Promises That Provoke Praise (part 2) - [Romans 8]

Bethlehem Bible Church

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Trying to get a lot of things done in my life and so last week it was the dentist and I had to go to The podiatrist as well.

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I'd never been to the podiatrist. I've been putting it off for about a year and a half and I Was talking to the man the doctor and explaining my medical background a little bit and he said oh, so you don't do that anymore.

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I Said no, I don't do that anymore. I said well, what do you do? I thought oh, this is going right where I wanted to go

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How lucky said oh,

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I'm a Bible teaching pastor Bethlehem Bible Church, and I thought he was joking, but he wasn't he said you actually teach the

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Bible I Said yeah, I preach for 45 55 minutes on snowy days three and a half hours no, and He said really and He said well,

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I always want to know why there aren't extra books in the Bible Why is Revelation the last book of the Bible? I said well for a couple reasons one is

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We have everything we need to know about who God is who we are salvation heaven

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Forgiveness Christ Jesus the text is sufficient We don't need anything else pertaining to life and godliness

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And number two the last book of the Bible in the last chapter of the last book of the Bible It says don't add anything to this book are the plagues that are in this book will be added to you and he said

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Wow Said I asked my priest said he didn't know the answer. He said I like your answer better I thought all right.

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We're on a roll. He might as well keep going. I said It's amazing to me people in general

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Don't think you have to be perfect to get into heaven And he bit hook line and sinker, and he goes what do you mean you have to be perfect to get into heaven now?

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By this time there's a nurse and another attendant standing there and he's putting on some kind of acid on my foot, and I figured

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I have a captive audience and so To get your mind off the burn and the acid

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I Said well, Jesus said it. What do you mean Jesus said it? I said yes Jesus said it in Matthew 5 verse 48 that if you'd like to go to heaven you have to be as perfect as God is to Get to heaven he goes.

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I don't believe it so I took my iPhone out and started going to my Bible app He goes okay. I believe it. I said when it comes to the law of God James chapter 2 verse 10 is very clear it takes one sin to keep you out of heaven

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And he said well, I I don't know if I I agree with all that and I said if you were I said all right

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Let's just talk about heaven. Do you think heaven's perfect? Yes, if someone who has sin still in them are on them as it were goes to heaven

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Heaven is no longer perfect Say I agree with that. I said the good news is

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Christ Jesus came to save people from their sins and when you believe upon him you have your sins forgiven past Present and future

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He said oh, that's that's amazing. I said it is I said the good news is I need three more acid treatments before this is over I'll see you in two weeks.

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I said get your Bible questions ready. He looked at me. He goes, okay I Began to put my socks on and my shoes on and the nurse came up to me with a little pharmacy pad

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And she said could you please tell me those verses again? I want to go home and look those up. I Thought this is fabulous

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This is exactly what I'm looking for I thought well when you're on a roll you just keep going so I went to Walmart and Got a few things and the lady's name said

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Sophia and I thought oh, that's wisdom in Greek I maybe have a talking point and I looked outside and I said it's sure snowing a lot here on this

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Friday afternoon I said I think people are afraid to drive, but it makes my shopping experience better Not as many people and she said yeah,

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I don't know why they're afraid. She said I'm not afraid of driving like that I said, are you afraid of anything?

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She said no Nothing. She said are you afraid of anything? I Said I'm afraid to stand before God on Judgment Day and answer for my own sins.

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I thought My soul go to true value next It's like knocking on doors handing out free

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Bibles the first couple are difficult But then you begin to realize that this world is dying and they have no idea

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That you have to be perfect you have to be as perfect as Christ is you have to be as perfect as God is

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To get into heaven you need perfection and when you realize that you have sin

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There's really nothing you can do about it it's built in our nature to try to overcome our problem, but we need to have someone come to overpower us with the gospel

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And if you'll turn your Bibles to Romans chapter 8 this morning I want to show you some of the effects that are

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There when God does save you by grace when God counts you as perfect as righteous when he declares you just when he declares you just as if you never sinned and just as if you never will sin and just as if you lived

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Christ's perfect life There are some praises that should flow from that Here's my sermon today from Romans 8 the revelation about God should cause you to praise him revelation a word from God Demands a response if you learn something about God it should affect you it should infect you

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It should make you say to yourself God has done this for me, and he has forgiven me all my sins

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He has declared me righteous, then I want to respond with Yawning Boredom I got to get back to the game there could be a lot of different responses

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But you'll see today the real response should be praise We're going to look at Romans chapter 8 today, and I will show you seven promises that should provoke praise in your life

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Seven promises that provoke praise that is to say there are seven promises in Romans 8 and when you learn them

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You'll say I deserve nothing I come to the table empty -handed and God has lavished not judgment upon me

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Not holy wrath upon me although. That's what I deserve, but he's given me what? grace

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This is a hard society to live in and praise the Lord people think you're an extremist people think you're some kind of Jesus freak

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Here Paul wants the people to know at Rome and the Spirit of God wants you to know that when

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God Saves you your response should be praise We'll get back into 1st

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Corinthians next week Lord willing, but this is a good message to set the tone for the year

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There will be things that happen this year There are things that have already happened when we have to bury our mother or we have sicknesses

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Things happen and there are issues that make you think about the world from only the world's perspective

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And Romans 8 as it were rises up like Mount Everest So you can keep your eyes focused on who

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God is in spite of suffering in spite of trial in spite of Prosperity as it were and Romans 8 answers the question did

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Jesus do what he said? He would do did he accomplish what he said he would accomplish and it should give your life if you're a

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Christian you should have a surety a resolve a Confidence in the scripture we live in a an evangelical culture across America that says you basically

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Cooperate with God for your salvation and you can actually lose your salvation as well

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Romans chapter 8 is going to be a bulldozer for that kind of man -centered thinking

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I don't know if you ever watched one of those shows. What are they called extreme house makeover? I don't really watch it anymore, but my favorite part was always

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Well, I like to see the you know, the warm touchy, you know Responses to you know, good deeds done and stuff, but I love the wrecking ball part.

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I love the bulldozer part If somehow your own works and merit and goodness and theological prowess come together with God And you say that's why

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I'm secure things are going to happen this year or the next or in ten years that could wreck that but if your trust and your surety and your

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Reliability for heaven rest only on God then I think you're going to praise him now

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Joe it said a little while ago. I saw six Sandwich men walking through the streets of London You know what sandwich men were if you drive right down the street here on West Boylston on the way to that Walmart where Sofia is

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On the right hand side. I think there's a Dagwood's What's the name of the thing Dagwood's and even a couple days ago?

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There's a guy standing out there advertising sandwiches. You see him when you drive by I don't know whether it's un -christianly for me to wave

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I want to tell him to get back in you know, it's too cold outside. You're gonna get run over and he waves Sandwich boards on this side said, you know cheap roast beef sandwich all you can eat kind of thing and you would hire

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People who would have no job to advertise and Joe it said I see these sandwich men walking through the streets of London looking thoroughly pinched and starved and wretched and their boards carried the advertisement as to where the onlookers could get the best dinners in London and Joe it said famished wretches advertising the best dinners

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For our case what I don't want in you and I don't want certainly in me Cheerless joyless men and women who call themselves

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Christians at Bethlehem Bible Church advertising the joy of the Lord and Romans chapter 8 is a great chapter to propel you in to praise

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Romans chapter 8 the security of Christians based on the work of Christ and the

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Holy Spirit Seven promises that provoke praise we need to just review the first four or five then we'll look at some new ones number one

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Number one the first promise that should make you say Lord. Thank you I praise you to speak well of him is found in verses 1 through 4

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There is no condemnation for you. If you're a Christian the first promises. There's no eternal

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Condemnation the opposite word for justification is condemnation. This is a law court kind of language

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We were condemned But we have been justified by faith

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Romans chapter 3 but now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been manifested

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Even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe

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Romans 8 1 there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus This is the flag of the

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Christian. This is the Christian flag There's no condemnation for those who are in Christ and chapter 7

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Paul had just said that he was a wretch He was in trouble as it were check.

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Take a look at chapter 7 verse 24 even after he was saved wretched man that I am

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We need the work of Christ to live for us to die for us to be raised for us So now

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God looks at us on the day of judgment Through Christ perfect work and so he sees who we are and that is righteous as Christ Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus Friends mark this you can never be more justified than you are now

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You can never be more justified Sanctified yes Justified no and God says you're not guilty.

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The penalty of sin has been paid to her false There's double jeopardy with God. He charges you for your sins and he will

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Charge Christ for your sins true. No Jesus has paid for your sins.

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The penalty is gone. Isn't that good news? I don't know about you but to think I Reminisce a little bit and say all the times before I got saved the accidents that could have happened whether it was

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Choking on food car accidents potential car accidents the ways you can die

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Thomas Watson The old Puritan said you don't want to know how many pores you have in your skin if you could count the pores in your

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Skin, that is the amount that's the number of ways you could die You can die a lot of different ways and to think that God has kept me alive kept every

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Christian alive long enough to believe What I used to deserve is hell and now

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I get heaven and the response is Praise that's exactly right and not just the penalty is paid

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Look at verses 2 through 4 the power of sin has been broken the law of the

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Spirit of life verse 2 in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death

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Praise number 2 praise number 2. I'm gonna repreach two weeks ago sermon if I'm not careful, but Romans chapter 8 is just full

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Romans chapter 8 you can find old Puritan books by the way, and they're this big on one chapter

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It's Romans chapter 8 Romans chapter 8 if you want to memorize Scripture, and you don't know where to memorize what to memorize

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This is a good place to start since it's January wrote a memorized Romans chapter 8

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Promise number 2 first promises. There's no condemnation for you if you're a Christian Second promises your salvation is secure because the

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Spirit of God dwells within you the Spirit of God dwells in you found in verses 5 through 13

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The Spirit of God helps the Christian you don't have to do sanctification on your own say

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I can't measure up I can't do this on my own I feel like I'm struggling the Spirit of God dwells in you to help you say yes to righteousness in God's law and no to Sin, let's just take one example verse 5 the

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Holy Spirit helps you to think about what God wants you to think about For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh

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But those who are according to the Spirit the things of the Spirit the Spirit of love come the

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Spirit of God comes alongside And says I'll help you do what you're supposed to do

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The opposite would be God has saved you and now fend for yourself. How'd you like that?

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You've been given the family name and now just go figure it out on your own Hope to see you soon

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No, the Spirit of God gives life to our bodies. He helps us to live his way Praise number three we saw two weeks ago

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No condemnation number one Spirit of God dwells in you number two praise number three our promises that really provoke a praise is

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That you have the inheritance of a lifetime as a child of God There are no orphans in God's kingdom.

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That's verses 14 through 17. God is your father? Some of you have never met your father some of you who don't know who your father is

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If you're a Christian you have God as your father Just a few years ago people were burying children inside the

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Logan Airport and then putting those babies in the toilets That kind of language will never be appropriate for the

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Christian because of what Christ has done And now we are co -heirs with Christ look at verse 14 for all who are being led by the

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Spirit of God. These are enemies of God servants of God slaves of God Sons of God praise number four promise number four that provokes praise that you can't

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Lose your salvation and your hope of glory even in the midst of trials trials can't take away what

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God has done That's found in verses 18 through 27 Say well, I suffer in this life.

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There's lots of bad things going on that maybe will hurt that maybe inhibit my relationship with God And chapter 8 verses 18 through 27 says it doesn't hurt actually it helps

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Look at the way we think about things verse 18 for I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy

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It's not like apples and apples. It's apples and oranges to be compared with the glory. That is to be revealed number five

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God accomplishes all his plans God accomplishes all his plans if his plan is to save you then that's going to provoke praise in your heart

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There's the hope of glorification People say there's only two things in life that are certain death and what?

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taxes We're all products of the culture Trials and temptations and struggles are also sure

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But the promise that God says they can't overcome my salvation is also sure

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Pastor Dave read this today verse 28 and we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love

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God To those who are called according to his purpose God in his sovereign way orchestrating every little detail all

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Sufferings all tribulations all everything all encompassing, but there's a limitation.

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Do you see the limitation to those who love God? But God doesn't Love him for you

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You have to love God But just in case you somehow think that your entire relationship to God and your security in Christ is based on your love for God Something else is added.

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I mean we can sing songs about God. We love you I don't mind that but I like much better to sit much more to sing songs about God loves me

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Why? Because my love is fickle my love is frail

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I I don't really love God like I should if you love me You'll obey my commandments and then I get up and say I love you

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God And it's hard for me to say with a straight face. I really do because my life has been inconsistent this week at best

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Don't you rather hear songs about God loves us? That's what I like God loves us.

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And so he see a clarification here You see the clarification to those who love God you certainly must love

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God as a Christian to those Here's the clarification. It's not a correction But to make sure you realize that your love is ultimately due to God's divine

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Sovereign purpose to those who are called according to his purpose

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We love because he first loved us God doesn't wait for you to love him and then say finally got that over with now.

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I'm able to do that We love him because he first loved us he is the one who has called us

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Now you say how can God work everything together for good? It's starting to come clearly to the front now

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Do you ever see those pictures those kind of books that have the the funny? What are they called some kind of 3d picture emerge emerges when you look at it?

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You're supposed to put them to you. What do they call? Stereograms, that's not like an old kind of term You know some

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Edison thing put your nose to it and slowly pull back and you see something's popping out 3d there's some kind of fish in the aquarium and you see that you think yourself

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I'm starting to get the idea now that there's some clarity popping into our minds. What's going on?

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How can everything work together for good answer because God's? Unstoppable purpose because he's sovereign is going to take event

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Take out it's going to happen Salvation cannot be frustrated if God plans salvation.

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No one true or false can thwart his hand. I Love Thomas Watson when

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God calls a sinner. He does not repent of it God does not as many friends do love one day and hate another are as princes who make their subjects

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Favorites and afterwards throw them into prison This is the blessedness of the saint his condition admits of no altercation

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God's call is founded upon his decree and his decree is immutable God blots out his people sins, but not their names

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When you're on your deathbed and you're thinking about thoughts of God I'm not so sure as John DeBriene said you're gonna be thinking about shine

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Jesus shine Whatever that might mean to you in this postmodern age

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You're gonna be thinking that God has known me from everlasting and he will not unknow me And now look at this golden unbreakable chain in verses 29 and 30

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This is what's tied to verse 28 Don't ever stop at the end of verse 28 look at 29 and 30 If I'm not careful, this is gonna be the rest of sermon.

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I guess we could do that But there are five links here that are unbreakable

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They're called the golden chain of redemption and you're gonna see in these five links. God is the subject

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We receive the action. We're not involved. You know where we are in this passage

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We're like we're the recipients. It's kind of like God with Abraham in Genesis chapter 15 with the

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Abrahamic Covenant Abraham your part of the covenant is not to shake my hand is not to help me cut up the animals not to spread the

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Animals out not to walk with me arm and arm down the middle of of these animals to cut the covenant your job

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Abraham is to what? Take a nap. God is a subject of these verbs and everything here is a huge Conspiracy toward the sovereignty of God and how he will not let his people go people say well, you know

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This church is too Calvinistic. This church is too reformed This church is such and such and such and such too much doctrines of grace.

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I honestly and Enthusiastically ask you the question Does God ever say to himself?

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Do you know I put a little too much doctrines of grace and sovereignty in the Bible? I think I'll take a little bit out on your deathbed

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You will not be saying I've learned too much about the sovereignty of God you're going to be saying Thank you

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Lord for your promises. You're not gonna be saying well I need four more steps on how to communicate effectively with those from another culture and Contextualize a little bit you're gonna be saying

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I'm dead. I'm dying and if I'm not like anyone else I'm gonna die like animals die.

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What is going on? God is sovereign God has called me by name. Jesus has died for me.

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And if Jesus loses me, he's no longer God That's what you'll be saying

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God's sovereign plan and rule for his believers was intended by Paul for you to say

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I have surety I have confidence What are you gonna trust in stock market your own good deeds?

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We're not mentioned in here because if we were we would probably what? We'd mess up Believe me if you could lose your salvation you would have already lost it.

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Now look at this first link For whom he foreknew for whom he foreknew

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Now if this foreknowledge means simple knowing in advance then this is a very very weak link

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This is a human link God just knows ahead of time One of the first things you need to do when you study the

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Bible is not ask yourself the question What's that word mean in English in? English it means simple to know ahead of time.

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So God knew ahead of time who would believe and then he chose them and Tell me what kind of security is that a tell me?

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What does that have to do with any kind of Hebrew or Greek thinking? Let me put it this way in the

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Old Testament When I talk like this, this is the language of foreknowing to know in Jeremiah chapter 1 verse 5.

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He's God said to Jeremiah before I formed you in the womb. I knew you

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He knew he for love Noah Noah, well, he did that with Noah to with with Jeremiah.

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I knew you I placed my finger of affection on you I knew you does if it's simple foreknowledge

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Doesn't God foreknow every single baby that's ever been born. Well, the answer is yes

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He didn't foresee that Noah that Jeremiah would be a prophet and then pick him. This is language of love

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How about Amos 3 2 you only have I known among all the families of the earth?

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Israel there's all kinds of families on the earth, but I know you I for love you

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Did he know the Amorites the Hittites the Perizzites the one man said the electrolytes

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I Can clinch it with this verse

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Romans 11 to God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew He's not rejected the people for he knew if you say this is simple knowing ahead of time

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You're gonna say well, he know he didn't reject anybody. This is Universalism, but if he knew and loved

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Israel in Ezekiel chapter 16 and loved them like a child Then he knew them ahead of time.

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He said I'm not gonna reject those whom I for knew This is covenant language.

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God sets his affection upon Christians and he is the one who does it a predetermined choice

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Most scholars think this is just language of love. This is love language. What's your love language? Forget all those books about love languages, by the way

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If you ever want to know what my love language is Kim and I always joke mine's receiving gifts So we got that out of the way.

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What kind of book is that? It's a bunch of psychological tripe is what it is This is real love language that before the world began

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God says I pick you. I love you Not that he just knew about you

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Godet said those on whom his eyes fixed from all eternity with love whom he eternally contemplated and discerned as his

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I Set my heart on you before time has begun

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Otherwise, it's a weak link Otherwise, it doesn't make any sense For those he foreknew.

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How about this Jesus says to those on Judgment Day who aren't Christians? I never what

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Knew you did he know about them? Of course, but I didn't personally know you

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Here's how everything works together for good that before all time God says I personally know you and pick you

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You go well, that's some kind of That's doesn't fit into my system of theology.

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That's some kind of Calvinistic. That's that's all these other things Friends, I'll tell you what it is. It's Bible forget

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John Calvin If God could look down well strike that if God did look down the quarters of time

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Says, you know, I'm gonna pick some lovely ones and I'll I'll pick them and I'll pick the good ones I'll pick the righteous ones.

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I'll pick the ones that really are Are adorable. I'll pick adorable people Machen said fallen man according to the

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Bible is unable to contribute the smallest part to the great change by which he is made to Be alive from the dead

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In other words God looks down the quarters of time and he sees no one who is able to love him

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So he says I'm gonna choose you now that word for no has to do with Persons he picks persons

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Now, let's see Why he picks the persons to what end he picks the second word is predestined to those

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First he foreknew and then what's the second one? For those whom he foreknew he also predestined so for new to for no talks about the people

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Individuals here it talks about the goal or the end in view and he marks that end out and what's the end?

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predestined to become what Conform to the image of his son that he might be the firstborn among many brethren

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He chooses people by foreknowing them by picking them and says I've got a goal for you You're gonna look just like the model the example

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Christ Jesus How could good come out of everything? How can everything because how can everything in the world be caused by God to work out for?

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Good because that good is the con forming of you to Christ Jesus. What's the third link?

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Here's the third link of the chain These he also called These he also called sometimes the word called in Scripture is

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Many are called few are chosen repent believe Every time in Paul's writings when call is used it means this

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I summon you and you're going to come whether you like it or not This is gonna be a bad illustration, but it's the only one

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I can think of right now I used to train dogs So you get a brand new little puppy and the puppies just you know doesn't know what to do

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It can't control themselves or anything you want to teach a dog to come to you And if you don't teach a dog at all you just get them brand new from the breeder at eight weeks old and you put him down come

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Come pretty, please. I dare you. I told you come a dog.

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Just keep you know It's like a Labrador is just kind of sitting there So what you do is around its neck now hold on with me you put around his neck you put some kind of Put about a 20 -pound test line

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Around the collar put the collar on tight around the collar and it's invisible and then you say our dog's name is

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Jetty Jetty come Good girl. I'm calling her, but I am giving her a summons

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She does the screeching deal with her feet. She's still coming that word call here is not

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Jetty come that call is one way or the other Lydia. You're getting your heart opened up and you're coming

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This is a divine summons. And how can a frail sinful human say sorry

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God? Talk to the hand you're in your face. I'm not going to do it Their hearts of course are changed so that they'll gladly come but this call is you will respond

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This is the kind of call that when Jesus said to Lazarus with a loud voice Lazarus It's just to effectually call

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The call on the outside is with the gospel The call on the inside is via the Spirit of God working and all that the

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Father gives me Jesus said shall the fourth link

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Justified Justified the righteousness of God is credited to the account of the sinner

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The sinner's sin is credited to the account of Jesus Christ is raised from the dead

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We are justified and the fifth link before it even happens

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It's in future tense language because it's so sure it's so certain the fifth link is what?

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glorified glorified Denny called this the most daring verse in the

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Bible Because if you know you and you know other sinful Christians, how can this happen that it's as good as done

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We will be glorified When God sees us it's as good as done

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You know, that's quite boring to me and not praiseworthy at all Then may I say you probably haven't been called

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Because if you've been called and justified God has placed his love on you and for known you set you out to be conformed to his son's image

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Called you justified you and will glorify you. What do you say? What's the worst thing that can happen to me in?

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2010 glorification It's a done deal Machen said the salvation of the

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Christian is certain because it depends altogether upon God, it's amazing

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Number six The sixth reason you should praise God for his promises is that there is no real foe

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Against God your salvation is secure because there's no real adversary There may be adversaries but by comparison

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Nobody Romans chapter 8 verses 31 to 34 What this section is gonna be like it's gonna be like those kids who don't fall asleep in war -torn areas

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Because they don't think they're gonna have any food in the morning So the allies come in and then they feed the kids

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Tons of food and then the kids still don't sleep at night, even though there's food in the morning So then the allies say, you know what we do we feed the kids

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We tell them they're gonna be breakfast in the morning And we also give them a big loaf of bread that they can sleep with at night

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So they know when I wake up I got breakfast. That's exactly what this verse is these verses

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Real hope for the Christian because it's all God -centered What then shall we say to these things?

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It's like a Paul's looking around. Okay. I'm just looking around. I'm looking up. I'm looking over there.

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I'm looking over the hills I'm looking over there at Harvard. I'm looking over at Yale and Princeton. What kind of economic think -tank?

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What kind of intellectual think -tank what kind of works relight righteousness religion is going to say anything?

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It's like a prizefighter fights one guy and then the next guy. Okay, who's next? You know those old fights

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I'll say one guy I'll stand in the middle and he'll just have to stay there until he's done Who's next what should we say to these things?

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Answer should be what? Hallelujah, probably our open -mouth praise

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Who if God is for us, I just think I'll get you for a minute. There's only one God he's a creator

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Some kind of small G if the God of the universe is for us Who is against us if he is your protector then who can do anything against you?

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What should we say to these colossal promises? True or false

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Paul gives these things as an academic exercise It's not it's

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Wow Praise He's not saying there's no opposition but by comparison all the opposition is pint -size

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Small I wrote a bunch of different words for a strifling Puny insignificant

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You're gonna think I pronounced it wrong, but I clicked on dictionary pronunciation for words that are meaning unimportant are insignificant are petty picky you

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Sounds wrong, but I'm just going with it How do we know God is for us to what extent is he for us verse 32?

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He who did not spare his own son, but delivered him up for us all how will he not also with him freely?

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Give us all things Moving from the greater to the less if God didn't spare his son for enemies

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What will he do now for friends same word spare when? Abraham did spare

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Isaac Judges spare criminals when they don't pronounce the sentence upon them

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Why are we spared because the sentence was not spared on Christ? True or false

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God did not have to give Jesus Christ to anyone And yet he did Winslow said who delivered up Jesus to die not

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Judas for money not pilot for fear Not the Jews for envy, but the father for love the greatest sacrifice

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So we now continue the courtroom language verse 33 order in the court who will bring a charge against God's elect

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What if we fail because of our own sin? What about Satan? What about false teachers? What about a recession?

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God is the one who justifies so if God justifies who can impeach no one

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We face judgment with confidence because Jesus has been judged in our place and if all sin has been committed against God Primarily and God has said not guilty based on the work of another we don't go before the judge cringingly

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Who is the one who condemns verse 34? He's already can Called us righteous considered us righteous

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Christ. Jesus is he who died? Yes, rather who was raised who is at the right hand of God who also intercedes for us?

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So Jesus is gonna be praying for you, but that won't really get you all the way there

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He just praying for you up until the day. He damns you I'm happy about this and so far in the last 35 minutes.

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I have not thought about taxes. I've not thought about Acid on my foot.

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I haven't thought about any of these things because I'm this passage is to make you think about God I said today when

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I drove up I thought Tell the church God is only love he's never sovereign

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He's never just he's never holy and you'll have a church that cancels their service on a Sunday like today preach the full counsel of God even

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If it makes us look bad and God great and you'll have standing room only on a

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Sunday blizzard day Because our souls need God our trials demand

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God You're going to have trials this big this year some of you that a small view of God will not get you through Finally number seven the final promise that provokes praise

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Your salvation is secure because God is for you Because God is for you was number six number seven

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God's love for the Christian will never stop He's for me, but maybe it won't last

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Maybe it's like a daisy. He loves me. He loves me. Not he loves me. He loves me

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Maybe it's based on our kind of love if people don't live up to our standards. Maybe we love them a little bit less

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God's love never changes and so there's no separation from his love We've moved now beloved from courtroom language who condemns to language of relationship

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Language of relationship Christ love for the believers don't switch this around.

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This is not your love for Christ Take a look at verse 35 who shall separate us from our love of Christ where lots of things can

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But this is from the love of Christ Christ love Boy said next to the bare facts of salvation the greatest lesson lesson a

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Christian can learn is have your attention the greatest lesson a Christian can learn is

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That nothing can separate him or her from the love of Jesus Christ, which is the love of God The greatest lesson you'll ever learn outside of salvation will my bad circumstances show that God doesn't love me

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My family's sick The issues are happening in my life There are horrible things going on that I can't fix.

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I can't control Does God still love me and let this happen and here

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Paul answers that question? From the forensic God is for us to the personal God.

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He's so for you. He loves you William Hendrickson said the only thing you can do when you read these verses is stutter

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Stammer and look at all these things that separate people in society

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Divorce people from things but they can't divorce you from God's love Number one tribulation number one

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Tribulation who will separate us from the love of Christ will tribulation.

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This is external kind of trials difficulties Affliction in general will that separate us asked

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Job Job experienced the New Testament definition of tribulation

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Matter of fact, Jesus said in this world. You shall have tribulation second word distress

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This is uh, I was my grandma would say this is hemmed in you're in a tight place Could be external but most likely it's internal this internal Narrow straight that you're in No way out

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That can't separate us Persecution They persecuted

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Jesus. They'll persecute us that can't separate us famine. No rain. No food.

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No crops I'm convinced That y2 case will separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus Even if it happened, the answer was no, how about this nakedness?

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You're unprotected. You're vulnerable peril Treachery those that would somehow

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Backstab Tyndale and have him murdered our sword. There's the murder This is Paul's future mode of death, by the way

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This is how he was going to die when the sword would chop off his head on the Appian Way according to tradition 500 ,000

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Christians they say die every year for their faith Paul writes in another book. Oh death.

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Where is your victory? Oh death? Where is your sting and Paul says here's a chapter in verse verse 36 just as it is written for thy sake

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We are being put to death all day long. We are considered a sheep to be slaughtered The context there from Psalm 44 is

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Israel was suffering not because they were sinful but because they were obedient They were loyal to Yahweh and then they have these bad circumstances ordained by God But in all these things verse 37 we

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Overwhelmingly conquer through him who loved us who can tell me what that word? Overwhelmingly conquer has word that we see every day.

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What's the word is now in our in our language of vocabulary? We see it everywhere we go whether you like it or not.

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You see that root word of overwhelmingly conquered For me hyper that's in there what if I told you it was a swoosh on a

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Tennis shoe Nike this is overwhelmingly Nike.

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It means to conquer it means to overwhelm, but we won't be overwhelmingly conquered We overwhelmingly conquer a most glorious victory as some have called it.

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We are more than conquerors Because we have great faith Because we never give up.

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We're resolute No because of who Christ is If suffering was

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God's will for his sinless beloved son one man said is it not also his will for his sons the sons of God How do we do this through him who loved us?

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He had a list of seven now. He's thinking about death. He gives another list Verse 38 for I'm convinced that neither death and then he gives a whole bunch of other lists.

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I'm convinced. I stand convinced I'm fully persuaded. You need to be fully persuaded These things cannot separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus and let's just quick look at the list while we have a little bit of time left death

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When you die, will you be separated from the love of God in Christ Jesus? One man called death the separator.

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Will you be separated from love of God? The answer is no Actually, you know what the psalmist says precious in the sight of the

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Lord is the death of his saints Francis Bacon said men fear death as children fear the dark

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But for the Christian we don't have to fear death How about life with all its attractions and interests and seductions that won't separate us?

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How about angels good angels and bad angels? I don't know why good angels would ever want to separate us

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But if they ever did they couldn't Probably just saying from bad angels to good angels and everything in between these sweeping terms

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Principalities those are bad demons and devil They can't separate us

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And it's not because you walk around the church 500 times doing a prayer walk casting out

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Satan It's because of the love of Christ nor things present time can't hurt you nor things to come the future can't hurt you

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Say well, what about in the future? The angels fell from grace. Maybe I can fall from grace.

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No God is sovereign. He's mapped out eternity

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What about powers maybe signs maybe wonders maybe people in authority? They can't separate me from the love of God What about height?

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What about things that are way up high back in the old days? The ancient said those stars those stars determine my destiny

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Maybe Paul's saying things that are way up high things that you think can determine your destiny. They can't do it nor depth

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They can't separate you Maybe everything between the stars and the bottom of the ocean anything in there.

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They can't separate you Maybe Paul's thinking anything between heaven and hell it can't separate you Nor any other created thing

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I Just have to stop here just for one minute There's always someone in the crowd who says this nothing can separate me from the love of God in Christ Jesus But what if I jump out of his hand?

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John chapter 10 No one can take you out of my hand. I Know I'm not no one but I'm somebody in his hand.

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And so what if I bail and I just jump out? I have a question for you. Are you a created thing?

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Because if you're a created thing, there's one creator and he is not you and what does the text say?

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Nor any other created thing Paul says I might have left something out I've gone from good angels to bad angels from up to down to over left right time back and forth if I've missed anything

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Then it's a created thing. It can't separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus All right.

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Let's just push the envelope If you're a Christian no matter what you do you could never unsave yourself

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You can't say unsave yourself. You say well What if I commit suicide? What if I do this?

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What if I do that? What if I do that nor any other created thing Christians if they've been saved by the grace of God And that's the only way

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Christians are saved. They don't want to sin. Do they Romans chapter 6? But there's nothing that can happen to the

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Christian Not one thing Read Hebrews chapter 11 and you'll see that nothing's more powerful than God.

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No one is more wise. No one is more sovereign No one has more power No one is more loving and if you think there's a loophole to this then you might as well drink yourself

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Medicate yourself Kill yourself. I don't know what you do. That's not literal by the way. This is this is language of figurative language

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Nothing can separate you from the love of God if you think something can separate you then you've tossed out the

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Bible its promises and what Jesus has done if Jesus has died for all your sins past present and Future then they're all paid for You say well, it just makes me want to go sin

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Then what I want to say to you is go back to chapter 1 verse 1 and read it and you won't say oh

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This just makes me want to sin This makes me not want to sin if somebody's rescued me from that kind of peril then

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I want to do the right thing if you were in the south in Georgia and You were a slave and someone came along and said by the way,

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I free you. Here's $300 for the ransom I redeem you and you're free to go

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I dare think that you would run up to that person and hit them in the face with your fist as a thank -you

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What would you do? You probably run up and say could you put a you're such a kind Benevolent a wonderful gracious person

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I'll put my ear up to the door as it were in Old Testament language, and I'll be your servant forever

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You wouldn't be tempted to hurt the person Friends this year just look at the news.

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We're gonna have death famine affliction peril persecution and Paul is saying that in spite of all these things the promises of God stand sure

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Jesus said I give eternal life to them and they shall never perish and no one shall snatch them out of my hand

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If you think you can lose your salvation, then you think you've got a part in earning it But I'm gonna have

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I guess is my final question Can Christ and his love lose a

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Christian? Because he's the one that gained it. He's the one that keeps it He's the one that sustains it and he's the one who would cast that person away for sin or for trials

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But he said in his word that he wouldn't that he never would I was talking to one of my kids a while ago and we were singing amazing grace around the table and I liked it when this particular child said to me daddy

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What's a wretch I Could say well, this is the

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Crystal Cathedral, honey And Robert Schuller told us not to say that word. So we have to say who saved a soul like me

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But I didn't say that because you need to know about your sin before you need a Savior who needs a

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Savior Unless you're a sinner. I Said did you know you're a wretch?

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And this particular child looked at me and said I said you have a black heart

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I Do I said do you lie? Have you ever disobeyed mom and dad?

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Have you ever felt mad at a friend because they've got something here some kind of selfish

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I want that back Yeah, I said you have a black heart and you can't go to heaven with a black heart

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So what are you going to do? This particular child

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Don't do it again. I said that would be a good resolution, but you've already done all these things if you're here today and you're not a

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Christian if you Even stop every sin today. It's too late The mirror has been shattered

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James to what are you gonna do now? So she well, I just said she so boiled it down to one of the three girls

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I If I say her name she gets a dollar so I want to just keep anonymous

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So you can't do it. I said, can you open up your heart? You know how daddy used to work in the operating room and they'd open up people's sternum

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They could get in there and do things with her heart. And can you get in there and clean your own heart? No Said so, what are you gonna do?

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And she said Pray It's got like your kids go to Sunday school.

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What'd you learn up about today? It's any school God You know, they're looking at you like what answer are you looking for?

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God Jesus I said well if you mean pray by God, I know

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I'm sinful. I've broken your laws and I stand before you as Guilty and I deserve hell

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But you're not God who's just just God you're a loving God and it's one of those times We're just up close in each other's faces

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But God loves sinners and he sent his son to die for sinners just like you Raise him from the dead and if you pray

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Lord have mercy upon me a sinner if you say God, please forgive me Wash me make me new. I don't want to be a wretch.

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I want to go to heaven That's the kind of prayer that you need to pray and just because your daddy's girl

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Just because you're the pastor's daughter just because you've got the right doctrine it's not gonna save anybody so then

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I said Do you think you might want to ask Jesus right now to forgive you?

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She said all right now I said

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I Want you to think about what we're talking about. We'll talk about this again But one day that answer is gonna be too late now right now

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I said you sure you don't want to just you can even say in your heart when you walk away God I know I'm a sinner

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Please have mercy on me Think you might want to say it when you walk away. I think for little children.

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It's one thing for adults You know plenty

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We have two categories of people here today those that are saved by the grace of God and your response should be praise

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Thank you Lord, I've had a hard year, but I'm still going to praise you and for those of you who say later

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And today's your day there might not be later, and you say oh, that's just what pastors say let's pray

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Thank you father for the day. Thank you for this time where we could spend in your word I pray for those who say later wait, maybe some other time.

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I pray that you'd convict them Lord it's not manipulation It's not doors are shut the lights are out and every head bowed and no one looking around Lord it is your spirit, and I pray that you would convict and Confront and illumine and make born again through the preaching of your word help these dear people those who are here today

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Without Christ Jesus who are not born again. I pray as Pastor Dave prays all the time that they would be arrested in their sin and father that you would grant them free forgiveness, and then they would come from the side of doubting of Skeptic to the side of those dear saints here at the church who love to praise you who praise you with a limp

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Who prays you with a lisp who prays you with a stammer, but still praise you and so Lord I pray for our church this year in spite of whatever goes on in this fallen world

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We're destined for trouble as sparks fly upward I pray that you'd keep our church a church that loves to praise your name

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To speak well of your son the wonderful grace of Jesus and Lord whether it's plague

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Famine our wealth and health this year I pray that you would help us to realize that bad circumstances

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Do they never reveal that you don't care for us, or you don't love us in Jesus name