the Holy Spirit.
57:14
It touches your heart.
57:15
In this way.
57:17
You want to tell others.
57:18
About this.
57:20
You want to bring.
57:21
A message about this God.
57:23
To the world around you.
57:26
To your family.
57:26
To your families.
57:27
To your friends.
57:28
To your neighbors.
57:29
To your work colleagues.
57:30
That's what moves.
57:34
That's what energizes evangelism.
57:38
Knowing this holy God.
57:41
Knowing the forgiveness.
57:41
Of this holy God.
57:43
Knowing the salvation.
57:45
Of this God.
57:45
For yourself.
57:46
Hearing the question.
57:47
Then coming.
57:48
Who am I going to send?
57:50
Are you not going to say today?
57:52
Am I not going to say today?
57:54
You don't have to stand.
57:54
In a pulpit.
57:55
To fulfill.
57:56
To answer this question.
57:57
Doesn't have to be something.
57:59
Prominent in the church.
58:00
It's simply.
58:01
Merely saying this to you.
58:04
Will you be.
58:05
My Ebed Melech?
58:07
Will you be.
58:08
My servant?
58:10
Will you go for me?
58:13
Will you speak for me?
58:15
Will you serve me?
58:18
Will you say today?
58:21
Lord.
58:21
I'm here.
58:24
Please send me.
58:26
I'm willing to do this.
58:28
In response to all that you have done.
58:32
For me.
58:34
Let's pray.
58:37
Almighty God.
58:38
We give thanks today.
58:40
For the wonder of your provision.
58:42
In the Lord Jesus Christ.
58:43
For our sins.
58:45
We thank you that we have a Savior.
58:47
Who is Christ the Lord.
58:50
We thank you for his kingship.
58:52
For the way in which you reign over all things.
58:54
That you have created.
58:55
We bless you that you are the head of your church.
58:59
We thank you for belonging to your church.
59:02
We pray today.
59:03
Oh Lord.
59:04
For that willing heart.
59:05
To be ready to go forth in your service.
59:09
Lord.
59:09
Whenever we hear your voice.
59:11
Enable us to turn obediently.
59:14
And to offer ourselves for your service.
59:17
We ask it in Jesus name.
59:19
Amen.
59:19
Let's sing in conclusion now in Psalm 51.
59:24
Again it's in the Scottish Psalter version.
59:26
Psalm 51.
59:29
Verses 9 to 14.
59:35
Singing to the tune St. Kilda.
59:39
That's page 281.
59:41
All mine iniquities blot out.
59:43
Thy face hide from my sin.
59:46
Create a clean heart.
59:48
Lord renew a right spirit.
59:50
Me within.
59:51
And you notice how David is not only asking for God's forgiveness.
59:55
And cleansing of his life.
59:57
But he's asking it also for this purpose.
59:59
Then I will teach thy ways.
1:00:02
And to those that transgressors be.
1:00:04
And those that sinners are.
1:00:05
Shall then be turned unto thee.
1:00:08
Verses 9 to 14.
1:00:10
To God's praise.
1:00:11
All mine iniquities blot out.
1:00:22
Life is hide from my sin.
1:00:28
Create a clean heart.
1:00:33
Lord renew a right spirit.
1:00:38
Set me within.
1:00:40
Set me within.
1:00:41
Cast me not from thy sight.
1:00:49
Nor take thy holy spirit away.
1:00:56
Restore me thy salvation's joy.
1:01:06
With thy three spirit me stay.
1:01:11
Then will I teach thy ways unto.
1:01:21
Those that transgressors be.
1:01:28
And those that sinners shall then be turned unto thee.
1:01:43
O God of my salvation.
1:01:44
O God of my salvation.
1:01:51
God.
1:01:53
God.
1:01:54
Lord.
1:01:55
God.
1:01:56
God.
1:01:57
God.
1:01:58
God.
1:01:59
God.
1:02:00
God.
1:02:01
God.
1:02:02
God.
1:02:03
Godزmer.
1:02:11
Paul.
1:02:12
God.
1:02:13
Lord.
1:02:13
God.
1:02:14
God.
1:02:15
God.
1:02:16
Now I'd like to go to the door today
1:02:21
I've really missed and I know others have missed
1:02:23
our going to the door during the past while
1:02:26
because of the way things were.
1:02:28
I won't shake hands with folks
1:02:30
but I will go to the door just to greet you on the way out.
1:02:35
Now may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ
1:02:37
the love of God the Father
1:02:38
and the communion of the Holy Spirit
1:02:39
be with you now and evermore.
1:02:42
Amen.
1:02:46
Amen.