WEBVTT

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Well, once again, good morning. You'll notice

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that there's three of us from our elder team

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up here this morning. And roughly once a quarter

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or so, we have an elder panel. And we believe

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that this is really helpful in the life of the

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church to be able to understand that God has

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equipped the men who lead our body to teach and

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that we are of one mind as we lead by his grace.

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we recognize as well that it's a helpful thing

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to hear from multiple people in many cases. And

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in the case of this morning, we're going to be

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diving into some rich truths. This morning can

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often feel like spiritual no man's land for many

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of us. We've come off of a rich study in the

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Reformation, celebrating the faithfulness of

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God, and we also begin anticipating the Thanksgiving

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and the Advent seasons. Many of us find ourselves

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intentionally slowing down. eager for a more

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intentional pace of life and reflection, which

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is ironic because there seems to be more chaos

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at the same time. Many of us, although we would

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never admit it out loud, would say that we're

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anxious. We're anxious about relationships, work,

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end -of -the -year bills, whether or not we're

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going to get that big bonus, family who may or

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may not be coming, which may or may not be invited,

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extra meals to cook. And we can say that it sometimes

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feels overwhelming at best. Last week, Jeff teased

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that today we'd be talking about heaven and hell

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on our elder panel. And in a matter of speaking,

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we still will be. However, rather than diving

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into a complex study on what heaven and hell

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is and its implications for us, which we will

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do at a later date, we wanted to walk it back

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into something that's even more foundational

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to our understanding of those two things and

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as actually crucial for us in our daily life

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as believers. particularly in this season of

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reflection and celebration. We daily war against

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the flesh. In one moment, we can find our hearts

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saying, Lord, I want faith like John Knox, or

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yes, Lord, Semper Reformanda, use me. And sometimes

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in the very next moment, find ourselves flailing

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and grieving over repeated sins and wondering

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if we are, in fact, found in Christ. We cry out

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with the psalmist and we say, how long, oh Lord,

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my iniquity has overwhelmed me. They are a burden

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too heavy to bear. Our heads tell us that this

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is just part of walking by faith, that we are

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not yet perfected, that we will be one day and

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that we are experiencing seasons of spiritual

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flourishing and spiritual drought as we labor

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on to glory. But in our hearts, we long for the

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day when we will see Christ face to face. And

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if we're honest, we often fail because we neglect

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to dwell on what actually ties all of this together.

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This morning, we're going to spend time exploring

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and studying the doctrine of salvation as it's

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laid out in God's Word. The work of Christ once

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and for all to redeem holy, undeserving sinners

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to himself, the God of the universe, on no merit

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of their own. These are truths that are familiar

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to us. For many of us, we are not hearing this

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for the first time, but it is critical for us

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to understand where we started in order to understand

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where we are going. This salvation ultimately

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defines not only who a person is, but their eternal

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destiny. Without it, sinners are doomed for guilt

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to endless pains, sentenced at the end of this

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life by their merit to an eternity without God

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in hell. Our call to worship this morning from

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the book of Isaiah foretold an Israel who is

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saved by the Lord with everlasting salvation.

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He says what is true, apart from him, there is

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no salvation. That only in the Lord there is

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salvation and that only in the Lord all the offspring

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of Israel shall be justified and shall glory.

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Did you catch that? In the Old Testament, all

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the offspring of Israel shall be justified and

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shall glory. Spoiler alert for where we're going

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this morning. We just read corporately from Micah's

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prophecy together. He will tread our iniquities

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underfoot. You will cast all our sin into the

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depths of the sea. And a thousand years later,

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Martin Luther was gripped by similar language

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in Romans 1. For I am not ashamed of the gospel,

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for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone

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who believes. First, to the Jew, and also to

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the Greek. Roughly 25 years later, John Knox,

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who we learned about several weeks ago, was transformed

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by the words of this foretold Savior in John

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17, who said, Since you have given him the Son,

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authority over all flesh, to give eternal life

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to all who you have given him, this is eternal

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life, that they know you, the only true God,

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and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. The glory

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that you have given me and I have given to them,

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that they may be one even as we are one, I in

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them and you in me, that they may become perfectly

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one, so that the world may know that you sent

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me and love them even as you loved me. Hear the

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language of adoption that is springing forth.

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I desire that they also, whom you have given

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me, may be with me where I am, here's why, to

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see my glory that you have given me you have

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loved me before the foundation of the world.

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Friends, the salvation that has been foretold

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that we have seen and that we look forward to

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experiencing in full one day in glory is found

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only in Jesus Christ. I know that is something

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that most of us would affirm here this morning,

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but we cannot preach that enough, particularly

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this day and age. There is salvation, and God's

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word says, in no one else, for there is, No other

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name under heaven given among men by which we

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must be saved. None. We are foreknown by Christ.

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We are saved by Christ. We are found in and perfected

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by Christ. It's important for us to recognize

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this morning as we dive into our panel that salvation

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is not an intellectual exercise. It's not simply

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a doctrine to understand in the classroom, but

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it is real, transformative, saving. and a gift

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given from eternity past to mankind by the maker

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of the universe, not in micro -segments distilled

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over a long period of time, but once singularly

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and for all through the incarnate one foretold,

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Jesus Christ. It cannot be earned. It has been

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paid for in full, and it is offered freely to

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us, and it is secure for all eternity because

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it has been authored by God himself. It is inextinguishable

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because its purchaser has defeated death. Is

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this starting to sink in yet? If it's not, our

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hope is that as we continue to walk through our

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time together this morning, that this would be

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something that stirs our hearts and sets it aflame

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to understand who God is and what he's done for

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us. Salvation isn't simply personal. It's not

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designed to be open and clutched as if it were

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a thing to be lost. It's a gift to be shared,

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to be proclaimed. We were sent to the ends of

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the earth, to all nations. As we see on screen,

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Jesus is a savior for the nations. We don't proclaim

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it that we would receive anything more from it,

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but that we would share it for the glory of one

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who has given it. And salvation is not just for

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the Jew, not just for the Greek, not just, hear

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this, not just for the American, but it is for

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all nations. Salvation is the cornerstone of

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the Reformation and is the heart of the Advent

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season. If you missed it in Reformation, don't

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miss it over the next five weeks. Don't miss

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it for the rest of your life. And so this morning

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we look back at what God has done through the

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Reformation. We give thanks for the clear understanding

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of salvation that we have because of the text

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that we hold in our hands, in our vernacular.

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We clearly understand this because what was fought,

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what was paid for, do you remember that there

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was blood that was shed, not simply by Christ,

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but for those who believed that this was transformative.

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There was a cost that was paid for us to be able

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to understand what we do today. This freedom

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and understanding of who we have and why we worship

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with an eternal intercessor has been paid for.

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We look forward with anticipation and joy to

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celebrating the first coming of our Messiah,

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the anointed one, the foretold savior of the

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nations. This is Christmas. We get excited about

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this. We should get excited about this. Are you

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excited about this? And so. That would be a yes

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or no. Think about it. Thank you. It's good.

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Are we awake? It's rainy. It's cloudy outside.

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So as we ready our hearts and our minds to proclaim

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the good news of this gospel until the second

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coming, let's delight in what God has done as

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we dig in this morning. So this morning as we

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spend time together, we're going to explore several

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practical applications of salvation in the life

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of a believer, particularly through the lens

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of the Westminster Confession. We recognize this

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morning that while the confession itself is not

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scripture, it's not salvific, we do recognize

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that the codification of biblical truths within

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it in a singular place is incredibly helpful

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for the application and understanding within

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the global church for us to better understand

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the gift of grace that we've received. And so

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we're going to dive in to better understand God's

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effectual calling, justification, and faith.

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And so our hope this morning is that we will

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grow in our zeal for being more kingdom -minded

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as we live as saints together. So are you ready?

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I don't know if they're ready. Are we ready?

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Let's go. So first question, I'm going to toss

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to Adam. So I feel like this is the game. She

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was like, Adam, thanks for being with us today.

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Where are you coming from? Thank you for having

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me across the valley. It's great. Yeah. Very

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good. So there seems to be a struggle that people

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have with the idea of an effectual calling, that

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God is the one who calls people out to be saved.

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So can you talk to us about what this means and

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what it is and why it should be a source of comfort

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and not a source of contention for us? Yeah.

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First, before I even dig into that one, Grant,

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thank you for an excellent intro. Many of the

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things that he said already, we're just going

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to talk about a little bit more, but he's covered

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all of them. So praise the Lord. You made our

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jobs easier. As Grant said earlier, we'll be

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talking about these things. I appreciate you,

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brother. Effectual calling. So this doctrine,

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it really highlights the necessity for submission

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to an almighty creator, an almighty savior. You

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know that there's a debate. Well, some of you

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know or are aware of it. The Armenian, not Armenian,

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Armenian position, man chooses to follow God.

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right? Versus the Calvinist position that no

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man can be saved unless God initiates and then

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sustains. But there should be agreement on a

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couple of things here, even if you're less familiar

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with those names or history. So let's parse it

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out. Effectual calling has two aspects. Let's

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deal with that first part, effectual. That means

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that what is being done is successful. To be

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effectual means that what is being done is successful.

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The opposite of that would be Just open, that

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the calling unto salvation among people while

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open to all, who knows? Who knows what's going

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to happen because it's not effectual. It's just

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open. There's a distinction there. And the thing

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is, that's not entirely false because we know

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the gospel is an open call, but there's an issue

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that we need to see in the first part. If we

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say that God's calling of the elect is effectual,

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then we're affirming that when God gives a command

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to be saved, That no one can thwart it. Think

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about that. What if God commanded somebody to

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be saved and said, nah, I'm good. That would

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be a crazy world to live in. Now who has the

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power of salvation? Man does. So the effectual

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calling is very important when we affirm, again,

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God's sovereignty as creator and also as savior.

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Now, later we're going to talk about perseverance

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and assurance. But this here, this effectual

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calling, it's the groundwork for those aspects

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of faith. If God's calling were not effectual,

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we'd be saying that what God wants, he doesn't

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necessarily get. So effectual here means that

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God is able, he will do it. And when it comes

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to preparing the heart to answer to his call,

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he will do it. And our end now is that second

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part. So factual is the first one. Second part

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is calling. That involves a response. Some of

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you are too young to know what it looked like

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to have a phone on the wall with a cord. Some

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of you do remember. Some of you even remember

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the I was right on the cusp. We had one, but

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thankfully those died out quick. When somebody

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calls, you answer, right? You answer. Now, today,

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you can send them to voicemail. You get all kinds

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of things. Back in the day, you actually answered

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the phone, even if it was one of those whatever

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weird calls. You answered. So on our end, the

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calling involves a response. Now, we know we're

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not robots, right? We're not robots. But we would

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not be able to answer that call if God had not

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softened a sinful and rebellious heart so that

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we could answer that call. So when you think

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of an effectual calling of salvation for the

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believer, you need to think of God who prepares

00:14:38.340 --> 00:14:41.899
his people to respond. Because if he didn't,

00:14:41.899 --> 00:14:44.120
then a passage like Romans 3, 10 through 12,

00:14:44.220 --> 00:14:47.100
it would be binding on everyone and there would

00:14:47.100 --> 00:14:48.840
be no salvation. Here's what Romans 3, 10 through

00:14:48.840 --> 00:14:51.720
12 says. There is no one righteous, not even

00:14:51.720 --> 00:14:54.840
one. There is none who understands. There is

00:14:54.840 --> 00:14:57.720
none who seeks for God. All have turned aside.

00:14:57.820 --> 00:15:00.820
Together they become worthless. There is no one

00:15:00.820 --> 00:15:04.919
who does good, not even one. So apart from God

00:15:04.919 --> 00:15:09.080
first moving to draw us toward himself, we have

00:15:09.080 --> 00:15:11.840
no hope. And that's why Ezekiel spoke of God

00:15:11.840 --> 00:15:15.539
giving his people new hearts, hearts of flesh,

00:15:15.700 --> 00:15:18.720
removing the heart of stone. And it's so that

00:15:18.720 --> 00:15:22.860
his people would walk in his ways to follow after

00:15:22.860 --> 00:15:24.860
him. So that effectual calling of believers,

00:15:24.960 --> 00:15:27.620
it doesn't negate a human response. It doesn't

00:15:27.620 --> 00:15:30.659
negate our responsibility, but it places that

00:15:30.659 --> 00:15:33.679
response of a human. subsequent to or really

00:15:33.679 --> 00:15:37.440
after God's initiation of enabling a believer

00:15:37.440 --> 00:15:40.500
to answer that divine call to repent and to be

00:15:40.500 --> 00:15:43.179
saved. The encouragement is at the right time,

00:15:43.259 --> 00:15:46.139
God moves in the hearts or the inner man of people

00:15:46.139 --> 00:15:50.559
to begin that incredible process of saving them

00:15:50.559 --> 00:15:53.539
unto eternity. And that miracle, think of this,

00:15:53.679 --> 00:15:58.139
that miracle is able to occur whenever the truth

00:15:58.139 --> 00:16:01.690
of the gospel is proclaimed. That's incredible

00:16:01.690 --> 00:16:04.590
news. Amen. Yeah. And it's a great reminder for

00:16:04.590 --> 00:16:06.549
us to not only remember the first time that that

00:16:06.549 --> 00:16:09.570
phone rang and the joy that we found in picking

00:16:09.570 --> 00:16:11.029
it up and like, oh, there's someone on the other

00:16:11.029 --> 00:16:14.149
end. But also to ask, you know, in that metaphor,

00:16:14.230 --> 00:16:16.850
if the phone is ringing, are you going to leave

00:16:16.850 --> 00:16:19.269
it on the hook or are you going to answer? If

00:16:19.269 --> 00:16:21.710
God is calling you, what are you waiting for?

00:16:22.600 --> 00:16:25.159
So in the spirit of continuing to lay a foundation,

00:16:25.460 --> 00:16:27.559
Jeff, let's talk about justification a little

00:16:27.559 --> 00:16:29.940
bit. This is one of the core doctrines of the

00:16:29.940 --> 00:16:31.779
Reformation, which you walked us through. It

00:16:31.779 --> 00:16:35.200
is. And so what is it? Why does it matter to

00:16:35.200 --> 00:16:37.059
us? And this is a good recap in case you were

00:16:37.059 --> 00:16:38.820
asleep for the two weeks of the Reformation series.

00:16:39.659 --> 00:16:41.179
Here's a good refresher. Nobody slept through

00:16:41.179 --> 00:16:46.409
that. Come on. Exactly. Amen. Amen. Well, okay,

00:16:46.490 --> 00:16:48.610
as many of you know, the passion that stirred

00:16:48.610 --> 00:16:51.389
the Reformation 500 years ago was the recovery

00:16:51.389 --> 00:16:55.210
of the great doctrines of Scripture. And following

00:16:55.210 --> 00:16:57.330
after the issue of authority, which is first,

00:16:57.409 --> 00:16:59.769
sola scriptura, the doctrine of justification

00:16:59.769 --> 00:17:03.129
was the most foundational of all the recovered

00:17:03.129 --> 00:17:05.230
doctrines. And the reason for that is very simple.

00:17:05.309 --> 00:17:08.069
It answers the most important question that any

00:17:08.069 --> 00:17:11.369
human being can ask in this life, and that is,

00:17:11.390 --> 00:17:13.880
how can I be made right with God? There's no

00:17:13.880 --> 00:17:16.859
more important question. How is it possible that

00:17:16.859 --> 00:17:20.819
an infinitely holy God can accept me, a sinner,

00:17:21.000 --> 00:17:23.220
and declare that I'm righteous in his sight?

00:17:24.440 --> 00:17:27.180
Knowing the answer to that question means everything.

00:17:27.500 --> 00:17:30.000
And so it became a major front in the battle

00:17:30.000 --> 00:17:33.519
lines for reform in the church. Now, coming out

00:17:33.519 --> 00:17:36.579
of Rome, the claim was that justification happens

00:17:36.579 --> 00:17:40.140
through the sacraments of the church. in a cooperative

00:17:40.140 --> 00:17:43.319
effort between God and man, whereas the Reformers

00:17:43.319 --> 00:17:46.079
insisted that the Bible is very clear on this

00:17:46.079 --> 00:17:48.880
subject, that we are declared righteous solely

00:17:48.880 --> 00:17:52.619
on the basis of God's grace and the crediting

00:17:52.619 --> 00:17:56.160
of Christ's righteousness to our account. And

00:17:56.160 --> 00:17:59.259
we receive his righteousness as a gift from God

00:17:59.259 --> 00:18:02.519
by faith alone. It can't be earned. It can't

00:18:02.519 --> 00:18:05.400
be merited by us. There's not any amount of good

00:18:05.400 --> 00:18:08.559
works we can do to receive that. And to understand

00:18:08.559 --> 00:18:10.119
this, you guys, all you have to do is turn to

00:18:10.119 --> 00:18:11.680
God's word and take a stroll through the book

00:18:11.680 --> 00:18:14.480
of Romans. And you wonder why Rome didn't do

00:18:14.480 --> 00:18:17.319
that. It's a letter to them, to the Romans, right?

00:18:17.460 --> 00:18:19.579
But they didn't do it. Starting in chapter 3,

00:18:19.640 --> 00:18:22.880
verse 20, by the works of the law, no flesh will

00:18:22.880 --> 00:18:26.420
be justified in God's sight. That is not unclear,

00:18:26.599 --> 00:18:30.319
is it? Verses 23 and 24, for all have sinned

00:18:30.319 --> 00:18:32.859
and fall short of the glory of God, being justified

00:18:32.859 --> 00:18:37.069
as a gift by his grace. Through the redemption

00:18:37.069 --> 00:18:40.829
which is in Christ Jesus. Verses 27 and 28. Where

00:18:40.829 --> 00:18:44.670
then is boasting? It is excluded. For we maintain

00:18:44.670 --> 00:18:48.730
that a man is justified by faith apart from works

00:18:48.730 --> 00:18:51.789
of the law. And then if you go on to chapter

00:18:51.789 --> 00:18:54.650
5, you hear this in verse 1. Having been justified

00:18:54.650 --> 00:18:58.130
by faith, we have peace with God through our

00:18:58.130 --> 00:19:01.490
Lord Jesus Christ. Verse 9. Having now been justified

00:19:01.490 --> 00:19:04.230
by his blood, we shall be saved from the wrath

00:19:04.230 --> 00:19:07.640
of God through him. This is not unclear, folks.

00:19:07.839 --> 00:19:09.640
And then if you go all the way to chapter 8,

00:19:09.680 --> 00:19:12.099
you read what scholars refer to as the golden

00:19:12.099 --> 00:19:15.579
chain of redemption. Four truths that are unbreakably

00:19:15.579 --> 00:19:19.000
linked together. For those whom God foreknew,

00:19:19.259 --> 00:19:22.720
he also predestined to be conformed to the image

00:19:22.720 --> 00:19:25.500
of his son. And those he predestined, he also

00:19:25.500 --> 00:19:30.039
called. And those he called, he also justified.

00:19:30.599 --> 00:19:33.319
And those whom he justified, he also glorified.

00:19:33.720 --> 00:19:36.769
They can't be broken up. And so understanding

00:19:36.769 --> 00:19:39.309
this fully, you guys, and understanding the beauty

00:19:39.309 --> 00:19:41.809
of this has really important implications for

00:19:41.809 --> 00:19:44.170
our life. It gives us a deep assurance that our

00:19:44.170 --> 00:19:47.089
standing before God is secure because it's not

00:19:47.089 --> 00:19:51.130
based on our ability to stay in his grace, which

00:19:51.130 --> 00:19:54.690
is what Rome teaches. So our status as justified

00:19:54.690 --> 00:19:57.630
in his sight, it doesn't depend on how our feelings

00:19:57.630 --> 00:20:00.549
that fluctuate. It doesn't depend on our moral

00:20:00.549 --> 00:20:03.730
performance. Our status is maintained perfectly

00:20:03.730 --> 00:20:07.089
by an all -powerful God who never changes and

00:20:07.089 --> 00:20:09.630
never reneges on his promises. And that's good

00:20:09.630 --> 00:20:11.890
news. So that means we can have peace and joy

00:20:11.890 --> 00:20:14.509
in our daily lives. Even on days when we feel

00:20:14.509 --> 00:20:17.410
unworthy of his love or have doubts, we can have

00:20:17.410 --> 00:20:19.890
peace and joy because of what God has said in

00:20:19.890 --> 00:20:22.670
his word. And it gives us a right sense of humility

00:20:22.670 --> 00:20:25.470
because when you haven't earned his mercy and

00:20:25.470 --> 00:20:28.119
you know you don't deserve to be saved, than

00:20:28.119 --> 00:20:30.099
pride and boasting is done away with. And in

00:20:30.099 --> 00:20:32.700
its place comes gratitude. In its place comes

00:20:32.700 --> 00:20:36.160
worship as we meditate upon the immensity of

00:20:36.160 --> 00:20:38.660
the gift that we've received from him. Yeah,

00:20:38.680 --> 00:20:41.180
amen. It's so sweet that you guys have both talked

00:20:41.180 --> 00:20:43.380
about beauty and we understand the beauty of

00:20:43.380 --> 00:20:44.900
the gospel. And it's part of our hope this morning

00:20:44.900 --> 00:20:47.160
is we'll do that. And particularly as we walk

00:20:47.160 --> 00:20:49.869
into what... many would say is the most beautiful

00:20:49.869 --> 00:20:52.650
time of the year visually. It's decorations go

00:20:52.650 --> 00:20:54.849
up, there's lights, there's sparkle, all those

00:20:54.849 --> 00:20:57.230
things. And in their origins, we'll talk about

00:20:57.230 --> 00:20:59.309
this more over the coming weeks, were actually

00:20:59.309 --> 00:21:02.869
designed to help us remember the beauty of sinners

00:21:02.869 --> 00:21:06.390
saved by grace. And so it is, again, something

00:21:06.390 --> 00:21:08.769
that is transformative for us. And so as we move

00:21:08.769 --> 00:21:10.650
through the next several weeks, don't miss that.

00:21:11.170 --> 00:21:15.890
And so speaking of beautiful things, Adam, let's

00:21:15.890 --> 00:21:19.009
talk a little bit about faith. We often equate

00:21:19.009 --> 00:21:22.769
faith with trust. Is there any other aspect that

00:21:22.769 --> 00:21:28.990
we should consider? Yeah, from the Star Wars

00:21:28.990 --> 00:21:32.630
dialect. Or perhaps a common misunderstanding

00:21:32.630 --> 00:21:36.269
regarding saving and justifying faith. Why does

00:21:36.269 --> 00:21:40.930
it matter? Yes. Thank you for the translation,

00:21:41.150 --> 00:21:44.289
Jeff. Yeah, regarding faith. Thank you, Grant.

00:21:44.930 --> 00:21:47.589
I don't want to overcomplicate it, and I'm not

00:21:47.589 --> 00:21:49.690
going to try to do that. But I think there are

00:21:49.690 --> 00:21:52.869
some aspects of faith or trust that we often

00:21:52.869 --> 00:21:56.509
overlook. I've heard many a believer, when they're

00:21:56.509 --> 00:21:58.829
talking to somebody who's struggling with their

00:21:58.829 --> 00:22:02.789
own faith, focus upon this idea of faith as if

00:22:02.789 --> 00:22:07.369
you can easily increase it or just hold on to

00:22:07.369 --> 00:22:10.710
a certain amount of it. And I understand what

00:22:10.710 --> 00:22:13.410
people mean when they talk about it that way,

00:22:13.450 --> 00:22:16.730
that some people may have great faith to move

00:22:16.730 --> 00:22:20.009
mountains. Others may find their commonality

00:22:20.009 --> 00:22:25.349
with Thomas, who asked the Lord to help his unbelief.

00:22:25.690 --> 00:22:28.150
But something that's not often discussed when

00:22:28.150 --> 00:22:30.910
we consider saving faith, I think, is an understanding

00:22:30.910 --> 00:22:37.230
of our own complete disability. Yeah, I'm talking

00:22:37.230 --> 00:22:40.490
about faith. But think about your own disability.

00:22:41.190 --> 00:22:43.730
And many of us, we don't think we have disabilities,

00:22:44.029 --> 00:22:47.509
right? But we do. See, I seem to hear Christians

00:22:47.509 --> 00:22:49.910
constantly encouraged with words like, you just

00:22:49.910 --> 00:22:53.089
need to trust. If you've ever heard that before,

00:22:53.190 --> 00:22:55.690
or just believe it'll all work out in the end.

00:22:56.589 --> 00:22:59.150
Might have heard that. Now, it's true that for

00:22:59.150 --> 00:23:02.210
those in Christ, it will. It will all work out

00:23:02.210 --> 00:23:05.200
in the end. But for here and now, I think. more

00:23:05.200 --> 00:23:08.779
believers need to start with a recognition of

00:23:08.779 --> 00:23:12.660
their own condition, their own condition as a

00:23:12.660 --> 00:23:16.539
basis for finding encouragement. So the whole

00:23:16.539 --> 00:23:19.119
nature of being justified, as Jeff beautifully,

00:23:19.240 --> 00:23:21.339
since we're using that word, beautifully explained,

00:23:21.559 --> 00:23:25.960
is that you were guilty. You needed to be declared

00:23:25.960 --> 00:23:28.559
righteous or not guilty. So when you think about

00:23:28.559 --> 00:23:32.099
that aspect of saving faith, it's that you recognize

00:23:32.099 --> 00:23:37.049
your inability. to save yourself and then along

00:23:37.049 --> 00:23:41.990
with that you recognize the one who is able you

00:23:41.990 --> 00:23:46.769
are unable god is able to save and so that's

00:23:46.769 --> 00:23:48.769
the encouragement you know the one that you put

00:23:48.769 --> 00:23:51.230
your faith or your trust in is the one who is

00:23:51.230 --> 00:23:54.450
able to save you in the midst of your inability

00:23:54.450 --> 00:23:57.869
to save yourself that's the good news that's

00:23:57.869 --> 00:24:01.109
the fantastic news that's where hope rests that's

00:24:01.109 --> 00:24:03.339
the truth of the gospel And you have to start

00:24:03.339 --> 00:24:05.339
with your disability. You have to start with

00:24:05.339 --> 00:24:08.160
your lost condition. And that's not a one -time

00:24:08.160 --> 00:24:11.140
thing. You don't just start there before you're

00:24:11.140 --> 00:24:14.920
saved. You have to remind yourself all the time.

00:24:15.680 --> 00:24:20.700
You are unable. God is able. You can't think

00:24:20.700 --> 00:24:25.480
about life in Christ apart from Christ. You have

00:24:25.480 --> 00:24:28.099
to look at yourself first before you look at

00:24:28.099 --> 00:24:30.259
him, but you're not going to see how beautiful

00:24:30.259 --> 00:24:34.410
he is. If you think you're so great, right? You're

00:24:34.410 --> 00:24:36.410
like, oh, what do I need? I'm doing all right.

00:24:36.650 --> 00:24:39.170
Christ isn't going to be wonderful to you. But

00:24:39.170 --> 00:24:41.589
if you look at how you are unable, you are disabled

00:24:41.589 --> 00:24:45.089
to save. Then when you look to Christ and you

00:24:45.089 --> 00:24:47.609
look to his ability to save, you're going to

00:24:47.609 --> 00:24:50.930
say, wow, wow, that's incredible. That is how

00:24:50.930 --> 00:24:54.410
you continue to build your faith. So believers

00:24:54.410 --> 00:24:56.609
who are looking to build faith, when you study

00:24:56.609 --> 00:24:59.369
God's word and keep studying and listen to sermons

00:24:59.369 --> 00:25:02.500
and. Pick up the Bible to read for yourself and

00:25:02.500 --> 00:25:05.119
maybe get nerdy with commentaries every once

00:25:05.119 --> 00:25:08.119
in a while, but not too crazy. Because, yeah,

00:25:08.259 --> 00:25:10.259
that's a whole other panel. Maybe for another

00:25:10.259 --> 00:25:13.099
elder panel we'll talk about that. But don't

00:25:13.099 --> 00:25:16.619
neglect the foundational truth that you cannot

00:25:16.619 --> 00:25:20.220
save yourself and that God is powerfully able

00:25:20.220 --> 00:25:23.670
to save. And coming back to that again and again

00:25:23.670 --> 00:25:26.690
and again, day in and day out and week in and

00:25:26.690 --> 00:25:29.170
week out and year in and year out, every Advent

00:25:29.170 --> 00:25:32.130
season, but also every day, that is going to

00:25:32.130 --> 00:25:34.390
help continue to build your faith in the one

00:25:34.390 --> 00:25:41.289
who is able to save sinners. Yeah. Amen. Speaking

00:25:41.289 --> 00:25:44.869
of ability and things that only God is able to

00:25:44.869 --> 00:25:48.799
do, Jeff, let's talk a little bit about... on

00:25:48.799 --> 00:25:51.160
the heels of that, of adoption and what that

00:25:51.160 --> 00:25:54.339
looks like in relationship to faith. So as we're

00:25:54.339 --> 00:25:57.099
running with the idea of beauty. Yes. Yeah, it's

00:25:57.099 --> 00:26:00.380
a beautiful, practical implication of salvation.

00:26:00.640 --> 00:26:04.000
And so what should we do? What should we seek

00:26:04.000 --> 00:26:07.220
to remind ourselves about the nature? of being

00:26:07.220 --> 00:26:09.079
adopted into God's family. And what does that

00:26:09.079 --> 00:26:11.299
even mean for starters? Well, I actually don't

00:26:11.299 --> 00:26:13.059
think I can describe the beauty and the wonder

00:26:13.059 --> 00:26:15.920
of adoption any better than the Westminster Catechism

00:26:15.920 --> 00:26:19.559
has done it. So listen to what it says. And as

00:26:19.559 --> 00:26:21.799
I read this, see how it's built on the foundation

00:26:21.799 --> 00:26:24.920
of justification. Without that, it's meaningless.

00:26:25.319 --> 00:26:27.980
So here's what it says. All those that are justified

00:26:27.980 --> 00:26:31.460
are received into the number of God's children.

00:26:32.119 --> 00:26:36.480
They have his name put on them. The spirit of

00:26:36.480 --> 00:26:39.440
his son is given to them. They are under his

00:26:39.440 --> 00:26:42.839
fatherly care. They are admitted to all the liberties

00:26:42.839 --> 00:26:45.960
and privileges of the son of God. And they're

00:26:45.960 --> 00:26:48.920
made heirs of all the promises and fellow heirs

00:26:48.920 --> 00:26:52.380
with Christ in glory. Honestly, words cannot

00:26:52.380 --> 00:26:55.339
explain, if you break that up, how mind -blowing

00:26:55.339 --> 00:26:58.259
those promises are. You start with the idea that

00:26:58.259 --> 00:27:00.160
we don't deserve to be plucked out of our sin

00:27:00.160 --> 00:27:03.319
and justified in God's sight. That's completely

00:27:03.319 --> 00:27:05.759
an act of mercy and grace. But the fact that

00:27:05.759 --> 00:27:09.440
he goes so far above and beyond just saving us,

00:27:09.500 --> 00:27:12.720
which would be enough. Amen? It'd be enough if

00:27:12.720 --> 00:27:14.880
he just saved us. But he goes so much farther

00:27:14.880 --> 00:27:18.480
to the fact that the length of adopting us into

00:27:18.480 --> 00:27:20.759
his family with all of those blessings and all

00:27:20.759 --> 00:27:24.460
of those privileges being stacked one upon another.

00:27:25.200 --> 00:27:27.819
It's beyond words. This should drive you guys

00:27:27.819 --> 00:27:31.480
to incredible worship. In Galatians 4, we're

00:27:31.480 --> 00:27:33.640
told that when we're redeemed, we receive the

00:27:33.640 --> 00:27:36.980
adoption as sons. Because you are sons, Paul

00:27:36.980 --> 00:27:39.640
writes, God has sent forth the spirit of a son

00:27:39.640 --> 00:27:43.980
into our hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Therefore,

00:27:44.160 --> 00:27:47.319
you're no longer a slave, but a son. And if a

00:27:47.319 --> 00:27:49.740
son, then an heir through God. And that language

00:27:49.740 --> 00:27:52.440
is so beautiful. For all those who trusted in

00:27:52.440 --> 00:27:56.380
Christ and are found in him, you are, believe

00:27:56.380 --> 00:27:59.500
this, a beloved son or daughter of the Most High.

00:28:00.440 --> 00:28:03.519
Believe that. And imagine this now. This means

00:28:03.519 --> 00:28:06.940
we can have confidence to approach the living

00:28:06.940 --> 00:28:10.619
God in the same way that a child feels utterly

00:28:10.619 --> 00:28:14.039
confident in running toward his or her earthly

00:28:14.039 --> 00:28:18.200
father and jumping into his arms. We've been

00:28:18.200 --> 00:28:20.759
given a whole new identity. We belong to God.

00:28:20.859 --> 00:28:23.519
As Peter tells us in his first epistle, we are

00:28:23.519 --> 00:28:27.880
made legal heirs to an inheritance which is imperishable.

00:28:28.879 --> 00:28:31.859
undefiled, and will never fade away, being reserved

00:28:31.859 --> 00:28:35.279
in heaven for us. Those are amazing promises.

00:28:35.539 --> 00:28:37.440
Now, because of all this, here's how we ought

00:28:37.440 --> 00:28:40.200
to respond. We ought to strive to please our

00:28:40.200 --> 00:28:43.460
Heavenly Father, not to earn His love. He's already

00:28:43.460 --> 00:28:46.119
given that to us. He showed us by sending His

00:28:46.119 --> 00:28:48.519
Son into the world to die for us how much He

00:28:48.519 --> 00:28:51.240
loves us, but we strive to please Him because

00:28:51.240 --> 00:28:54.170
of His great love for us. And we strive to live

00:28:54.170 --> 00:28:56.670
in a way that represents our new identity in

00:28:56.670 --> 00:28:59.029
Christ. And now here's the last thing, the church

00:28:59.029 --> 00:29:02.089
application. We strive to live in a way that

00:29:02.089 --> 00:29:04.569
pleases God because we're adopted into this new

00:29:04.569 --> 00:29:06.529
family and we're given all these new brothers

00:29:06.529 --> 00:29:10.069
and sisters in Christ. And we strive to love

00:29:10.069 --> 00:29:12.829
and serve them as a reflection of our Father's

00:29:12.829 --> 00:29:16.609
great love. Yeah, amen. And I think it's important

00:29:16.609 --> 00:29:18.730
for us to remember, even on the heels of our

00:29:18.730 --> 00:29:21.980
study in Ecclesiastes, If you struggle with the

00:29:21.980 --> 00:29:24.680
idea of adoption, it's probably because, as we've

00:29:24.680 --> 00:29:26.740
been learning through Ecclesiastes, that we look

00:29:26.740 --> 00:29:29.440
at things through our vantage point and through

00:29:29.440 --> 00:29:30.980
the world's vantage point rather than through

00:29:30.980 --> 00:29:33.420
what God has set forth. And so when we try to

00:29:33.420 --> 00:29:35.559
understand adoption through the lens of a broken

00:29:35.559 --> 00:29:38.500
family or a broken world or an imperfect earthly

00:29:38.500 --> 00:29:42.220
father, it's going to be difficult. And so as

00:29:42.220 --> 00:29:45.000
Jeff just reminded us, shift your perspective,

00:29:45.019 --> 00:29:47.380
and particularly this time of year, look at...

00:29:47.720 --> 00:29:50.680
adoption through the lens of how God has written

00:29:50.680 --> 00:29:54.299
it, how God has ordained it. And that will become

00:29:54.299 --> 00:29:56.640
beautiful. And I think particularly as we walk

00:29:56.640 --> 00:29:58.779
into this time of year where many of us struggle

00:29:58.779 --> 00:30:00.480
with the loss of loved ones, we struggle with

00:30:00.480 --> 00:30:03.480
strained family relationships, that does not

00:30:03.480 --> 00:30:07.480
exist in the kingdom. Your relationship for those

00:30:07.480 --> 00:30:09.500
who are in Christ with the Heavenly Father is

00:30:09.500 --> 00:30:13.170
perfect. It's beautiful. And there is nothing

00:30:13.170 --> 00:30:15.250
broken about it. It's quite the opposite. So

00:30:15.250 --> 00:30:17.670
be encouraged. And if you struggle, ask, like,

00:30:17.710 --> 00:30:19.490
where's my perspective on this? Is it earthly?

00:30:19.650 --> 00:30:22.509
Is it bogged down in the sins and strife of this

00:30:22.509 --> 00:30:26.190
world? Or is it set in heavenly things above?

00:30:27.450 --> 00:30:30.490
So the concept of sanctification is often misunderstood.

00:30:31.150 --> 00:30:34.029
So Adam, what are some common misconceptions?

00:30:34.829 --> 00:30:37.329
And what does the believer need to know about

00:30:37.329 --> 00:30:43.000
sanctification? A lot. You've got 12 minutes.

00:30:43.299 --> 00:30:46.859
I'll try to take less than that. Yeah, there

00:30:46.859 --> 00:30:50.700
are many misconceptions when it comes to sanctification.

00:30:51.039 --> 00:30:54.319
I'll give you one example. Some people have believed

00:30:54.319 --> 00:30:57.440
that sanctification occurs immediately at the

00:30:57.440 --> 00:31:00.640
point of salvation. But let's clarify some terms

00:31:00.640 --> 00:31:03.059
then. Like, what does salvation mean? Salvation

00:31:03.059 --> 00:31:05.940
is the nature of being saved. That's the definition

00:31:05.940 --> 00:31:07.880
for salvation. How about sanctification then?

00:31:08.400 --> 00:31:11.619
Sanctification is the act of being made holy,

00:31:11.740 --> 00:31:15.299
sanctified, being cleansed. And then glorification,

00:31:15.559 --> 00:31:17.880
that's another fun word, right? Glorification

00:31:17.880 --> 00:31:21.640
is that work of being made finally free from

00:31:21.640 --> 00:31:25.319
sin. Finally free from sin, okay? So salvation,

00:31:25.640 --> 00:31:28.799
being saved. Sanctification, being made holy.

00:31:29.279 --> 00:31:33.559
Glorification, finally free from sin. Good on

00:31:33.559 --> 00:31:37.220
those terms? Okay, so salvation then is a status

00:31:37.220 --> 00:31:40.839
change. Salvation for the believer is a status

00:31:40.839 --> 00:31:43.720
change and it cannot be reversed. You were going

00:31:43.720 --> 00:31:46.460
from death to death and then at the point of

00:31:46.460 --> 00:31:51.279
salvation, now you're going from death to life.

00:31:51.339 --> 00:31:53.019
You're allowed to talk in church. Death to life,

00:31:53.099 --> 00:31:56.960
yes. You're moving towards eternal glory rather

00:31:56.960 --> 00:32:01.200
than eternal damnation. That's the status change

00:32:01.200 --> 00:32:04.500
that happens in salvation. Then sanctification

00:32:04.500 --> 00:32:07.740
means that we're in process. We're moving in

00:32:07.740 --> 00:32:10.599
that direction. The compass has been set. We're

00:32:10.599 --> 00:32:13.579
going in that way, but we haven't arrived at

00:32:13.579 --> 00:32:16.180
the end of the journey yet. And so glorification

00:32:16.180 --> 00:32:18.619
then is that future state. It's being finally

00:32:18.619 --> 00:32:21.140
freed from sin and suffering. It's the destination

00:32:21.140 --> 00:32:23.740
of where we're trying to land. And we know that

00:32:23.740 --> 00:32:26.319
God will take us there. We just don't know when.

00:32:26.759 --> 00:32:28.799
Another thing that Ecclesiastes, since you brought

00:32:28.799 --> 00:32:32.099
it up, constantly makes us think about. We don't

00:32:32.099 --> 00:32:35.200
know when, but we know it's going to happen.

00:32:35.930 --> 00:32:37.490
So there's sometimes a misunderstanding between

00:32:37.490 --> 00:32:40.650
those terms and especially between sanctification

00:32:40.650 --> 00:32:44.329
and glorification. And we need to distinguish

00:32:44.329 --> 00:32:46.349
between the hope of glory, our final eternal

00:32:46.349 --> 00:32:49.549
state, and the nature of life, this side of glory,

00:32:49.670 --> 00:32:51.829
which means growing in the likeness of Christ.

00:32:51.910 --> 00:32:54.269
I think people misunderstand how sanctification

00:32:54.269 --> 00:32:59.609
works because it's not a work that God does by

00:32:59.609 --> 00:33:04.309
himself. You catch that? It's not a work that

00:33:04.309 --> 00:33:07.569
God does by himself. And it's really a grace.

00:33:07.569 --> 00:33:09.650
That's how the Westminster Catechism terms it.

00:33:09.710 --> 00:33:13.869
It's a grace that stirs us up to work according

00:33:13.869 --> 00:33:18.369
to his will as we seek to become more like Christ.

00:33:18.569 --> 00:33:20.930
I think it's difficult after we've been saved

00:33:20.930 --> 00:33:23.869
because we still have that remnant of sin. That's

00:33:23.869 --> 00:33:26.390
why sanctification is necessary, though, right?

00:33:26.450 --> 00:33:28.529
You get saved, but sin isn't all the way dealt

00:33:28.529 --> 00:33:31.759
with. So sanctification is that continual cleansing

00:33:31.759 --> 00:33:36.240
and removal of that sin until we appear in glory.

00:33:36.359 --> 00:33:39.259
And that's the final aspect where we've all been

00:33:39.259 --> 00:33:41.279
cleansed. So here's just two. Two. I'll finish

00:33:41.279 --> 00:33:43.880
with this. Two encouragements about sanctification.

00:33:44.220 --> 00:33:47.279
It's first this. God is the initiator and he's

00:33:47.279 --> 00:33:50.759
the sustainer of our being made holy. He's the

00:33:50.759 --> 00:33:52.900
initiator. He's a sustainer of our being made

00:33:52.900 --> 00:33:55.460
holy. How do we know this? Philippians 1 .6 says,

00:33:55.539 --> 00:33:57.160
I'm confident of this very thing that he who

00:33:57.160 --> 00:34:00.079
began a good work. will carry it and perfect

00:34:00.079 --> 00:34:04.380
it until the day of Christ Jesus. He initiates.

00:34:04.400 --> 00:34:10.059
He sustains. Romans 8, 28 through 30. God is

00:34:10.059 --> 00:34:13.019
working out all things for his glory, for the

00:34:13.019 --> 00:34:16.360
good of his people. And the good involves his

00:34:16.360 --> 00:34:19.880
people being conformed to the image of Christ.

00:34:20.500 --> 00:34:22.780
So oftentimes we get asked, like, why am I going

00:34:22.780 --> 00:34:24.219
through this trial? Why am I going through this

00:34:24.219 --> 00:34:27.050
struggle? Why am I still dealing with sin? Because

00:34:27.050 --> 00:34:29.230
God is conforming you, if you're a believer,

00:34:29.389 --> 00:34:32.369
to be more like Christ. Your difficulties are

00:34:32.369 --> 00:34:35.510
pushing you towards him. Your frailties show

00:34:35.510 --> 00:34:39.690
you your need for him. That's good. That's sanctification,

00:34:39.849 --> 00:34:41.789
this side of glory. Now, second thing, I said

00:34:41.789 --> 00:34:44.349
two things. Second thing, God's initiator, he's

00:34:44.349 --> 00:34:48.329
a sustainer. Number two is we are active. We

00:34:48.329 --> 00:34:51.269
are active in our own sanctification, but by

00:34:51.269 --> 00:34:53.590
the strength that God provides. And he provides

00:34:53.590 --> 00:34:56.920
it by the Holy Spirit and by his word. Philippians

00:34:56.920 --> 00:35:00.699
2, 12 through 13. Give a very hard couple of

00:35:00.699 --> 00:35:03.320
verses here. But my beloved, as you've always

00:35:03.320 --> 00:35:05.280
obeyed, not only in my presence now, but much

00:35:05.280 --> 00:35:08.699
more in my absence, work out your salvation with

00:35:08.699 --> 00:35:12.179
fear and trembling. For it is God who is at work

00:35:12.179 --> 00:35:16.179
in you, both to will and to work for his good

00:35:16.179 --> 00:35:19.320
pleasure. So in sanctification, our activity

00:35:19.320 --> 00:35:24.059
should be laser focused on putting personal sin

00:35:24.059 --> 00:35:26.920
to death. and walking in the newness of life

00:35:26.920 --> 00:35:29.639
in Christ. And we do that because he is at work

00:35:29.639 --> 00:35:34.219
in us that we would willing to work for his good

00:35:34.219 --> 00:35:37.179
pleasure. So we rely on his help and we put every

00:35:37.179 --> 00:35:40.219
effort into walking in his ways. That's what

00:35:40.219 --> 00:35:42.840
sanctification should be about. Yeah, amen. And

00:35:42.840 --> 00:35:44.500
it feels like the appropriate time to say, and

00:35:44.500 --> 00:35:47.719
this was sponsored by the commercial for discipleship

00:35:47.719 --> 00:35:50.139
and biblical counseling, because that is really

00:35:50.139 --> 00:35:52.179
how those things are fleshed out on a practical

00:35:52.179 --> 00:35:55.769
level. It's why it matters. And, you know, we

00:35:55.769 --> 00:35:57.969
joke that if you have questions, adamandokilbible

00:35:57.969 --> 00:36:01.090
.com. But in this case, it's actually true. Like,

00:36:01.090 --> 00:36:04.269
if you don't understand what it means, that's

00:36:04.269 --> 00:36:05.690
this guy, for those of you who are visiting with

00:36:05.690 --> 00:36:08.010
us today. But if you don't understand what it

00:36:08.010 --> 00:36:11.869
means to work out your salvation with one another,

00:36:11.989 --> 00:36:14.429
or if you do understand and you're struggling

00:36:14.429 --> 00:36:17.789
with it, that is why discipleship matters. That

00:36:17.789 --> 00:36:22.010
is why counseling biblically matters. Because

00:36:22.010 --> 00:36:24.550
in case you haven't heard it loudly enough this

00:36:24.550 --> 00:36:26.949
morning, God's word is true. It's effective.

00:36:27.690 --> 00:36:32.030
It is impactful and transformative for us. So,

00:36:32.030 --> 00:36:34.929
yeah, Adam, thank you for that, brother. So you

00:36:34.929 --> 00:36:37.530
talked a little bit about distinctions. And as

00:36:37.530 --> 00:36:40.070
we've laid a foundation for things that are broad

00:36:40.070 --> 00:36:42.630
and foundational for us, Jeff, let's talk a little

00:36:42.630 --> 00:36:45.130
bit about distinctions and talk a little bit

00:36:45.130 --> 00:36:48.289
about heresy. And, you know, heretical, we're

00:36:48.289 --> 00:36:50.969
not going to talk heresy, talk about heresy.

00:36:51.559 --> 00:36:54.800
But heretical views of Christianity erase the

00:36:54.800 --> 00:37:00.119
necessity of repentance. Why is this an absolute

00:37:00.119 --> 00:37:02.059
necessity and critical in the life of a believer?

00:37:02.380 --> 00:37:04.880
Yeah, repentance is one of those biblical words

00:37:04.880 --> 00:37:08.619
that tends to bother the average unbeliever who

00:37:08.619 --> 00:37:12.400
doesn't know or trust God's word. To their unredeemed

00:37:12.400 --> 00:37:15.960
ear, repentance sounds judgy and it sounds old

00:37:15.960 --> 00:37:18.679
-fashioned. But for those of us who do know and

00:37:18.679 --> 00:37:20.639
trust the scriptures, we know that repentance,

00:37:21.320 --> 00:37:24.579
is an essential component of salvation in fact

00:37:24.579 --> 00:37:27.360
in our own church covenant we describe salvation

00:37:27.360 --> 00:37:30.320
this way having been brought by divine grace

00:37:30.320 --> 00:37:33.880
to repent and believe in the lord jesus christ

00:37:33.880 --> 00:37:37.320
and to follow after him so you have three words

00:37:37.320 --> 00:37:40.039
there repent believe and follow it all starts

00:37:40.039 --> 00:37:42.639
with divine grace but then it's repent believe

00:37:42.639 --> 00:37:45.480
and follow those are components of what it means

00:37:45.480 --> 00:37:48.139
to truly be saved and truly be found in christ

00:37:48.940 --> 00:37:51.699
And that repentance piece involves a sincere

00:37:51.699 --> 00:37:55.420
turning away from sin and turning towards God.

00:37:55.920 --> 00:37:58.599
And this should be done in ever increasing measure

00:37:58.599 --> 00:38:01.659
as we walk in the spirit, as we abide in Christ

00:38:01.659 --> 00:38:04.139
more deeply over the years. This is something

00:38:04.139 --> 00:38:07.019
that should grow in our lives. Having a repentant

00:38:07.019 --> 00:38:10.199
heart requires us, you guys, to do self -examination.

00:38:11.079 --> 00:38:14.309
Asking the Holy Spirit. To make our sin known

00:38:14.309 --> 00:38:17.409
to us. Asking him to reveal to us all the ways

00:38:17.409 --> 00:38:20.170
that we've fallen short. And yes, that can be

00:38:20.170 --> 00:38:23.250
something that's painful at times. But so, so

00:38:23.250 --> 00:38:26.750
necessary. Because we want to be 100 % honest

00:38:26.750 --> 00:38:29.550
with God about our sin. Newsflash, he already

00:38:29.550 --> 00:38:32.329
knows. But we want to be honest with him about

00:38:32.329 --> 00:38:34.869
it. And we can be honest with God about our sin.

00:38:35.150 --> 00:38:38.230
Because we are his children. Because we're already

00:38:38.230 --> 00:38:40.760
assured of his love. And we're assured of our

00:38:40.760 --> 00:38:43.119
place in his family. He's not going to forsake

00:38:43.119 --> 00:38:46.800
us, even when, again, we feel unlovable. Even

00:38:46.800 --> 00:38:49.760
when we've gotten off track, God will not forsake

00:38:49.760 --> 00:38:52.820
us. So we seek to recognize and deal with our

00:38:52.820 --> 00:38:56.340
sin on a regular basis. We don't ignore it. We

00:38:56.340 --> 00:38:58.360
don't try to justify it. We don't slough it off

00:38:58.360 --> 00:39:01.139
as if it doesn't matter. Instead, we live out

00:39:01.139 --> 00:39:04.400
the process and the promise in 1 John 1, 9, which

00:39:04.400 --> 00:39:07.260
says, if we confess our sins, he is faithful

00:39:07.260 --> 00:39:10.230
and righteous. to forgive us our sins, and to

00:39:10.230 --> 00:39:12.829
cleanse us from all unrighteousness. But before

00:39:12.829 --> 00:39:15.130
that, John says, if we say that we have no sin,

00:39:15.329 --> 00:39:17.650
we're deceiving ourselves and the truth is not

00:39:17.650 --> 00:39:20.650
in us. And I think that's true of a person who

00:39:20.650 --> 00:39:23.530
professes to know Christ, but then doesn't see

00:39:23.530 --> 00:39:25.849
the need for ongoing repentance. That person

00:39:25.849 --> 00:39:28.469
is self -deceived and the truth is not in him.

00:39:28.909 --> 00:39:31.349
So repentance is an ongoing part of spiritual

00:39:31.349 --> 00:39:35.179
growth and renewal for any true believer. With

00:39:35.179 --> 00:39:37.179
the help of God's Spirit, we stay committed to

00:39:37.179 --> 00:39:40.139
the idea of putting sin to death in our bodies,

00:39:40.199 --> 00:39:43.679
and we keep on laying aside those parts of the

00:39:43.679 --> 00:39:46.340
old man that Adam talked about that keep coming

00:39:46.340 --> 00:39:48.599
up, springing up in our lives. And when they

00:39:48.599 --> 00:39:51.960
spring up, we don't just ignore it. We call it

00:39:51.960 --> 00:39:55.780
what it is. It's sin. We repent of it. We confess

00:39:55.780 --> 00:39:59.400
it to our Father, and we trust in His promise

00:39:59.400 --> 00:40:01.980
of forgiveness, and then we realign ourselves

00:40:01.980 --> 00:40:04.900
with God's will. That's the process of repentance.

00:40:05.320 --> 00:40:08.039
And man, I hate to say this. It's a lifelong

00:40:08.039 --> 00:40:11.739
practice. Until we get to glory, we'll continue

00:40:11.739 --> 00:40:14.360
to do it. Make it a habit. It's a good thing.

00:40:14.519 --> 00:40:17.719
Yeah, amen. Yeah, that's so encouraging. Yeah,

00:40:17.800 --> 00:40:21.059
it's rich. I think it's interesting. You guys

00:40:21.059 --> 00:40:23.380
have both talked about both the collaborative

00:40:23.380 --> 00:40:28.260
effort in sanctification and the need. to actually

00:40:28.260 --> 00:40:31.820
willfully repent and so in that i think it does

00:40:31.820 --> 00:40:34.460
it brings up the question of good works and this

00:40:34.460 --> 00:40:37.000
is part of why as we look at salvation why sometimes

00:40:37.000 --> 00:40:39.780
we struggle as humans in our finite understanding

00:40:39.780 --> 00:40:42.960
to understand how good works are actually not

00:40:42.960 --> 00:40:45.440
a part of the equation of salvation itself and

00:40:45.440 --> 00:40:48.380
while it's an outpouring of it So, Adam, can

00:40:48.380 --> 00:40:51.079
you help us understand why we shouldn't trust

00:40:51.079 --> 00:40:53.599
in those good works, whether it be the practical

00:40:53.599 --> 00:40:56.159
process of sanctification or repentance or even

00:40:56.159 --> 00:40:59.400
trying to work towards salvation? But can you

00:40:59.400 --> 00:41:04.260
also clarify maybe why our works are unqualified

00:41:04.260 --> 00:41:09.119
to pay for our sins? Yes. Big question, but an

00:41:09.119 --> 00:41:12.360
important one. Really, the roots of this question

00:41:12.360 --> 00:41:15.420
deal with justification, and Jeff handled that

00:41:15.420 --> 00:41:19.820
really well. We know that good works do not save.

00:41:20.579 --> 00:41:22.820
Yet we always have to remind ourselves of that

00:41:22.820 --> 00:41:25.420
because we are prone to forget it. Even if you

00:41:25.420 --> 00:41:27.159
didn't grow up in a Catholic church, you're still

00:41:27.159 --> 00:41:31.239
prone to rest on your own merit and not on Christ.

00:41:31.320 --> 00:41:34.519
That's human nature, sinful nature. But here's

00:41:34.519 --> 00:41:38.139
a reality. You said, okay, what about our works

00:41:38.139 --> 00:41:41.219
makes them unqualified? Even our best works,

00:41:41.440 --> 00:41:42.619
I don't know if you've heard this, hopefully

00:41:42.619 --> 00:41:46.030
you have, but even our best works. need to be

00:41:46.030 --> 00:41:50.769
cleansed. Even our best good deeds need to be

00:41:50.769 --> 00:41:52.469
cleansed because we're not glorified. Remember

00:41:52.469 --> 00:41:54.909
that word glorified? And it means we're finally

00:41:54.909 --> 00:41:57.289
freed from sin. So that means even your best

00:41:57.289 --> 00:42:01.190
works are still tainted with what? Sin. We're

00:42:01.190 --> 00:42:03.289
not freed from sin yet. So even when we do good

00:42:03.289 --> 00:42:04.849
things for the Lord, it still needs to be washed

00:42:04.849 --> 00:42:09.349
clean by the blood of Christ. Isaiah 64, 6 says,

00:42:09.389 --> 00:42:11.429
all of us have become like one who is unclean.

00:42:11.980 --> 00:42:13.920
And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy

00:42:13.920 --> 00:42:16.059
garment, and all of us wither like a leaf, and

00:42:16.059 --> 00:42:18.539
our iniquities, like the wind, carry us away.

00:42:18.699 --> 00:42:21.699
And that passage reminds us that even when we

00:42:21.699 --> 00:42:24.719
do good, wonderful things, we are yet sinners,

00:42:24.860 --> 00:42:28.940
and we need to be saved by grace, not by works.

00:42:29.659 --> 00:42:31.659
We also know, though, that we're called to pursue

00:42:31.659 --> 00:42:33.280
the good works that God has created beforehand

00:42:33.280 --> 00:42:36.079
for us. Ephesians 2 .10, we are his workmanship,

00:42:36.260 --> 00:42:42.309
created in Christ Jesus for... Good works, which

00:42:42.309 --> 00:42:45.550
God prepared beforehand so that we would walk

00:42:45.550 --> 00:42:50.150
in them. James chapter two, verse 18. Some will

00:42:50.150 --> 00:42:53.730
say you have faith and I have works. Show me

00:42:53.730 --> 00:42:55.769
your faith without the works and I'll show you

00:42:55.769 --> 00:42:59.690
my faith by my works. So here's something to

00:42:59.690 --> 00:43:02.789
consider. Your good works, they don't prove that

00:43:02.789 --> 00:43:06.170
you're saved. Good works don't prove that. However,

00:43:06.250 --> 00:43:11.469
listen to this. Your desire. to pursue good works

00:43:11.469 --> 00:43:16.289
as an act of worship, that shows the inner reality

00:43:16.289 --> 00:43:20.869
of being saved. So if you struggle to pursue

00:43:20.869 --> 00:43:23.630
good works out of gratitude, you probably are

00:43:23.630 --> 00:43:26.889
struggling with worship. If you're not pursuing

00:43:26.889 --> 00:43:29.130
good works because you want to honor the Lord,

00:43:29.269 --> 00:43:31.070
you're probably not wanting to honor the Lord

00:43:31.070 --> 00:43:34.849
in other areas. At times, sin is going to tempt

00:43:34.849 --> 00:43:36.940
you to trust in your flesh. You're going to say,

00:43:37.039 --> 00:43:40.239
I am good because I did X, Y, and Z. I did these

00:43:40.239 --> 00:43:41.699
things to serve the Lord. You're going to make

00:43:41.699 --> 00:43:44.960
that your basis for confidence and salvation.

00:43:46.099 --> 00:43:49.519
Be cautious. Be on guard for that. When we come

00:43:49.519 --> 00:43:51.260
back to the truth that our good works or our

00:43:51.260 --> 00:43:54.860
good deeds, they don't save. When we pursue good

00:43:54.860 --> 00:43:58.039
works with an aim to worship Christ, to show

00:43:58.039 --> 00:44:01.400
and to evidence our gratitude for him, in that

00:44:01.400 --> 00:44:04.619
we have great encouragement to make it our aim

00:44:04.619 --> 00:44:07.119
really to please him. That's what we should be

00:44:07.119 --> 00:44:09.480
aiming for. That's going to show up in all aspects

00:44:09.480 --> 00:44:11.840
of your life. How do you respond to your spouse

00:44:11.840 --> 00:44:15.079
in moments of difficulty or your coworkers, your

00:44:15.079 --> 00:44:17.300
friends, your authorities? And maybe it's not

00:44:17.300 --> 00:44:19.000
moments of difficulty. Maybe it's moments of

00:44:19.000 --> 00:44:21.980
their need. Maybe they need something and how

00:44:21.980 --> 00:44:24.079
you respond is going to say a lot about you.

00:44:24.920 --> 00:44:27.739
Your responsibility or your responses when you

00:44:27.739 --> 00:44:30.199
need to serve, when you see those, where's Laura?

00:44:31.400 --> 00:44:34.480
Church center, planning center, online, whatever

00:44:34.480 --> 00:44:37.619
it's called now, service opportunities, right?

00:44:37.679 --> 00:44:39.079
This segment is sponsored by Planning Center.

00:44:39.079 --> 00:44:40.699
I'm trying to help you out. Yeah, Planning Center.

00:44:40.760 --> 00:44:43.659
There we go. When you see those needs pop up,

00:44:43.739 --> 00:44:47.139
when you see acorn prep night pop up or volunteers

00:44:47.139 --> 00:44:50.079
needed for acorns pop up or volunteering with

00:44:50.079 --> 00:44:52.739
the impact team or serving with the care team,

00:44:52.840 --> 00:44:55.559
bringing meals, all kinds of, there's so many

00:44:55.559 --> 00:44:58.480
different ways to serve. But pursuing good works,

00:44:58.559 --> 00:45:01.349
it should be normal. for the believer because

00:45:01.349 --> 00:45:04.550
the believer is grateful. It should be normal.

00:45:04.650 --> 00:45:06.530
And their gratitude motivates their eyes and

00:45:06.530 --> 00:45:08.889
their ears really to be open for opportunities,

00:45:08.949 --> 00:45:12.050
not just waiting to be asked to do something,

00:45:12.230 --> 00:45:15.650
but pursuing and seeking because it's an act

00:45:15.650 --> 00:45:18.389
of your worship. And you shouldn't just be aiming

00:45:18.389 --> 00:45:20.690
for things that are easy or just fit your bill

00:45:20.690 --> 00:45:23.530
or whatever because there's no such thing. Rather,

00:45:23.750 --> 00:45:25.929
you should be seeking to serve in whatever way

00:45:25.929 --> 00:45:28.309
God would open the door for you. And so you may

00:45:28.309 --> 00:45:30.050
say, but I'm an ear. I can only do things that

00:45:30.050 --> 00:45:32.329
an ear does. Sometimes you need to be a hand

00:45:32.329 --> 00:45:34.409
because, like Paul said, I become all things

00:45:34.409 --> 00:45:37.329
to all men that some may be saved. So you seek

00:45:37.329 --> 00:45:39.730
to serve in any way that God would open the door

00:45:39.730 --> 00:45:42.690
for you. And we do it, again, as Grant and Jeff

00:45:42.690 --> 00:45:45.510
have said, not as a means of salvation at all.

00:45:45.949 --> 00:45:48.510
but as a response of gratitude that our hope

00:45:48.510 --> 00:45:51.510
is still in Christ because we worship him in

00:45:51.510 --> 00:45:54.710
what we do. That's the reality. You don't worship

00:45:54.710 --> 00:45:56.389
him with thoughts and feelings and emotions.

00:45:56.989 --> 00:46:00.090
Those are real things, but that's not the substance

00:46:00.090 --> 00:46:02.369
of worship. The substance of worship is your

00:46:02.369 --> 00:46:04.630
whole life. So yes, your thoughts, feelings,

00:46:04.730 --> 00:46:06.969
and emotions matter, and what you do with your

00:46:06.969 --> 00:46:09.809
hands and where you go with your feet, that also

00:46:09.809 --> 00:46:13.219
matters. You need to have them match. Amen. Yeah,

00:46:13.280 --> 00:46:16.300
Adam, thank you. That idea of gratitude in how

00:46:16.300 --> 00:46:18.300
we respond is so helpful. And man, I wish that

00:46:18.300 --> 00:46:20.119
there was a time coming up sometime soon where

00:46:20.119 --> 00:46:23.019
we could focus on gratitude. Oh, wait, Thanksgiving's

00:46:23.019 --> 00:46:26.940
coming. But in all seriousness, that's part of

00:46:26.940 --> 00:46:30.059
why we've talked about wanting to have this conversation

00:46:30.059 --> 00:46:32.619
as a body now in light of where we've been, in

00:46:32.619 --> 00:46:34.679
light of where we're going, coming forth. And

00:46:34.679 --> 00:46:37.239
so friends, I think as we move towards celebrating

00:46:37.239 --> 00:46:40.619
Thanksgiving in just a very short number of days,

00:46:41.289 --> 00:46:43.409
To think about that, not just the thankfulness

00:46:43.409 --> 00:46:45.769
for the immediate things around you, but thankfulness

00:46:45.769 --> 00:46:48.730
for the good works that God has called us to

00:46:48.730 --> 00:46:51.289
in Christ. And I think, Adam, your expectation

00:46:51.289 --> 00:46:54.769
to even consider our own lives within the body

00:46:54.769 --> 00:46:57.769
of Christ at Oak Hill, are we thankful in the

00:46:57.769 --> 00:47:00.969
ways that we serve? Just let that sit for a second.

00:47:01.449 --> 00:47:04.050
Are you thankful? If you served this morning,

00:47:04.190 --> 00:47:06.650
were you thankful for the opportunity? If you

00:47:06.650 --> 00:47:09.210
are serving next week, are you thankful for that

00:47:09.210 --> 00:47:11.809
opportunity? Not just to bless one another, but

00:47:11.809 --> 00:47:14.650
to actually give thanks to God for what he's

00:47:14.650 --> 00:47:17.949
done. It's really rich. So I have one more question

00:47:17.949 --> 00:47:19.110
for each of you. But before we do that, take

00:47:19.110 --> 00:47:21.610
a deep breath. I know this is, yeah, good. You

00:47:21.610 --> 00:47:23.489
can breathe in church too. You have two for me.

00:47:23.750 --> 00:47:26.369
Exactly. I do have two. Jeff has two more. Yes,

00:47:26.369 --> 00:47:29.150
that's right. You will not be cut off. Did you

00:47:29.150 --> 00:47:31.599
see that? He will not be cut off. That's hilarious.

00:47:32.380 --> 00:47:36.699
You're correct. But it's really good for us to

00:47:36.699 --> 00:47:38.260
recognize, okay, we've laid a foundation. We've

00:47:38.260 --> 00:47:39.860
talked about some really practical things. But

00:47:39.860 --> 00:47:41.780
as we look at these next couple of questions,

00:47:42.059 --> 00:47:44.559
we're starting to look a little bit more outward,

00:47:44.699 --> 00:47:47.840
long -ranging for the life of the believer. So

00:47:47.840 --> 00:47:51.750
we've talked about good works. Jeff, let's talk

00:47:51.750 --> 00:47:54.170
about the perseverance of the saints. This is

00:47:54.170 --> 00:47:57.590
a very, for many of us, an abstract topic that

00:47:57.590 --> 00:47:59.769
we kind of throw around and we're like, oh yeah,

00:47:59.849 --> 00:48:01.309
we're going to persevere. What does that mean?

00:48:01.610 --> 00:48:06.329
So how should this bring comfort to us? What

00:48:06.329 --> 00:48:09.440
makes this doctrine so comforting? What do we

00:48:09.440 --> 00:48:12.059
often miss as we think about this? Yeah, it's

00:48:12.059 --> 00:48:14.059
one of the most comforting doctrines you'll find

00:48:14.059 --> 00:48:15.980
in all of Scripture, the promise that we have.

00:48:16.019 --> 00:48:18.119
For example, and Adam already quoted it from

00:48:18.119 --> 00:48:20.480
Philippians 1, Paul says that he is confident

00:48:20.480 --> 00:48:24.280
in this thing, confident, that he who began a

00:48:24.280 --> 00:48:28.780
good work in you will perfect it until the day

00:48:28.780 --> 00:48:31.099
of Christ Jesus. So if he started a work in you,

00:48:31.239 --> 00:48:33.719
that means he's chosen you, he's called you,

00:48:33.880 --> 00:48:36.400
he's brought you to life, he's justified you

00:48:36.400 --> 00:48:39.280
in his sight. He will finish his work in you.

00:48:39.340 --> 00:48:42.500
He will accomplish all that he wants to do through

00:48:42.500 --> 00:48:45.119
you right up until the day that he calls you

00:48:45.119 --> 00:48:48.579
home. That's the promise we have. We will persevere

00:48:48.579 --> 00:48:52.179
in saving faith until that day. Now, going back

00:48:52.179 --> 00:48:55.699
to the Westminster Catechism, the catechism gives

00:48:55.699 --> 00:48:59.460
us five, I think, astonishing reasons why this

00:48:59.460 --> 00:49:01.639
is true, rooted in these five things. You ready?

00:49:01.739 --> 00:49:04.219
Our perseverance is rooted, first of all, in

00:49:04.219 --> 00:49:07.780
the unchangeable love of God for us. Secondly,

00:49:07.900 --> 00:49:12.280
in his eternal decree that he marked us out long

00:49:12.280 --> 00:49:14.000
before the foundation of the world was laid.

00:49:14.480 --> 00:49:17.219
Number three, our inseparable union with Christ.

00:49:17.659 --> 00:49:20.639
Nothing can separate us from his love. Number

00:49:20.639 --> 00:49:25.019
four, Jesus' continual intercession for us, which

00:49:25.019 --> 00:49:26.940
he does from the right hand of the Father. And

00:49:26.940 --> 00:49:30.500
five, the spirit and seed of God abiding in us.

00:49:31.210 --> 00:49:34.250
Those are five powerful reasons why we will persevere.

00:49:34.449 --> 00:49:37.170
Because of all those things I just mentioned,

00:49:37.250 --> 00:49:40.210
the catechism says the believer can neither totally

00:49:40.210 --> 00:49:43.329
nor finally fall away from a state of grace,

00:49:43.409 --> 00:49:47.050
but each one is kept by the power of God through

00:49:47.050 --> 00:49:50.690
faith unto salvation. And this comes out of a

00:49:50.690 --> 00:49:52.949
promise that Jesus gives us in John chapter 10.

00:49:53.130 --> 00:49:57.489
He says, I give eternal life to my sheep, and

00:49:57.489 --> 00:50:00.559
they will never perish. And no one will snatch

00:50:00.559 --> 00:50:03.719
them out of my hand. My father who's given them

00:50:03.719 --> 00:50:06.820
to me is greater than all and no one is able

00:50:06.820 --> 00:50:10.099
to snatch them out of my father's hand. And then

00:50:10.099 --> 00:50:11.880
he says this amazing thing. I and the father

00:50:11.880 --> 00:50:15.739
are one. We will keep you. And that is quite

00:50:15.739 --> 00:50:19.539
a promise. Now, let me not ignore an important

00:50:19.539 --> 00:50:21.679
truth. There is in the New Testament, we're given

00:50:21.679 --> 00:50:24.320
multiple warning passages about being deceived.

00:50:25.340 --> 00:50:28.070
Warnings to make sure that your faith is real

00:50:28.070 --> 00:50:31.489
and not contrived. In fact, Paul told the Corinthians,

00:50:31.730 --> 00:50:34.050
test yourselves to make sure you're in the faith.

00:50:34.210 --> 00:50:36.889
Peter said we should be diligent to make our

00:50:36.889 --> 00:50:40.570
calling and choosing certain. So this is an important

00:50:40.570 --> 00:50:43.550
thing to consider, but those verses do not contradict

00:50:43.550 --> 00:50:45.769
God's promise of perseverance for the saints.

00:50:45.989 --> 00:50:48.530
If your faith is genuine, if you're not lying

00:50:48.530 --> 00:50:52.809
to yourself, if you're not playing a game trying

00:50:52.809 --> 00:50:56.090
to fool God or fool others, If you truly trust

00:50:56.090 --> 00:50:58.690
in Christ and in the promises of God, and there's

00:50:58.690 --> 00:51:01.130
evidence of spiritual fruit and transformation

00:51:01.130 --> 00:51:04.090
in your life, then you belong to God's family.

00:51:04.849 --> 00:51:07.110
That evidence means you've been chosen, called,

00:51:07.210 --> 00:51:09.130
and justified. If you're part of his family,

00:51:09.190 --> 00:51:12.309
you're part of his family forever. And you will

00:51:12.309 --> 00:51:15.210
persevere to the end. God's love, God's sovereign

00:51:15.210 --> 00:51:18.329
power will see to it. But make sure that your

00:51:18.329 --> 00:51:20.510
calling and your choosing is certain. That is

00:51:20.510 --> 00:51:23.150
a real command in scripture. But let this be

00:51:23.150 --> 00:51:26.679
a comfort to you. Amen. Yeah. Are you encouraged

00:51:26.679 --> 00:51:30.199
yet? Yeah, we should be. Yeah, it's really rich.

00:51:30.280 --> 00:51:33.539
Thank you, brother. So this is, as you just shared,

00:51:33.619 --> 00:51:35.820
this is a comforting doctrine. It's amazing.

00:51:36.920 --> 00:51:39.679
And yet we still struggle with assurance. And

00:51:39.679 --> 00:51:41.119
some of this is a condition of our humanity.

00:51:41.820 --> 00:51:47.019
So Adam, what should we remember to help encourage

00:51:47.019 --> 00:51:49.679
our hearts in light of what Jeff has just shared?

00:51:50.719 --> 00:51:54.730
Yeah, that doctrine, it is so, critical in the

00:51:54.730 --> 00:51:57.210
life of a believer. Jeff, that was great. That

00:51:57.210 --> 00:52:01.210
was a great answer. So mine is predicated on

00:52:01.210 --> 00:52:04.230
everything that he just said. Okay. So bearing

00:52:04.230 --> 00:52:06.349
that in mind, because without that doctrine,

00:52:06.409 --> 00:52:08.989
without the doctrine of the perseverance of the

00:52:08.989 --> 00:52:12.670
saints, we would be living in limbo. We would

00:52:12.670 --> 00:52:19.550
be living unsure of our eternal state. Wow. I

00:52:19.550 --> 00:52:23.940
don't even understand how anyone from a supposed

00:52:23.940 --> 00:52:27.000
Christian background. And yes, I'm poking at

00:52:27.000 --> 00:52:30.300
a Catholic doctrine. I don't understand how anyone

00:52:30.300 --> 00:52:33.480
could live there and say, yet I will still trust.

00:52:34.780 --> 00:52:38.400
It's crazy to me. We would then, obviously, as

00:52:38.400 --> 00:52:40.739
the Catholic Church has done, try to find some

00:52:40.739 --> 00:52:44.199
hope in what we do, right? That's where we would

00:52:44.199 --> 00:52:46.539
try to find our hope and what we're doing. We

00:52:46.539 --> 00:52:48.820
would try to find our security by doing something,

00:52:49.039 --> 00:52:51.659
right? That's what we would do. And I'm not trying

00:52:51.659 --> 00:52:54.380
to pick on the Catholic Church to be pugnacious

00:52:54.380 --> 00:52:57.019
or difficult, but I'm trying to point out why

00:52:57.019 --> 00:52:59.960
it's so critical and why so many saints would

00:52:59.960 --> 00:53:03.239
have laid their lives down to fight over these

00:53:03.239 --> 00:53:06.619
things several hundred years ago. The perseverance

00:53:06.619 --> 00:53:08.699
of the saints, it is a key doctrine for believers,

00:53:08.800 --> 00:53:11.199
yet believers are still going to struggle with

00:53:11.199 --> 00:53:15.300
assurance. Why? Because we doubt. We can't see

00:53:15.300 --> 00:53:17.960
the end. We're somewhere in the middle because

00:53:18.519 --> 00:53:21.059
Faith, as scripture says, is hope in things we

00:53:21.059 --> 00:53:25.340
cannot see, yet are utterly convinced by. So

00:53:25.340 --> 00:53:28.239
if someone, though, were not completely convinced,

00:53:28.559 --> 00:53:31.739
then assurance would be very shaky, right? Or

00:53:31.739 --> 00:53:33.940
if somebody was pretending to hope outwardly

00:53:33.940 --> 00:53:36.079
to others and then inwardly they're doubting,

00:53:36.159 --> 00:53:39.380
that would also be a difficult life to live.

00:53:39.480 --> 00:53:41.300
You could imagine then that, as Jeff pointed

00:53:41.300 --> 00:53:44.619
out, there's special nuanced cases of people

00:53:44.619 --> 00:53:47.110
who are being self -deceived. And then we are

00:53:47.110 --> 00:53:50.230
by nature doubters because we only can see things

00:53:50.230 --> 00:53:52.929
physically. If we can't see the end, then we're

00:53:52.929 --> 00:53:55.250
going to be nervous about that. You can imagine

00:53:55.250 --> 00:53:58.670
why assurance is so important to consider. Now,

00:53:58.690 --> 00:54:01.909
many of the answers today you've heard have focused

00:54:01.909 --> 00:54:05.650
on God's greatness, God's ability to save, his

00:54:05.650 --> 00:54:08.610
power to redeem, his power to transform hearts,

00:54:08.690 --> 00:54:12.409
his power to sustain us to the end. And this

00:54:12.409 --> 00:54:14.530
issue here about assurance, it's no different.

00:54:15.239 --> 00:54:17.820
If you want to address assurance, you have to

00:54:17.820 --> 00:54:21.019
look at the character of God and not yourself.

00:54:22.400 --> 00:54:25.960
The character of God and not yourself. Yes, you

00:54:25.960 --> 00:54:28.960
need to inventory yourself. Do you delight in

00:54:28.960 --> 00:54:31.619
him? Do you yield to him? Are you dependent upon

00:54:31.619 --> 00:54:33.840
him? Those are things you should consider because

00:54:33.840 --> 00:54:37.139
if you don't, that's your answer, right? If you

00:54:37.139 --> 00:54:38.840
don't delight in him, that's your answer. If

00:54:38.840 --> 00:54:40.980
you don't yield to him, that's your answer. If

00:54:40.980 --> 00:54:43.179
you don't want to be dependent upon him, that's

00:54:43.179 --> 00:54:46.849
your answer. But as Jeff pointed out, if you

00:54:46.849 --> 00:54:50.849
are yielded to him, then you look to his character

00:54:50.849 --> 00:54:55.570
first before addressing yours. How often did

00:54:55.570 --> 00:54:58.389
David cry out to God for help in the midst of

00:54:58.389 --> 00:55:01.409
discouragement, only to then encourage his own

00:55:01.409 --> 00:55:05.489
heart with truth about God's character, that

00:55:05.489 --> 00:55:09.070
God is a stronghold, a place of refuge, a protector,

00:55:09.389 --> 00:55:14.269
a vindicator, a faithful God. who keeps his promises.

00:55:15.230 --> 00:55:17.190
When you're dealing with assurance, I want to

00:55:17.190 --> 00:55:20.289
help believers not just inventory their own failures.

00:55:20.630 --> 00:55:23.750
We all have them. Anyone who says they don't

00:55:23.750 --> 00:55:25.429
is lying and they misunderstand glorification,

00:55:25.789 --> 00:55:28.750
right? Because being glorified means freed from

00:55:28.750 --> 00:55:32.250
sin. Everyone else, all of us, all y 'all, to

00:55:32.250 --> 00:55:35.550
quote people from the South, we're all in process.

00:55:36.210 --> 00:55:39.789
Sin is not fully dealt with yet. So we might

00:55:39.789 --> 00:55:43.039
have insecurities. We're not going to ignore

00:55:43.039 --> 00:55:45.079
those and our sin issues, but I want to help

00:55:45.079 --> 00:55:47.780
people look to the character of God who rescues

00:55:47.780 --> 00:55:49.579
sinners. How many of you are familiar or remember

00:55:49.579 --> 00:55:53.159
the story of Jesus with Matthew? Matthew chapter

00:55:53.159 --> 00:55:56.340
9. I'm going to read these verses. Verses 9 through

00:55:56.340 --> 00:55:58.480
13. As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man

00:55:58.480 --> 00:56:01.500
called Matthew sitting in the tax office, and

00:56:01.500 --> 00:56:05.639
he said to him, follow me. And he stood up, and

00:56:05.639 --> 00:56:08.599
he followed him. Then it happened as Jesus was

00:56:08.599 --> 00:56:10.639
reclining at the table in the house, behold,

00:56:10.760 --> 00:56:14.079
many tax collectors and sinners came and were

00:56:14.079 --> 00:56:18.579
dining with Jesus and his disciples. When the

00:56:18.579 --> 00:56:21.619
Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples,

00:56:21.860 --> 00:56:25.239
why is your teacher eating with tax collectors

00:56:25.239 --> 00:56:28.780
and sinners? But when Jesus heard this, he said,

00:56:28.880 --> 00:56:32.260
it is not those who are healthy who need a physician,

00:56:32.500 --> 00:56:36.380
but those who are sick. Go and learn what this

00:56:36.380 --> 00:56:40.099
means. I desire compassion and not sacrifice,

00:56:40.440 --> 00:56:44.119
for I did not come to call the righteous, but

00:56:44.119 --> 00:56:49.079
sinners. Friends, that's Christ. That's the heart

00:56:49.079 --> 00:56:52.739
of God. You and I, we are sinners. We fail. We

00:56:52.739 --> 00:56:55.760
don't fully have God's heart. And so we judge

00:56:55.760 --> 00:56:58.519
immensely, even the failures that we see in ourselves.

00:56:59.460 --> 00:57:02.820
But because of Christ, God's perfect judgment

00:57:02.820 --> 00:57:06.760
against sinners It's satisfied because he took

00:57:06.760 --> 00:57:10.599
on our sin and our shame. So believers should

00:57:10.599 --> 00:57:14.059
focus more on the incredible sacrifice of Christ,

00:57:14.139 --> 00:57:17.300
slain for sinners, when they consider their own

00:57:17.300 --> 00:57:21.039
assurance of salvation. It's his power. It's

00:57:21.039 --> 00:57:24.320
his sacrifice. It's his resurrection that keeps

00:57:24.320 --> 00:57:28.400
and holds sinners as saints. So we would do well

00:57:28.400 --> 00:57:30.960
to lift our eyes to him when we consider assurance.

00:57:31.380 --> 00:57:34.119
And so I'll leave you with this. Assurance is

00:57:34.119 --> 00:57:38.400
not your grip on God, but God's grip on you.

00:57:38.900 --> 00:57:41.679
Amen. Yeah, Adam, that's so helpful. And I think

00:57:41.679 --> 00:57:45.139
it's instructive for us to remember that we have

00:57:45.139 --> 00:57:48.079
to fix our eyes on Jesus. We cannot. We cannot

00:57:48.079 --> 00:57:51.199
succeed without that. And as an encouragement

00:57:51.199 --> 00:57:53.719
for each of us in the body, one of the things

00:57:53.719 --> 00:57:56.980
that we hear most commonly in the life of a believer

00:57:56.980 --> 00:57:59.559
is, I'm struggling with my assurance of salvation.

00:57:59.900 --> 00:58:01.519
Yeah, we hear, yeah, I struggle with sin, but

00:58:01.519 --> 00:58:05.000
it's something that almost all of us in the process

00:58:05.000 --> 00:58:07.079
of our life as Christians will wrestle with at

00:58:07.079 --> 00:58:09.780
some point. And yet it's not widely talked about.

00:58:09.900 --> 00:58:13.199
For some reason that still, we try to wrap our

00:58:13.199 --> 00:58:15.800
minds around, we struggle with, we feel ashamed.

00:58:16.019 --> 00:58:18.579
It's like, I can't walk through this, but it's

00:58:18.579 --> 00:58:20.559
because we fix our eyes on ourselves, as you

00:58:20.559 --> 00:58:22.800
said, and not on Jesus. And so the encouragement

00:58:22.800 --> 00:58:24.900
in that is that if you are struggling with your

00:58:24.900 --> 00:58:27.599
assurance of salvation, Come talk to an elder

00:58:27.599 --> 00:58:29.739
about it. Talk to someone who's discipling you

00:58:29.739 --> 00:58:33.480
because it is something, again, let's fix our

00:58:33.480 --> 00:58:35.639
eyes on Jesus together. Let's walk through this.

00:58:35.699 --> 00:58:37.840
Don't bury it. Don't pretend like there's something

00:58:37.840 --> 00:58:40.239
wrong with you because guess what? There is.

00:58:40.559 --> 00:58:43.019
There is something wrong with you and with each

00:58:43.019 --> 00:58:45.840
of us and we need that savior. So let's work

00:58:45.840 --> 00:58:49.820
through that together. So last, actual last question

00:58:49.820 --> 00:58:54.059
for you since you will not be cut off. In light

00:58:54.059 --> 00:58:56.590
of all that, Let's talk about something that

00:58:56.590 --> 00:59:00.090
is also difficult for us. We've had to deal with

00:59:00.090 --> 00:59:03.829
a lot as a church body this year, is the idea

00:59:03.829 --> 00:59:07.829
of grief and how this relates to salvation. And

00:59:07.829 --> 00:59:10.449
sometimes this feels like an odd disconnect for

00:59:10.449 --> 00:59:12.530
us, like those two are unrelated to one another.

00:59:13.210 --> 00:59:16.230
So the question for you is, why don't believers

00:59:16.230 --> 00:59:20.969
grieve like the world when another believer dies?

00:59:22.889 --> 00:59:25.809
or maybe or, what actually happens when a believer

00:59:25.809 --> 00:59:29.530
dies? Yeah, we have had to deal with this in

00:59:29.530 --> 00:59:31.909
the last year with Jared Dawson and then with

00:59:31.909 --> 00:59:34.510
Chris Jackson, and we've all walked through that

00:59:34.510 --> 00:59:37.170
together. It's been hard. The question points

00:59:37.170 --> 00:59:40.030
us right to what Paul said to the Thessalonian

00:59:40.030 --> 00:59:42.329
church back in the first century when they were

00:59:42.329 --> 00:59:45.690
struggling with the death of loved ones. And

00:59:45.690 --> 00:59:47.670
he said, we don't want you to be uninformed,

00:59:47.710 --> 00:59:50.420
brothers. Okay, when Paul says that, that's important.

00:59:50.579 --> 00:59:53.340
We don't want you to get this wrong about those

00:59:53.340 --> 00:59:56.840
who are asleep. So that you will not grieve as

00:59:56.840 --> 01:00:00.960
do the rest who have no hope. And then he explains,

01:00:01.079 --> 01:00:03.519
for if we believe that Jesus died and rose again,

01:00:03.739 --> 01:00:07.400
even so God will bring with him those who have

01:00:07.400 --> 01:00:13.280
fallen asleep in Jesus. So as believers, it's

01:00:13.280 --> 01:00:15.340
not as though we don't grieve. We do and we should

01:00:15.340 --> 01:00:18.510
because we've lost a loved one. But it's different

01:00:18.510 --> 01:00:22.050
for us because for those who've died in Jesus,

01:00:22.130 --> 01:00:25.090
and that's the critical right component, died

01:00:25.090 --> 01:00:27.989
in Jesus, we know that there's a great reunion

01:00:27.989 --> 01:00:30.750
ahead, that we will not only see them again,

01:00:30.829 --> 01:00:34.789
but enjoy glory with them forever and ever. So

01:00:34.789 --> 01:00:36.750
we hold on to this hope, and it's a hope that

01:00:36.750 --> 01:00:39.789
is certain because it's rooted in the promises

01:00:39.789 --> 01:00:42.449
that God has given us in his infallible word.

01:00:42.510 --> 01:00:44.530
That's the only reason we can have hope, because

01:00:44.530 --> 01:00:47.780
it's rooted in God's promises. We trust and we

01:00:47.780 --> 01:00:50.300
rejoice that our loved ones who have died in

01:00:50.300 --> 01:00:53.519
Jesus are right now perfectly free from sin,

01:00:53.659 --> 01:00:56.880
glorification. They're free from temptation and

01:00:56.880 --> 01:00:59.340
all the trials and difficulties of this life.

01:00:59.400 --> 01:01:03.019
Good for them. Amen? Amen. The Westminster Catechism

01:01:03.019 --> 01:01:05.199
puts it this way. They have been made perfect

01:01:05.199 --> 01:01:08.059
in holiness. They've been received into the highest

01:01:08.059 --> 01:01:11.039
heavens. And they are right now beholding the

01:01:11.039 --> 01:01:15.329
face of Christ in light and glory. So every death

01:01:15.329 --> 01:01:17.510
of the believer is simply an entrance into that

01:01:17.510 --> 01:01:21.230
glory. As it's often described, we graduate from

01:01:21.230 --> 01:01:25.849
this life of tears into a much, much, much better

01:01:25.849 --> 01:01:28.190
phase of existence. And listen, there's so many

01:01:28.190 --> 01:01:31.130
passages I could point to you to for this, but

01:01:31.130 --> 01:01:33.590
I'll give you a couple just fantastic ones. Philippians

01:01:33.590 --> 01:01:39.809
1, 21 to 23, Paul says, for me to live is Christ,

01:01:39.829 --> 01:01:44.969
good, and to die is gain. And then he goes on

01:01:44.969 --> 01:01:46.769
to weigh the good parts of living on the earth

01:01:46.769 --> 01:01:50.030
and the better news of dying in Christ. And so

01:01:50.030 --> 01:01:52.489
he says, if I'm to live on in the flesh, this

01:01:52.489 --> 01:01:54.750
will mean fruitful labor for me. That's good,

01:01:54.809 --> 01:01:57.889
right? More ministry, more worship. And he says,

01:01:57.909 --> 01:02:00.449
I don't know which to choose. I'm hard pressed

01:02:00.449 --> 01:02:03.630
from both directions, but having the desire to

01:02:03.630 --> 01:02:06.150
depart and be with Christ because that's very

01:02:06.150 --> 01:02:09.320
much better. And that's true of a believer. In

01:02:09.320 --> 01:02:11.739
2 Corinthians 5, he says, while we're at home

01:02:11.739 --> 01:02:14.280
in the body, we're absent from the Lord. Still,

01:02:14.460 --> 01:02:16.760
he says, as believers, we'd prefer the opposite.

01:02:16.860 --> 01:02:19.300
We'd prefer to be absent from the body and be

01:02:19.300 --> 01:02:22.420
at home with the Lord. Why? Because to be with

01:02:22.420 --> 01:02:26.059
the Lord is where our truest home is. That's

01:02:26.059 --> 01:02:28.000
something we've got to get into our minds and

01:02:28.000 --> 01:02:30.619
hearts. That's our truest home. Perhaps the most

01:02:30.619 --> 01:02:32.880
beautiful passage on this in the entire Bible

01:02:32.880 --> 01:02:36.880
is actually Old Testament. Psalm 116, 15, here's

01:02:36.880 --> 01:02:39.980
how God sees our physical passing from this earthly

01:02:39.980 --> 01:02:43.539
life into eternity. He says, precious in the

01:02:43.539 --> 01:02:47.119
sight of the Lord is the death of his godly ones.

01:02:47.920 --> 01:02:51.739
Why is that so? Because we're brought into Christ's

01:02:51.739 --> 01:02:54.480
immediate presence, and he rejoices in that.

01:02:55.260 --> 01:02:57.780
Did you catch that? Imagine this thought. Your

01:02:57.780 --> 01:03:01.079
graduation into his presence is actually precious

01:03:01.079 --> 01:03:05.719
to him. So as we get older, and I'm feeling it,

01:03:05.739 --> 01:03:08.639
and the reality of our physical death begins

01:03:08.639 --> 01:03:10.940
to creep up on us, it's my prayer that you and

01:03:10.940 --> 01:03:13.900
I as believers will remember these important

01:03:13.900 --> 01:03:16.340
truths. And when we do lose someone that we love,

01:03:16.500 --> 01:03:19.920
like Jarrett, like Chris, that we think rightly

01:03:19.920 --> 01:03:23.079
about it. And we grieve the loss, yes, but not

01:03:23.079 --> 01:03:26.440
as the world grieves. We hope in Christ. Yeah,

01:03:26.440 --> 01:03:29.880
yeah, amen. Yeah, Jeff, that word hope is something

01:03:29.880 --> 01:03:33.400
that we miss so often. We think of salvation

01:03:33.400 --> 01:03:36.099
as just a box of tick or irrespective of that,

01:03:36.159 --> 01:03:38.880
but in that, it should motivate us to hope in

01:03:38.880 --> 01:03:42.760
Christ. Brothers, thank you so much. What a rich

01:03:42.760 --> 01:03:45.300
meal that we've been able to share together today.

01:03:45.420 --> 01:03:49.380
It's such a joy to sit and to learn from you

01:03:49.380 --> 01:03:52.039
both about what salvation is and to walk through

01:03:52.039 --> 01:03:57.579
this together. And thank you, Grant. Joy. We

01:03:57.579 --> 01:03:59.559
created a meal. Does that mean there was sauce

01:03:59.559 --> 01:04:04.760
on it? I'm gonna go with yes. It just got personal.

01:04:06.820 --> 01:04:10.400
So in light of all of this, let's, how do you

01:04:10.400 --> 01:04:14.480
follow that? In light of all this, let's walk

01:04:14.480 --> 01:04:18.699
it, let's walk it back. As we've talked about

01:04:18.699 --> 01:04:21.059
effectual calling, we've talked about faith,

01:04:21.340 --> 01:04:24.940
adoption, justification, sanctification, repentance,

01:04:25.300 --> 01:04:28.800
good works, perseverance, assurance, death, grief,

01:04:29.039 --> 01:04:33.320
and hope. Ask yourself this question right now.

01:04:33.420 --> 01:04:41.239
Are you in Christ? Are you saved? For most of

01:04:41.239 --> 01:04:44.980
us, the answer, Lord willing, would be yes, which

01:04:44.980 --> 01:04:49.860
is good. Amen. But ask yourself, do you have

01:04:49.860 --> 01:04:52.880
every confidence that if you were to walk out

01:04:52.880 --> 01:04:55.519
that door or even, God forbid, you were to drop

01:04:55.519 --> 01:04:58.730
dead in the next five minutes, that you would,

01:04:58.750 --> 01:05:02.369
as Jeff just said, be received with joy by your

01:05:02.369 --> 01:05:07.389
maker? This is a question that we have to ask.

01:05:07.949 --> 01:05:10.469
And again, we don't ask this out of despair or

01:05:10.469 --> 01:05:12.690
fear, but out of hope and confidence that that

01:05:12.690 --> 01:05:16.869
pardon has been sealed by Jesus Christ for mankind.

01:05:17.719 --> 01:05:20.280
And so as we look at the next several weeks as

01:05:20.280 --> 01:05:21.440
we move towards the end of the year, this is

01:05:21.440 --> 01:05:24.440
a great time to stop and to take stock of your

01:05:24.440 --> 01:05:27.500
spiritual condition, to ask, do you believe that

01:05:27.500 --> 01:05:31.139
Jesus Christ is the only Savior and that in him

01:05:31.139 --> 01:05:36.099
is found your very life? And so friends, the

01:05:36.099 --> 01:05:38.940
invitation then is if you are not in Christ,

01:05:39.079 --> 01:05:42.159
if you are not found in him and saved with every

01:05:42.159 --> 01:05:44.420
hope of eternity, would you come find one of

01:05:44.420 --> 01:05:47.639
us? after service? Would you go to someone who's

01:05:47.639 --> 01:05:50.619
discipling or who you know without a shadow of

01:05:50.619 --> 01:05:53.719
a doubt is in Christ? And would you say, as we

01:05:53.719 --> 01:05:57.360
see in scripture, how must I be saved? Call on

01:05:57.360 --> 01:06:01.380
him. Ask that he would save you. And so then

01:06:01.380 --> 01:06:03.440
the application and encouragement for you is

01:06:03.440 --> 01:06:07.139
if you are in Christ, are you hiding your light

01:06:07.139 --> 01:06:10.780
under a basket? Are you holding on to it like

01:06:10.780 --> 01:06:13.360
you're gonna lose it or are you walking out and

01:06:13.360 --> 01:06:16.880
spreading the gospel because it has changed your

01:06:16.880 --> 01:06:19.840
very existence and your hope of glory? Are you

01:06:19.840 --> 01:06:22.340
gonna walk through Christmas like it's any other

01:06:22.340 --> 01:06:24.639
year and are you gonna forget that that call

01:06:24.639 --> 01:06:28.639
remains open to those who God is drawing, that

01:06:28.639 --> 01:06:32.920
it remains for all nations? Are you looking for

01:06:32.920 --> 01:06:36.860
ways to share the gospel of salvation with those?

01:06:37.559 --> 01:06:42.099
who just like you and I do not deserve it. It's

01:06:42.099 --> 01:06:43.980
a good chance for us to stop and take stock and

01:06:43.980 --> 01:06:47.500
ask, do we have pride in our hearts? Do we hold

01:06:47.500 --> 01:06:49.639
on to something and say that I have contributed

01:06:49.639 --> 01:06:55.659
in some way to this? If you're proud, why? Do

01:06:55.659 --> 01:07:00.059
you run to Christ? As Adam and Jeff have exhorted

01:07:00.059 --> 01:07:02.179
us so well this morning, do you fix your eyes

01:07:02.179 --> 01:07:04.780
on him and not yourself and your own condition?

01:07:04.880 --> 01:07:10.179
Stop navel gazing. and glory gaze instead. So

01:07:10.179 --> 01:07:12.000
in light of that, friends, be encouraged this

01:07:12.000 --> 01:07:14.199
morning. Our hope is that your hearts would be

01:07:14.199 --> 01:07:17.340
full of joy and hope as we look towards Jesus

01:07:17.340 --> 01:07:20.199
Christ, the Savior for the nations, that he is

01:07:20.199 --> 01:07:24.300
good, he is glorious, he is perfect, and that

01:07:24.300 --> 01:07:26.260
should cause us for the rest of our days, however

01:07:26.260 --> 01:07:28.820
many there may be, to wonder and to marvel at

01:07:28.820 --> 01:07:31.119
his great work for us. So let's go to the Lord

01:07:31.119 --> 01:07:33.679
in prayer. And we'll have an opportunity to respond

01:07:33.679 --> 01:07:36.519
in song and through giving together as we close

01:07:36.519 --> 01:07:45.880
our time. Father, Son, Spirit, we come to you

01:07:45.880 --> 01:07:50.059
this morning and we thank you for your perfection.

01:07:52.480 --> 01:07:55.320
We thank you that apart from Jesus Christ that

01:07:55.320 --> 01:07:59.320
there is no way to be saved. That there is no

01:07:59.320 --> 01:08:04.500
good in us. Father, we thank you that there is

01:08:04.500 --> 01:08:08.440
a hope of glory for those who would trust in

01:08:08.440 --> 01:08:15.300
this great and glorious gospel. Father, I pray

01:08:15.300 --> 01:08:17.060
this morning that if there are those who are

01:08:17.060 --> 01:08:21.039
clinging tightly to their own merit, that you

01:08:21.039 --> 01:08:24.640
would convict them that they cannot live apart

01:08:24.640 --> 01:08:27.899
from you. that you would soften their hearts

01:08:27.899 --> 01:08:29.779
and that you would open their eyes and cause

01:08:29.779 --> 01:08:31.600
the scales to fall off, that they would find

01:08:31.600 --> 01:08:35.479
joy in their entire identity being wrapped in

01:08:35.479 --> 01:08:41.100
Jesus Christ. Father, for those who are weary

01:08:41.100 --> 01:08:46.220
this morning, who are doubting, would you, by

01:08:46.220 --> 01:08:49.460
your spirit, encourage them that their hope is

01:08:49.460 --> 01:08:55.939
found in you and not in themselves? Father, we

01:08:55.939 --> 01:08:58.619
thank you that your word has clearly laid out

01:08:58.619 --> 01:09:02.979
for us areas in which we need to grow, areas

01:09:02.979 --> 01:09:05.020
in which we need to turn from our sin, areas

01:09:05.020 --> 01:09:07.380
in which we need to cling tightly to you, and

01:09:07.380 --> 01:09:10.960
areas in which we need to look forward to what

01:09:10.960 --> 01:09:14.939
is yet to be. And Father, we pray for a supernatural

01:09:14.939 --> 01:09:18.479
understanding in our finite minds that would

01:09:18.479 --> 01:09:21.579
give us hope as we walk through this life to

01:09:21.579 --> 01:09:25.289
delight in the glory of God. and salvation through

01:09:25.289 --> 01:09:28.590
Christ and Christ alone. We praise you for our

01:09:28.590 --> 01:09:30.729
time together this morning. We ask as we respond

01:09:30.729 --> 01:09:34.390
in worship through song and through giving that

01:09:34.390 --> 01:09:36.710
you would be pleased with the attitudes of our

01:09:36.710 --> 01:09:39.649
hearts, that we would worship you with abandon

01:09:39.649 --> 01:09:42.550
as we rehearse for the day when we will meet

01:09:42.550 --> 01:09:47.189
you face to face. It's for your name, your glory,

01:09:47.229 --> 01:09:48.289
and our good we pray.