Consider the Kindness & Severity of God | Ecc. 3:1-8, Rom. 11:22
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Lord's Day: September 14, 2025 Preacher: Carlos Montijo [https://www.thorncrowncovenant.church/sermons/preacher/p/19307/carlos-montijo] Series: Current Issues [https://www.thorncrowncovenant.church/sermons/series/current-issues] Topic: Law & Gospel Distinction [https://www.thorncrowncovenant.church/sermons/topic/law-gospel-distinction] Scripture: Ecclesiastes 3:1–8; Romans 11:22; 1 John 5:19; Psalm 12:8; 1 John 4:17; Psalm 86:15; Romans 4:6–8; Numbers 14:18; Romans 12:17–21; Isaiah 5:20–23; Romans 1:28–32; 8:28; Matthew 27:46; Luke 23:46; Philippians 2:8–9; Ephesians 5:15–17
* Charlie Kirk was murdered while doing what he did best, reaching out to the youth in college campuses
* He could have been our future president, yet many were celebrating and mocking his murder on social media
* Iryna Zarutska was viciously murdered on a train by a violent repeat offender
* A 16-year-old fired several rounds and almost killed two of his fellow students at Evergreen High School in Colorado, before fatally shooting himself
* All of these victims were very young—This is a time for weeping and mourning
> Our prayers go out to the friends and families of the victims:
>
> May God give them comfort and solace, and draw nigh to them with the light of His salvation
>
> May He bring healing, and restore justice, repentance, and revival to our land
>
> May He bring the wicked to justice
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> And may He also convict them of their sin and grant them repentance
I. THIS IS A SAMPLE OF THE EVIL BEING DONE ALL OVER THIS WORLD, THIS WICKED WORLD THAT LIES UNDER THE POWER OF THE EVIL ONE
* Even as “the wicked strut about on every side when vileness is exalted among the sons of men” (Psalm 12:8 LSB)—God is still sovereign, God is still in control, and God’s will is still being done
* Part of the reason there is much evil in the world is because God is longsuffering, God suffers long, God is patient
* His divine patience is revealed in His enduring mercy and love for sinners, and in His delay in exacting judgment, in part to enable wretched sinners like us to repent and be saved.
II. BEHOLD BOTH THE KINDNESS AND SEVERITY OF GOD: OUR GREAT GOD AND MERCIFUL SAVIOR IS ALSO A JUST JUDGE
* God alone has a monopoly on vengeance (Rom. 12:17-21)
* God gives many sobering, dire warnings to the wicked, not just to the ones who murder, but also to the ones who celebrate wickedness (Isa. 5:20-23)
III. WICKEDNESS AND VIOLENCE IS NEITHER RANDOM NOR SENSELESS
* Know Your Enemy: The Devil | 1 John 2:14-17 [https://www.thorncrowncovenant.church/sermons/sermon/2024-02-25/know-your-enemy:-the-devil-1-john-2:14-17]
* God ultimately designed and decreed a good purpose for us in everything that happens, no matter how bad (Rom. 8:28)
* We should seek justice, God’s justice, not our own; God’s way, not our own; and by God’s means rather than our own
* Matt Trewhella's The Doctrine of the Lesser Magistrate
* The Theology of the Cross (lowliness, suffering, humility) teaches us that God is often most present where He seems most absent.
* Ephesians 5:15–17: “Therefore look carefully how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. On account of this, do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”
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Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org [http://lsbible.org/] and 316publishing.com [http://316publishing.com/]
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- Go ahead and turn with me in your Bibles to Ecclesiastes chapter 3.
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- Ecclesiastes chapter 3. We're actually going to take a break from 1st
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- John and preach on a few of these verses that are particularly applicable and we'll see why in a little bit.
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- Ecclesiastes chapter 3. God's Word speaks to us and says,
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- There is an appointed time for everything and there is a time for every matter under heaven.
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- A time to give birth and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.
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- A time to kill and a time to heal. A time to tear down and a time to build up. A time to weep and a time to laugh.
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- A time to mourn and a time to dance. A time to throw stones and a time to gather stones.
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- A time to embrace and a time to shun embracing. A time to search and a time to lose.
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- A time to keep and a time to throw away. A time to tear apart and a time to sew together.
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- A time to be silent and a time to speak. A time to love and a time to hate.
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- A time for war and a time for peace. This is God's Word. Amen. And to complement this passage, turn with me next to the letter to the
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- Romans chapter 11 verse 22. The letter to the
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- Romans chapter 11 verse 22.
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- Behold then the kindness and severity of God to those who fell severity, but to you
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- God's kindness if you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you also will be cut off.
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- And this is God's Word. Amen. So I was preparing the sermon this weekend.
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- I wanted to say a few words about some of the recent acts of public violence and murder that many of us witnessed on the news and things like that.
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- And so I wanted to go ahead and share some words from God's Word to to shed light on these matters.
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- And it originally,
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- I meant to share a few words, but then it kind of turned into an entire sermon. So I was like, okay, well, let's make a sermon out of it then.
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- Because there is some very important things that we need to make sense of in light of these circumstances.
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- And so many of you heard about the evil that has recently taken place.
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- Charlie Kirk being one of them, who was murdered while doing what he did best, reaching out to the youth in college campuses.
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- And it was a very sad, tragic thing to see him just a public execution, essentially a murder, an assassination of a beloved brother, a beloved
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- Christian. And I didn't know him personally, you know, I didn't follow him all that carefully.
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- But at least as far as I was able to tell, he appeared to be a sincere believer.
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- And in fact, even though he was only 31, 31 years old, he could have been our future president.
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- He could have been our future president. He had an amazing ability to... He created a massive platform and really did a lot of positive influence in our college campuses, in our youth, and helped to talk people off the ledge of insanity and of immorality in a lot of the world, the worldliness in our culture and society.
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- And and yet, sadly and tragically, instead of mourning, like Ecclesiastes says, that there's a time to mourn, there's a time to weep, but instead many were celebrating.
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- They were celebrating and mocking his death, his murder, on social media.
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- It was really disgusting and despicable to see. And it's a symptom of a much larger problem of the dysfunctional, perverse nature of many in our society and in our youth, especially in our youth as well.
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- But ranging all ages and ethnicities and etc.
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- Another recent event was that Irina Zarutska, I believe she was a
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- Russian refugee. She was viciously murdered on a train in North Carolina by a violent repeat offender.
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- A violent repeat offender in cold blood, just stabbed to death. Very, very disturbing to witness that.
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- But on top of that, there was also a 16 -year -old who fired several rounds and almost killed two of his fellow students at Evergreen High School in Colorado and before he fatally shot himself.
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- So, and I was reflecting on these these events and it kind of struck me that all of these victims were very young.
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- They were very young, you know, Charlie Kirk being 31. I believe Irina was only like 23 or in her 20s and high schoolers, you know, 16, 17 year olds as well.
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- So, it was, it's been a pretty disturbing time in our country.
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- And of course our prayers, our prayers go out to to the friends and families of the victims, you know, and may, may
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- God give them comfort and solace in this time and draw night to them with the light of his countenance and salvation.
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- And may, may he also bring healing, healing and restore justice, repentance, and revival to our land.
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- And may he also bring the wicked to justice. May he bring them to justice and may he also convict them of their sin and grant them repentance as well.
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- Because we're all, after all, we're all sinners. We're all fallen. We all fall short. And as, as disturbing as these events have been, this is but a small sample, a small sample of the evil being done all over this world.
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- And this wicked world that lies under the power of the evil one, like 1
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- John 5, 19 says. But even in the face of all this evil and of the evil being celebrated, being celebrated by those who call good evil and evil good, even as the wicked strut about on every side when vileness is exalted among the sons of men, like the
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- Psalms tell us, God is nevertheless still sovereign. Amen.
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- He is still sovereign. God is still in control. And God's will is still being done.
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- It is still being accomplished. With, including these events,
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- God's will is still being done. And therefore, we can have, we as believers can have and do have great hope, great hope and confidence both now and in the day of judgment, because of what our great
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- God and Savior has done for us, is doing for us, and will do for us.
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- Amen. In the end, God will make everything right. He will settle every outstanding debt.
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- Either in Christ, through mercy and grace, or outside of Christ, in judgment and wrath.
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- Amen. So God's will be done. And it will be done.
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- And it will continue to be done as it has been, always and forever. And we, we cannot, we cannot lose sight of the larger reality of the big picture that part of the reason, it's so important to understand this, that part of the reason there is so much evil in this world is, of course, was because of the fall.
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- God cursed the earth, and our first parents disobeyed and brought sin into this world.
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- So the whole world is under a curse. And all of creation groans and longs for that day for Christ and God to restore all things, to bring everything back to make things right, make all things right.
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- But it is also because God himself is long -suffering.
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- God is long -suffering. God suffers long. He is long -tempered.
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- He is patient. God is patient, even with vile, wicked sinners.
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- He is patient. And I love,
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- I love how God's word describes this attribute of God, God's long -suffering.
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- Turn with, if you turn with me to Psalm 86, verse 15. Psalm 86, verse 15. This is a very comforting scripture and, and truth of God, of God's, God's nature,
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- God's attribute. Psalm 86, verse 15.
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- But you, O Lord, are God -compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, slow to anger, even when it is deserved, and abundant in loving -kindness and truth.
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- He is abundant in all of these attributes that we need, because we are all worthy and deserve
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- God's anger and wrath. And yet God is compassionate. He is gracious.
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- He is slow to anger and abundant in loving -kindness and truth. This is describing
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- God's patience, God's long -suffering. And His divine patience is revealed in His enduring mercy and love for sinners, for sinners.
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- And in His delay in exacting judgment immediately, just as when
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- Adam and Eve fell, when they disobeyed, God said, you will surely die. But did they die at that moment?
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- No, because God is long -suffering. God is long -suffering. I love, uh, what the beloved
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- Baptist preacher, one of our forefathers in the faith, Charles Spurgeon, has to say about God's long -suffering.
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- Spurgeon describes it this way. Long -suffering is that which keeps
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- Him from coming, from coming in judgment. He is bearing with men.
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- He bears with us. He puts up with us. Not yet the thunderbolt, not yet the thunderbolt of His judgment.
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- Um, He's not a, He's not a fickle God like Zeus is or, or Allah is, who just, you know, arbitrarily on a whim starts to, to judge people and rain thunderbolts and lightning and all that stuff.
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- Of course, these are all false gods. They're idols. They don't actually exist. They're, they're demonic, uh, beings.
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- And Spurgeon continues, not yet the riven heavens and the reeling earth. Not yet the great white throne of judgment and the day of judgment, for He is very pitiful.
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- He is very pitiful, meaning He is full of pity. He is full of pity for us. And beareth long with men, even to the cries of His own elect,
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- His own people, who, who cry day and night unto
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- Him. He is not in haste to answer them. He is not in haste to answer, for He is very patient, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.
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- Amen. I, I can't say this much better myself. And this is really one of God's mercies, uh, to us, to all of us, because we all deserve
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- His wrath. And turn with me now over to Romans chapter four, verse six.
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- One of the most beautiful, blessed promises, gospel promises from God's Word, because of God's love and long -suffering compassion and loving kindness.
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- His, His, His pitifulness, His pitifulness, His pity for us,
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- God's divine pity for us, for men, for fallen men. Wretched man.
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- Sinful that we are. Romans chapter four, verse six. God's Word speaks just as David, King David, also speaks of the blessing on the man to whom
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- God counts righteousness apart from works, apart from works.
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- But not only that, blessed are those whose lawless deeds have been forgiven and whose sins have been covered.
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- Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will not take into account.
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- Amen, beloved. Blessed are we. Blessed are we who believe in God's gospel of grace that not only does
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- God count righteousness apart from works so that we don't have to earn it ourselves because we can't earn it because we are sinful and fallen and by nature sin and our children of wrath of God's judgment.
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- Blessed are those not only that but blessed are those whose lawless deeds whose sins have been covered and forgiven and the blessed man and woman whom we all are in the faith whose sin the
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- Lord will not take into account. That is one of the most precious truths of God's gospel of grace.
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- This is so important to understand because yes, there's a lot of evil in the world, but part of that is because he got
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- God is long -suffering and he is elect he he is electing his people into salvation even vile wicked murderers and all of these wretched sinners he still is long -suffering to lead some to repentance and others he will reserve for judgment.
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- This is all part of God's plan God's providence and but as we saw in Romans behold both the kindness and severity of God because our great
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- God and merciful Savior is also a just judge he is both.
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- Turn with me now to Numbers chapter 14 in verse 18 as we witness the goodness and severity of God.
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- Numbers chapter 14 verse 18 God's Holy Word speaks and says
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- Yahweh is slow to anger and abundant in loving kindness forgiving iniquity and transgression
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- But but He will by no means clear the guilty
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- Visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generations
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- God is both so while God yes, he is Slow to anger abundant in loving kindness forgiving iniquity and transgression yet Nevertheless, he will by no means clear the guilty the unrepentant unbelievers who don't turn to the grace and mercy of God Because Yahweh is also a thrice holy avenger of blood
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- And he alone takes righteous vengeance On all who oppose him he alone has a monopoly on vengeance
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- Did you know that beloved God alone has a monopoly on vengeance? The only one who can take vengeance into his own hands
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- Against all unrepentant evildoers who do not believe and obey the gospel
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- His gospel like Thessalonians Proclaims to us turn with me now back to Romans the letter of Romans in chapter 12 verse 17
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- Romans chapter 12 verse 17 As we learn more about God's Holy and perfect Justice and vengeance
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- Romans chapter 12 verse 17
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- The apostle Paul is admonishing us here to some very important very important commands that are that are in That are tangential to God's nature that are tangential to God's justice that are congruent with his justice
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- And he tells us never never paying back evil for evil to anyone
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- Respecting what is good in the sight of all men of all men If possible so far as it depends on you beloved
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- Being at peace with all men all men unbelievers and believers
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- And get this verse 19 never Never taking your own revenge never
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- Without qualification never Beloved but instead
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- Instead leave room for the wrath of God for the wrath of God Because who does vengeance belong to beloved
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- For it is written the apostle tells us it is written in the old testament Vengeance is mine
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- I will repay Says who says the lord
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- But if your enemy is hungry feed him And if he is thirsty give him a drink for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head
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- Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good amen amen this is a very powerful reminder for us to For us to live by we are not allowed to become our own vigilantes seeking our own justice
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- We must seek God's justice And God gives many
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- Many sobering and dire warnings to the wicked Not just to the ones
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- Who murder themselves in cold blood? But also to the ones who celebrate it who celebrate wickedness
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- God holds both of them in contempt Turn turn with me now to isaiah chapter 5 as we continue to dive into God's word isaiah chapter 5 verse 20 very
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- A very powerful rebuke that God brings to those
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- Who no longer distinguish good and evil properly? But do worse than that I'm, sorry the book of isaiah chapter 5 verse 20
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- God speaks to us once again and proclaims pronounces Whoa Whoa to those who call evil good and good evil
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- Who substitute? darkness for light and light for darkness
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- Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter?
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- Whoa to those who are wise in their own eyes and understanding in their own sight
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- Whoa to those who are mighty men in drinking wine and valiant men in mixing strong drink
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- Who declare the wicked? righteous for a bribe
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- And remove the righteous standing of the ones who are in fact
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- Righteous who have god's righteousness Wow It's it's it's a it's a sad but nevertheless reality
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- That our society reflects much of this In our day even the fact you see many uh people celebrating the murder of A brother in the lord of charlie kirk of of even the fact that From from what
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- I the accounts that I saw the one who killed the man who killed uh, uh, uh, re
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- What's her name arena? Excuse me um the refugee He was a repeat offender a violent offender and it appears that the judge had had let him go
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- Unrighteously and this this is god's
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- Warning to all those Who who do not agree with his word with his law and with his gospel?
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- And this word woe, what does it mean what does the word woe mean?
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- It means a number of different things but the ones that are relevant to this passage and to what is is
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- Applicable in these situations these circumstances is It is an expression of grief or of lament or of Shame over those who fail to recognize the true misery of their own condition and also
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- It can mean an exclamation of judgment upon god's enemies an exclamation a pronouncement of judgment of god's enemies upon his enemies and uh
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- I think uh macarthur has uh comments on this saying
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- When god pronounces woe against evil men he sets divine judgment in motion
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- When god pronounces woe Against men he sets divine judgment in motion upon them woe to them because god
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- Will judge them unless they repent unless they repent
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- Unless god grants them the gift of repentance. Amen so turn turn back with me now to the the the precious
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- Letter to the romans chapter one as we continue to unpack this and to tie all of these things together
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- Tie the bigger picture together Romans chapter 1 verse 28 continue to learn
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- More about god's goodness kindness and severity And justice and judgment romans chapter 1 verse 28
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- And just as they Who are they? Who is the apostle referring to here the god breathed apostle?
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- They are those who suppress the truth and unrighteousness Back in verse 18
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- They who professing to be wise Claiming to be wise became fools in their own wisdom and understanding
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- Which is not true wisdom or understanding that's verse 22 They did not see fit to acknowledge god who he is his law his attributes
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- God gave them over to an unfit Mind a debased mind
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- Gave them over To do those things which are not proper
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- Which are not right having been filled with all unrighteousness wickedness greed evil full of envy murder strife deceit
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- Malice they are they are gossips Slanders haters of god violent
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- Arrogant boastful inventors of evil schemers of evil divisors of wickedness disobedient to parents
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- That's where a lot of this starts All men are born evil evil sinners
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- Disobedient to parents without understanding Without understanding without the truth
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- Untrustworthy unloving unmerciful the opposite of who god is and although they
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- Know the righteous requirement of god. This is important This is the key phrase here the righteous demands the righteous law the righteous requirement of god
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- That those who practice such things are what are worthy of death worthy of death
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- They not only do the same But also give hearty approval to those who practice such things to those who do them
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- Practice them as well And god beloved will judge both of them
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- Not just the ones who do them but to those who give hearty approval To those who practice them witness behold the goodness and severity of god
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- Amen so this And and I don't mean to say that.
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- Oh, you know these violent These men of violence these wicked men who stab
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- Women young women and men to death or kill them shoot them and all these things
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- That they should just you know, they should just be Forgiven because the bible says that's an abomination in god's eyes
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- It is an abomination to pardon the wicked Because somebody has to pay
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- That sin debt somebody has to pay the crime and do the time So while yes, we should pray for their repentance that god may grant them mercy and repentance yet.
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- Nevertheless god's Justice must still be satisfied on earth and in this land. That is why we have law and order because men are evil
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- And Justice must still be served Justice must still be served these men
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- Because the the things that these men do are worthy of what? worthy of death worthy of death because of god's righteous requirement
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- If you practice death Upon yourself and upon others you yourself make yourself worthy of death in god's judgment
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- Sobering truths sobering realities and that is the balance that we as believers need to maintain
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- And understand both the goodness the kindness and the severity of god
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- Of god's mercy and of god's judgments His justice
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- The just judge who is angry with the wicked every day like the psalms declared to us
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- And I want us I want I want to remind us of this This this axiom as well that the bible tells us
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- Um, because you see this so often you know And I didn't
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- You know Many many people say that Acts of violence and wickedness like this are just random and senseless
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- This is like random acts and senseless acts of violence And I had preached on this
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- Before when A man had shot up somebody from joel osteen's church and Went on a sermon on the devil and But we need to keep in mind
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- That there is the world the flesh and the devil, but it is still god's world god's uh devil all of these things are not senseless acts of violence
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- There are no such things as senseless acts of violence and you'll hear many even in the church
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- Say these things That's what the the the pastors quote unquote from joel osteen's church said
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- That's what many you'll hear many say even in the church all these are senseless acts of violence
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- That doesn't exist in god's world and providence That does not there's no such thing in god's world and god's providence
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- Why is that because god? ultimately designed and decreed A good purpose in all of these things for us for us
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- Who are loved by god and called according to his purpose no matter how bad it is no matter how wicked it is like joseph
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- Told his brothers you meant it for evil You meant to sell me off into slavery and to leave me for dead
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- But god purposed it for good even for the good for their good And to save israel from the famine and all of those things
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- Witness beloved the goodness and severity of god in all of these things And we need to take a pause and be careful because a lot of times these things may not make sense to us
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- We can't always be so quick to seek answers to answer these things We have to be careful.
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- Sometimes we just need to be quiet Like ecclesiastes tell us tells us there's a time to speak and there's a time to shut our mouths just to be silent and to just like in the book of joe job is being uh attacked by satan and all of these um all of these tragedies and yet God answers to no one
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- And it all ultimately serves a good purpose Because it's the one god is the one who is
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- Designing and decreeing and orchestrating all of it There is no evil
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- Sinful deed that is outside of his control There is none All of it serves god's purpose
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- It is in part What does god's word tell us it is in part? to glorify himself
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- It is for his glory We are here for god's glory both unbelievers and believers
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- It is in part to save With his long -suffering to sanctify and glorify his people his chosen people unto salvation
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- To the praise of his glorious grace like our baptist confession beautifully summarizes
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- To the praise of his glorious grace his goodness But also to punish the wicked
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- To punish the wicked and fatten them up for the slaughter Because they are worthy of death
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- To the praise of his glorious justice on the other hand to the praise of his glorious justice
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- Turn with me beloved to this awesome gospel promise in the letter to the romans chapter 8 in verse 28
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- Romans chapter 8 verse 28 God's word says
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- And we know that god what god causes all things all things without exception
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- Such that there is no such thing as a senseless act purposeless act
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- All things to work together orchestrate them Working together for good for good not for evil, but for good to those who love god
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- To those who are called according to his purpose according to his purpose amen beloved this is god's promise that we need to cling to and hold to in these difficult times
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- Of wickedness of vileness being exalted among the sons of men this truth
- 39:38
- Is what keeps us going Even when we ourselves are victims of wickedness and violence
- 39:47
- Because as many as are godly Uh in christ jesus will suffer persecution
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- We live in a fallen world But it's in part We have to remember to keep our balance it's in part to bring the wicked to repentance
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- And that's that's I I couldn't I just couldn't be god.
- 40:15
- None of us could be god and do this god is amazing in how he Beautifully brings all of these things together.
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- He is so awesome that he purposes evil for good only this god
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- Can do that only the god of scripture can do that and so then
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- How should we then live? How should we then think? Say speak and and live according to these truths
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- Well, like ecclesiastes tells us There is a time for love
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- And there's a time for hate There is a time to suffer There is a time to rejoice there is a time to mourn
- 41:07
- Sometimes there's a time for both Yes, we witness these things and there's a time to mourn for them and yet even in situations like this god's grace is everywhere
- 41:17
- God's mercy is everywhere as you know For in our particular situation my precious
- 41:24
- Daughter our youngest daughter. She was born in the middle of all of this uh wickedness
- 41:31
- And sometimes there's a time for both to rejoice over life being born And to mourn when somebody is unrighteously put to death
- 41:46
- There is a time and a place for all of these things And it is wisdom to know when to exercise the right thing for the right circumstance
- 41:58
- Because if we don't we fall under god's woe god's pronouncement of judgment
- 42:03
- To those who say good is evil and evil is good and substitute light for darkness and darkness for light
- 42:14
- That is foolishness. That is wickedness not just the doing of it, but the celebrating of it and So then we should seek justice beloved we should seek justice in the when evil is being done
- 42:36
- But we should seek god's justice We should seek god's justice not our own justice
- 42:44
- Not our own vigil vigilante justice But god's way not our way
- 42:52
- And by god's means Rather than our own We are ministers of of his righteousness.
- 43:03
- We are salt and light to the world And our job is not to do our own will
- 43:10
- Just like christ said nevertheless, not my will but thy will be done amen
- 43:17
- We are ministers of god's will In all circumstances, there is no exception
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- To that Righteous requirement of god and And to to help us and encourage us more with this
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- I I heartily recommend um Reading Studying and reading more about the doctrine of the lesser magistrate it's a
- 43:49
- It's a biblical doctrine that the reformation and the reformers championed the doctrine of the lesser magistrate
- 43:55
- There's a book, uh by matt pastor matt truella Excellent book. It's a good intro a great introduction to this doctrine because This is how we seek god's justice.
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- We seek it through god's appointed magistrates like romans 13 tells us
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- We need to seek lesser magistrates to intervene and interpose on behalf of god's law
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- And apply justice god's way god's appointed means Rather than seeking our own amen so So be encouraged beloved in light of this evil because Contrary to what our experience and emotions may tell us which very often are
- 44:46
- Sueded by things that are not true And are are tempted to make us fall into sinful attitudes or perspectives
- 44:55
- The theology of the cross the theology of the cross of lowliness of suffering of persecution of humility
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- This was a doctrine that was developed by coined by martin luther himself
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- The theology of the cross as opposed to the theology of glory And self -aggrandizement and all those things
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- The theology of the cross teaches us It's a biblical doctrine that teaches us that god is often most present
- 45:31
- Where he seems or appears to be most absent most absent
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- I love how michael horton put this in his book too good to be true God is often most present where he seems most absent
- 45:52
- Just like the story of joseph When they meant it for evil his brothers his own brothers betrayed him and meant it for evil, but god
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- Orchestrated that god was right there Orienting it and purposing it decreeing it for good
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- Even to their good Just as christ himself Cried out while he was mocked beaten and dying
- 46:20
- And expiring on the cross My god, my god. Why have you forsaken me?
- 46:27
- Why have you forsaken me? The the aramaic expression that he he pronounced as he right before he died
- 46:40
- Not because god the father disapproved of the son of christ And abandoned him it wasn't because of that But because christ was quoting from the first line of psalm 22
- 46:53
- It's a prophetic psalm of the suffering messiah Demonstrating that he the son christ had finished
- 47:05
- His prophetic mission to satisfy all our sin debt To give his life as a ransom for many
- 47:15
- Like the gospel of mark and matthew tell us so even though He was delivered over by the hands of wicked wicked men
- 47:26
- The they who crucified the lord of glory God appointed that that act for our justice to be satisfied on the cross of christ
- 47:41
- An amazing it is it is just amazing to meditate on these things.
- 47:47
- It's like how amazing is this love? And i've been preaching on god's love these past several weeks and it's just an amazing picture of god's love
- 47:58
- Remember too that jesus crying out with a loud voice said father He never stopped god the father never stopped being christ father never
- 48:10
- Into your hands. I commit my spirit. Those were the last dying words of our messiah Into your hands.
- 48:17
- I commit myself my spirit Having said this he breathed his last and beloved now turn with me to this glorious Gospel exaltation of the son in philippians chapter 2 verse 8 philippians chapter 2 verse 8 lord willing
- 48:39
- I hope to Expound more upon this passage on the carmen christi the hymn to christ as god philippians chapter 2 verse 8 philippians chapter 2 verse 8 the apostle
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- Reveals to us god's will and says Being found in appearance as a man
- 49:17
- Who is this man? This is none other than christ jesus himself He christ capital h humbled himself by becoming obedient To the point of death even death on a cross
- 49:35
- This is the theology of the cross therefore therefore beloved god also highly exalted him
- 49:44
- And bestowed on him Granted on him blessed him With the name which is above every name
- 49:54
- So god It wasn't that god abandoned his son, but god poured out his wrath on the sun
- 50:04
- And because of his accomplishing of the mission of the covenant of redemption
- 50:11
- Of the sin debt that he had to satisfy for his bride Therefore god also highly exalted him.
- 50:20
- This is an amazing passage beloved. It is said to be an ancient hymn of god's of christ
- 50:28
- Humiliation as a man obeying god's will unto death and of his exaltation as a result of accomplishing god's will to save us to save us
- 50:41
- And to and to Uh Publish god's goodness and severity both you see both mercy and Justice kissing at the cross you see both there being reconciled perfectly amazing amazing truth
- 51:13
- I scarce can take it in God beloved is always with us and for us
- 51:20
- And he has a good plan for all this evil He has a good plan for all this evil
- 51:30
- Let us close out Today beloved with god's word in the letter to ephesians chapter 5 verse 15
- 51:40
- To help us meditate and apply these truths to our own life ephesians chapter 5 verse 15
- 51:58
- Ephesians chapter 5 verse 15. Um, the the apostle paul once again
- 52:16
- Proclaims to us god's words and says therefore Look carefully how you walk
- 52:23
- Look carefully how you walk not as unwise but as wise redeeming the time
- 52:31
- Why because the days are evil beloved? These are last and evil days
- 52:38
- On account of this then do not be foolish, but understand
- 52:45
- Understand what the will of the lord is And to that god's people say a hearty.
- 52:53
- Amen This beloved is something we should meditate on in light of all of these circumstances let us
- 53:03
- Seek god's truth in god's word So that we may understand what the will of the lord is and seek his will
- 53:12
- Rather than our own fleshly will And all these things let us see all of these matters with god's eyes
- 53:21
- With god's perspective with god's view rather than our own fleshliness amen beloved
- 53:31
- Let us bow our heads now With a word of prayer today
- 53:38
- Our dear precious heavenly father Lord, we thank you so much for both your kindness and your severity god because the reality
- 53:50
- Is that we all deserve your severity. We all deserve your judgment. We all deserve
- 53:56
- Your wrath for all our sin for being fallen sinners in adam
- 54:02
- But by your kindness and your grace and your mercy you have declared you have decreed Not only to pronounce us guiltless to cleanse us from all our sin to not account
- 54:17
- To not take into account our sin But rather to bless us by counting us righteousness righteous apart from works our own works
- 54:26
- But on account of the works of your son your beloved son who's
- 54:32
- Who's by which? We now have all our sins covered and blessed are we
- 54:39
- Blessed are we Because of your precious work and your precious son and your precious gospel
- 54:46
- And we thank you lord for your long suffering Help us to remind us lord that we
- 54:53
- Ourselves you were patient with us. You took time to not judge us
- 54:59
- Immediately, but you delayed your judgment so that we may receive mercy and and and repentance and forgiveness
- 55:08
- Because of the great love with which you loved us because while we were yet sinners christ you sent your son to die for us
- 55:16
- Father, thank you for these precious truths. Help us to hold them in proper balance in the book and balance of Your counsel your whole counsel of your word help us to exercise wisdom to apply
- 55:31
- These truths these doctrines to the correct situation to the proper circumstances lord
- 55:37
- And to be salt and light To our friends our family our neighbors And helping others to see the truth of your word in your ways father help us to seek your will
- 55:50
- Your ways just as christ perfectly did so And not our own not our own flesh
- 55:58
- Father, not the ways of the world the flesh and the devil Whom you have purposed all of which you have purpose for our ultimate good and for your glory
- 56:08
- We thank you father and we ask these precious. We ask these things in your precious name in your precious son's name amen
- 56:20
- Thank you for listening to the sermons of thorn crown covenant baptist church where the bible alone And the bible in its entirety has applied to all of faith and life.
- 56:29
- We strive to be biblical reformed historic confessional Loving discerning christians who evangelize stand firm in and earnestly contend for the christian faith
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- If you're looking for a church in the el paso texas area or for more information about our church Sermons and ministries such as semper reformanda radio and thorn crown network podcast