WEBVTT 00:00:00.970 --> 00:00:07.450 So, I thought this morning we will begin here 00:00:07.450 --> 00:00:13.029 in chapter 5 again and review a few of the things 00:00:13.029 --> 00:00:18.750 that we mentioned last week. And then go on to 00:00:18.750 --> 00:00:21.750 a couple of other topics that aren't necessarily 00:00:21.750 --> 00:00:27.609 in this section of Romans, but that are foundational 00:00:27.609 --> 00:00:31.519 to our faith. And so I want to begin here again 00:00:31.519 --> 00:00:34.600 with justification. So we've already heard about 00:00:34.600 --> 00:00:36.799 justification this morning. Mike has already 00:00:36.799 --> 00:00:44.740 shared some of what justification is. Our justification 00:00:44.740 --> 00:00:51.640 is a foundational truth. When we go on and talk 00:00:51.640 --> 00:00:54.759 about regeneration, another foundational truth. 00:00:55.140 --> 00:01:01.020 Sanctification, a foundational truth. These things 00:01:01.020 --> 00:01:05.920 impact our view of God and our view of ourselves. 00:01:07.280 --> 00:01:11.599 Our view of salvation. How is a man saved, right? 00:01:11.739 --> 00:01:15.739 I mean, that's the crux of the issue. That's 00:01:15.739 --> 00:01:19.959 what humanity needs. Salvation. But if we don't 00:01:19.959 --> 00:01:23.019 know how a man is to be saved, well, what good 00:01:23.019 --> 00:01:26.900 are we? What good are we to the world? What good 00:01:26.900 --> 00:01:29.239 is it to ourselves to know that there is a God 00:01:29.239 --> 00:01:33.439 if we don't know how a man is saved? So, justification. 00:01:34.000 --> 00:01:36.760 What does it mean? What does it mean to be justified? 00:01:36.939 --> 00:01:39.939 Paul says, Therefore, having been justified by 00:01:39.939 --> 00:01:42.879 faith, we have peace with God through our Lord 00:01:42.879 --> 00:01:45.959 Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained 00:01:45.959 --> 00:01:48.939 our introduction by faith into this grace in 00:01:48.939 --> 00:01:52.620 which we stand and exalt in the hope of the glory 00:01:52.620 --> 00:01:56.549 of God. Justification. So what is it? to be declared 00:01:56.549 --> 00:01:59.530 righteous. We've mentioned that. We already said 00:01:59.530 --> 00:02:02.890 that. It is a legal term. It has to do with a 00:02:02.890 --> 00:02:05.769 courtroom and a judge. God, of course, is the 00:02:05.769 --> 00:02:10.310 judge. So in the legal courtroom of God, we are 00:02:10.310 --> 00:02:16.150 declared righteous. That doesn't mean that intrinsically 00:02:16.150 --> 00:02:20.069 now, or we are doing these things righteously. 00:02:20.629 --> 00:02:24.199 It's not that our lives now are... Lives of just 00:02:24.199 --> 00:02:26.659 righteousness. Living perfectly here on this 00:02:26.659 --> 00:02:30.319 earth. That's not what that means. God declares 00:02:30.319 --> 00:02:34.680 us righteous. And as Mike said, what does that 00:02:34.680 --> 00:02:36.680 mean? We are clothed in the righteousness of 00:02:36.680 --> 00:02:42.060 Christ. We become his righteousness. 2 Corinthians 00:02:42.060 --> 00:02:46.539 5 .21 That we might become the righteousness 00:02:46.539 --> 00:02:48.860 of God in him. That's what we're talking about. 00:02:49.060 --> 00:02:51.300 So when God looks at us, he sees the righteousness 00:02:51.300 --> 00:02:56.819 of Christ. Isaiah 61 .10 He wrapped me with a 00:02:56.819 --> 00:03:00.560 robe of righteousness. The same idea there. We 00:03:00.560 --> 00:03:02.659 mentioned this, I think, on a Wednesday night. 00:03:02.879 --> 00:03:05.740 Is it Zechariah where it talks about him being... 00:03:05.740 --> 00:03:14.639 No, it's not Zechariah. It's a high priest there 00:03:14.639 --> 00:03:17.560 taking his filthy rags and clothed in the white 00:03:17.560 --> 00:03:23.259 garments. Totally drawing a blank there. Either 00:03:23.259 --> 00:03:26.740 way, that's the picture. The filthy garments 00:03:26.740 --> 00:03:30.039 are gone and we are clothed now in this pure, 00:03:30.039 --> 00:03:35.259 white, clean garment of Christ. That's righteousness. 00:03:35.620 --> 00:03:39.080 If you want to think of it, I was listening to 00:03:39.080 --> 00:03:41.740 Charles Leiber. He always says, this occurs in 00:03:41.740 --> 00:03:45.900 heaven. Our justification is in heaven. It's 00:03:45.900 --> 00:03:48.159 got nothing to do with here on earth, so to speak. 00:03:49.659 --> 00:03:53.759 This occurs in heaven. When we go on to talk 00:03:53.759 --> 00:03:57.039 about our regeneration, that occurs here on earth, 00:03:57.240 --> 00:04:02.180 in the heart of a man. But this term, justification, 00:04:02.319 --> 00:04:07.240 to be declared righteous, this has occurred in 00:04:07.240 --> 00:04:11.759 heaven. So, Christ's righteousness becomes ours. 00:04:11.860 --> 00:04:15.539 It is imputed to us, and our sin is put on Him. 00:04:16.720 --> 00:04:19.759 The great exchange, we've probably heard it said, 00:04:19.920 --> 00:04:25.459 how can God justify man? Right? How can God be 00:04:25.459 --> 00:04:30.860 just if he just lets the wicked go free? He can't 00:04:30.860 --> 00:04:35.139 be. There must be penalty. There must be satisfaction 00:04:35.139 --> 00:04:42.139 to this law. And so what happens? Christ dies. 00:04:42.740 --> 00:04:48.240 Christ's blood is shed. Christ satisfies the 00:04:48.240 --> 00:04:52.300 wrath of God. Our sin upon Him. His righteousness 00:04:52.300 --> 00:04:56.459 upon us. God is then just and the justifier. 00:04:56.819 --> 00:05:02.360 As we looked at in Romans 3. God is just in justifying 00:05:02.360 --> 00:05:06.139 us because Christ has taken the penalty. Christ 00:05:06.139 --> 00:05:10.819 has paid the price. Justification. It is a one 00:05:10.819 --> 00:05:14.699 time. A one -time act, a one -time declaration. 00:05:15.899 --> 00:05:20.259 Again, this is important. This is vital. We don't 00:05:20.259 --> 00:05:24.899 lose our justification. When I go out from here 00:05:24.899 --> 00:05:31.459 and I lose my temper, am I justified still? Yes. 00:05:32.360 --> 00:05:35.639 I've not lost my justification because I've sinned. 00:05:37.060 --> 00:05:39.959 I'm not more justified when I go out from here 00:05:39.959 --> 00:05:43.399 and I don't lose my temper. I don't gain in justification. 00:05:44.680 --> 00:05:49.519 It is what it is. How can you add to the righteousness 00:05:49.519 --> 00:05:52.839 of Christ? That's what I have. How can you take 00:05:52.839 --> 00:05:58.939 away from that? A one -time act. It does not 00:05:58.939 --> 00:06:03.079 increase. It does not decrease. It is not lost. 00:06:03.220 --> 00:06:08.620 It is not gained in that sense. We also said, 00:06:08.680 --> 00:06:11.680 if you remember, as righteous as Christ. It's 00:06:11.680 --> 00:06:14.220 an amazing thought to think of that, right? That 00:06:14.220 --> 00:06:18.800 Christ is no more righteous than we are. How 00:06:18.800 --> 00:06:21.560 can that be? How can that be a glorious thought 00:06:21.560 --> 00:06:27.040 to think in those terms? I'm as righteous as 00:06:27.040 --> 00:06:30.240 Christ is. Now, if you've not thought about that, 00:06:30.379 --> 00:06:35.000 think of that. That's an amazing thought. It 00:06:35.000 --> 00:06:38.569 seems blasphemous. It really does. If you think 00:06:38.569 --> 00:06:41.850 about that, it's like, how can that be? I know 00:06:41.850 --> 00:06:47.350 who I am. I know what I'm like. And yet I'm as 00:06:47.350 --> 00:06:52.089 righteous as Christ is. Yet that's what the Bible 00:06:52.089 --> 00:06:57.709 says. Okay? That's what we have to get. That's 00:06:57.709 --> 00:07:00.790 what we have to grasp. It doesn't matter what 00:07:00.790 --> 00:07:06.139 I think. It doesn't matter how I feel. This is 00:07:06.139 --> 00:07:10.639 truth. This is fact. And this is foundational 00:07:10.639 --> 00:07:17.579 to the Christian life. Alright. So then how are 00:07:17.579 --> 00:07:20.279 we justified? Right? We said, Paul says right 00:07:20.279 --> 00:07:23.060 here, having been justified by faith. So we talked 00:07:23.060 --> 00:07:26.600 a little bit about faith. We talked about, I 00:07:26.600 --> 00:07:35.720 think it's later on there in verse 10. Or is 00:07:35.720 --> 00:07:40.019 it nine? Nine is justified by his blood. We looked 00:07:40.019 --> 00:07:43.160 at Titus, I think, says justified by grace. And 00:07:43.160 --> 00:07:46.540 so these three terms are used regarding our justification. 00:07:47.439 --> 00:07:49.879 How are we justified by faith? What does that 00:07:49.879 --> 00:07:53.319 mean? Well, we said faith is what? It's not faith 00:07:53.319 --> 00:07:57.399 in ourselves. It's not faith in something we've 00:07:57.399 --> 00:08:01.959 done or something we can do. Faith is placed. 00:08:02.560 --> 00:08:05.279 Upon some object. Or some thing. And that thing 00:08:05.279 --> 00:08:12.160 is Jesus Christ. His work. That's it. There's 00:08:12.160 --> 00:08:15.420 three elements. I was reading some stuff this 00:08:15.420 --> 00:08:17.540 week. That I thought was really helpful. Really 00:08:17.540 --> 00:08:20.040 encouraging to think about. Three elements to 00:08:20.040 --> 00:08:26.720 faith. Knowledge. Ascent. And trust. So if you 00:08:26.720 --> 00:08:29.680 think of those three things. What is your faith 00:08:29.680 --> 00:08:32.220 in? Well, you've got to know something, right? 00:08:32.299 --> 00:08:33.860 If you're going to put your faith in something, 00:08:33.919 --> 00:08:35.340 you've got to know something about that thing. 00:08:35.639 --> 00:08:38.779 You've got to know what that is. You've got to 00:08:38.779 --> 00:08:42.159 know who Jesus Christ is. You've got to know 00:08:42.159 --> 00:08:45.379 what He has done. You've got to know these things. 00:08:46.100 --> 00:08:48.740 The life, the death, the resurrection of Jesus 00:08:48.740 --> 00:08:51.279 Christ. You've got to know. But is it enough 00:08:51.279 --> 00:08:53.799 to know? Is that faith? Just to know that Jesus 00:08:53.799 --> 00:08:57.259 Christ was a man, lived, died, and rose again. 00:08:58.190 --> 00:09:02.129 That's not enough, right? So faith involves knowledge, 00:09:02.350 --> 00:09:05.490 but it also involves an assent or an acceptance 00:09:05.490 --> 00:09:09.809 of these things that they are true. Alright, 00:09:09.889 --> 00:09:14.850 so acknowledging this is true. Yes, I believe 00:09:14.850 --> 00:09:18.710 that these are the facts. I believe that this 00:09:18.710 --> 00:09:23.950 is true. And I am what? Trusting in those things. 00:09:24.549 --> 00:09:29.269 Trusting in these set of... that Jesus Christ 00:09:29.269 --> 00:09:34.210 is who He said He is. Again, we talk about hanging 00:09:34.210 --> 00:09:39.490 your hammock upon Christ. Trusting in Him. Relying 00:09:39.490 --> 00:09:43.429 upon Him. Believing. The Bible talks often about 00:09:43.429 --> 00:09:48.649 believing. That's true belief. Knowing. Affirming. 00:09:50.029 --> 00:09:53.509 Resting in that. Trusting in those things. Faith. 00:09:54.330 --> 00:09:58.679 Not faith. Faith anywhere else is not saving 00:09:58.679 --> 00:10:06.000 faith. Only in Christ. So, essential. It's essential. 00:10:06.519 --> 00:10:11.100 You go to other places, you listen to other people 00:10:11.100 --> 00:10:13.720 and they'll talk about their faith, right? Well, 00:10:13.720 --> 00:10:17.379 I have faith. I'm a Christian. And you pry a 00:10:17.379 --> 00:10:21.120 little bit. Tell me about this faith. Well, I 00:10:21.120 --> 00:10:27.049 decided for Christ. I believe. What do you believe? 00:10:27.110 --> 00:10:29.529 That you decided for Christ? Well that's great. 00:10:29.669 --> 00:10:32.429 But what does that mean? That's not saving faith. 00:10:33.149 --> 00:10:37.809 You don't decide for Jesus. Find that in the 00:10:37.809 --> 00:10:40.710 scripture for me. I decided for Jesus one day. 00:10:40.789 --> 00:10:44.169 And so now I'm a Christian. No. You won't find 00:10:44.169 --> 00:10:50.590 it. So faith. Faith in Christ. Resting in Christ. 00:10:52.870 --> 00:10:57.009 Falling. Into the arms of Christ. Letting go 00:10:57.009 --> 00:11:01.110 of everything else. Letting go of all these other 00:11:01.110 --> 00:11:04.509 things that you're relying upon. Falling into 00:11:04.509 --> 00:11:08.470 the arms of Christ. So by grace. Okay, we talked 00:11:08.470 --> 00:11:11.629 about this also. For by grace you have been saved 00:11:11.629 --> 00:11:13.710 through faith and that not of yourselves. It 00:11:13.710 --> 00:11:16.169 is a gift of God, not of works, lest any man 00:11:16.169 --> 00:11:22.269 should boast. Ephesians 2. What is faith? It's 00:11:22.269 --> 00:11:27.149 a gift. It's not something I've worked up or 00:11:27.149 --> 00:11:31.549 I've earned or I've accomplished on my own. I've 00:11:31.549 --> 00:11:33.909 gotten enough knowledge and now I can have faith. 00:11:34.029 --> 00:11:37.830 No. You can be the most intelligent man in the 00:11:37.830 --> 00:11:40.029 world and understand these truths of Scripture 00:11:40.029 --> 00:11:44.590 better than me and not have faith. Unless God 00:11:44.590 --> 00:11:49.309 gives it to you. So by grace, it is a gift of 00:11:49.309 --> 00:11:55.990 God. We have been saved by grace. Not by anything 00:11:55.990 --> 00:12:00.330 we have done. So faith is that gift. Again, grace. 00:12:00.590 --> 00:12:03.789 We don't earn. We don't work our way into this 00:12:03.789 --> 00:12:07.990 state of justification. We don't follow a set 00:12:07.990 --> 00:12:11.850 of rules. We don't check things off our box and 00:12:11.850 --> 00:12:14.769 say, alright, now I'm justified. No, what is 00:12:14.769 --> 00:12:20.409 it? That's works. Those are men's works. If it's 00:12:20.409 --> 00:12:22.289 works, what does Paul say? If you've worked for 00:12:22.289 --> 00:12:26.149 this, then it's not a gift, it's not grace, it's 00:12:26.149 --> 00:12:29.710 earned. And he says, how can that be? You can't 00:12:29.710 --> 00:12:35.629 earn your salvation. He also says, in Romans 00:12:35.629 --> 00:12:39.809 4 .16, he talks about, there is no guarantee 00:12:39.809 --> 00:12:43.149 if we've earned this. Because if it's all of 00:12:43.149 --> 00:12:45.850 our work, what's the guarantee that the work 00:12:45.850 --> 00:12:48.509 is going to be finished? What's the guarantee 00:12:48.509 --> 00:12:50.450 that I'm going to get the glory if I'm the one 00:12:50.450 --> 00:12:53.320 who earned my salvation? how am I going to guarantee 00:12:53.320 --> 00:12:56.879 myself to get the glory? There is no guarantee. 00:12:57.580 --> 00:13:01.419 I'm just hoping I'm good enough and I work hard 00:13:01.419 --> 00:13:06.539 enough to get there. That's not salvation. That's 00:13:06.539 --> 00:13:10.899 not the gloriousness of the Gospel. The Gospel 00:13:10.899 --> 00:13:15.039 says Christ has accomplished everything and will 00:13:15.039 --> 00:13:21.389 continue and get me there despite who I am. Despite 00:13:21.389 --> 00:13:26.929 how much I fall, it is a guarantee that I will 00:13:26.929 --> 00:13:30.389 get to glory because of what Christ has done, 00:13:30.549 --> 00:13:36.750 not me. So by grace through faith, the blood 00:13:36.750 --> 00:13:39.429 of Christ being the grounds of our justification 00:13:39.429 --> 00:13:43.169 we mentioned. So justification, it is central. 00:13:43.289 --> 00:13:48.250 It is essential. Know it. Understand it. Study 00:13:48.250 --> 00:13:53.779 it. Memorize them. All of these passages that 00:13:53.779 --> 00:13:57.379 we've talked about. Know them. Cling to them. 00:13:59.460 --> 00:14:02.340 So then I mentioned regeneration. So I just wanted 00:14:02.340 --> 00:14:04.519 to, again, Paul is going to deal with this as 00:14:04.519 --> 00:14:07.799 we move on here. As we get into chapter 6 and 00:14:07.799 --> 00:14:09.919 he talks about some of these very same things 00:14:09.919 --> 00:14:12.360 we're going to talk about here. But what is it 00:14:12.360 --> 00:14:15.320 to be, what is regeneration? We said justification 00:14:15.320 --> 00:14:20.070 occurs in heaven. Regeneration. occurs here on 00:14:20.070 --> 00:14:22.850 earth in the heart of a man. What is regeneration? 00:14:23.009 --> 00:14:25.429 What does it mean? Okay, so that's the first 00:14:25.429 --> 00:14:29.090 question. What does this word regeneration mean? 00:14:29.129 --> 00:14:31.690 What are we talking about? Paul uses it in Titus 00:14:31.690 --> 00:14:37.210 3, 3 -7. It has to do with new birth, renewal, 00:14:37.429 --> 00:14:40.009 and recreation. So if you look it up in your... 00:14:40.009 --> 00:14:46.460 What is it? Thesaurus? Is that right? Or your 00:14:46.460 --> 00:14:48.779 dictionary, your Greek dictionary and all those 00:14:48.779 --> 00:14:51.340 things. That's what you come up with. Alright? 00:14:52.500 --> 00:14:54.820 How is it used in the New Testament? What does 00:14:54.820 --> 00:15:00.279 that mean for us? Well, here is what I have written 00:15:00.279 --> 00:15:04.919 down. Regeneration is the new birth of a new 00:15:04.919 --> 00:15:09.039 man who is a new creation with a new heart and 00:15:09.039 --> 00:15:12.539 a new nature. That's regeneration. That's not 00:15:12.539 --> 00:15:14.679 my definition. That's not something I came up 00:15:14.679 --> 00:15:19.250 with. New, you hear the new there. It's something 00:15:19.250 --> 00:15:25.929 new. Here's the problem that we have as mankind. 00:15:26.389 --> 00:15:30.750 We are defiled, right? What does our justification 00:15:30.750 --> 00:15:34.269 deal with? What's the opposite of justification? 00:15:36.750 --> 00:15:40.830 Condemnation, right? So justification deals with 00:15:40.830 --> 00:15:46.169 the condemnation that rests upon us. Regeneration, 00:15:46.250 --> 00:15:49.990 we are defiled. We're wicked and sinful. We've 00:15:49.990 --> 00:15:55.129 got a dirty heart, a dirty mind, all these things, 00:15:55.269 --> 00:15:59.950 right? Regeneration deals with that. What does 00:15:59.950 --> 00:16:03.590 it say? What does the Bible say? 2 Corinthians 00:16:03.590 --> 00:16:09.210 5 .17 Paul says, Old things have passed away, 00:16:09.230 --> 00:16:13.279 new things have come. If we return there and 00:16:13.279 --> 00:16:15.519 read, it talks about a new creation. Something 00:16:15.519 --> 00:16:19.879 new has occurred here in a believer. They've 00:16:19.879 --> 00:16:24.440 been created anew. The new birth. Remember, what 00:16:24.440 --> 00:16:28.360 does Jesus say? You must be born again. Born 00:16:28.360 --> 00:16:32.620 from above. Something new has to happen. This 00:16:32.620 --> 00:16:38.039 old self has to go. This new has to be brought 00:16:38.039 --> 00:16:41.179 in. The newness of the new covenant, right? What 00:16:41.179 --> 00:16:44.850 are we? Jeremiah and Ezekiel, a new heart I will 00:16:44.850 --> 00:16:51.090 give them. A new mind I will put in them. That's 00:16:51.090 --> 00:16:55.490 regeneration. A new heart, a new mind, a new 00:16:55.490 --> 00:17:01.049 creation. God is creating us anew as believers. 00:17:01.809 --> 00:17:08.549 That old man is gone. Galatians. I think it's 00:17:08.549 --> 00:17:20.740 Galatians 6 .15. Maybe that's Colossians. Galatians 00:17:20.740 --> 00:17:23.299 6 .15 talks about a new creation. If you want 00:17:23.299 --> 00:17:30.119 to write that one down. Colossians is... Let 00:17:30.119 --> 00:17:44.019 me read this. Colossians 3. Therefore consider 00:17:44.019 --> 00:17:47.980 the members of your... earthly body as dead to 00:17:47.980 --> 00:17:51.980 immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and 00:17:51.980 --> 00:17:55.400 greed, which amounts to idolatry. For it is because 00:17:55.400 --> 00:17:57.819 of these things that the wrath of God will come 00:17:57.819 --> 00:18:00.539 upon the sons of disobedience. And in them you 00:18:00.539 --> 00:18:03.940 also once walked when you were living in them. 00:18:04.039 --> 00:18:08.019 But now you also put them all aside. Anger, malice, 00:18:08.119 --> 00:18:11.519 wrath, slander, and abusive speech from your 00:18:11.519 --> 00:18:13.680 mouth do not lie to one another since you laid 00:18:13.680 --> 00:18:16.609 aside the old self. With its evil practices. 00:18:17.009 --> 00:18:20.029 And have put on the new self. Who is being renewed 00:18:20.029 --> 00:18:23.049 in a true knowledge. According to the image of 00:18:23.049 --> 00:18:27.289 the one. Who created him. See the old and the 00:18:27.289 --> 00:18:33.509 new. The creation. Created anew. In Christ. That's 00:18:33.509 --> 00:18:38.150 regeneration. That occurs in us. We are given 00:18:38.150 --> 00:18:46.019 this. So what has God done now? He has dealt 00:18:46.019 --> 00:18:50.539 with the condemnation that rests upon us in our 00:18:50.539 --> 00:18:54.940 justification, and he has changed out this defiled 00:18:54.940 --> 00:19:00.440 man with a new man. Made us anew, created us 00:19:00.440 --> 00:19:07.299 anew. Another way to think of it, spiritually 00:19:07.299 --> 00:19:11.740 dead, spiritually alive. That's what happens 00:19:11.740 --> 00:19:17.259 at regeneration. Ephesians talks about being 00:19:17.259 --> 00:19:21.279 dead in trespasses and sins. That's how we were. 00:19:22.279 --> 00:19:26.759 But God who is rich in his mercy and grace has 00:19:26.759 --> 00:19:31.000 made us alive. Right? That's what we're talking 00:19:31.000 --> 00:19:35.940 about here. We're made new. We're now alive spiritually. 00:19:36.339 --> 00:19:41.920 We were dead. How can a dead man do anything? 00:19:44.680 --> 00:19:49.559 He can't. He can't save himself. It's the most 00:19:49.559 --> 00:19:52.559 silly, foolish argument in the world to think 00:19:52.559 --> 00:19:55.440 that a man who's dead, the Bible describes as 00:19:55.440 --> 00:20:00.720 dead, defiled, wicked, sinful, can all of a sudden 00:20:00.720 --> 00:20:05.200 decide, now I'm going to be a good guy. How does 00:20:05.200 --> 00:20:10.099 that happen? It defies all logic, reason, and 00:20:10.099 --> 00:20:13.579 all Scripture. And yet that's what is so often 00:20:13.579 --> 00:20:20.140 taught out there. This is a work of God. God 00:20:20.140 --> 00:20:26.079 must do it to bring us to life. We were dead 00:20:26.079 --> 00:20:31.839 and now we're alive. So spiritual life. Now, 00:20:31.839 --> 00:20:39.039 both of these things, they don't, we're not all 00:20:39.039 --> 00:20:44.740 of a sudden, Walking around perfect. As far as 00:20:44.740 --> 00:20:48.640 practically speaking, right? We still sin. We 00:20:48.640 --> 00:20:51.480 still are at war with sin. We still struggle. 00:20:52.079 --> 00:20:56.880 But these are truths that the Bible says about 00:20:56.880 --> 00:21:04.359 us. We are new creatures, creations. A new nature 00:21:04.359 --> 00:21:10.279 is within us. We are justified. We are righteous. 00:21:10.759 --> 00:21:13.759 These are facts. The Bible doesn't ask us if 00:21:13.759 --> 00:21:16.819 these things are true of us. If we feel like 00:21:16.819 --> 00:21:21.880 this. Is this your experience? No. Paul just 00:21:21.880 --> 00:21:26.039 says this is the reality of your situation when 00:21:26.039 --> 00:21:30.200 you become a Christian. This is who you are. 00:21:36.250 --> 00:21:39.490 Paul will deal with this later on. That doesn't, 00:21:39.490 --> 00:21:41.269 you know, I said that doesn't mean we're walking 00:21:41.269 --> 00:21:48.170 around in perfection. But what has changed? Our 00:21:48.170 --> 00:21:51.109 hearts, our desires, right? And again, we're 00:21:51.109 --> 00:21:53.710 not perfect. And so the Lord is going to have 00:21:53.710 --> 00:21:55.750 to deal with us and we're going to have to grow 00:21:55.750 --> 00:21:58.349 and we're going to have to mature in all of these 00:21:58.349 --> 00:22:02.950 things. I was listening to Charles again. He 00:22:02.950 --> 00:22:06.930 gave the analogy here of. of a factory, a poison 00:22:06.930 --> 00:22:10.789 factory. And it has new ownership. One day you 00:22:10.789 --> 00:22:13.609 walk up and you see a new sign. It says Oxygen 00:22:13.609 --> 00:22:18.670 Factory. And you go in there and you don't have 00:22:18.670 --> 00:22:21.150 this, you know, you don't have the old owners 00:22:21.150 --> 00:22:23.750 and the old bosses. Tell the new owners and new 00:22:23.750 --> 00:22:27.089 bosses what to do. They're all gone. So that 00:22:27.089 --> 00:22:29.450 has to do with that whole idea of within us we 00:22:29.450 --> 00:22:32.450 have these two natures fighting and warring. 00:22:32.490 --> 00:22:36.769 That's false. We don't. We don't have these two 00:22:36.769 --> 00:22:39.150 dogs inside fighting. We don't have the good 00:22:39.150 --> 00:22:41.569 angel and the bad angel trying to tell us what 00:22:41.569 --> 00:22:44.630 to do. They're gone. You see, there's no new 00:22:44.630 --> 00:22:47.450 ownership here. The old owners have nothing to 00:22:47.450 --> 00:22:49.470 do with the factory any longer. They're not telling 00:22:49.470 --> 00:22:52.049 everybody, hey, this is how we want to run. This 00:22:52.049 --> 00:22:55.769 is how we used to run it. They're gone. Okay? 00:22:56.450 --> 00:22:59.089 But then what? Does that mean all of a sudden 00:22:59.089 --> 00:23:03.049 you've got this great, wonderful output of oxygen? 00:23:03.170 --> 00:23:06.269 No. What has to happen? I mean, they're going 00:23:06.269 --> 00:23:07.630 to have to change some things. They're going 00:23:07.630 --> 00:23:09.670 to change out some parts. They're going to have 00:23:09.670 --> 00:23:13.589 to rework everything. Clean it out. And then, 00:23:13.650 --> 00:23:15.750 really then for a while, they're not producing 00:23:15.750 --> 00:23:18.809 a whole lot of oxygen. But they're working towards 00:23:18.809 --> 00:23:25.990 it. That's us. We've been changed. We're striving 00:23:25.990 --> 00:23:30.069 after these other things now. This old man is 00:23:30.069 --> 00:23:33.390 gone. He's dead. We are under new ownership. 00:23:35.049 --> 00:23:40.349 We have the Spirit of God within us. And so that 00:23:40.349 --> 00:23:44.049 is who we are in Christ. That is what has occurred 00:23:44.049 --> 00:23:49.450 in our regeneration here on earth. That is who 00:23:49.450 --> 00:23:58.990 we are. Lay hold of those truths. Justification. 00:23:59.769 --> 00:24:07.119 Regeneration. They should impact your life. Lastly 00:24:07.119 --> 00:24:13.400 here, I wanted to deal with sanctification. Now, 00:24:13.420 --> 00:24:16.119 what do we think of when we think of sanctification? 00:24:17.700 --> 00:24:21.400 Let's ask ourselves that. Normally we think of 00:24:21.400 --> 00:24:28.279 maybe progressive holiness. So, in my life I 00:24:28.279 --> 00:24:32.299 am becoming more like Christ. Often that's how 00:24:32.299 --> 00:24:36.460 we use this term sanctification. And the Bible 00:24:36.460 --> 00:24:39.380 uses it like that occasionally. But that's not 00:24:39.380 --> 00:24:43.079 the bulk of how sanctification is used. And so 00:24:43.079 --> 00:24:47.180 we need to understand what we mean by sanctification 00:24:47.180 --> 00:24:50.140 and what the Scripture means by sanctification. 00:24:51.079 --> 00:24:53.900 Now you men, you got a head start on this last 00:24:53.900 --> 00:24:59.119 night. So hopefully this will just solidify it 00:24:59.119 --> 00:25:02.940 in your minds, help you with it. What is our 00:25:02.940 --> 00:25:09.200 sanctification? Well, what does it mean? It means, 00:25:09.480 --> 00:25:12.940 if you look it up, to render or declare sacred 00:25:12.940 --> 00:25:19.740 or holy, to render inviolable, dedicated to God. 00:25:19.980 --> 00:25:25.519 Okay, so that word inviolable. Sacred, holy, 00:25:25.720 --> 00:25:29.799 completely secure from being broken, profaned, 00:25:29.799 --> 00:25:34.839 or violated. So think of that. So if we have 00:25:34.839 --> 00:25:41.079 been sanctified, if we have, Sacred, holy, completely 00:25:41.079 --> 00:25:45.680 secure from being broken, profaned, or violated. 00:25:47.440 --> 00:25:52.539 That's a pretty good thing. But have we been 00:25:52.539 --> 00:25:56.319 sanctified? There's the question, right? Scripture 00:25:56.319 --> 00:26:01.039 says that we have. So this is who we are now. 00:26:01.599 --> 00:26:06.799 So let's look at a couple of verses here. Let's 00:26:06.799 --> 00:26:23.890 look at Acts. Acts chapter 20. Chapter 20, verse 00:26:23.890 --> 00:26:35.109 32. And now I commend you to God and to the word 00:26:35.109 --> 00:26:38.420 of his grace, which is able to build you up and 00:26:38.420 --> 00:26:43.500 to give you the inheritance among all those who 00:26:43.500 --> 00:26:49.900 are sanctified. Okay? So again, the idea there 00:26:49.900 --> 00:26:53.460 is not of a process. Paul is saying there, you 00:26:53.460 --> 00:26:56.720 already have been. That you've been sanctified, 00:26:56.779 --> 00:27:01.119 who are sanctified. And then if we turn over 00:27:01.119 --> 00:27:17.160 to chapter 26, in verse 18, To open their eyes 00:27:17.160 --> 00:27:19.359 so that they may turn from darkness to light 00:27:19.359 --> 00:27:22.519 and from the dominion of Satan to God. That they 00:27:22.519 --> 00:27:25.079 may receive forgiveness of sins and inheritance 00:27:25.079 --> 00:27:28.720 among those who have been sanctified by faith 00:27:28.720 --> 00:27:36.660 in me. Again, sanctify. Already. And then one 00:27:36.660 --> 00:27:43.599 more here in 1 Corinthians 1 verse 2. He says 00:27:43.599 --> 00:27:46.099 to the church of God, which is at Corinth, to 00:27:46.099 --> 00:27:48.759 those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, 00:27:48.920 --> 00:27:53.240 saints by calling with all who in every place 00:27:53.240 --> 00:27:55.599 call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, their 00:27:55.599 --> 00:28:01.019 Lord and ours. Now, those three references are 00:28:01.019 --> 00:28:03.900 in the perfect tense. OK, and so for those of 00:28:03.900 --> 00:28:06.740 you who don't know what that means, that means 00:28:06.740 --> 00:28:10.299 this is an action that was completed in the past. 00:28:11.789 --> 00:28:16.349 and its results continue on. So this is a completed 00:28:16.349 --> 00:28:18.430 act. This is something that has already been 00:28:18.430 --> 00:28:24.970 done. How do we define it? Declared, rendered 00:28:24.970 --> 00:28:29.630 holy, dedicated to God. You just want the simple 00:28:29.630 --> 00:28:32.849 definition there. That has already taken place. 00:28:33.390 --> 00:28:38.309 That has been accomplished in the past. So sanctification 00:28:38.309 --> 00:28:43.029 is a completed work. Something that has already 00:28:43.029 --> 00:28:47.990 taken place. In other words, we are holy now 00:28:47.990 --> 00:28:53.130 at our conversion. Just as we are declared righteous, 00:28:53.210 --> 00:29:01.690 we are declared holy. We are seen as holy. A 00:29:01.690 --> 00:29:13.720 couple more verses. 1 Corinthians 6 .11 Such 00:29:13.720 --> 00:29:18.519 were some of you, but you were washed, but you 00:29:18.519 --> 00:29:21.859 were sanctified, but you were justified in the 00:29:21.859 --> 00:29:24.420 name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the spirit 00:29:24.420 --> 00:29:29.079 of our God. Now this is in the Aorist tense, 00:29:29.180 --> 00:29:33.559 which is again a completed event, something that 00:29:33.559 --> 00:29:37.460 has already happened. And then in Ephesians 5, 00:29:37.500 --> 00:29:41.740 the same word is used here. I'm sure this is 00:29:41.740 --> 00:29:45.619 familiar to us here. In Ephesians 5, 26, Paul 00:29:45.619 --> 00:29:50.619 says, speaking of Christ here, Christ and the 00:29:50.619 --> 00:29:53.140 church, husbands, love your wives, and so on. 00:29:53.759 --> 00:29:56.940 He says, so that he might sanctify her, having 00:29:56.940 --> 00:29:59.940 cleansed her by the washing of water with the 00:29:59.940 --> 00:30:06.440 word. Sanctify. The same word there. Speaking 00:30:06.440 --> 00:30:11.019 of Christ and the church. So this idea of sanctification, 00:30:11.240 --> 00:30:15.140 the theologians, some will say it is definitive 00:30:15.140 --> 00:30:17.720 sanctification. And they'll make a distinction 00:30:17.720 --> 00:30:20.720 here. This is something that has already happened. 00:30:21.140 --> 00:30:25.180 And then our progressive sanctification is something 00:30:25.180 --> 00:30:30.900 future, becoming more Christ -like. But sanctification 00:30:30.900 --> 00:30:33.559 is something that has already occurred, that 00:30:33.559 --> 00:30:39.339 has already been declared. We are holy. So we've 00:30:39.339 --> 00:30:43.140 been justified, we've been sanctified, we've 00:30:43.140 --> 00:30:46.799 been regenerated. These are all things that have 00:30:46.799 --> 00:30:50.539 occurred in our lives as Christians, or have 00:30:50.539 --> 00:30:53.160 made us Christians, really. So when we speak 00:30:53.160 --> 00:30:55.240 of our salvation, this is what we're talking 00:30:55.240 --> 00:30:57.819 about. This is what has occurred. Salvation is 00:30:57.819 --> 00:31:02.079 a very broad term. This is specific. We've been 00:31:02.079 --> 00:31:04.660 justified, we've been sanctified, we've been 00:31:04.660 --> 00:31:08.559 regenerated. We've been these things. These are 00:31:08.559 --> 00:31:12.859 realities in our lives now. We're not waiting 00:31:12.859 --> 00:31:19.420 for them to occur in the future. Let me read 00:31:19.420 --> 00:31:22.819 this for you. Some of you may find this helpful, 00:31:22.960 --> 00:31:25.980 some may not. I'll try to explain it in my own 00:31:25.980 --> 00:31:27.940 words here, but this is from Robert Raymond. 00:31:29.059 --> 00:31:33.240 He says, Not only is a Christian accounted by 00:31:33.240 --> 00:31:36.460 God as righteous in relation to the law, he is 00:31:36.460 --> 00:31:40.779 also constituted holy by God in relation to the 00:31:40.779 --> 00:31:46.119 power and mastery of sin. It is not simply positional 00:31:46.119 --> 00:31:50.079 holiness. It is a real breach or break with the 00:31:50.079 --> 00:31:56.299 reign and measure and mastery of sin. What he's 00:31:56.299 --> 00:31:59.640 saying there is these other things are positional. 00:31:59.799 --> 00:32:02.240 Right? We are positionally righteous. We are 00:32:02.240 --> 00:32:04.900 positionally holy. He says that. It's just not 00:32:04.900 --> 00:32:08.880 only that. Positionally, in other words, declared 00:32:08.880 --> 00:32:13.799 these things. But our sanctification is more 00:32:13.799 --> 00:32:16.960 than that. It's not only that we are holy, but 00:32:16.960 --> 00:32:20.920 that God has done something here to release us 00:32:20.920 --> 00:32:26.200 to break the power of sin in our lives. So that 00:32:26.200 --> 00:32:32.460 no longer will sin reign over us. What has he 00:32:32.460 --> 00:32:36.700 done? We're in a new realm. We're in a new sphere. 00:32:37.660 --> 00:32:41.299 We're in grace. We'll talk about that, but Paul 00:32:41.299 --> 00:32:46.380 mentions that here in this first couple of verses 00:32:46.380 --> 00:32:49.240 of Romans as one of our blessings or results 00:32:49.240 --> 00:32:54.460 of justification. He says here that having been 00:32:54.460 --> 00:32:57.680 justified by faith, we have peace with God through 00:32:57.680 --> 00:33:01.160 our Lord Jesus Christ. Through whom also we have 00:33:01.160 --> 00:33:04.099 obtained our introduction by faith into this 00:33:04.099 --> 00:33:08.099 grace in which we stand. That's, I think, what 00:33:08.099 --> 00:33:10.220 he's talking about here. That's what Robert Raymond 00:33:10.220 --> 00:33:14.920 is speaking of, I think. And that's what Paul 00:33:14.920 --> 00:33:18.799 is saying here. We've been introduced into this 00:33:18.799 --> 00:33:23.140 new realm of grace. If you have the King James, 00:33:23.259 --> 00:33:28.259 it may say access. And so the idea here is kind 00:33:28.259 --> 00:33:31.589 of both. You can think of it in both. We've been 00:33:31.589 --> 00:33:38.230 introduced into this new realm. But we have full 00:33:38.230 --> 00:33:44.130 access. Ongoing, continual. And so sin cannot 00:33:44.130 --> 00:33:47.309 reign over us because we're no longer in the 00:33:47.309 --> 00:33:52.250 realm of sin. Where sin rules us, dominates us, 00:33:52.410 --> 00:33:58.900 overpowers us, commands us. We're gone from that. 00:33:59.200 --> 00:34:02.660 We've been moved into this new realm of grace 00:34:02.660 --> 00:34:09.760 where grace now reigns, empowering us, enabling 00:34:09.760 --> 00:34:17.019 us to walk according to Christ's law, to walk 00:34:17.019 --> 00:34:19.420 according to those things that are pleasing to 00:34:19.420 --> 00:34:23.800 God. That is what it means that we are sanctified. 00:34:23.860 --> 00:34:27.449 We've been changed here. We've been declared 00:34:27.449 --> 00:34:31.789 holy, but there's also this change in these realms 00:34:31.789 --> 00:34:43.690 that we are in. So, these truths are glorious 00:34:43.690 --> 00:34:48.469 to think of them. It is amazing to think of who 00:34:48.469 --> 00:34:53.530 we are in Christ. It is amazing to think of, 00:34:53.590 --> 00:34:57.860 as we move on through here, What all has been 00:34:57.860 --> 00:35:02.099 accomplished in our salvation? Paul, he talks 00:35:02.099 --> 00:35:04.960 about sin, sin ruling and reigning and how it 00:35:04.960 --> 00:35:08.920 won't anymore. Those things are amazing to think 00:35:08.920 --> 00:35:12.719 about. To think about the power of grace in our 00:35:12.719 --> 00:35:18.039 lives is a glorious thing. To really lay hold 00:35:18.039 --> 00:35:23.260 of it. Now, how do all these things happen? What 00:35:23.260 --> 00:35:27.110 is the cause? What enables him? It's all through 00:35:27.110 --> 00:35:32.889 Christ. It is all because of him. What is Paul 00:35:32.889 --> 00:35:34.829 saying in the first couple of verses here? He 00:35:34.829 --> 00:35:38.090 says, having been justified, we have peace with 00:35:38.090 --> 00:35:42.610 God. How? Because I'm so good, right? That's 00:35:42.610 --> 00:35:48.070 what he says. No, he says through Jesus Christ. 00:35:48.610 --> 00:35:50.730 The peace that we're going to talk about next 00:35:50.730 --> 00:35:54.559 week, it only comes through Jesus Christ. What 00:35:54.559 --> 00:35:58.639 else does he say here? Through whom we have obtained. 00:35:59.440 --> 00:36:03.599 Through whom? Christ, right? Referring back there 00:36:03.599 --> 00:36:07.300 to Christ. Through Christ, we have obtained our 00:36:07.300 --> 00:36:13.920 introduction or our access into this grace. You 00:36:13.920 --> 00:36:17.019 read through Romans. You read through Ephesians. 00:36:17.019 --> 00:36:20.880 What is the constant theme that you see? You 00:36:20.880 --> 00:36:23.309 just kind of... we just kind of pass over it 00:36:23.309 --> 00:36:27.309 so often because it's everywhere. In Christ. 00:36:28.269 --> 00:36:33.809 Through Christ. Through His blood. Through His 00:36:33.809 --> 00:36:39.030 sacrifice. In His life. All of these things. 00:36:39.570 --> 00:36:46.789 In, by, through, because of Christ. Everything 00:36:46.789 --> 00:36:52.380 that is ours is because of Christ. Everything 00:36:52.380 --> 00:36:56.119 that we have is because of our union with Christ. 00:36:57.500 --> 00:37:00.119 If you don't know what that means, our union 00:37:00.119 --> 00:37:02.619 with Christ, we'll talk about it. But that again 00:37:02.619 --> 00:37:07.139 is a glorious thing. To think of our union with 00:37:07.139 --> 00:37:14.119 Christ and all that that means. Everything occurs 00:37:14.119 --> 00:37:19.280 because of Christ. Every blessing that we have. 00:37:19.539 --> 00:37:24.800 Every promise. Every hope. It's all because of 00:37:24.800 --> 00:37:29.860 Christ. All of our salvation is because of Christ. 00:37:31.079 --> 00:37:35.239 Not because of something we have done. Not because 00:37:35.239 --> 00:37:38.820 of some decision that we have made. Or how good 00:37:38.820 --> 00:37:43.360 we are. Or I've done enough good deeds to outweigh 00:37:43.360 --> 00:37:47.280 my bad deeds. And so now I've earned. You've 00:37:47.280 --> 00:37:49.860 earned hell. That's all you've earned. If that's 00:37:49.860 --> 00:37:54.429 what you're looking for. Christ, it's all because 00:37:54.429 --> 00:38:00.010 of Christ. It all comes back to Him. He is the 00:38:00.010 --> 00:38:17.130 source of all of it. Now, well, we'll stop there. 00:38:19.190 --> 00:38:24.929 Oh, right, I wanted to say this. So, I said our 00:38:24.929 --> 00:38:28.610 definitive sanctification, right? I kind of defined 00:38:28.610 --> 00:38:31.530 what we talked about there. This past one -time 00:38:31.530 --> 00:38:35.030 act of sanctification there. Our definitive sanctification. 00:38:36.329 --> 00:38:39.030 And then we could talk about our progressive 00:38:39.030 --> 00:38:41.170 sanctification. And what do we mean by that? 00:38:42.489 --> 00:38:45.809 What we mean by that is being conformed to the 00:38:45.809 --> 00:38:50.989 image of Christ. Okay? So being conformed to 00:38:50.989 --> 00:38:55.030 His image, renewing our minds, being Christ -like. 00:38:56.750 --> 00:39:00.050 That's what we're talking about so many times 00:39:00.050 --> 00:39:02.150 when people mention sanctification. That's what 00:39:02.150 --> 00:39:07.090 they mean. So understand the difference. Yes, 00:39:07.150 --> 00:39:10.110 that is true that we are becoming more like Christ. 00:39:10.469 --> 00:39:14.590 We are becoming, practically speaking, more holy 00:39:14.590 --> 00:39:18.449 in our lives. We're dealing with sin. We're putting 00:39:18.449 --> 00:39:23.550 it aside. We're changing. Our thinking is changing. 00:39:24.210 --> 00:39:28.690 That is all good and right and true. But understand, 00:39:28.769 --> 00:39:32.210 so often in Scripture, the word sanctification, 00:39:32.289 --> 00:39:35.309 when it talks about that we have been sanctified, 00:39:35.349 --> 00:39:41.909 it is speaking of this past act of being sanctified. 00:39:42.250 --> 00:39:46.510 Again, not something we have done. but something 00:39:46.510 --> 00:39:49.550 that Christ has accomplished for us in our salvation 00:39:49.550 --> 00:39:55.489 through His death and resurrection. So, press 00:39:55.489 --> 00:40:01.349 on in holiness. Press on in Christlikeness. Be 00:40:01.349 --> 00:40:06.210 conformed to His image. Renew your mind. Okay? 00:40:06.849 --> 00:40:13.150 Do those things. That's God's desire for us, 00:40:13.250 --> 00:40:17.849 is to be more like Christ. Change out the parts 00:40:17.849 --> 00:40:24.389 in the factory. Produce. Produce what? Good works. 00:40:24.969 --> 00:40:27.769 Right? That's what we've been saved for. A people 00:40:27.769 --> 00:40:32.650 zealous for good works. Serving the Lord. Not 00:40:32.650 --> 00:40:37.690 earning our salvation. Serving the Lord. Press 00:40:37.690 --> 00:40:44.050 on in that way. I will just say this then also. 00:40:44.599 --> 00:40:47.579 It is important. Why is it important to think 00:40:47.579 --> 00:40:51.119 this way? It's important to keep these things 00:40:51.119 --> 00:40:55.800 in mind because what is the... Well, this is 00:40:55.800 --> 00:40:58.699 my tendency. Maybe it's not yours, and praise 00:40:58.699 --> 00:41:01.900 the Lord if it's not. My tendency is to say, 00:41:01.980 --> 00:41:07.820 I am a dirty, rotten scoundrel. Wicked. And that's 00:41:07.820 --> 00:41:11.840 how I think of myself. I don't deserve this. 00:41:13.230 --> 00:41:18.269 How can this be? An attitude of defeatism is 00:41:18.269 --> 00:41:22.389 what that is. That's not who we are. That's not 00:41:22.389 --> 00:41:25.650 what we've been called to. We've been called 00:41:25.650 --> 00:41:33.369 to joyful rejoicing in Jesus Christ. Yes, I sorrow 00:41:33.369 --> 00:41:38.130 over my sin, but I know what? As Mike has told 00:41:38.130 --> 00:41:43.650 us, God does not view me like that. He doesn't 00:41:43.650 --> 00:41:47.449 view me as a dirty, rotten scoundrel. How does 00:41:47.449 --> 00:41:57.489 he view me? As his son. As his child. It's an 00:41:57.489 --> 00:42:01.849 amazing thing to think about how God sees us. 00:42:03.070 --> 00:42:07.329 He sees us in all of these ways. But so much 00:42:07.329 --> 00:42:10.010 more that we don't even, I don't think we think 00:42:10.010 --> 00:42:13.250 about these things. I know I don't think about 00:42:13.250 --> 00:42:16.829 them enough. I remember when this came home to 00:42:16.829 --> 00:42:39.829 me. If I can find it. I think I wrote it down 00:42:39.829 --> 00:42:44.280 somewhere. But here in John 17, Jesus here is 00:42:44.280 --> 00:42:48.219 praying and he speaks of the love that the Father 00:42:48.219 --> 00:42:55.059 has for him, for Jesus. And he says that the 00:42:55.059 --> 00:43:00.199 Father loves us just the same. How can that be? 00:43:01.659 --> 00:43:08.230 How can that be? Have you thought of it? The 00:43:08.230 --> 00:43:12.329 love that he has for his son, his only begotten 00:43:12.329 --> 00:43:17.429 son, he has for those that he has made his children. 00:43:18.170 --> 00:43:26.610 That is the same. View yourself rightly. See 00:43:26.610 --> 00:43:34.369 yourself through God's eyes. And rejoice. And 00:43:34.369 --> 00:43:38.030 serve him. Gladness.