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Doctrines of Grace: Total Depravity · Providence Baptist Church - Sermons

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Tonight, we're going to start with, here he comes. Raise your hand if you didn't get one of those.
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I know we're pretty short. Plenty extra. Yeah.
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I would say the main reason is that we need to be humbled first to understand just how bad our condition is before you ever will be open to talking about election.
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That's like my, I learned it that way.
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And I think a lot of times when people will try to share about election with me, it would be like, come on, I'm not that bad.
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Like, come on. Like, I seem to think that sin wasn't as bad as it actually was.
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And so a few quotes for us.
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And these men likewise believed in what we're talking about.
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But Augustine in the fourth century, the whole humility of man consists in the knowledge of himself.
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Yep. So the more you actually learn about you, the more humble you will become through God's eyes. Right.
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And Calvin said, man is never sufficiently touched and affected by an awareness of his lowly state until he has compared himself with God's majesty.
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It is evident that man never attains a true self-knowledge until he has previously contemplated the face of God and come down after such contemplation to look into himself.
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So we all think much of ourselves. Right.
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But when compared to God, we tend to shrink and be very, very small.
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That's what Calvin's saying.
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We need to humble ourselves.
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If you want to look on your sheet, your handout here.
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Each week I'll begin with an example, a quotation.
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This was Spurgeon.
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And so and so one of the things that I guess experientially confirmed this truth for me.
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So I will tell you from the beginning, but your convictions have to come from Scripture first and then your experience after that,
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because your experience doesn't trump what's what's true and what lasts forever.
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But what happened to me was I read these things in the scriptures and then I began to kind of think about how I saw them in my life.
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And one of those realities is I'm aware of what God's pursuit of me before I was a Christian.
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I could see God tracking me.
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I could see him following me and pursuing me.
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Yeah, even though I was pursuing and doing my own thing, he was he was on my track.
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He was going to and he was going to catch me.
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He was going to run me to ground when he was ready to.
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And that's something I'm like thankful for because he didn't have to do that.
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And that's what Spurgeon said.
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So something I want you to think about is trace back the steps of your life and look at all the ways that God has shown you grace
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and all the ways that he has put people in your life.
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He's put Bibles in your life.
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He's put a church in your life.
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Maybe parents that have taught you about Christ.
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This is what Spurgeon did.
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So let's read this together.
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He said one one weeknight when I was sitting in the house of God, I was not thinking about the preacher's sermon for I didn't believe it.
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That's a nice start, right?
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The thought struck me.
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How did I come to be a Christian?
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I sought the Lord.
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But how did you come to seek the Lord?
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The truth flashed across my mind in a moment.
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I should not have sought him unless there had been some previous influence in my mind to make me seek him.
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I prayed, thought I.
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But then I asked myself, how came I to pray?
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I was induced to pray by reading the scriptures.
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How came I to read the scriptures?
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How did I read them?
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But led me to do so.
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Then in a moment I saw God was at the bottom of it all.
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That he was the author of my faith.
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And so the whole doctrine of grace opened up to me.
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And from that doctrine I have not departed to this day.
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I desire to make this my constant confession that I ascribe my change wholly to God.
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So I hope that that's encouraging to you to begin to think about, well, how did this happen?
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You keep looking back and you see that God was underneath every little bit of what was going on in your life at the time.
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So, let me see here.
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When we talk about these things, we're looking at them, most of us, from a post-Christian perspective.
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Most of us are believers in here.
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But we have to look back and see what our condition was before we were in Christ.
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And for a lot of us, we might have become a believer at a very early age.
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So that's awesome.
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Don't go any further.
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Right?
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Some of us will testify.
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Like, that's awesome.
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But if we look back, we don't really realize how bad our condition is until we see it in hindsight.
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And let me give you an example.
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So I had that lung transplant.
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I knew I was pretty sick.
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I knew I was very sick, actually.
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But I didn't realize how close to death I actually was, though.
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And after the transplant, the surgeon said to me,
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well, no, actually, he didn't say it to me.
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He said it to my family.
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He's like, those are the worst set of lungs I've ever seen.
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And I don't know how he was alive on those.
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I had no idea.
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Like, how he was still breathing on those.
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And so, you know, so thankful the Lord spared me.
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But what I have the impression of, if you're like me, you tend to think sin is bad.
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Sin is not desirable.
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Sin is, you know, to be walked away from.
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But it is really, really bad.
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Like, it is, like, so bad beyond our minds.
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And I think most of my early Christian life, I thought, yeah, sin's bad.
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I'm a sinner.
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Yep.
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And I never really knew how much the Scripture actually had to say about it.
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Until the doctrines of grace or Calvinism or Augustinism, whatever you want to call it, whatever label you want to put on it.
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My personal favorite is what John Newton called it, the doctrine or the gospel of amazing grace.
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That's what we're just going to call this.
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It's pretty easy to remember, right?
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It's the doctrines of amazing grace.
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And so I look back on my simple condition now and I see just how bad it actually was.
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And so if you don't realize how low you are, you're never going to be really willing to respond to anything from God.
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Like, until you really realize how bad it is.
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So, but one of the go-to passages for sin in the Bible, which we have been through on Sundays, is Romans chapter 1.
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And this idea that God gave us over to our sin.
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So let's just read this quickly.
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For although they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks to Him.
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But they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
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All right.
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Now, as we're going along tonight, think about, like, the anatomy.
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Have any of you kids had anatomy in your classes yet?
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A few of you have.
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Okay.
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Well, the human body, right?
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So think about, like, a spiritual anatomy.
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The mind, the heart, things like that.
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But you see right here, it kind of says this idea that our foolish hearts were darkened.
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Claiming to be wise, there's the mind idea.
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Right before that, futile in our thinking.
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We became fools.
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We exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
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Therefore, God gave them up in the lust of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves,
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because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the creator who was blessed forever.
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Now, that is like the essence of what sin is.
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It's taking your love and your worship, the failure to fulfill the great commandment to love God and giving it to idols, giving it to the things of creation rather than the creator.
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And we all have done it.
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I could give you a list of mile long, the stuff that I have worshipped and put my value in that have let me down and destroyed me.
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So that's a great example.
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We worship and serve the creature rather than the creator who is blessed forever.
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For this reason, God gave them up to dishonorable passions.
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And jump forward to 28.
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And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.
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OK, so this idea of giving them up, if you were here on Sunday, we were doing Romans 9.
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It's God saying, all right, deal with the consequences of your sin.
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It's giving him over to all the terrible things that follow our rebellion.
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So it's an act of judgment for him to just go, OK, go do it.
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And that's what in essence what we're saying.
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So so in the doctrines of grace or Calvinism, whatever it is, we use this phrase total depravity.
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Right. We've heard that phrase.
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Anybody know what depravity means?
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Biblically speaking, anybody?
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I don't care.
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Ty, we give a shot.
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No, what you're eating.
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It seems like a syndrome of corruption.
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Yeah.
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And you get a depravity of the worst it could possibly be.
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Yeah.
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So back on history, we talk about the worst we could possibly be.
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Mm hmm.
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Yeah.
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That's all we're talking about.
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Literally.
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Look at that last verse, that debased word.
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That's the word we're going to look at.
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That's what depravity is.
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Other translations may actually say depravity.
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Let's just look at MacArthur here to define it for us.
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He says, a godless mind is a depraved mind whose predetermined inevitable disposition is to do the things that are not proper.
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The basic meaning of a dakamas, which is depraved, is that of notwithstanding the test.
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And the term was commonly used for metals that were rejected by refiners because of impurities.
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See that to the connection.
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These impure metals were discarded and a dakamas.
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Therefore, came to include the ideas of worthlessness and uselessness.
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That's what we just read, right?
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In Romans, it became worthless, became useless.
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In relation to God, the rejected mind becomes a rejected mind and thereby becomes spiritually depraved, worthless and useless.
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The mind that finds God worthless becomes worthless itself.
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It is debauched, deceived, deserving only of God's divine wrath.
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So, important to remember this.
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Like, the reason, and this is hard, okay?
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So again, it's humbling for me.
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Before you were in Christ, you are worthless.
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That's what this just said.
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And the reason why is because we were created, again, we're going back to the beginning, in God's image for a purpose.
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That purpose was, again, to walk with Him and to reflect His holy character in all that we do and to have that special relationship with God, to bring glory in Him in all our lives.
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And so, sin has flipped that.
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It means that you have not fulfilled your purpose of being created.
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Therefore, you are depraved, right?
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These metals have these impurities that are discarded.
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Also important to remember, don't let anybody tell you if you are in Christ that you are depraved.
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You're not.
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There's a change that happens, okay?
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Now you're accounted as God's family.
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Now you're accounted as adopted, valuable, loved, cherished.
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Alright?
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So, and we have that.
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We're having that image restored in us, as it says in the New Testament now.
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So, we're learning.
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We're following Christ and becoming more like Christ in the process.
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So, I think, before we go further, pause for like maybe two minutes.
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Any questions?
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Hard words.
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They suck.
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But, how it is.
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I mean, you saw it right there, right?
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The Lord is talking about the mind.
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Do you need to pray?
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Just a word to pray.
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But, he's referring specifically to verse 28 in this one.
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It talks about being a debased mind or a depraved mind.
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We're just taking the word depraved.
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Yeah.
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So, when you said that we're no longer depraved as a believer,
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you're not speaking specifically of the mind being something different,
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but rather something more fundamental.
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Sure, yeah.
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I was just giving you a biblical example where depravity is found in the Bible.
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But, really, it's applied to our whole being as fallen people.
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But, yeah.
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But, the mind is corrupted for sure.
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So, yeah.
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But, as believers, what is our mind doing now?
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Being transformed by the renewal of our mind.
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So, it's changing.
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So, this also should invoke pity and brokenheartedness for those who are around us, right?
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Because, if they knew Christ, they could have that image restored again, right?
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So, that's what leads us to share with other people.
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But, yeah.
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We're going to get to...
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When we do the saving work of the Spirit,
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we'll talk more about why missions and evangelism are so important
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and why this is actually, like, fuel behind going, not a hindrance to it.
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So, yep.
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Let's walk through this first,
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because it's important to go through the Scripture first.
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Then I have just some other stuff for you on the PowerPoint.
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But, for now, I want you to think about that anatomy idea.
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You know, as I do this...
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You know, let's do this first.
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It's more important than going through that.
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But, alright, so man is not sick.
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Man is not injured.
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He is dead spiritually.
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Alright?
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And there's a lot of Scriptures that say these things.
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I just picked a few.
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But, point number one, really,
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as a result of Adam's transgressions,
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men are born in sin
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and by nature are spiritually dead.
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Therefore, if they are to become God's children
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and enter His kingdom,
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they must be born anew by the Spirit.
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So, think about that connection.
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You've heard the phrase being born again.
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You have to be born again
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because your condition is dead.
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Like, that's the point.
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It's connecting the two.
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Same thing as, like,
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there's a need for us to be regenerated by the Spirit.
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Let's just...
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Let's just pick two of these.
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This is the idea of original sin, right?
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That Augustine kind of coined.
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Let's look at Romans 5 there.
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Just as sin came into the world
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through one man
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and death through sin.
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And so death spread to all men
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because all have sinned.
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And then Ephesians 2.
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You were dead in your trespasses and sin,
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to which you once walked,
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following the course of this world,
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following the prince of the power of the air
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and the Spirit that has not worked
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in the sons of disobedience.
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So...
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But...
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That's so important
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because dead means corpse.
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Dead means useless.
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You can't do anything.
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Like...
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I may have never been to a funeral before
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and seen the corpse there like I have.
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They can't do anything.
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I can't say,
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hey, jump up and fix yourself.
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Put yourself together.
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You know,
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my grandmother just went to be with the Lord
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a few...
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Like last summer.
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And I couldn't say,
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come on, Mildred,
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just stand up.
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Get yourself together.
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You know?
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She would have slapped me silly
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if she had heard me say that.
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But...
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The corpse can't do anything.
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That's the connection.
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You need to be born again by the Spirit.
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So...
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And a dead person has no ability
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to do anything for themselves.
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Now, our spiritual senses
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are likewise darkened.
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Okay?
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So think about your senses.
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Sight.
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Feel.
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Touch.
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Those sort of things.
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As a result of the fall,
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men are blind and deaf
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to spiritual truth.
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Minds are darkened by sin
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and hearts corrupted by evil.
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We just read that in Romans 1.
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We just read it.
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But to give you a few more,
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I mean, right out of the gate,
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right in Genesis,
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the Lord saw the wickedness of man
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was great on the earth
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and every intention,
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every intention
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of the thoughts of his heart
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was only evil continually.
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Right?
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That's the heart.
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Look at Jeremiah 17.
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We all know this one.
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The heart is deceitful above all else.
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Desperately sick.
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Who can understand it?
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Don't follow your heart.
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Right?
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So that's the heart.
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Then Jesus talks about how
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all sorts of evil
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proceed from the heart of men.
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Look at 1 Corinthians there.
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The natural person,
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or the person without God,
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the person that's without Jesus,
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the natural person
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does not accept,
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does not accept
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the things of the Spirit of God.
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For they are followed to Him
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and He is not able
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to understand them
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because they are spiritually discerned.
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Yeah.
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So,
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if you look at Ephesians,
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oh shoot,
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I have the wrong,
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wrong one on here.
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It's the right chapter,
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wrong verse.
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I found it in my bed.
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I apologize.
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But it says,
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don't walk as the Gentiles
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do in the futility
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of their minds.
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See that?
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Like our minds
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are directed towards them.
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The darkened
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in their understanding,
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alienated from the life of God
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because of the ignorance
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of the image
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and the hardness
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of their heart.
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So,
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just look at that kind of language
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that's there.
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So yeah,
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there's a lot of other verses
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that kind of go with this.
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But,
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this is the scary one.
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This one scared the death.
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You know what?
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I mean,
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when I first read it,
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I was like,
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wow,
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I never thought about that.
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But,
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before in Christ,
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we're in bondage to Satan
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and slaves to sin.
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Right?
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It's not made up language.
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Before sinners are born
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to God's kingdom
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through the regenerating
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power of the Spirit,
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they are children
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of the devil.
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Satan.
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And under his control,
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they are slaves to sin.
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Alright?
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What?
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You,
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so,
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in the context of John 8,
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y'all know what's going on
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in John 8?
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Anybody remember
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what's going on in John 8?
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Jesus is arguing
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with the crowd.
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He's arguing
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with the Jews
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who were there.
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And they're
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giving him
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a lot of stuff
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and
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they're rejecting him.
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They're rejecting
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his words.
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They're rejecting
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his truth.
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And I don't want you
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to think about it.
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Like,
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you could have one person
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share about Christ
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with your friends
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or your family.
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Who would you want?
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Jesus,
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probably,
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right?
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He himself.
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So he's standing there,
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the Son of God,
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and he's talking to them.
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They're going,
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nope,
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nope.
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So this is what he says to them.
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He says,
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you are of your father,
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the devil.
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And your wills
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do your father's desires.
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Wow.
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He was a murderer
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from the beginning
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and nothing to do
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with the truth
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because the truth,
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because there is
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no truth in him.
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When he lies,
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he speaks of his own character
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for he is a liar
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and the father of lies.
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2 Timothy,
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he's talking about
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sharing,
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you know,
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the good news
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with unbelievers
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in verse 26
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and hopes that,
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right,
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they may come to their senses
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and escape the snare
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of the devil
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after being captured
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by him
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to do his will.
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I mean,
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we all have like
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made these connections
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like they're everywhere
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and Jesus,
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I tell you the truth,
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truly,
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truly,
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everyone who commits sin
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is a slave
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to sin.
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And then Titus,
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we ourselves
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are once foolish
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to disobedient,
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slaves
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to various passions
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and pleasures.
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Right?
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So,
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that's not language
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that no one likes to hear.
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I'm,
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you know,
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and again,
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I'm looking at it
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in Christ now,
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like,
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oh my gosh,
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I had no idea
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it was that bad.
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Like,
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I had no idea
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that I was that
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ensnared
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by sin.
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Alright?
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Important to know,
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when we use the phrase
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total depravity,
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it's different
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than using the phrase
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utter depravity.
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Okay?
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There's a reason
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why we use that.
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Tolerance means
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that all our faculties
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have been corrupted
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by sin.
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But,
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through God's grace,
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we are able
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to do some things
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for good.
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Right?
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We are able
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to do some things
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that somewhat
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look like
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the image of God,
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but those are
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distorted still.
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Utter depravity
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means that we are
22:06
as evil as we could be
22:08
all the time.
22:09
And that's not the case.
22:10
Like,
22:10
there's restraints
22:11
on us.
22:11
Right?
22:12
You see
22:13
utter depravity
22:14
inch a little bit
22:15
further
22:16
with,
22:16
you know,
22:17
police going away
22:20
and,
22:20
like,
22:20
the authority
22:21
of the state
22:22
going away
22:22
and people
22:23
just can do
22:23
whatever they
22:24
want to do.
22:25
You're seeing
22:25
that go a step
22:26
further.
22:27
There was
22:27
restraints on them.
22:29
So,
22:29
utter depravity
22:30
is different
22:30
than total depravity.
22:32
This one doesn't
22:33
need a lot of
22:34
explanation,
22:35
but,
22:35
like,
22:36
how bad is it?
22:37
everybody.
22:37
Because you may
22:38
think,
22:39
deep down,
22:40
like,
22:41
I know I'm bad.
22:42
I know I'm really bad,
22:42
but I don't think
22:43
I'm that bad.
22:44
Like,
22:45
it puts us all
22:46
under the same
22:46
umbrella.
22:47
It does.
22:49
Sin's reign
22:49
is universal.
22:50
All men
22:51
are under sin's
22:52
power,
22:53
and consequently
22:54
all are guilty,
22:55
none are righteous,
22:57
none are even one.
22:59
We read this morning,
23:01
I think,
23:02
TJ read
23:03
Psalm 130,
23:05
if you,
23:05
O Lord,
23:06
should mark
23:06
iniquities,
23:07
O Lord,
23:08
who could stand?
23:10
Right?
23:10
Like,
23:11
are any of you
23:11
ready to face
23:12
God's judgment
23:12
on your own,
23:13
apart from Christ?
23:14
Like,
23:15
no,
23:15
we could not stand.
23:16
We would just
23:17
perish before Him.
23:19
And,
23:20
so,
23:20
we all know,
23:22
I think that's
23:23
a pretty commonly
23:24
accepted one,
23:24
that we're all
23:25
under the same
23:25
curse.
23:28
But,
23:29
there was a
23:30
rabbi
23:31
many years ago
23:32
who wrote
23:34
a book called,
23:35
some of you
23:36
are all
23:37
enough to
23:37
remember this,
23:38
why do bad
23:38
things happen
23:39
to good people?
23:41
Remember that?
23:43
Krishna?
23:44
What's his name?
23:46
Well,
23:48
as humbly
23:49
and as gently
23:50
as I can say
23:51
this to him,
23:51
it would be
23:51
because there
23:52
are no good
23:53
people.
23:54
That's what
23:55
this says,
23:55
right here,
23:56
right?
23:56
no one is
23:58
righteous,
23:59
not even one,
24:00
no one understands,
24:00
no one seeks God,
24:02
all have turned
24:03
aside,
24:05
all have become
24:05
worthless,
24:06
as we just read,
24:07
no one does
24:08
good,
24:08
not even one.
24:10
Alright,
24:10
so that's
24:11
the condition
24:13
we all find
24:14
ourselves in.
24:15
And our mind
24:16
is hostile
24:17
to God.
24:18
See that in
24:18
Romans 8?
24:19
The mind
24:20
that's in the
24:21
flesh,
24:21
right,
24:21
is hostile
24:22
towards God
24:23
and will not
24:23
submit to God's
24:25
law.
24:26
Won't.
24:26
Won't do it.
24:28
Alright,
24:28
so this leads
24:30
to the next
24:31
and last point
24:32
which is
24:33
controversial,
24:36
right?
24:38
Men,
24:38
being blind
24:39
in death
24:40
to spiritual
24:41
truth,
24:42
are unable
24:43
of themselves
24:44
to repent,
24:47
to believe
24:47
the gospel,
24:48
or to come
24:49
to Christ.
24:50
They have no
24:51
power within
24:51
themselves to
24:52
change their
24:53
natures or
24:54
prepare themselves
24:55
for salvation.
24:56
So,
24:57
is it like,
24:57
excuse me,
24:59
some of you
24:59
say,
25:00
well,
25:00
yeah,
25:00
yeah,
25:00
of course,
25:01
I couldn't
25:01
say myself,
25:03
duh,
25:04
but I kind
25:06
of met God
25:06
halfway,
25:07
right?
25:07
Like,
25:08
I used my
25:09
abilities and
25:09
my goodness
25:11
that was in
25:12
me and all
25:12
and my free
25:13
will and I
25:13
met God
25:14
kind of halfway
25:15
and then he
25:16
did his part.
25:17
well,
25:18
no,
25:18
what we're
25:18
saying here
25:19
is that
25:21
you couldn't
25:22
even prepare
25:22
yourself for
25:23
it.
25:23
Like,
25:24
you were so
25:24
low.
25:25
Really
25:26
motivational,
25:26
right,
25:27
people?
25:27
Like,
25:27
just enough.
25:29
I feel like
25:29
I'm getting
25:29
hammered,
25:29
you know,
25:30
I feel like
25:30
I'm getting
25:30
roasted here.
25:32
So,
25:32
and this is
25:33
important,
25:33
no man can
25:34
come to
25:35
faith in
25:35
Christ unless
25:36
God grants
25:37
him repentance
25:38
resulting in
25:40
faith.
25:40
Jeremiah,
25:45
y'all know
25:45
the song
25:46
Jesus
25:46
Painted
25:47
All,
25:48
the leper
25:49
spots the
25:50
heart of
25:50
stone.
25:51
What about
25:52
the Bible?
25:52
What about
25:52
that?
25:53
Can the
25:53
Ethiopian
25:54
change his
25:54
skin or
25:56
the leper
25:56
his spots?
25:58
And also,
25:59
you can do
26:00
good who are
26:01
accustomed to
26:02
doing evil.
26:04
So,
26:04
yeah,
26:04
like,
26:04
again,
26:05
when you have
26:05
no power,
26:06
I have no
26:06
power to
26:06
change myself.
26:08
I can't
26:09
just reform
26:09
myself and
26:10
prepare myself
26:11
for God.
26:14
I'll give
26:15
you another
26:15
one.
26:21
You see
26:22
that in
26:22
2 Corinthians
26:22
there,
26:23
that blinded
26:24
the mind,
26:25
Satan,
26:26
the God
26:26
of this age,
26:27
has blinded
26:28
the minds
26:29
of unbelievers
26:30
to keep
26:31
them from
26:32
seeing the
26:32
light of
26:33
the gospel.
26:35
And then
26:35
2 Timothy,
26:38
you've got
26:38
the second
26:39
part,
26:39
God may
26:40
perhaps,
26:42
perhaps,
26:43
grant them
26:44
repentance,
26:45
leading to
26:46
a knowledge
26:46
of the
26:47
truth.
26:48
They may
26:48
come to
26:49
their senses
26:49
and escape
26:50
the snare
26:50
of the devil
26:51
who have
26:51
been captured
26:51
by him
26:52
to do
26:52
his will.
26:53
So,
26:54
this idea
26:54
that God
26:54
has to
26:55
grant it,
26:56
it has
26:57
to come
26:57
from God
26:58
himself.
27:01
Those are
27:01
just a
27:01
handful.
27:02
Like,
27:02
people told
27:03
me this
27:03
stuff,
27:03
I'm like,
27:04
yeah,
27:04
I don't
27:04
believe it,
27:04
whatever.
27:05
they
27:05
started
27:06
saying,
27:06
what about
27:06
that one?
27:07
What about
27:07
that one?
27:07
And I
27:07
was like,
27:08
ah,
27:09
they're
27:09
drowning
27:10
me in
27:11
scripture
27:12
here.
27:13
So,
27:14
I guess I'm
27:14
just going to
27:15
have to
27:15
bow the
27:15
knee and
27:15
say,
27:16
man,
27:16
I am
27:16
more,
27:18
I was
27:19
more
27:19
wretched
27:20
than I
27:20
ever dreamed
27:21
I was.
27:22
Like,
27:22
it was
27:22
much worse.
27:23
Like,
27:23
the surgeon
27:24
being like,
27:24
I don't
27:25
know how
27:25
you were
27:25
alive.
27:26
Like,
27:26
that's
27:26
crazy.
27:28
Worst
27:28
pair of lungs
27:28
I've ever
27:29
seen.
27:29
Isn't it
27:29
weird I
27:30
want to
27:30
actually see
27:30
them?
27:31
I mean,
27:32
they got
27:32
rid of
27:32
them before
27:32
I was
27:33
conscious.
27:35
But,
27:35
we were
27:36
not just
27:37
bad,
27:37
we were
27:38
really,
27:39
really bad.
27:41
So,
27:42
any questions
27:43
before we
27:43
move on
27:44
to the
27:46
next section
27:46
of this?
27:48
About how
27:48
bad we
27:49
are?
27:49
We were
27:49
really bad.
27:50
That's
27:51
really only
27:53
understandable
27:54
in the
27:55
context of
27:56
how good
27:57
God is.
27:58
Yep.
27:58
Mm-hmm.
27:59
Standing
27:59
on our
28:00
own,
28:01
we can
28:01
justify
28:02
all kinds
28:03
of good
28:04
behavior.
28:06
But,
28:06
that's not
28:07
what we're
28:07
talking about.
28:08
Nope.
28:09
No,
28:09
no,
28:10
look,
28:10
listen,
28:10
you may
28:11
be very
28:11
good compared
28:12
to some
28:13
people you
28:13
know.
28:14
Right?
28:15
Like,
28:15
that's a,
28:16
you hear the
28:17
gospel people,
28:18
most people,
28:20
but that's
28:21
changing now,
28:22
most people
28:22
have some
28:23
morality,
28:24
they're like,
28:24
some sense
28:25
of right and
28:25
wrong,
28:27
and they'll
28:27
say,
28:27
well,
28:27
I'm not
28:28
that bad.
28:29
Nobody's
28:30
perfect,
28:30
right?
28:30
I'm like,
28:31
yeah,
28:31
you have no
28:32
idea how
28:32
ironic that
28:33
saying is.
28:34
You're right,
28:34
no one's
28:34
perfect,
28:35
and the
28:35
standard is
28:36
perfection.
28:37
You're not
28:38
there,
28:38
and I'm
28:39
not either.
28:40
So,
28:41
it's,
28:41
so yeah,
28:44
only after you
28:45
contemplate who
28:46
God is do you
28:47
actually see this
28:48
first.
28:49
Probably could have
28:50
it a whole other
28:50
week,
28:50
just talking about
28:51
how great God
28:52
was,
28:52
and then we
28:52
showed up here,
28:53
and we're like,
28:53
oh man,
28:54
we're done.
28:54
Colin,
28:56
in his
28:56
institutes,
28:57
writes something
28:57
like,
28:59
like if you
29:01
look down at
29:02
the ground,
29:04
and you can
29:04
see things on
29:05
the ground,
29:06
like rocks,
29:08
dirt,
29:08
whatever,
29:09
down near your
29:09
feet,
29:10
and very,
29:10
very clear,
29:12
right?
29:12
Like your vision's
29:13
very clear.
29:14
You can see it
29:15
perfectly,
29:17
unless you have
29:17
this bad eyesight,
29:18
like me.
29:19
And,
29:19
he compares that
29:21
with looking at
29:22
your earthly
29:22
righteousness.
29:24
Like,
29:24
as long as I'm
29:25
focused on earth,
29:26
it's good.
29:27
He's like,
29:27
as soon as you
29:28
gaze,
29:28
like straight into
29:29
the sun,
29:30
your vision just
29:31
blurts,
29:32
right?
29:33
He's like,
29:33
that's what it's
29:34
like to compare
29:35
your righteousness
29:35
to God's.
29:36
Like,
29:36
you can't.
29:38
And,
29:38
your righteousness
29:39
is skewed
29:40
at that point.
29:42
So,
29:44
you know,
29:45
but yeah,
29:45
only after you
29:47
have contemplated
29:48
the face of God
29:48
and come to
29:49
look into
29:50
yourself.
29:52
Anybody else?
29:56
We're all
29:56
family here.
29:57
I know nobody
29:58
came here
29:59
to hear from me,
30:00
but I'll say
30:01
that I
30:04
oftentimes
30:04
don't feel
30:06
a great draw
30:08
to get into
30:09
the Word
30:09
or to pray,
30:12
but what I've
30:14
learned is
30:14
that if I
30:15
open up the
30:15
Psalms
30:16
or go to
30:17
the last few
30:18
chapters of
30:18
Job,
30:19
start contemplating
30:21
God and
30:22
His holiness
30:23
and mightiness,
30:25
it doesn't take me
30:26
long to be very
30:27
affected and
30:28
really want to
30:29
pray.
30:30
Yeah,
30:30
turn the light
30:31
to the roof.
30:31
so I think
30:33
that illustrates
30:35
to a great point
30:36
that even
30:38
in my
30:38
redeemed state,
30:40
the reality
30:41
is that
30:42
the old man
30:43
is still
30:44
within me
30:44
and those
30:45
same things
30:46
that are
30:46
described in
30:47
Scripture
30:48
about the
30:49
lost and the
30:50
depraved,
30:50
praise God
30:52
that I'm not
30:52
relieved with
30:54
them,
30:54
but at the same
30:55
time,
30:56
those things
30:56
are still
30:56
so present
30:58
in me
30:59
knowing the
31:02
holiness and
31:02
greatness of
31:03
God is the
31:04
only way
31:06
that I can
31:07
see myself
31:08
as I am
31:09
and the
31:09
Lord.
31:10
That's good,
31:11
brother.
31:13
Yeah,
31:13
knowing what
31:14
God's known in
31:14
your life,
31:15
I agree with
31:16
you.
31:16
That's awesome.
31:18
So,
31:19
I heard Aaron
31:20
Menekoff at
31:21
Mount Vernon.
31:21
We were at
31:22
that conference.
31:23
What was really
31:25
funny was,
31:26
you know,
31:26
I was preaching
31:26
on election
31:27
that Sunday
31:27
and he taught
31:28
on election
31:28
at that
31:29
pastor's
31:29
conference.
31:31
His main
31:31
goal was
31:32
that all
31:32
doctrine is
31:33
practical and
31:34
all doctrine
31:34
affects us.
31:35
It's not like
31:35
there's doctrine
31:36
and there's
31:36
practical.
31:37
Look at all
31:38
in Mary together.
31:40
And he said
31:40
these discussions
31:41
on what we're
31:42
talking about
31:42
are in-house
31:43
conversations.
31:46
There's conversations
31:47
you mainly
31:48
talk to about
31:49
with your family
31:50
and they get it
31:51
because they're
31:51
your family.
31:52
Right?
31:52
That's kind
31:52
of what
31:53
the goal
31:54
of this is.
31:57
And Jay,
31:57
why is that?
31:58
You brought
31:58
up a really
31:58
good point.
31:59
Why?
32:00
Why is it so
32:00
hard to focus
32:01
on God?
32:01
You can focus
32:02
on a lot
32:02
of other
32:02
things easily.
32:04
Why?
32:05
It's so hard
32:06
to think about
32:06
God.
32:08
It's like
32:09
we've had a
32:10
stroke spiritually.
32:11
I can't do it.
32:12
We need help.
32:13
It's like
32:14
loving
32:14
of pride.
32:15
Because he's
32:18
holy.
32:19
He's so
32:20
other
32:20
from anything
32:22
else in our
32:23
daily lives.
32:26
I think
32:27
about it
32:27
as long as
32:28
maybe
32:29
a little bit
32:30
we see more
32:32
of our sin
32:32
and then more
32:33
of his
32:34
greatness in it.
32:36
It can be a little
32:36
overwhelming.
32:37
Yeah.
32:37
Very overwhelming.
32:39
Yeah.
32:40
And that way
32:40
to be careful
32:41
not to get
32:41
it away.
32:42
Because we
32:42
have to develop
32:43
this sense
32:43
of unworthiness
32:45
where we're
32:45
fearful to draw
32:46
near to God
32:48
through Christ.
32:50
But yeah,
32:50
it's just
32:52
self-evident.
32:53
Why is it so
32:54
hard for us
32:55
to do what
32:56
God calls us
32:56
to do sometimes?
32:58
And why is it
32:58
easy to do
32:59
other things?
33:00
I could focus
33:00
on other
33:01
things for hours
33:01
and just lose
33:03
myself in it.
33:04
But when it
33:04
comes to God,
33:05
what is it
33:06
that makes
33:06
us just turn
33:07
off sometimes?
33:08
And we need
33:08
that extra
33:09
help by the
33:10
Spirit to
33:11
really engage
33:11
our minds
33:12
and engage
33:12
our hearts.
33:13
It's just
33:14
self-evident.
33:15
Again,
33:15
we've had
33:16
something go
33:16
wrong spiritually,
33:18
right?
33:19
Even as
33:19
believers,
33:20
we have to
33:20
fight it.
33:23
Anything else?
33:28
All right.
33:28
Let's get
33:29
into some
33:29
other fun
33:30
stuff.
33:32
Oh,
33:33
sorry.
33:33
I guess
33:34
I'd also
33:34
choose to
33:35
have
33:35
believers
33:36
there
33:36
to
33:37
still
33:37
sin
33:37
in us
33:38
that
33:38
first
33:39
step
33:39
because
33:39
if
33:40
we
33:40
didn't
33:41
still
33:41
it
33:42
wasn't
33:42
still
33:42
sin
33:42
in us
33:44
then
33:45
we
33:46
wouldn't
33:46
have
33:47
that
33:47
issue.
33:47
we
33:49
were
33:49
in the
33:50
process
33:50
of
33:51
becoming
33:51
perfect.
33:52
We're
33:52
not
33:52
there.
33:52
This is
33:53
sanctification.
33:55
But thank
33:55
goodness,
33:56
though,
33:56
unlike Rome,
33:58
Rome puts
33:58
sanctification
33:59
before
34:00
justification.
34:01
You know that?
34:02
So only
34:02
once you've
34:03
reached a
34:04
certain state
34:04
of perfection
34:05
or holiness
34:06
then is
34:08
right for
34:08
God to
34:09
justify you.
34:10
So God
34:11
helps those
34:11
who help
34:12
themselves.
34:12
that's
34:13
just not
34:14
what
34:14
Romans 5
34:14
teaches
34:15
at all.
34:15
We were
34:16
justified,
34:18
right?
34:18
Then
34:18
sanctified.
34:20
So to
34:22
give you a
34:22
few things
34:24
here,
34:27
over how
34:28
has sin
34:29
affected the
34:34
will of
34:35
man?
34:35
because we
34:37
use the
34:37
term free
34:38
will like
34:39
like crazy.
34:41
You know,
34:41
we hear it
34:42
in culture,
34:43
we hear it
34:43
from non-Christians,
34:44
we hear it
34:44
from Christians.
34:46
What does it
34:46
mean?
34:49
My youth
34:50
pastor,
34:51
well,
34:52
actually,
34:53
I was already
34:53
out of high
34:54
school,
34:54
but he was
34:56
a new youth
34:56
pastor when I
34:57
was a freshman
34:57
of college,
34:58
and I was
34:58
going to
34:59
school close
34:59
to home.
35:00
So I
35:00
helped out
35:01
with the
35:01
youth because
35:01
I was kind
35:02
of a young
35:02
believer.
35:02
I know a
35:03
lot more
35:03
than these
35:03
schools.
35:04
So I'll
35:05
come here
35:05
and try
35:05
to help
35:06
these younger
35:07
people out.
35:08
But he's
35:09
the one who
35:09
introduced me
35:10
to all of
35:10
this.
35:11
And I
35:11
loved him
35:12
and I
35:12
couldn't
35:12
stand him
35:13
because he
35:13
would just
35:14
shoot down
35:14
what I
35:15
believe just
35:15
by saying
35:16
some things.
35:18
But one
35:20
time he
35:21
was just
35:23
sitting back
35:23
on the desk
35:24
with his
35:24
kind of
35:24
smug face,
35:25
kind of his
35:25
feet propped
35:26
up, and he
35:26
was just
35:27
like,
35:27
so what is
35:27
free will,
35:28
Clay?
35:28
And I
35:28
was like,
35:31
I don't
35:32
know,
35:32
I heard
35:33
a movie.
35:34
So,
35:35
he's like,
35:36
all right,
35:37
go figure
35:37
that out,
35:37
then come
35:38
back before
35:39
we continue
35:39
this.
35:40
So,
35:41
I just had
35:42
to wear it.
35:44
But in
35:45
short,
35:47
the will
35:48
is the
35:50
faculty or
35:51
the power
35:51
of making
35:52
choices.
35:53
Okay?
35:54
There's a
35:54
difference
35:55
between choosing
35:55
something and
35:57
willing something.
35:58
All right?
35:58
our will
35:59
is what
36:00
governs our
36:01
choices.
36:02
Right?
36:03
It controls
36:04
what choices
36:05
we make.
36:06
Our wills
36:06
do.
36:08
So,
36:09
let's go
36:10
back over
36:10
this a little
36:11
bit.
36:13
So,
36:13
there's
36:14
arguably
36:17
more,
36:17
but there's
36:18
three major
36:19
controversies.
36:21
So,
36:21
you had to
36:21
see the
36:21
scripture
36:22
first.
36:23
All right?
36:23
Now,
36:24
we're going
36:24
to look at
36:24
some church
36:25
history.
36:26
Not enough
36:27
just to have
36:27
church history.
36:28
But there
36:29
was a
36:30
major
36:30
controversy
36:31
around
36:31
1418,
36:33
the early
36:33
part of
36:34
the church
36:35
where
36:35
Augustine
36:38
was the
36:38
primary
36:39
influence
36:40
at that
36:41
time.
36:42
He coined
36:42
the term
36:43
original sin.
36:44
You've
36:44
heard that?
36:45
Like we're
36:45
born in a
36:46
fallen sinful
36:47
state.
36:47
Thinking about
36:48
what David
36:48
said and
36:49
others.
36:50
And he
36:51
wrote a
36:52
prayer in
36:54
his
36:54
confessions.
36:55
And it
36:55
basically said,
36:56
Lord,
36:57
command what
36:58
you will,
36:58
but grant
36:59
what you
37:00
command.
37:01
Meaning like,
37:02
Lord,
37:02
you've
37:02
commanded us
37:04
to do
37:04
this,
37:04
but give
37:05
us your
37:05
grace to
37:06
do it.
37:06
We need
37:07
your grace
37:08
to be
37:08
faithful to
37:08
you.
37:08
We need
37:09
your grace
37:09
to keep
37:09
your
37:10
commandments.
37:10
Right?
37:11
And so,
37:12
yeah,
37:13
it makes
37:13
sense to
37:13
us.
37:15
But there
37:15
was a
37:15
British
37:16
monk
37:16
named
37:17
Pelagius.
37:18
This is
37:18
like Romanized
37:19
Britain time.
37:21
And he
37:21
had an
37:22
issue with
37:22
that.
37:22
He was
37:23
like,
37:23
God
37:23
wouldn't
37:23
command us
37:24
to do
37:24
something
37:24
if we
37:25
couldn't
37:25
do it.
37:25
And it
37:28
just started
37:28
this huge
37:29
controversy
37:30
in the
37:30
church.
37:32
And he
37:32
was the
37:32
one who
37:32
talked about
37:33
the idea
37:34
of man's
37:34
will being
37:35
free.
37:37
Alright?
37:38
So look at
37:39
the Augustinian
37:40
view versus
37:41
the Pelagian
37:42
view.
37:43
Alright?
37:45
The
37:46
Augustinian
37:46
view,
37:47
we're going
37:47
to go
37:47
from left
37:49
to right
37:49
here.
37:50
Adam's sin
37:51
affected the
37:51
entire human
37:52
race.
37:53
That's what we
37:53
just read out
37:54
of Romans 5,
37:54
right?
37:56
Pelagius
37:57
said sin
37:57
affected only
37:58
Adam.
38:00
And he
38:00
coined the
38:01
phrase like
38:02
tabula
38:02
rosa,
38:03
right?
38:03
The clean
38:03
slave.
38:04
You're born
38:04
a clean
38:05
slave,
38:06
untainted
38:06
by sin.
38:08
Adam messed
38:08
up,
38:09
but you
38:09
don't have
38:09
to mess
38:09
up,
38:10
right?
38:10
That's kind
38:11
of what he
38:11
was basically
38:11
saying.
38:13
In short,
38:16
Augustin
38:17
taught man
38:17
was born
38:18
into a
38:18
state of
38:19
sin and
38:20
spiritually
38:21
dead,
38:21
right?
38:22
That's what
38:22
we just
38:22
read Ephesians
38:23
to.
38:24
He said,
38:25
no,
38:25
man is
38:25
born into
38:26
a state
38:26
of righteousness
38:27
and spiritual
38:28
life.
38:29
Clean
38:30
slave.
38:31
Alright?
38:32
Now here's
38:32
the deal.
38:34
Third,
38:35
man could
38:35
not
38:36
live or
38:38
do any
38:39
spiritual
38:39
good apart
38:40
from God's
38:41
sovereign
38:42
grace.
38:44
Then Pelagius
38:45
said,
38:46
man could
38:47
live and
38:48
do spiritual
38:48
good apart
38:49
from God's
38:49
grace.
38:51
None of
38:51
us would
38:51
probably go
38:52
that far,
38:52
right?
38:53
But basically
38:53
if this is
38:54
true,
38:54
the man
38:55
doesn't need
38:55
a savior.
38:56
He needs
38:56
a teacher.
38:57
He needs
38:58
some moral
38:58
assistance.
38:59
He needs
38:59
a life
39:00
coach.
39:01
He's got
39:01
the ability
39:02
within himself
39:04
because he's
39:04
not falling,
39:05
he's not
39:05
tainted.
39:07
So he
39:07
just needs
39:07
a teacher
39:07
to help
39:08
him.
39:08
Like,
39:08
yeah,
39:09
go that
39:09
way,
39:09
buddy.
39:10
Do this.
39:10
Live that
39:11
way.
39:12
And man
39:12
has the
39:12
ability.
39:13
He could
39:13
do it
39:14
on his
39:14
own without
39:15
Christ's
39:16
grace.
39:17
But eventually
39:18
the church
39:19
kind of
39:20
anathemaed
39:21
and kicked
39:22
Pelagius out
39:23
of the
39:23
official
39:24
accepted
39:24
church
39:25
at that
39:25
time.
39:27
Probably
39:27
for good.
39:29
Augustine
39:30
also taught
39:31
this about
39:31
the will
39:32
of man.
39:32
This is
39:32
important
39:33
because you're
39:33
like,
39:33
I make
39:34
choices
39:34
every day,
39:35
so aren't
39:36
I free?
39:36
Like,
39:38
I do this,
39:38
I want to
39:39
go home
39:40
and do
39:40
what I
39:41
want to
39:41
do and
39:41
go to
39:41
bed.
39:42
Well,
39:42
some of
39:42
you.
39:43
And so,
39:45
but this
39:45
is what
39:45
he defined
39:46
it as.
39:46
Free will
39:47
is the
39:47
faculty or
39:48
power by
39:49
which choices
39:50
are made.
39:51
Right?
39:52
Now,
39:53
he made a
39:53
distinction
39:54
between
39:56
earthly choices
39:57
and spiritual
39:58
choices.
39:58
moral
40:01
liberty,
40:02
the ability
40:03
to use
40:04
that faculty
40:05
of free
40:06
will to
40:07
embrace the
40:07
things of
40:07
God.
40:09
Does that
40:09
make sense?
40:11
Right?
40:12
After the
40:12
fall,
40:13
moral
40:13
liberty was
40:14
lost,
40:15
but free
40:16
will remained.
40:17
Meaning,
40:17
like,
40:18
yeah,
40:18
I can still
40:18
make choices,
40:19
but those
40:19
choices don't
40:21
include the
40:22
things of
40:22
God.
40:23
It's like
40:23
we can't
40:24
do things
40:25
spiritually.
40:26
But we can
40:27
make decisions
40:27
every day
40:28
but we're
40:29
kind of like
40:29
the walking
40:30
dead,
40:31
really.
40:31
We don't
40:32
have that
40:33
ability to
40:34
make any
40:35
spiritual good.
40:36
So he
40:36
equated that
40:37
with moral
40:37
liberty.
40:38
That was
40:38
lost after
40:39
the fall.
40:40
Right?
40:41
But not
40:41
until
40:42
regeneration
40:42
occurs and
40:43
man's,
40:44
is man's
40:45
moral liberty
40:46
returned.
40:47
Alright?
40:47
Now,
40:47
so when we're
40:48
born again,
40:50
that's restored.
40:51
Right?
40:52
God saves us.
40:53
He gives us
40:53
a new heart.
40:55
Puts His
40:55
spirit within
40:56
us.
40:56
Writes His
40:57
law in
40:57
our hearts.
40:57
And so,
40:59
so then,
41:00
after regeneration,
41:02
that moral
41:03
liberty is
41:03
restored where
41:04
we can freely
41:04
love God
41:05
again.
41:06
Alright?
41:06
So we're
41:07
not robots.
41:07
We're not
41:07
puppets.
41:08
We'll shoot
41:08
that,
41:08
we'll beat
41:09
that to
41:09
the ground.
41:10
Okay?
41:10
That's not
41:10
what this
41:11
is.
41:13
I think I
41:15
mentioned
41:15
that very
41:16
few people
41:17
that I
41:17
respect that
41:18
are on the
41:19
other side of
41:20
this debate
41:20
at all.
41:22
But one,
41:22
I think most
41:23
of us would
41:23
have a measure
41:24
of respect
41:24
for BCS
41:25
Lewis.
41:26
Right?
41:26
He won't
41:28
the very
41:28
few.
41:31
But we
41:31
would call him
41:32
more of a
41:32
writer and
41:33
literary guy
41:34
versus a
41:34
Bible teacher
41:35
and theologian.
41:36
But he
41:37
made a good
41:37
argument.
41:38
He said,
41:38
for love,
41:40
I'm paraphrasing,
41:41
for love to
41:42
be love,
41:43
it has to be
41:44
offered by
41:45
both parties.
41:45
Right?
41:46
You can't
41:46
force somebody
41:47
to love you.
41:48
You can't
41:48
impose your
41:49
love on them
41:49
and say,
41:49
love me.
41:50
It has to be
41:51
freely offered
41:52
by both parties.
41:54
Therefore,
41:55
he saw,
41:55
like God's
41:56
election or
41:57
God was
41:59
forcing his
42:00
love on
42:01
somebody who
42:02
didn't want
42:02
it.
42:03
I would
42:04
say,
42:04
I agree
42:05
with you,
42:07
C.S.
42:07
Lewis.
42:07
Like,
42:09
for love
42:09
to be
42:09
loved,
42:10
it has to
42:10
be freely
42:11
offered by
42:11
both parties.
42:13
Are we all
42:13
on board
42:13
with that?
42:15
You know
42:16
what the
42:16
problem is?
42:17
Anybody?
42:19
Are you
42:19
thinking about
42:19
a fallen
42:20
man?
42:21
He doesn't
42:22
have the
42:22
ability.
42:22
He won't.
42:23
He won't
42:24
love God.
42:25
Like,
42:25
cannot and
42:26
will not
42:27
love God
42:28
unless God
42:29
does something
42:30
first.
42:30
Unless God
42:31
gives him
42:32
a new heart.
42:34
And so
42:34
that's what
42:35
he basically
42:36
is saying
42:36
in the idea
42:37
is he gives
42:37
him back
42:38
moral liberty
42:39
after he's
42:39
born again.
42:40
That's
42:41
restore so
42:41
we can
42:42
freely love
42:42
God,
42:43
freely obey
42:44
God,
42:45
freely walk
42:46
with him.
42:48
Hey,
42:49
girls,
42:50
this is the
42:50
chart I
42:51
tried to
42:51
draw you
42:51
in the
42:52
back of
42:52
that
42:52
napkin.
42:53
Didn't
42:54
work out
42:54
real well.
42:55
So,
42:56
yeah?
42:57
there he
43:02
is.
43:02
Yeah,
43:03
I mean,
43:04
you can
43:05
just shoot
43:06
it out
43:06
all night.
43:07
Yeah,
43:07
it's all
43:07
over the
43:07
place.
43:08
We love
43:08
because he
43:09
first loved
43:10
us.
43:11
Exactly.
43:13
I want to
43:14
take credit
43:14
for this.
43:15
I think it
43:15
was out of
43:15
one of
43:16
R.C.
43:16
Spurl's
43:17
books a
43:17
long time
43:18
ago.
43:19
But look
43:19
at this.
43:20
Pre-fall,
43:21
Adam and
43:22
Eve,
43:22
we were
43:22
able to
43:23
sin and
43:24
able to
43:25
not sin.
43:26
They
43:27
sinned.
43:27
So then it
43:28
goes to
43:28
the fallen
43:29
depraved
43:30
condition.
43:31
Able to
43:31
sin,
43:33
unable to
43:34
not sin.
43:35
That's
43:35
like all
43:35
we can
43:36
do.
43:38
Regenerate.
43:38
This is
43:38
where we
43:39
are right
43:39
now.
43:41
We're able
43:41
to sin and
43:42
we're able
43:42
to not
43:43
sin.
43:43
We can
43:43
do both.
43:44
We can
43:45
choose to
43:45
please God
43:46
and obey
43:47
His commandments
43:48
with a
43:48
loving heart.
43:50
And we
43:50
can choose
43:51
to go back
43:51
to our
43:52
vomit.
43:53
As the
43:53
scripture
43:53
says.
43:54
To which
43:55
He promptly
43:56
kicks us
43:58
back out
43:59
of love.
44:01
But glorified,
44:02
which we're
44:02
all going
44:03
towards.
44:04
Able to
44:04
not sin.
44:06
Unable to
44:07
sin.
44:08
Yay!
44:09
Can't wait
44:09
until we
44:10
get to
44:10
that point.
44:13
Whoa.
44:15
Put the
44:16
plagianism
44:16
down.
44:17
Step
44:18
away.
44:19
I don't
44:19
know who
44:20
put that
44:20
in there.
44:20
All right.
44:25
So this,
44:25
so in
44:26
the
44:27
Reformation,
44:28
Luther
44:29
wrote a
44:31
book called
44:32
Bondage of
44:34
the Will.
44:34
Anybody
44:34
heard of
44:35
that book?
44:36
I worked
44:36
my way
44:36
through
44:37
about
44:37
maybe
44:37
halfway
44:38
of it
44:38
and I
44:38
let a
44:39
prim bar
44:39
and I
44:39
never
44:39
finished
44:40
reading it.
44:40
So,
44:41
Rome was
44:48
getting their
44:48
clock
44:49
cleaned
44:50
by the
44:51
reformers.
44:52
Needless to
44:53
say,
44:53
they were
44:53
losing a lot
44:54
of support.
44:55
And so
44:55
they got
44:56
their top
44:56
deologian,
44:58
their number
44:58
one guy,
45:00
Desiderius
45:01
Erasmus.
45:03
And they
45:04
said,
45:04
hey,
45:04
we want
45:04
you to
45:05
take an
45:06
aim
45:06
at Luther.
45:08
like,
45:09
go after
45:09
his
45:10
teaching
45:10
and like,
45:12
you know,
45:14
he did
45:14
some
45:15
valuable
45:16
things.
45:16
He actually
45:17
wrote a
45:17
Greek New
45:18
Testament
45:18
that he
45:21
actually
45:21
pointed out
45:22
to the
45:22
Pope,
45:23
hey,
45:23
the Latin
45:24
Volgae
45:24
actually has
45:25
some errors
45:25
in it.
45:26
It's not
45:27
consistent with
45:28
the Greek
45:28
and the
45:28
Pope's
45:28
like,
45:28
yeah,
45:29
thanks,
45:29
thank you,
45:30
good,
45:30
go sit
45:31
down,
45:32
in short,
45:32
kind of
45:32
dismissed it.
45:34
But yeah,
45:34
he pointed
45:34
out that the
45:35
Volgae had
45:35
many errors
45:36
in it.
45:36
Some people
45:37
say,
45:37
the Bible
45:37
had errors
45:38
in it.
45:38
Yeah,
45:38
it did.
45:39
Well,
45:39
a certain
45:39
translation
45:40
of it did.
45:41
Not the
45:41
original
45:41
language
45:42
that we
45:42
have.
45:45
But,
45:45
what's really
45:46
funny is that
45:47
Luther loved
45:48
Erasmus'
45:49
Greek New
45:49
Testament.
45:50
He used it
45:51
all the
45:51
time.
45:52
Then he
45:52
used his
45:53
own work
45:53
against him
45:54
in this
45:54
debate,
45:55
which is
45:55
really
45:55
funny.
45:57
If you
45:58
know anything
45:58
about Luther,
45:59
he was not
45:59
like a nice,
46:00
quiet,
46:00
polite guy.
46:01
He was more
46:01
like the guy
46:02
you might see
46:02
in a tavern
46:02
with a beer
46:03
and a turkey
46:03
leg.
46:05
That's kind
46:05
of more of
46:06
his personality.
46:06
bull in a
46:08
china closet.
46:10
Not real
46:10
refined.
46:12
That would be
46:12
more like
46:12
Calvin's
46:13
personality.
46:14
So what
46:14
Erasmus did
46:15
was that he
46:17
took what
46:19
Pelagius taught,
46:20
but he just
46:20
took it a step
46:20
further.
46:21
Right?
46:22
Alright,
46:23
man's not
46:23
born clean.
46:26
He's born
46:27
sinful,
46:27
but he
46:28
hasn't lost
46:29
all his
46:29
ability yet.
46:30
He still
46:31
has some
46:31
ability left
46:32
in order
46:33
to cooperate
46:34
with the
46:34
grace of
46:35
God.
46:35
Is that
46:35
right?
46:35
Follow that?
46:36
He just
46:36
took it
46:36
a step
46:37
further.
46:37
So man
46:39
is sick.
46:40
That's
46:41
basically what
46:41
you could
46:41
equate it
46:41
to.
46:42
Man is
46:43
sick and
46:43
he needs
46:44
a physician.
46:45
That physician
46:46
shows up and
46:46
says,
46:47
hey,
46:47
take my
46:47
medicine,
46:48
take my
46:48
remedy,
46:49
and you
46:49
can use
46:50
your free
46:50
will at
46:51
that point
46:51
to say,
46:52
okay,
46:52
I'm on
46:52
board,
46:53
like
46:53
Satan.
46:54
Get this
46:54
done.
46:56
So that's
46:57
where most
46:57
people,
46:59
probably in the
46:59
evangelical church
47:00
probably fall
47:01
right?
47:01
Most of
47:02
us,
47:02
that's
47:02
why I
47:03
grew up
47:03
kind of
47:03
thinking,
47:04
I'm really
47:04
sick and
47:05
Jesus is
47:06
going to
47:06
give me
47:06
my
47:06
medicine,
47:07
I'm
47:07
going to
47:07
get
47:07
better.
47:09
So that's
47:09
the controversy.
47:11
It's called
47:11
the,
47:11
in history,
47:13
it's called
47:13
the monergism,
47:14
synergism.
47:14
So monergism
47:15
meaning God
47:16
alone,
47:17
and synergism
47:18
meaning like
47:19
two parts
47:21
working together
47:22
to achieve
47:23
something,
47:24
right?
47:24
So meaning
47:24
God and
47:25
man working
47:26
together to
47:27
achieve
47:27
salvation,
47:28
right?
47:30
So look at
47:30
point number
47:30
one,
47:31
Luther,
47:32
man's
47:33
fall into
47:33
sin brought
47:34
spiritual death
47:35
to man,
47:35
and he
47:35
taught the
47:36
same thing
47:36
that Augustine
47:37
taught.
47:38
Luther was
47:39
in fact an
47:39
Augustinian
47:40
monk before
47:41
he went
47:42
to teach
47:42
theology at
47:43
Pittenberg.
47:45
And then
47:45
Erasmus said
47:47
man's fall into
47:48
sin disabled
47:50
man's spiritual
47:51
ability,
47:51
okay?
47:52
So it
47:52
impaired him.
47:53
It didn't
47:53
wipe him
47:54
out.
47:55
So basically
47:55
sick as
47:56
opposed to
47:56
dead.
47:56
sin.
47:58
Number two,
47:59
man's will
47:59
is in
48:00
bondage to
48:01
sin and
48:02
must be
48:02
set free
48:03
by sovereign
48:06
grace.
48:06
So it's in
48:07
bondage to
48:07
sin,
48:08
meaning it
48:09
only can
48:09
sin,
48:10
which is what
48:10
we just read
48:11
a bunch of
48:11
scriptures about.
48:13
He said,
48:14
no,
48:14
it's free.
48:15
Man's will
48:16
is free to
48:16
embrace sin
48:17
or the
48:18
things of
48:18
God.
48:18
It can go
48:19
either way.
48:19
then thirdly,
48:23
salvation is
48:23
completely the
48:24
work of God
48:25
alone.
48:26
And salvation
48:27
is achieved by
48:27
God's work and
48:28
man's exercising
48:29
of free will.
48:30
So it's
48:31
synergistic.
48:33
So,
48:34
Luther really
48:36
did win the
48:37
day.
48:37
He quoted
48:37
so many
48:38
scriptures in
48:39
bondage to
48:39
the will.
48:40
Think about
48:40
what he's
48:41
saying.
48:41
He's saying
48:41
your will
48:41
is in
48:42
bondage and
48:42
needs to
48:43
be set free
48:44
by God.
48:46
But I
48:46
couldn't resist.
48:47
Like, if
48:48
y'all know
48:48
him, he's
48:48
very sarcastic.
48:50
He actually
48:50
addressed Erasmus
48:51
at the end
48:52
of the book,
48:53
just for fun.
48:54
He's talking
48:55
to Erasmus.
48:56
He goes,
48:57
it is sad
48:59
to have to
48:59
remind a
49:00
theologian
49:00
like you
49:01
of these
49:01
things.
49:02
As if you
49:03
were a
49:03
pupil instead
49:04
of one who
49:05
ought to be
49:05
teaching others,
49:07
I owe you
49:07
a small
49:08
thanks,
49:09
for you
49:09
have made
49:09
me far
49:10
more sure
49:11
of my
49:11
position by
49:12
letting me
49:13
see the
49:14
case for
49:14
which free
49:15
choice put
49:16
forward with
49:17
all the
49:17
energy so
49:19
distinguished
49:19
and so
49:20
powerful a
49:20
mind,
49:21
but with
49:22
no other
49:22
effect than
49:23
that to
49:23
make things
49:24
worse than
49:25
before.
49:26
So he
49:27
basically is
49:27
saying,
49:28
thank you for
49:28
challenging me
49:30
on this,
49:30
because you
49:31
really,
49:32
you know,
49:33
when your
49:33
belief is
49:34
challenged,
49:34
you either
49:35
retreat on
49:35
that belief
49:36
or you dig
49:36
in deeper.
49:37
He's like,
49:37
yeah,
49:37
I'm sure,
49:39
because like,
49:40
this may
49:41
look stupid
49:41
pretty much,
49:42
and Luther's
49:44
teaching on
49:45
the bonds
49:46
of the
49:46
will carried
49:47
the day,
49:48
really.
49:50
Yep.
49:51
So the
49:51
next,
49:52
any questions?
49:53
One last
49:53
controversy
49:54
here.
49:57
I'll hold
49:57
off.
49:59
All right,
50:00
so the
50:00
next one,
50:02
the one a
50:02
lot of people
50:03
know about,
50:03
was the
50:05
Calvinist
50:05
Arminian
50:06
controversy,
50:08
1618.
50:10
What's the
50:11
connection
50:11
between Calvin
50:12
and the
50:12
year 1618?
50:13
Anybody?
50:17
Oh,
50:17
come on.
50:18
Think
50:18
timeline.
50:20
When did
50:20
Calvin live?
50:23
1618?
50:26
He did.
50:29
He was
50:29
dead a long
50:30
time ago.
50:32
So,
50:32
so why is
50:33
it called
50:34
that?
50:36
Shoot,
50:36
he died in
50:37
the 1500s.
50:39
I don't
50:39
remember the
50:39
exact date.
50:41
Like,
50:41
mid to
50:41
late 1500s.
50:43
So,
50:44
so,
50:45
but the
50:45
people that
50:46
he taught,
50:47
the people
50:47
he had
50:47
influence on,
50:49
were the
50:49
people who
50:50
responded to
50:50
Arminius.
50:51
Does that
50:51
make sense?
50:52
So,
50:52
that's why
50:53
it's called
50:53
that.
50:54
So,
50:54
Calvin didn't
50:55
like sit
50:55
down one
50:55
day and
50:56
like,
50:56
you know
50:56
what,
50:56
I'm going
50:56
to write
50:57
up my
50:58
theology
50:58
in five
50:58
points.
50:59
So,
50:59
he didn't
50:59
actually
51:00
work that
51:00
way.
51:01
This was a
51:02
response to,
51:03
what Arminius
51:04
thought.
51:05
So,
51:05
Arminius
51:05
wrote these
51:08
points to
51:12
basically state
51:13
this
51:13
surferiology,
51:14
what he
51:14
believed the
51:14
scripture said,
51:16
and he put it
51:16
forward,
51:17
and they took
51:17
those scriptures
51:18
at the
51:19
Senate of
51:19
Dort,
51:20
D-O-R-T,
51:21
if I don't know
51:21
the funny name,
51:22
and they
51:22
examined them,
51:23
like the
51:23
Dutch
51:24
church examined
51:25
these scriptures,
51:27
the Dutch
51:27
Reformed
51:28
church at that
51:28
time.
51:29
Oh,
51:29
they examined
51:30
his writings,
51:30
excuse me,
51:32
then they
51:32
responded by
51:33
saying,
51:33
no,
51:33
not okay,
51:35
and here's
51:35
where they
51:37
kind of
51:37
landed.
51:39
So,
51:41
let's just
51:43
go from
51:43
right to
51:44
left this
51:44
time,
51:44
but basically
51:45
Arminius was
51:46
taking up
51:46
the same
51:47
position that
51:48
Erasmus,
51:49
man is sick,
51:51
but his
51:52
will is still
51:53
somewhat free,
51:54
and has some
51:55
ability to
51:56
choose God,
51:56
as where they
51:58
said no,
51:58
like man's
51:59
will is
51:59
completely
52:00
enslaved to
52:01
sin,
52:01
completely
52:01
and totally
52:03
depraved.
52:05
Alright,
52:05
conditional
52:05
election.
52:07
So,
52:08
no one wants
52:08
to fight the
52:09
idea that
52:10
God chose,
52:11
right?
52:11
We see that
52:11
all in the
52:12
Bible.
52:13
So,
52:13
people want
52:14
to say,
52:15
then,
52:16
what was
52:16
the condition
52:17
in which God
52:19
chose or
52:19
didn't choose?
52:21
And,
52:21
we did the
52:22
whole sermon
52:23
on that
52:23
a while back,
52:26
two sermons
52:26
on it,
52:27
but,
52:28
what he
52:30
would say
52:30
is that
52:32
God used
52:33
his foresight.
52:35
They looked
52:35
down in
52:36
time and
52:38
said,
52:38
hey,
52:38
you know
52:38
what?
52:40
That Ty
52:41
Burnett,
52:41
he's a
52:42
silly boy,
52:42
and he's
52:42
going to
52:43
do some
52:43
bad things,
52:44
but you
52:44
know what?
52:44
One day,
52:45
he's going
52:45
to place
52:45
faith in
52:46
me,
52:47
so therefore,
52:48
I'm going
52:48
to choose
52:48
him.
52:50
So,
52:50
that was
52:50
the condition.
52:51
Like,
52:51
faith was
52:52
the condition
52:52
by which God
52:54
chose,
52:55
right?
52:55
That's what
52:55
they're going
52:56
to say.
52:56
Like,
52:56
he,
52:56
they'll
52:58
want to
52:59
try to
52:59
use the
52:59
word foreknowledge.
53:00
That word
53:00
has nothing
53:01
to do,
53:01
like,
53:02
you know,
53:03
this ability
53:03
to,
53:04
it's not
53:04
foresight,
53:05
it actually
53:05
has to do
53:06
with,
53:06
like,
53:06
relational
53:06
knowledge,
53:07
like,
53:07
God knew
53:08
who those
53:08
people were,
53:09
who he
53:10
was going
53:11
to elect
53:11
and choose.
53:12
So,
53:13
that was
53:13
the condition,
53:14
that condition
53:14
was faith,
53:15
but what
53:15
we'll look
53:15
at in a
53:16
few weeks
53:17
is that
53:17
faith itself
53:18
is a gift
53:19
from God.
53:20
and,
53:21
actually,
53:23
what we
53:23
taught on
53:23
is actually
53:24
election is
53:25
unconditional.
53:26
We read that
53:26
right in
53:26
Romans 9,
53:27
like,
53:27
that his
53:27
purpose,
53:29
his election
53:29
might stand.
53:33
Universal
53:33
atonement,
53:35
Jesus died
53:37
on the cross
53:38
for every
53:39
single individual
53:40
ever to walk
53:41
the earth,
53:42
period.
53:43
He died
53:43
for you,
53:44
he died
53:44
for Mother
53:44
Teresa,
53:45
he died
53:45
for Hitler,
53:46
he died
53:46
for Stalin,
53:47
he died
53:47
for your
53:47
best friend,
53:49
he died
53:49
for them all.
53:50
We would
53:52
say no.
53:54
He died
53:55
for the
53:56
elect,
53:57
he died
53:57
for his
53:58
people,
53:58
he died
53:59
for the
53:59
ones that
53:59
the Father
54:01
shows,
54:02
right?
54:03
So,
54:03
it's a
54:04
limited
54:05
atonement.
54:08
I think,
54:10
notice I said
54:10
tulip,
54:11
T-U-L-I-P,
54:14
you know,
54:16
limited
54:16
atonements
54:17
can be a
54:17
bad phrase,
54:18
but we'll
54:18
just say
54:19
this,
54:19
like,
54:19
Christ's
54:20
atonement
54:20
was limited
54:21
in one
54:22
way or
54:24
another.
54:25
If you
54:26
believe that
54:26
it was
54:27
meant to
54:27
save everybody,
54:28
then it's
54:28
limited in
54:29
its power,
54:29
because it's
54:30
not going to
54:30
save everybody,
54:31
and we know
54:31
that.
54:31
Scripture
54:32
says that,
54:32
and we see
54:33
it all
54:33
around us.
54:34
So it's
54:35
limited in
54:35
its power,
54:36
if it's
54:36
not going to
54:37
save everybody,
54:38
or it's
54:39
limited in
54:40
its extension.
54:42
That's what I
54:42
believe.
54:43
That's what I
54:43
think Scripture
54:44
teaches,
54:44
meaning that
54:45
it saved
54:46
exactly who
54:47
it was meant
54:47
to save,
54:48
Christ bought
54:50
us with
54:50
His blood.
54:52
That blood
54:53
is precious,
54:53
not just
54:54
like wasted
54:54
and thrown
54:55
around on
54:55
everybody,
54:56
right?
54:57
He gets
54:57
what He
54:58
died for.
54:59
He gets
55:00
His people.
55:00
He gets
55:01
the reward
55:01
of His
55:02
suffering.
55:04
Yep.
55:05
I had a big
55:06
problem with
55:07
that one back
55:07
in the day.
55:08
I was like,
55:08
no.
55:09
two.
55:10
And there
55:11
are a few
55:11
Scriptures that
55:12
may seem to
55:13
say contrary,
55:14
but like using
55:15
the simple
55:15
hermeneutic of
55:16
let me use
55:17
the 50 to
55:19
understand the
55:19
two or three,
55:20
not the other
55:20
way around,
55:21
and that kind
55:22
of worked
55:22
for me.
55:23
I understood
55:24
it at that
55:24
point.
55:25
Then we get
55:27
into the work
55:28
of the Spirit.
55:30
Arminius
55:30
taught that
55:31
when the
55:32
Holy Spirit
55:33
calls,
55:33
you hear the
55:34
Gospel,
55:34
right?
55:35
You hear the
55:35
Holy Spirit
55:35
pulling on you,
55:36
that man
55:38
has the
55:39
free will
55:39
to reject
55:41
it or
55:41
receive it
55:42
on his own.
55:44
Like to
55:44
reject it or
55:45
deceive it
55:45
on his own.
55:48
As where
55:49
the Calvinists,
55:51
I'd say,
55:52
I guess taught,
55:53
no,
55:54
God's grace
55:54
is irresistible.
55:55
He makes it
55:56
irresistible to
55:57
the elect.
55:58
And He makes
55:59
it irresistible
55:59
to those
56:00
that the
56:00
Father gave
56:01
Him.
56:02
And He
56:02
overcomes
56:03
all resistance.
56:04
real quick.
56:08
How many of
56:09
you know
56:09
the Scripture
56:10
in Acts,
56:10
you stiff-necked
56:11
people always
56:13
rejecting the
56:14
grace of God?
56:16
Well,
56:16
that verse.
56:17
That's a quote
56:17
from the Old
56:17
Testament,
56:18
I think.
56:19
Yeah.
56:20
So there it
56:20
is,
56:20
right?
56:21
We can
56:21
reject God's
56:22
grace right
56:22
there in that
56:23
verse.
56:25
Well,
56:26
it might be
56:27
said of me
56:28
at one point,
56:29
I rejected
56:29
the grace of
56:30
God too,
56:31
right?
56:31
And you
56:31
too.
56:33
But there
56:33
was a moment
56:33
where God
56:34
said,
56:34
enough.
56:35
And He
56:36
overcame
56:37
that resistance
56:38
in your
56:39
will.
56:40
And He
56:40
regenerated
56:41
your heart.
56:42
And He
56:42
was hunting
56:42
you down
56:43
day and
56:43
night.
56:44
And that's
56:44
what you
56:45
see in
56:45
the Scripture,
56:46
right?
56:46
You don't
56:46
see God
56:47
being like,
56:47
come on
56:48
guys,
56:48
please follow
56:49
me,
56:49
somebody.
56:50
You see
56:51
Him hunting
56:51
down people.
56:52
He's like,
56:53
that guy,
56:54
that guy.
56:55
Paul,
56:56
Saul of
56:56
Tarsus,
56:57
you're mine.
56:58
You don't
56:58
have a choice
56:58
in the matter.
57:00
Right?
57:00
That's what
57:00
you see.
57:02
You don't
57:02
see God
57:02
being a lonely
57:03
old man,
57:03
calling people,
57:04
to himself,
57:05
just hoping
57:05
somebody will
57:06
take up the
57:07
Gospel.
57:09
Alright?
57:09
So then,
57:11
Arminius
57:11
consistently,
57:12
okay,
57:12
and if I
57:13
think
57:13
philosophically,
57:14
logically,
57:16
he thought,
57:16
oh,
57:17
okay,
57:17
if man's
57:18
free will
57:18
is that
57:20
God comes
57:22
and he
57:22
initiates,
57:23
the man
57:23
responds
57:24
with his
57:24
free will.
57:25
And God
57:26
is not
57:26
going to
57:26
take that
57:27
faculty away.
57:28
Free will
57:28
is so
57:28
valuable to
57:29
God,
57:29
right?
57:31
Then he
57:32
consistently
57:32
taught that
57:34
that same
57:34
free will
57:35
can lead
57:35
you to
57:35
damnation.
57:37
You can
57:37
walk away
57:38
from the
57:38
grace of
57:39
God.
57:39
You can
57:39
lose
57:40
your
57:41
salvation.
57:42
That's
57:42
pretty scary.
57:44
But he's
57:44
consistent.
57:45
He's being
57:46
consistent.
57:46
Like,
57:46
yep,
57:47
you can
57:47
choose it,
57:48
and you
57:48
can
57:48
unchoose it.
57:49
You can
57:49
come to
57:50
grace,
57:51
and you
57:51
can fall
57:51
away from
57:52
grace.
57:54
So today,
57:55
you know,
57:57
Methodists,
57:58
Wesleyans,
57:58
they consistently
57:59
believe that.
58:01
That's true.
58:01
It's consistent.
58:02
But what we
58:04
have today is
58:05
a new theology
58:05
that nobody
58:06
would agree
58:06
with in the
58:07
past.
58:07
It's like,
58:07
yeah,
58:08
you initiate
58:08
it,
58:09
but then God
58:10
finishes it
58:12
for you,
58:12
right?
58:13
He's not
58:13
going to
58:13
let you
58:14
go no
58:15
matter
58:15
what you
58:15
do.
58:16
That's
58:16
not what
58:17
is
58:17
consistent.
58:18
Both
58:18
Wesley,
58:20
Arminius,
58:20
and Calvin
58:21
would disagree
58:22
with that.
58:23
So God's
58:24
not going to
58:24
take that
58:25
away from
58:25
you if
58:25
that's
58:25
what's
58:26
so valuable.
58:26
But,
58:27
if it
58:28
started with
58:28
God,
58:29
it's going
58:29
to finish
58:30
with God.
58:30
See that?
58:32
Hey,
58:32
that sounds
58:32
like a
58:32
Bible verse.
58:36
Yep.
58:37
Yep,
58:37
author and
58:38
finisher of
58:38
faith,
58:38
right?
58:39
And,
58:40
and another
58:41
one.
58:43
Yep.
58:45
He started
58:45
it,
58:46
he finishes
58:47
it.
58:48
And man,
58:48
I'm so
58:49
glad for
58:49
that one.
58:50
Because I
58:50
think I'd
58:51
be unsaved
58:52
every day.
58:53
And that's
58:54
what some
58:54
traditions teach.
58:55
That's what
58:55
Rome teaches.
58:56
That's what,
58:57
in short,
58:59
Methodists
58:59
teach.
59:00
And again,
59:01
that's what
59:01
Rome taught.
59:02
I'm not
59:02
trying to go
59:03
along with
59:04
that.
59:04
But like,
59:04
no,
59:04
no,
59:04
no.
59:05
God keeps
59:06
you.
59:06
Like,
59:07
He saved
59:07
you.
59:08
He shows
59:10
you before
59:10
the foundation
59:11
of the world.
59:13
His son
59:13
died and
59:14
shed his
59:15
blood to
59:16
cover your
59:16
sin and give
59:17
you his
59:17
righteousness.
59:19
And the
59:19
Holy Spirit
59:19
applies that
59:20
work to
59:21
you at
59:22
the moment,
59:23
right,
59:23
that you're
59:24
born again.
59:25
And then by
59:25
God's Spirit,
59:26
He keeps you
59:27
until the end,
59:28
until you
59:28
breathe your
59:28
last.
59:29
Like,
59:29
you may
59:29
struggle,
59:30
you may,
59:31
your faith
59:31
may go like
59:31
this a little
59:32
bit,
59:32
you know.
59:33
Hopefully it's
59:34
kind of going
59:34
more like
59:35
this,
59:35
but we
59:37
were persevered
59:38
until the end
59:39
and we are
59:39
saved.
59:41
All right?
59:43
All my
59:44
Irish friends
59:44
sent me this
59:45
about a few
59:46
years ago.
59:47
the five-point
59:48
baconists,
59:50
you don't like
59:50
Calvinism.
59:51
Bad people,
59:53
already elected,
59:55
completely atoned
59:56
for,
59:57
overwhelmingly
59:58
called,
59:59
never falling
59:59
away.
1:00:00
Yeah.
1:00:03
And Spurgeon
1:00:05
said,
1:00:08
I have my
1:00:11
own private
1:00:11
opinion that
1:00:12
there is no
1:00:13
such thing as
1:00:14
preaching Christ
1:00:15
and Him
1:00:16
crucified unless
1:00:17
we preach
1:00:17
what nowadays
1:00:19
is called
1:00:19
Calvinism.
1:00:21
It has a
1:00:21
nickname to
1:00:22
call it
1:00:23
Calvinism.
1:00:24
Calvinism is
1:00:25
the gospel
1:00:26
and nothing
1:00:26
else.
1:00:28
So,
1:00:30
Nathan was
1:00:31
at
1:00:32
Turret
1:00:33
McConnell.
1:00:34
I'm not going
1:00:34
to know that.
1:00:35
He worked at
1:00:35
Turret
1:00:35
McConnell for a
1:00:36
while.
1:00:37
They are not
1:00:37
Calvinists there
1:00:38
at all.
1:00:39
He had a lot
1:00:40
of stuff all the
1:00:41
time.
1:00:41
He said,
1:00:41
okay,
1:00:42
that's okay.
1:00:42
Make fun of
1:00:43
me.
1:00:44
And I
1:00:44
heard two
1:00:45
professors
1:00:45
laughing,
1:00:47
kind of,
1:00:47
ha,
1:00:48
ha,
1:00:48
ha.
1:00:48
Isn't this
1:00:49
so stupid
1:00:49
that so many
1:00:50
people think
1:00:50
that Spurgeon
1:00:51
was a
1:00:51
Calvinist?
1:00:52
And he
1:00:52
wanted to
1:00:52
be like,
1:00:53
no,
1:00:54
he did.
1:00:54
He had a
1:00:54
book call.
1:00:56
Yes.
1:00:58
Calvinism is
1:00:59
the gospel.
1:01:00
It was the
1:01:00
name of the
1:01:00
book that he
1:01:00
wrote.
1:01:01
So,
1:01:02
yeah,
1:01:03
just really
1:01:04
funny.
1:01:05
But,
1:01:05
this is what
1:01:06
we can talk
1:01:07
about for a
1:01:08
minute.
1:01:08
But how
1:01:09
has the
1:01:09
depth and
1:01:10
severity of our
1:01:11
sin magnify
1:01:12
the work
1:01:12
of Christ
1:01:15
in the
1:01:15
gospel?
1:01:17
What do
1:01:18
you think?
1:01:20
That's
1:01:21
critical.
1:01:21
This is why
1:01:22
this is
1:01:22
applicable.
1:01:24
This isn't
1:01:24
just theory.
1:01:27
Anybody?
1:01:33
Does the
1:01:34
question make
1:01:34
sense?
1:01:34
I have a
1:01:35
problem writing
1:01:35
questions.
1:01:36
People don't
1:01:36
understand.
1:01:36
I have to
1:01:37
reword it.
1:01:41
I think
1:01:43
the
1:01:44
parable.
1:01:46
People
1:01:47
will
1:01:48
forget it.
1:01:49
Sin was
1:01:49
greater.
1:01:50
Yeah.
1:01:52
Yep.
1:01:52
I think
1:01:57
like the
1:01:58
original
1:01:59
intent in
1:02:00
the
1:02:00
garden.
1:02:01
Ty's
1:02:02
reference of
1:02:02
this morning
1:02:03
back in
1:02:04
chapter 2,
1:02:06
the design
1:02:07
was that the
1:02:08
glory of the
1:02:08
Lord would be
1:02:09
over the
1:02:11
earth as the
1:02:12
waters cover the
1:02:13
sea.
1:02:14
And like,
1:02:15
I just think
1:02:16
of how if
1:02:17
that is God's
1:02:18
greatest
1:02:19
pursuit in
1:02:21
this world,
1:02:22
and we've
1:02:23
broken it,
1:02:25
we've
1:02:26
rejected that
1:02:27
plan,
1:02:28
then like
1:02:29
any credit
1:02:30
to restore
1:02:31
and to make
1:02:32
things fulfill
1:02:34
their purpose,
1:02:36
and to credit
1:02:38
man with any
1:02:39
of it,
1:02:39
when the only
1:02:39
thing we have
1:02:40
credit for is
1:02:41
the disruption
1:02:43
and the
1:02:44
rejection of
1:02:44
the Lord
1:02:45
is a
1:02:46
beautiful
1:02:46
man.
1:02:47
I think
1:02:48
it's
1:02:50
mind-boggling
1:02:51
to think
1:02:55
that the
1:02:55
restoration of
1:02:56
God's purpose
1:02:57
could be
1:02:58
credited to
1:02:58
ourselves.
1:03:01
I think it
1:03:02
just gives a
1:03:02
lot of hope
1:03:03
that if God's
1:03:04
purpose is to
1:03:04
glorify Himself,
1:03:05
He will do
1:03:07
it through
1:03:08
saving sinners,
1:03:10
and not
1:03:10
because of us,
1:03:12
but despite
1:03:13
us.
1:03:14
Yes,
1:03:14
despite us.
1:03:16
Yep.
1:03:17
For me,
1:03:19
kind of going
1:03:19
back to what
1:03:20
Jeff said,
1:03:20
I hear about
1:03:21
the tendencies
1:03:22
that we
1:03:23
have to not
1:03:24
want to be
1:03:25
in the Word
1:03:25
or not
1:03:26
seek the Word,
1:03:27
I think for
1:03:28
me a lot
1:03:29
of times that
1:03:30
comes from
1:03:32
the
1:03:32
place in
1:03:34
seeing my
1:03:38
sin for
1:03:38
what it is,
1:03:39
and seeing
1:03:42
it for
1:03:43
how depraved
1:03:45
that it
1:03:46
really is,
1:03:46
how much
1:03:48
it screams
1:03:51
in the
1:03:52
face of
1:03:52
God.
1:03:53
The
1:03:53
contrary to
1:03:54
me,
1:03:55
if I'm not
1:03:56
seeing that
1:03:57
and walking
1:03:58
in that
1:03:59
truth,
1:04:00
then I
1:04:01
don't
1:04:01
put the
1:04:04
value on
1:04:04
what Christ
1:04:05
is on,
1:04:06
and continue
1:04:07
just seeking
1:04:08
for it,
1:04:09
worshiping
1:04:10
that.
1:04:10
for us
1:04:19
to
1:04:19
understand
1:04:19
this,
1:04:20
we
1:04:20
have all
1:04:22
rebelled
1:04:22
against God,
1:04:23
and we've
1:04:25
done so
1:04:26
directly and
1:04:26
indirectly.
1:04:27
You know what I mean?
1:04:28
of that.
1:04:28
Like some
1:04:28
people say,
1:04:30
you know what
1:04:30
God,
1:04:30
I know you're
1:04:31
there and I
1:04:31
don't care.
1:04:32
I want to give you
1:04:32
the birds,
1:04:33
I'm going to do
1:04:33
what I want to do.
1:04:34
I'm going to live
1:04:34
my life and be
1:04:37
the captain of my
1:04:38
own destiny.
1:04:39
And you quote the
1:04:39
poem, right?
1:04:41
So some people do
1:04:42
that, but I
1:04:44
don't say most
1:04:45
people live in
1:04:46
rebelling to
1:04:46
God in an
1:04:47
indirect way,
1:04:48
meaning that they
1:04:48
don't think about
1:04:49
Him.
1:04:50
They treat Him
1:04:50
as if He's not
1:04:51
there, which is
1:04:53
to say that God
1:04:54
is small, that He's
1:04:55
insignificant, that
1:04:56
He's not important,
1:04:57
and He doesn't
1:04:57
have the right to
1:04:58
rule over your
1:04:58
life.
1:04:59
And so no matter
1:05:00
what we do, we
1:05:01
then rebel
1:05:02
towards God.
1:05:04
But when I
1:05:05
asked that question
1:05:06
about how is
1:05:08
understanding our
1:05:09
sin, the
1:05:09
greatness of our
1:05:10
sin, magnify the
1:05:12
work of Christ, I
1:05:13
think about what
1:05:13
John Newton said.
1:05:15
He said,
1:05:16
and in his old
1:05:17
age, my memory
1:05:18
is nearly gone,
1:05:19
but I remember
1:05:19
two things.
1:05:20
I'm a great
1:05:21
sinner in Christ,
1:05:23
and that Christ
1:05:23
is a great Savior.
1:05:26
So the greater
1:05:27
our sin, the
1:05:27
greater the Savior.
1:05:28
That's kind of
1:05:29
the point of
1:05:29
this.
1:05:30
So if Pelagius
1:05:31
was right, Christ
1:05:33
wasn't that great
1:05:33
of a Savior.
1:05:35
If Erasmus was
1:05:37
right, Christ
1:05:38
wasn't that great
1:05:39
of a Savior
1:05:39
either.
1:05:39
He was like,
1:05:40
yeah, a little
1:05:41
bit, not really.
1:05:42
But if we are
1:05:43
really fallen, like
1:05:44
we just read in
1:05:45
the Scripture,
1:05:45
then man, he
1:05:46
is like an
1:05:47
incredible Savior
1:05:48
then.
1:05:49
Like, we have
1:05:50
to have one
1:05:50
because our
1:05:51
condition is that
1:05:52
bad.
1:05:53
We have to have
1:05:53
somebody that
1:05:54
great to save
1:05:55
us.
1:05:56
This is what was
1:05:57
written on his
1:05:58
tombstone.
1:06:01
John Newton,
1:06:02
once an infidel
1:06:04
and libertine,
1:06:06
a servant of
1:06:06
slaves in Africa,
1:06:08
was by the rich
1:06:09
mercy of our
1:06:10
Lord and Savior
1:06:11
Jesus Christ
1:06:12
preserved,
1:06:12
restored,
1:06:13
pardoned,
1:06:13
and appointed
1:06:15
to preach
1:06:15
the faith
1:06:16
that he had
1:06:16
long labored
1:06:17
to destroy.
1:06:19
Yeah, I feel
1:06:21
that, you know,
1:06:22
very much so.
1:06:24
But we'll have
1:06:26
some close by
1:06:27
Newton in the
1:06:27
future here.