God Relents and Leaves a Gift Behind

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 Rosebrook. The Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew, the sixth chapter.

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Jesus said, Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your

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Father who is in heaven. Thus when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others.

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Truly I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret, and your

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Father who sees in secret will reward you. And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites, for they love to stand and to pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others.

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Truly I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door, and pray to your

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Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so that their fasting may be seen by others.

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Truly I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others, but by your

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Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and dust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.

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But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in and steal.

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For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. This is the gospel of the

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Lord. In the name of Jesus. Amen.

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Repentance. Luther, in the Ninety -Five Theses, notes that when

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Scripture says to repent, it's not like a flu shot. The Christian life is a lifelong, continual, never -ending repentance.

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And this is quite important. I mean, think of it this way. I remember years ago in the corporate world being in a friend's car as we went out to lunch, you know, back in Southern California.

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And I'm just saying there were better restaurants available to us in Southern California than there are here.

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Although we do have a Chick -fil -A, so I'm thinking that we're getting close, right? But I remember very, very clearly, very vividly that I was sitting in the back seat, and my business friend, he blurted something out that was, like, really awful.

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Caught us all off guard. And there was almost a gasp in the car, like we couldn't believe that he would say something like that.

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It was quite the comment. And he paused, and he said,

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I know I'm going to hell. That was his comment. Not a believer, but he just said,

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I know I'm going to hell. And see, that's the thing, is that each and every one of us, burning in the back of our mind is this fear of God, and sometimes it comes flooding to the front.

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It comes flooding to the front because we recognize that, man, what God demands that we do, we know the good that we should do, and we don't do it.

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You know, it could be something as simple as not really paying too much attention while you're reading your

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Bible, or maybe being distracted while you're praying.

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That's not that big of a deal, but then you think about all the ways in which we treat each other.

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And then when you consider God's law, and over and again you see, regarding the

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Day of Judgment, that there are people whom God says, away from me,

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I never knew you. He even says that to religious people.

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People who say, Lord, Lord, did we not cast out demons in your name? Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name?

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Depart from me, you workers of lawlessness. I never knew you.

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And then, experientially, you know, I've had this experience more than a few times, where you wake up in the middle of the night, maybe it's 3 .30

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in the morning, with a start, and you recognize, I'm going to die someday.

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Everything seems so fine right now, but we all know that we have that appointment.

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We really do. You know, it's worse than waiting in the dentist's office and hearing the lady say,

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Mr. Rose, Mr. Rose, are you here? Right? Yeah. It's way worse than that, because you know you have to give an accounting of your life.

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And so think of it this way, we all recognize that our sin has wrought on us every little disaster that we experience, every great disaster that we experience, and the greatest disaster of them all is that real human beings, people you know, real human beings will spend eternity in the lake of fire, and no amount of trying harder, doing gooder, or being a gooder person is going to solve the problem.

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What is it, then, that would cause God to relent of such a disaster, and what is the impetus, then, of our turning away from our sin?

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And I would remind you that Scripture is so clear on this, that it's

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God's kindness that leads us to repentance. It's His kindness.

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I was speaking with one of my old pastors today, and I was talking about how sometimes it's so frustrating because you preach the law and it just doesn't seem to get through.

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And he says, oh, we've all worked out really good ways of keeping the law from getting through to us.

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He says, but nobody has a defense against the gospel. Nobody does. And I thought that was quite a wise thing for him to say.

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I mean, with that in mind, I'd like you to consider our Old Testament text tonight as we consider what is revealed there.

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We did our gospel text last year on Ash Wednesday, but this year I'd like to take a look at Joel. And consider, then, that what

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God is saying here regarding repentance, and that in light of this call for us to rend our hearts and not our clothes to return to God, that the reason behind this is because of the great love and mercy and kindness of God.

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Joel 2, verse 12. Yet even now, declares the

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Lord, return to me with your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.

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And all of these are appropriate, given the wickedness that we are all prone to.

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Rend your hearts, not your garments. God's not interested in you putting on a show of repentance.

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He's concerned down here. And here's the reason.

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Return to the Lord your God. Why? It's not because He's going to throw your skinny little carcass into hell.

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That's not the reason why. Here's the reason why. Return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious.

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He's merciful. He's slow to anger. And abounding in steadfast love.

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You see, it's God's kindness that leads us to repentance. Why would

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God be so kind and gracious and slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love towards somebody as wicked as me?

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It's mind -boggling. Don't you care about your reputation,

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God? You really shouldn't be associating with me.

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You really shouldn't be forgiving me. And then you get this last bit of the sentence.

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And He relents over disaster. You see a vision, a concept of this in the story of Jonah.

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I always love to teach on the story of Jonah because Jonah has this massive temper tantrum after the people of Nineveh repent.

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And we all know the story because it's the big fish story of the Bible. There's Jonah. The Word of the

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Lord comes to him to head to Nineveh and to let Nineveh know that 40 days before God is going to send disaster upon them for their wickedness, the

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Assyrians being, well, the Nazis of the ancient world. In fact, they were so wicked they made the

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Nazis look like schoolgirls. The stories of what they would do to the people that they conquered were, well, they're still too reprehensible to really even repeat here in church.

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And Jonah didn't want them to be forgiven. He didn't want the Lord to relent of this disaster.

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And Jonah did not want any of this. So Jonah gets on a boat and heads out to Tarsus.

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And we all know the story. The fish comes and swallows him, vomits him back up on the land, which had to be just amazingly awful.

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Three days he spends inside the belly of that fish, a type and shadow of the death of Christ and His resurrection.

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Yeah, if you want to know what the resurrection looks like, it looks like a fish vomiting up a prophet. But then he goes.

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The word of the Lord comes back to him, and he goes this time. I think he felt compelled. And wouldn't you know it?

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The people of Nineveh repent. They repent in sackcloth and ashes.

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And Jesus Christ Himself said that the people of Nineveh who repented in the time of Jonah, that they would rise and condemn those who didn't believe in Jesus in His day.

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Are you kidding me, God? You're forgiving Assyrians from Nineveh now?

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Next thing you'll be doing is forgiving pastors in Kongsvinger. You see the scandal of it.

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But see, that's the point. The Lord relents over disaster. And when He relents over disaster,

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He oftentimes leaves a gift behind. And I want you to consider what our text says. So who knows whether He will not turn and relent?

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And He does. And think about poor Jonah. He got all angry. I knew that you were slow to anger and abounding instead, fast -loving.

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I'm angry that you didn't destroy them. I'm going to sit here until you do. Right? You see,

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God relents over disasters. And who knows? Even now, maybe He will turn and relent.

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And leave a blessing behind. And listen to what the blessing is. A grain offering and a drink offering.

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Bread and wine. That God is so sneaky, I tell you. He always seems to sneak in that bread and wine stuff.

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But have you considered the fact that we, because we have been visited by God in human flesh, born of the

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Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, crucified, died, buried, so that we can be forgiven because He was pierced for your sins and mine.

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That He is now relented of the disaster that He has declared upon us. Eternity separated from Him in the lake of fire.

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He's relented of that disaster and He's left behind a gift for us. The body and blood of Christ, given and shed for you for the forgiveness of your sins.

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In, with, and under the bread and the wine. That's the gift that He leaves behind.

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Hmm. A little bit of a note. If you want to kind of get the nerdy part of it.

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In the book of Numbers, chapter 15. Remember as we were working our way through Leviticus.

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As we were working our way through Leviticus and we looked at all of the different sacrifices. For sin offerings.

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Intentional sins. Unintentional sins. You know, big sins, little sins. Everything in between sins.

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All of these different animals that had to die. You know, I said that you can't just read one portion of the

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Torah. And know all of the requirements regarding these sacrifices.

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And so when we get to Numbers 15. God gives one more commandment.

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Regarding these sacrifices. And it's oh so fascinating. And here's what it says.

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Yahweh spoke to Moses saying, speak to the people of Israel and say to them. When you come into the land that you are to inhabit.

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You don't have to do this now. But once you come into the land that you're going to inhabit. Which I'm giving you.

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And you offer to the Lord from the herd or from the flock. A food offering or a burnt offering or a sacrifice.

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To fulfill a vow or as a free will offering. Or at your appointed feast to make a pleasing aroma to the

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Lord. Then he who brings his offering shall offer to Yahweh. A grain offering of a tenth of an ephah, a fine flour.

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Mixed with a quarter hin of oil. And you shall offer with the burnt offering for the sacrifice.

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A quarter of a hin of wine. For the drink offering. For each lamb.

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That's crazy. Sacrifice, bread, wine. Sacrifice, bread, wine.

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Sacrifice, bread, wine. Notice the pattern here. Sacrifice, bread, wine. Guess what? We get to the cross.

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Sacrifice. The once for all sacrifice. And God leaves a gift behind. Bread. Wine.

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Body. Blood. And these are great tokens for us. Because always and again when we have the

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Lord's Supper. We hear those important words. Do this in remembrance of me.

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But note this then. That when we have the Lord's Supper. And we have the body and blood of Christ.

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In, with, under the bread and wine. This is the thing that He has left behind. To let us know that He has relented of the disaster.

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That we deserve. This is the gift that He has left behind. So that we can have confidence yet again.

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In His great mercy. His love. And His kindness. So that when you come to this altar.

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To receive Christ in your mouth. You hear those important words.

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This is the true body of Christ. Given for you. For the forgiveness of your sins.

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And this is the true blood of Christ. Shed for you. For the forgiveness of your sins.

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You see, God has relented of the disaster. He has forgiven you because He is slow to anger.

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Abounding in steadfast love. He has relented over the disaster. And He has turned and left for you.

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Even more tokens. So that you can be assured of this. You see, it is God's kindness.

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That leads us to repentance. And so, as we launch into this

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Lenten tide. This Lenten season. We all know that it is a penitential season.

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We all know that it is about repentance. And reflection on our lives. But may

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I say this. That it is incomplete to reflect on your lives.

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Just by comparing your thoughts, your words, your deeds. And the things you do and don't do.

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According to the law. It is incomplete. Because add then to the mix.

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That you reflect on your lives in light of God's law. But see, it is

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God's kindness that leads us to repentance. So always during Lenten tide.

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During the season of repentance. Know this, that we are journeying to the cross.

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And know repentance is complete. Apart from the steadfast love of God.

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Who is gracious and merciful. Who has thought so much of His great love for you.

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That He had pity on you and sent His Son to die. So that you might live. Indeed, the entire

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Christian life. Is one of repentance. Sorrow and contrition over sin.

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And at the same time, bold.

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Confidence. That God has relented of disaster. Has forgiven even you.

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Forgiven me. And left us with a gift. To remind us of His great love for us.

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Oh, the kindness. The mercy of God. Who can fathom it. There is no real repentance apart from it.

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And see, that's kind of what our Corinthians text said.

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You see, because we are forgiven then. We are ambassadors for Christ. And we now recognize that God is making

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His appeal. To our neighbors. Through us. And so we implore everyone that we come in contact with.

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On behalf of Christ to be reconciled to God. You see, for our sake.

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For your sake. For mine. God made Jesus to be sin.

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The one who knew no sin. So that in Him we might become. The righteousness of God.

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Forgiven. Cleansed. Renewed. All because of His great love.

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He did these things for our sake. So repent. Believe.

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Trust. Consider the mercies of God. It's His kindness that leads us to repentance. And just merely looking at that law might just make you angry and scared.

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But looking at the cross as well. Will bring about the true sorrow. It makes you recognize that you need to rend your heart.

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And not your garments. And believe in this Jesus. Whose love is so deep and broad and high.

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That we cannot even begin to plummet to death. In the name of Jesus.

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Amen. If you would like to support the teaching ministry of Kungsvinger Lutheran Church.

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You can do so by sending a tax free donation to. Kungsvinger Lutheran Church 15950 470th

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Avenue NW Oslo, MN 56744 And again that address is.

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Kungsvinger Lutheran Church 15950 470th

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

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