The Entire Creation Will Die... and Rise Again

Kongsvinger Lutheran Church

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Welcome to the teaching ministry of Kungsvinger Lutheran Church. Kungsvinger is a beacon for the gospel of Jesus Christ and is located on the plains of northwestern

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Minnesota. We proclaim Christ and Him crucified for our sins and salvation by grace through faith alone.

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And now, here's a message from Pastor Chris Roseberg. In the name of Jesus, Amen. Alright, all of us are pretty sure that that statement that we're all familiar with, that in this life, the only two things that are absolutely certain are death and taxes.

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We all kind of get that. And many of us have come to grips with this idea that, well, should Jesus continue to tarry?

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He's taking His own sweet time coming back. Things are getting darker and darker. Should He tarry much longer that it's not too long before each of us individually die?

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Okay. We're okay with that. That's the way of man. But what Jesus reveals in this second half of the, well, discourse that He began last week,

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He's actually revealing that the very creation itself, the heavens and the earth, all of this is going to pass away and die.

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And He's not speaking hypothetically, allegorically, mythologically, or symbolically. He's actually talking about the real creation itself, for real, dying.

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With that, let's return to our Gospel text, see if we can make heads or tails of this very frightening and stressful picture that Jesus is painting, and see if we can find some comfort in the midst of it.

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In those days, after that tribulation, the tribulation we talked about last week, that wonderful, positive, upbeat sermon that I gave about how brother and sister and father and mother would rise up against family members and have them put to death, that we would be persecuted for Jesus' sake and be put to death.

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And just this wonderful picture that we had last week. Well, after the tribulations of those days, listen to this.

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The sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light. And you know what that means? It means the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light.

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I like to picture it, if you would, like a warm Thursday, July morning.

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For some reason, I'm not sure why, I've been able to sleep until 8 o 'clock on that particular morning. And after I stretch and kind of start moving the carcass and getting the blood flowing,

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I look outside and wouldn't you know it, it's dark as night outside. And so I get out of bed and wander over to the window and take a look and I can see the sun.

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And there's the sun. And the sun is, well it looks like it's poking through like layers of smoke from like the

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California fires or something. You know how it gets around here when the smoke from the forest fires in Canada, that's where the

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Canadians are from, when the smoke from Canada gets down here. And the sun is red and dark, but in this case, there's not a cloud in the sky.

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There is no smoke. And you realize something's seriously afoot.

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So you run downstairs, turn on the television, and every channel that you turn to is wall to wall news coverage.

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People in a complete panic. In fact, it's so bad that even the Hallmark Channel at this point has put off all of their shows about women kissing men and stuff like that and all that girly stuff.

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And they've even gone to the news. You know it's the end of the world if the Hallmark Channel is playing the news. That's how big of an event this is.

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And everybody's talking about, scientists are coming on and discussing how the sun no longer is shining with the same magnitude that it was shining.

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And everybody realizes at this point, if things do not turn around, that it's just a matter of time before everybody on planet

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Earth dies of starvation or cold. There will be no harvest that fall.

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The crops will fail. The snow will come really early. And we all recognize this.

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And that's what is being described here. This is the kind of stuff that if you consider what Jesus is saying, the magnitude of what is happening, that this is the kind of stuff that could keep you awake at night, cause you to have nightmares.

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But see, the reason why Jesus is telling us all of this is the way it's going to go down is not so that we would have nightmares.

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But see, that's the thing. Immediately before this is discussed, the people of the world had conspired against the

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Son of God so much so that they silenced those who were preaching the gospel. Put them in prison.

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Put them to death. Got rid of them. Didn't want to hear. Shut their ears. Don't tell me about Jesus. La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la.

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This is how they behaved. And now God is acting in judgment. And it's so unmistakable that the sun has gone dark.

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The moon, which only reflects the light of the sun, may as well not even be there anymore. And if that's not enough to add insult to injury, at night, you look out and you see the stars.

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You sit there and go, well, those stars are there. Maybe NASA can help us figure out a way to get to one of them and save ourselves.

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Well, that option's cut off, too, at this point. NASA won't be able to help because, wouldn't you know it, as you're looking up at the stars, one of them just disappears and goes out.

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Another one shoots across the sky, and that one's gone. And then you've got three or four at a time, and then a whole bunch, and then the next thing you know, all of them are gone.

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There's nowhere to go to. There's nowhere to hide. And then they will see the

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Son of Man, the sign of the Son of Man, coming in the clouds with great power and glory, and they realize they're in deep trouble.

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Now, understand this, each and every one of us, hearing of these events, we're reminded of our own guilt, our own shame, our own reason that we might have to fear the wrath of God.

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And in the case of the nonbelievers at this point, they have every reason to fear the wrath of God, but not us.

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You see, Jesus has told us these things ahead of time. And then he says these comforting words, and then Jesus will send out the angels, and they're going to gather the elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.

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Think of it like this way. Remember when Joshua and the children of Israel were circling the walls of Jericho?

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And on the seventh day, they shouted that great shout, and the trumpets were blasting, and the walls came crashing down, except for the walls where Rahab, the prostitute, lived.

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And Joshua sent soldiers in to say, go collect up and bring out Rahab and her relatives, and they lived.

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In that same way, Christ is going to send out the angels, and those Christians who are still alive, who have not been martyred for the faith, the angels will gather up to be united with Christ.

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And so then Jesus gives this interesting statement. From the fig tree, learn its lesson. As soon as its branch becomes tender, puts out its leaves, well, you know that summer is near.

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So also when you see these things, these signs taking place, you know that he is near at the very gates.

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Now, to add a little bit of excitement to the sign, think of it this way. I remember what it was like being a kid, and I remember

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Thanksgiving when I was a kid. Thanksgiving when I was a kid, that was the sign that Christmas was upon us.

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It was just around the corner. In fact, I remember as a kid, you know, kind of just not being all that interested.

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Yeah, yeah, let's eat the turkey. Let's come on and get on with it. Because as soon as everyone was done and all the family members left, that night, you see, when

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I was a kid, I would turn on Channel 5 in Los Angeles. KTLA is the station.

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And that night, Thanksgiving night at 8 o 'clock every year, like clockwork, they played Santa and the

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Three Bears, and you just sat there and went, whoo -hoo! Christmas is almost here!

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And then five weeks of torture waiting for Christmas to finally arrive.

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So think of it this way. When we see these things happening, it's just like Christmas is around the corner.

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While the whole world is freaking out in pangs of anxiety, thinking, oh no, we're doomed, we can sit there and go, whoo -hoo!

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We're saved! Finally! It's the guy on the desert island when he sees that the plane finally sees the smoke signals that he's been saying, come rescue me!

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Come rescue me! Right, that's exactly what's going on. So we know when these things take place that Christ himself is at the very gates.

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And then Jesus says, truly I say to you, this generation, the generation that sees these signs, they will not pass away until these things take place.

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And then hear these words. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not.

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You see, if your faith is in the things that you can see and touch and smell and taste around you, poorly placed faith, because all of this is going to die.

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All of this is going to disappear, be rolled up like a scroll. Or as Peter says, burn down to the atomic level.

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Roseborough's translation of 2 Peter. But you kind of get the idea. But see, all of this will pass away, it's going to die.

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But Jesus' words will not pass away. They cannot be shaken. They cannot be destroyed.

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And which words of Christ are these words that cannot pass away? The words that say to you that you who have been baptized into Christ and you have been united with Him in His death and His resurrection, been brought to penitent faith and trust in Him for the forgiveness of your sins.

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The words that you heard today where Jesus said, not me, Jesus said, you are forgiven.

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Those words cannot pass away. The words that you hear at this altar, broken and shed for you for the forgiveness of your sins, that you are pardoned, that you are redeemed, that you are blood -bought, that you are

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God's adopted children and that He loves you and He has mercy on you and remembers your sins no more.

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Those words cannot pass away. And they will never pass away.

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Heaven and earth will. But not that absolution. Those are His words. Now, if you're prone like a lot of people to try to figure out when this is all going to happen, maybe if we open up the book of Revelation and get out a compass and slide rule and start doing some mathematical prophetic calculus, we can kind of figure out when this is all going to happen.

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Give it up. Give it up. The ash heap of history is full of the burning hulks and ruins of people who've decided to set a date as to when this is all going to go down.

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It's not going to happen a moment sooner than God the Father has chosen and He has not given it to us to know.

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I always like to say I work in marketing, the Trinity is in management, and they never send me a memo on these things.

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So that's the idea. You don't know when it's going to happen. So concerning that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven.

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And at the time of Christ's humiliation, not even the Son knew, but only the Father. Instead, Jesus says these words.

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Be on your guard and keep awake. Awake. Well, what is

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He talking about here? Does He say that we're to be insomniacs, that we're not to sleep at all? That's not what

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He's talking about here. He's talking about the wakefulness, if you would, of the fact that in the waters of baptism you've been united with Christ in His death and His resurrection, that you have been regenerated in the washing of regeneration, which is baptism.

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In other words, you've been, I hate to use this word, but I'm going to hijack it, and people are going to condemn me later.

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You are now woke. It's the word that the SJWs use nowadays. But you are woke.

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Jesus woke you in the waters of baptism. He has woken you through the preaching of the gospel.

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And so to stay awake is, well, as the great prophetic band of the 70s and 80s journey likes to sing about, to stay awake means to don't stop believing.

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That's what it's all about. Believing and trusting Jesus and His word that doesn't pass away, that you are forgiven.

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So be on your guard. Stay awake. You don't know when the time will come. It's like a man going on a journey.

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When he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake, therefore stay awake.

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For you don't know when the master of your house will come, in the evening or at midnight, or when the cock crows or in the morning, lest he come suddenly and find you asleep.

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And what I say to you, I say to all. Stay awake. Keep believing. Keep coming to church.

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Keep hearing the words of the absolution. Keep feasting on the body and blood of Christ. Keep hearing and feasting on His word.

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Man does not live by bread alone. Bear fruit in keeping with repentance by loving one another in good works.

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Stay awake. That's what he's talking about. Nothing extraordinary. Very basic.

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Very common. That's the idea. Now, with all of this news that the world itself is going to die and come to an end, how are we to conduct ourselves?

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It sounds like we've got this huge cataclysmic collision with the fate and destiny of the universe coming to a grinding halt.

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Oh, and we do. And one time it was said, it's reported, that Luther was asked, what would you do if you knew that Jesus was coming back tomorrow?

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And Luther said, yeah, I think I'd plant a tree. Weird answer, but it kind of makes sense.

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Think of it this way. On what day is the church released from its obligation, its commission to make disciples of all nations, baptizing and teaching all that Christ has commanded?

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Is it the day before Jesus returns? It may be a week or a month, right? No, we're not released from that until the day he shows up.

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So carry on as you were. There's nothing to see here. The world's going to come to an end when

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Jesus is good and ready for it to come to an end, and we've got stuff to keep us busy. Jesus himself says that on the day he returns, people are going to be eating and drinking and giving in marriage, carrying on like nothing's ever coming, and disaster will come on them suddenly.

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So be about the business that we've been about for the past 2 ,000 years. Baptize, preach, teach, catechize.

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Do the dishes. Help with the homework. Take out the trash. Nothing extraordinary needs to be done here.

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The extraordinary stuff is done by Christ. This is kind of Jude's point in our epistle text. Beloved, build yourselves up in your most holy faith.

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Pray in the Spirit, which means to pray in faith. And then keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our

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Lord Jesus Christ. It will be revealed at one point in the very near future. The mercy of Jesus Christ will not be an article of faith.

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You'll see it and experience it in the flesh. See, waiting for the mercy of our

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Lord Jesus Christ, and this is the thing that leads to eternal life. So have mercy on those who doubt. Save others by snatching them out of the fire.

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Others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh. Or as Isaiah said, or God says to the prophet

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Isaiah, He says, give attention to me, my people, and give ear to me, my nation. And you are his nation.

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You've been grafted into Israel. What is of your baptism? See, the law is going to go out for me, and I will send my justice for a light to the peoples.

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And then verse 5 of chapter 51, radically wonderful verse, says this, my righteousness draws near.

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My salvation has already gone out, and my arms will judge the peoples. You see, Isaiah talks about the time that we are living in right now.

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The salvation of God has gone out. It's gone out from Jerusalem, and repentance and the forgiveness of sins is being proclaimed to all nations, tribes, and languages throughout the world.

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And yet, his righteousness is still drawing near. And eventually, his arms will judge the peoples.

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And even the creation itself. God says the coastlands hope for me, and for my arm they wait.

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So lift up your eyes to the heavens. Look at the earth beneath. For the heavens vanish like smoke.

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And the earth, well, it's going to wear out like a garment. And they who dwell in it will die in like manner.

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But my salvation will be forever, and my righteousness will never be dismayed.

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Hmm, no need for anxiety there.

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None of us are going to survive, and yet all of us will. Isn't that interesting? None of us will survive, yet all of us will.

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You see, because on the other end of the universe, the heavens of the earth dying, even ourselves dying,

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Christ is going to make it all new. And that's what he says. Behold, I make all things new.

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The current creation that we live in was made by God through the word of God in six days.

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The new creation, of whom Jesus is the firstborn of it, well, that'll be remade in one.

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Pretty impressive if you ask me. But see, that's the idea. So in the meantime, let us not be anxious.

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Let us not fret or fear. Let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace. And as Jude writes, now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy.

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Notice, he's the one who keeps you from stumbling. He's the one who keeps you awake. He's the one who will present you before the presence of his glory and do so with great joy.

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You see, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, despising its shame.

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He did this for you. It is his great joy to present you as blameless, as forgiven. So to the only

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God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority before all time and now and forever in the name of Jesus.

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Amen. 1 -59 -50 470th

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Avenue, NW Oslo, MN 56744 We thank you for your support.

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