Complete In Christ

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And what the Lord has laid upon my heart is to just focus our full attention on the gospel of Jesus Christ and what that gospel entails, what it means.
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So I'd like to speak to you this morning on what it means to be complete in Christ, complete in Christ on this
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Lord's day, March 24th. 2024, that God has graciously given us these days to come and hear
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His word together as we worship Him. So go with me please to the book of Colossians, Colossians, this little epistle, chapter 2.
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I'd like to begin by reading verse, beginning with verse 6 to 15, but our focal point would be three verses
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I'd like to hone in on. And I wish I had time to really expound on all these verses, but because of communion service this morning, we're going to focus on verse 13, 14, and 15.
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That would be our focal point, but I'd like to begin to get the context of what the apostle is saying to the believers at Colossae, beginning with verse 6.
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Verse 6, hear the word of the living God. The apostle
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Paul says, as you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.
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Rooted and built up in Him, and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.
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Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.
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For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. And you are complete in Him, you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.
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And in Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ.
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Buried with Him in baptism, and in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised
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Him from the dead. And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh,
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He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, and having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us.
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And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross, having disarmed principalities and powers,
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He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it. Let's stop right there.
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May God bless the reading of His Word from our ears to our hearts this morning. Please bow with me in prayer, as we seek our
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Lord in this time of worship. Our Father, and our great
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God in Heaven, we thank You today that You're the Sovereign Lord. We thank
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You for that Word that's sharper than any two -edged sword. It pierces and it cuts, but it also has the power to heal our souls.
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We thank You for the Word that is eternal, and by Your Word, You reveal Yourself in a very real and special way.
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Lord, I pray that we're attentive by what is being said today. Lord, this, again, is how
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You appear to us. This is how You speak to us. Yes, Lord, You speak in creation.
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Creation speaks in a general way of Your created work. But, Lord, Your Word is the special way that You speak to us.
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May we take heed how we hear Your Word and obey it.
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Lord, this Word is unchanging, as You are unchanging. It is eternal as You are eternal.
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And we thank You that You have given Your Word to us. Now, Lord, we ask the help of Your blessed
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Holy Spirit this morning. Lord, I need power to speak Your Word with clarity.
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But, Lord, each and every one of us that is hearing Your Word, Lord, we need power to receive it and to hear what
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You are saying to the church today. Father, may we see the beauty of Jesus above all things.
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The one that is more glorious than heaven itself. The Lord Jesus Christ, the one who
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You have exalted, Lord, at Your right hand. The one that You have raised up from the dead for our justification and our salvation.
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And the one in whom we are complete. Father, again, give us eyes to see, give us ears to hear, and a heart to be willing to be obedient to Your Word.
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And to love You more and more than anything here on this earth. We will be careful to give
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You all the glory and the honor. We ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen and Amen.
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And preaching a message on the atonement, the late preacher
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G. Campbell Morgan says this about the message to the
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Colossian believers, and I quote, In this
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Colossian letter are two brief declarations that may be said to embody its teaching.
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The first is that in which the apostle declares, In Him, in Him, that is, in the
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Lord Jesus Christ dwelleth all the fullness of the
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Godhead bodily. Verse 9. The second is that in which he tells those
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Christians to whom he was writing, the saints at Colossae and the faithful in Christ Jesus, In Him you are made full, you are made complete.
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This is the theme of the letter, that the glorious Christ, he says, and all the glories of the
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Christ at the disposal of His church, in order that she may fulfill all the good pleasure of the will of God.
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End quote. That is well said. And I'd like to say, beloved, the apostle
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Paul here teaches the church, the called out ones, that's what the church means, the ecclesia, the called out ones, separated from the world unto
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Jesus Christ Himself, in the world but not of the world. That the believers are complete in Jesus Christ, and that Christ alone is a sufficient
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Savior. And Jesus Christ saves to the uttermost. He has a salvation, and His salvation is that Jesus comes to save us.
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Save us from what? Save us from the wrath of God? From hell, yes, that's a wonderful benefit, but mainly it says in Scripture that He came to save us from our sins.
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Save us from our self -life. Save us to the uttermost. And His salvation is a sufficient, complete salvation.
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Here we see that Paul fleshes out the gospel, and this is what I'd like to present to you today.
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The Colossian heresy was a mixture of pagan philosophy. If you notice within this entire chapter, from verse 1 to 10, it basically speaks of not philosophy but Jesus Christ.
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Not some kind of wisdom of men, but Christ. It's the wisdom of God.
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And then in verse 11 to the end of the chapter, in verse 23, he speaks about not legalism, but Jesus Christ.
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So he's actually bringing in, and fleshes out, and says it's not philosophy, it's not legalism, it's
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Jesus Christ. And the heresy was a mixture of pagan philosophy with the
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Jewish legalism. Basically that's what he's dealing with here. And the false teachers of that day, in Paul's day, were teaching
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Christians to believe that something more is needed in their spiritual lives other than Jesus Christ.
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Add something to him or subtract to him, but actually it was an addition to their salvation that Christ is enough.
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That's what the false teachers were basically teaching the believers here. So they became very confused, and the apostle came on the scene, writing this letter to the
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Colossian believers, and says no. That is absolutely false. Jesus Christ is sufficient, and Jesus Christ is enough.
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He's all we need, and you are complete in him. So basically these people engaged in all sorts of legalistic rituals to add to what
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Christ has already done at the cross. And others are told that they need to be delivered from curses from their ancestors, as Brother Ben pointed out this morning in an open word from Jeremiah, of superstition, before they can even have the liberty in Christian lives.
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They lived in fear that a grandfather's sin superstitiously may is tormenting them in the present.
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That these kind of superstitions, Some carried the heavy weight, the heavy burden, the yoke,
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I would say, of past sins upon their own shoulders, thinking that they must atone for their sin by acts of generosity or good deeds, that there was something that they had to do to add to their salvation, their service, their good works even.
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But that does not add nothing or anything to the work that Jesus has already completed at the cross.
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It is complete in what he has done at Calvary's cross is sufficient and enough.
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Beloved, we need to be careful by not falling into believing any of the same lies that the
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Colossian Christians believed in. And Paul the apostle came to make the record straight. See, this was the atmosphere in which among the church of Colossians comes
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Paul, the apostle. And he comes with the glorious everlasting gospel of Jesus Christ.
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And to Christ alone, that is sufficient. Now I point to you today that there's nothing that we can add to Christ's atoning work.
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It is sufficient. And this is the message that rings clear throughout the text this morning that we need to make sure we understand and grasp.
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The believer in Jesus Christ is complete. You're complete in Christ.
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And now if you're not a believer in Christ, you need to come to repentance. And you need to believe on the
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Lord Jesus Christ. And this is commanded. This is not a suggestion by God, by the way.
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God commands all men to repent. That's a command from God. Repentance or perish.
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Folks, I'm telling you. It's a very serious thing. But believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. And that is the message of the gospel to those that are outside of Christ.
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But I want to focus a little bit to those that are believers in Jesus Christ. So my first question is, and we're going to look at this and give you my outline.
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It's very, very simple and brief. So the first question is, so how is the truth, this truth, brought out before us in the words of our text?
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How is it brought out before us? Well, in the answer in that question, I would like for us to look at three great truths before us.
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First of all, I would like for us to look by seeing our spiritual condition apart from Christ.
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Our spiritual condition apart from Christ in verse 13. Secondly, I would like for us to see and observe by seeing the
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God -centeredness in salvation in Jesus Christ.
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By seeing the God -centeredness in salvation in Jesus Christ.
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And third, is by seeing Jesus Christ crucified. Christ crucified in verse 14 and 15.
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And then we will look at some application on how we can receive the forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ.
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First of all, let us consider our spiritual condition apart from Jesus Christ and His saving work.
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Let us consider our spiritual condition apart from Jesus Christ and His saving work. Look at verse 13a.
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When you were dead in your transgressions and uncircumcision of your flesh.
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Beloved, right here at the very moment we begin to look at ourselves as being the end of all for life and spiritual progress, we will find ourselves heading for the ash heap of hell itself.
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Because there's nothing within ourselves that we can save ourselves. Not of good works.
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Scripture says, Lest any man should boast, but it's all of the grace of God by faith in Christ alone.
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Proverbs 12 .15 says this, The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man is he who listens to counsel.
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Proverbs 16 .25, There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.
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Folks, there is two roads out there today,
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Jesus said. There's a straight and a narrow road and there's a broad road.
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And both of those roads has a sign on it that says this is the way to heaven. And there are many, many by the millions are taking the broad road to hell and they think in a right way that they're heading right to heaven.
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But they're deceived. We need to beware. You see the message of the scripture trumpets loudly that the
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Lord alone is sufficient. Jesus Christ alone, and He is the path of the narrow way.
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He is the one. He said, I am the way, the truth, and the life and no one can come to the Father but by me.
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There's no other way. We are to rest in Him alone for our salvation and no one else.
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And He alone is to be the focus of our affections, His way of life, the way we live.
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And we should have holy affections, not worldly or carnal affections.
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Our affections should be towards Him and should be set apart and sanctified and holy.
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I ask you the question this morning, do you have holy affections toward the Lord Jesus Christ in Him? Do you truly adore
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Him? Do you love the Lord Jesus Christ? And if you love Him, do you obey
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Him? Or do you love the world? Do you love the things of the world?
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And the scripture says, if you love the world, the love of the Father is not in you. It's straightforward. It tells you, you cannot have two loves.
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Jesus said, you cannot serve two masters. You will hate the one or love the other. You cannot serve
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God and mammon. So, we need to examine ourselves here.
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Do we doubt this in the least of the gospel that we are complete in Jesus Christ?
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And again, the very thrust of the Apostle Paul's message is that when we realize the hopelessness of our own lives as sinners apart from God's intervention, then we will rest securely in the all -sufficiency of Jesus Christ.
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Who He is. In His person. And in His work.
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Do you rest in that today? In verse 13, the first thing
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Paul tells us about every person, every person apart from Jesus Christ is that all are spiritually dead.
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The walking dead. The walking dead. People may be about living physically, but they are dead spiritually apart from the life of God.
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And that's what the scripture says. When you are dead in your transgressions and in circumcision of your flesh, and deadness in this case again does not refer to having no life or breath physically, as I just mentioned, but instead it means that there is no inward life emanating towards God.
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That the life of God is not within that breast, in the heart. All people apart from Jesus Christ are bound in the spear of sin, the world, the flesh, and the devil.
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Ephesians 2, 1 and 2 clarifies this, and it says this, and you were dead in your trespasses and sins, and in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince and the power of the air of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.
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So there are only two kinds of people on the face of the planet, those who are dead in sin or dead to sin.
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No other. To those who are walking dead, there is nothing within them that burns with joyous passion and desire to love the living
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God. Nothing. There is no inward delight at the sound of His word declared in the hearing, for they are unable to see the beauty of Jesus Christ.
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They are unable to see who Jesus really is. They are blind, and they are unable to hear, for they are deaf to His voice.
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There is no ambition to live as a pleasure to please God. It's not even on the radar screen.
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Look at the world. You think they think and love God every day? They go about doing their thing.
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Somehow everything is focused on themselves, how I can be more successful, how
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I can make more money, how I can be this or that, but Jesus Christ and His death on the cross and who
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Christ is, they live in vanity and pride, caring not that the Lord was crucified.
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And then God intervenes. If God intervenes, then a change takes place. And therefore, if any man is in Christ, he becomes a new creature, a creation.
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And old things are passed away. Behold, all things become new. And that's what the gospel does. That's the power of the living
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God. And He intervenes. Separation and alienation from God turns them to living more and more into themselves, self -centered.
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This is why Jesus said, if you're to follow me, you must deny yourself. Take up your cross and follow me.
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That's what the Lord says. Their lives are aimed at living for themselves only and all for themselves.
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It's about self. Examine your heart today to see whether you're in the faith.
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Their desires, their passions, their happiness, their ambitions, their life, their job, everything is about themselves.
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For them and them only. That's the world in which we live, folks. People apart from Jesus Christ naturally live a life only for themselves, themselves, themselves, for their sensual pleasures, their pleasures.
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And scripture actually says this, that people will be more lovers of self and lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God.
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They are spiritually dead. That's why. They're dead that they are not capable of even having the power to respond to any spiritual stimuli or totally devoid of the spiritual life that God gives.
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What a grave danger facing sinners today. And if they were to die, and they're only a heartbeat from dying, and losing their breath, and then they're in eternity, separated from God forever and ever.
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In darkness, and in hell, and in an inferno, and a lake of fire, and the future judgment to come.
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Just read Revelation chapter 19, and especially chapter 20, and you'll see that.
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Dead to the things of God, dead to the gospel invitation, dead to their need for Christ, dead to their destiny with the judgment to come.
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Because scripture says, it is appointed for once man to die and after that the judgment. Dead men cannot and are not able within themselves to give themselves to Christ.
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A dead man can't raise himself up in Christ. A dead man just can't make a choice and say,
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OK, I can come to Christ anytime I want, even though we are commanded to repent and come to Jesus Christ.
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But even repentance should be granted, and it should be granted from God if He so pleases it.
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This bothers a lot of people because they think, don't I have something to do with my salvation?
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But it's all of God. God must intervene. And if you don't know
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Christ today, call out for His mercy. Call out for His mercy in desperation, and He will save you to the uttermost.
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If He would show mercy to you. But you must see yourselves as you are before God.
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You must see your condition. People are only unwilling and unable.
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They cannot and will not do so would contradict what deadness implies because a dead man cannot save himself.
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So the spear of deadness Paul describes as dead in your transgressions.
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It is a spiritual deadness caused by transgressions and characterized by transgressions.
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The term here, transgressions, refers to the inclination of the sinner to break the law of God.
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And we have all broken God's law to one point or another, and that's why the law is good and holy and right to show us our sin.
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And it's like a schoolmaster to teach us, to show us that we need Christ and show us how horribly wicked that we are because, folks, we do not know our own heart.
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We need the word of the living God to show us our sin. And the law of God does this.
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Again, transgression is a very important word to understand from a scriptural viewpoint. What does that word mean?
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Let us look at that word transgressions a little bit. Transgressions are not accidental sins.
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The word points to the intentional choices that sinners cross the boundary of God's law in the realm of breaking that law.
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It is the mindset to deliberately violate what God has drawn a boundary around is the mind of a transgressor.
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The only way to truly understand the nature of transgression is that it can be understood only in the light of God's law once again.
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Romans 4 .15, Paul says this, For the law brings about wrath, but where there is no law, there is also no violation.
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So how can people see and recognize that they have violated God's law, that they have sinned and that they have transgressed the law of God because the law of God brings bare upon that heart that they are sinners and they have sinned against the holy
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God. And only the perfect law of liberty, the law of God in which the apostle
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James speaks of can expose man's sinfulness. The word means that you step across the barrier that God has established against those things that displease
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Him and that are contrary to His holy character. Psalm 37 .38
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says this, David declares, But transgressors will be altogether destroyed.
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The posterity of the wicked will be cut off. So breaking the law of God puts a person into a collision course, let me use that word, a collision course with Him, with the wrath of God.
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When Jeremiah the prophet delivered the word of the Lord to Judah, as they faced imminent destruction, the
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Lord explained this in Jeremiah 2 .29, Why do you contend with me?
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Why do you contend with me? This is the Lord speaking. You have all transgressed against me.
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Not some, all, declares the Lord. So spiritual deadness is manifest by the transgressing of God's holy law, by breaking the law of God.
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It's ludicrous to think that people can keep the Ten Commandments and think they're saved. Have you ever heard that? I've seen bumper stickers that says,
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Keep the Ten Commandments and you'll get in heaven. I've seen bumper stickers like that. That's absolutely contrary to what
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Scripture says. The law condemns. The law says you're a sinner. The law does not save.
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But the law does show us our sin and then the gospel says,
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Who do we go to for that salvation? And that is the Lord Jesus Christ who atoned for our sin.
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And that's where we plead for mercy. One of the chief characteristics of a true
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Christian is that he desires to obey the law of God that before he only wanted to transgress.
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Chapter and verse, there are lots of chapter and verse. You should have an inclination as a believer to love the law of God for it is your meditation all the day even though the standard is high and holy.
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But there is a great desire within to love
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God and to obey His commandments. Hebrews chapter 8 verse 10 says this,
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For this is the covenant that I will make to the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord. I will put my laws into their minds and I will write them on their hearts and I will be their
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God and they shall be my people. This is actually, if you think of it, the writer of Hebrews is quoting
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Jeremiah 31 -34. Just about word for word.
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So, here in Colossians, he says you were dead in your transgressions.
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Then he says dead in the uncircumcision of your flesh. Dead in the uncircumcision of your flesh.
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What does that mean? What does that mean? Well, Paul uses this phrase to refer to the unregenerate.
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Basically, it means that the individual whose heart has never been changed by the
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Lord. Just as a Jew considered Gentiles to be unclean due to their lack of circumcision, even so our text here expresses the reality that the whole disposition of a person is unclean, anti -God, apart from regeneration.
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So man needs a washing. He needs a cleansing. He needs a renewal. He needs a new heart.
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Not a reformation. He needs a regenerated heart. John Murray calls this the totality of pollution.
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The totality of pollution. Listen to what he says here. Man is totally corrupt.
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Sin has taken possession of the whole being. His whole being. The inmost springs of desire, disposition, and motive are corrupted or depraved.
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So the source of intellectual, emotional, and volitional activity is enmity against God.
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Man is under the dominion of sin. End quote. The whole of man's very being is polluted, folks.
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I know people don't like to hear that, but they are polluted and corrupt in every way.
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Depraved. And this is why regeneration is so necessary for the pollution of sin has affected man's thinking, man's speech.
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It's affected his affections, the seed of his desires, his emotions.
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Beloved, the whole inner being, the whole person itself is totally corrupt without regeneration.
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Apart from God. This is why Jesus said to Nicodemus, You must be born again.
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You must be born again. If you want to see or enter into the kingdom of God, you must have a total regenerate heart, and the
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Spirit of God must do the work. Such a spiritual condition that reminds us all that apart from the mercy and the grace of God, yes, even the active intervention of God, that we are hopelessly destined for divine judgment to the wrath of God, because God's wrath already abides upon the sinner.
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And this is why we plead with sinners to come to Christ and repent before it's everlasting too late.
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Well, that's basically the first point that we've seen.
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That we consider our spiritual condition apart from Jesus Christ and His saving work. Second is, by seeing the
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God -centeredness in salvation, seeing God -centeredness in salvation, look at verse 13.
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He made you alive together with Him. With Him. Speaking about Christ.
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He made... Notice that. Made. God does the work. You alive.
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He makes you alive. He gives you His life. Together with Him.
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With Jesus Christ. The subject of these verses is God, folks. It's God Himself.
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It is God Himself that intervenes with this mercy. God who is rich in mercy.
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But God who is rich in mercy loves you. And rescues you.
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And delivers you from your sin. He is the one who makes the sinner who is dead in his sins alive.
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Spiritually. Who forgives our transgressions. Who cancels out the indebtedness of the law -breaking.
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And who defeated all the powers of hell itself through Jesus Christ. Death. Has no dominion over you because Christ defeated death.
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When He died on Calvary's cross. Dead sinners cannot bring themselves to life.
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And a stream polluted at its source cannot clean up itself. And those who are enslaved to sin cannot liberate themselves.
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And again, it's not willpower. It's not making a decision for Jesus Christ that would change a depraved, filthy heart.
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Or even saying a sinner's prayer. Beloved, it must be God intervening.
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His intervention. Beloved, unless God intervenes on our behalf we will not turn to Christ.
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And we will not be forgiven. And we will not live in spiritual freedom. How do you know that?
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John 1 verse 12, verse 13. Listen to the word of God. But as many as received
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Him. To them He gave the right or the privilege. The power to become children of God.
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Even to those who believe in His name. Verse 13 says, Who were born not of blood.
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Nor the will of the flesh. Nor the will of man. But of God. This is the divine side of salvation.
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Ultimately it's not man's will that produces salvation. But it is God's will. It's God's will.
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Titus 3 verse 5 says, He saved us not on the basis of deeds.
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Which we have done in righteousness. But according to His mercy. His compassion.
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God's compassion. His mercy by the washing of regeneration. And renewing by the
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Holy Spirit. Whom He poured out. Listen to this beloved. Poured out.
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It's like a pouring out. Upon us richly through Jesus Christ. Our Savior.
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So that being justified by grace. We would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
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There you see. There's the gospel. There's salvation. We must be born again.
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Born from above. God made you alive. Together with Jesus Christ. That is regeneration.
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Only through. That blessed mystical union by faith. Only through that union of Jesus Christ.
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Can those hopelessly dead in their sins. Receive eternal life. And come to Him by His mercy.
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God is the one who takes the initiative. God is the one that is the seeker. Man does not seek
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God. God is the seeker.
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When Adam fell. And when Adam sinned. In the garden.
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It wasn't Adam that went seeking after God. Was it? He was running. He was trying to hide. Trying to hide himself with fig leaves.
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That's a typical of religion. Man's religion. His own. His own works.
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His own ways of trying to cover up. God came to Adam and says.
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Where art thou Adam? God knew where Adam was. But did Adam know where He was? That's a great text right?
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Brother Keith mentioned this to me yesterday. That's exactly probably the first time we see in scripture. That God calls us to self -examination.
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Adam where are you? Ask yourself. God is saying.
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Where are you? Have you ever asked yourself that? Where are you with God?
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God is the one again takes the initiative. Well we see. That.
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It's not only. That we see our. Consider our spiritual condition apart from Jesus Christ and His saving work.
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That we see. The God -centeredness and salvation. We also see. Last. That how has
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God done this? How has God come to rescue man? That is so lost and depraved.
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How can He. How can He rescue him? How can He deliver him? How can
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He bring him salvation? So third we consider by seeing Jesus Christ crucified.
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Christ crucified is the answer. It says in the scriptures here.
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Having canceled out the certificate of debt. Consisting of the decrees against us.
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Which was hostile to us. And He has taken it out of the way. Having nailed it to the cross.
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He nailed it to the cross. First we see having canceled out the certificate of debt.
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Consisting of the decrees against us. This refers to the condemnation of the law upon the transgressors.
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The imagery used here comes from the ancient world of finances. When someone entered into indebtedness.
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He would write out the terms of the loan in his own handwriting. And it stood testimony to the reality that he was bound and obligated.
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That he was bound to pay in full what he had borrowed.
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Paul in his mind is referring to the law of Moses. The decrees against us. The decrees against us.
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It is the law which holds us accountable before a holy God folks. And that's why not only the life.
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I'm sorry the death of Jesus Christ is necessary for our salvation. His life is necessary.
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That Jesus fulfilled the law of God. He kept the law of God perfectly.
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Folks we cannot do that within one day. We cannot do that within a few minutes.
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I'm sure within your mind even in this worship service. That somehow your thought life somehow has gone somewhere.
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And thought something that is against God. As much as you could try to focus in.
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Our mind has a way to think against someone and sin against someone.
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Or sin against God. Thought, word, deed. Sins of omission, sins of commission.
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Sins we know we do but sins we don't even know. You see the decrees that are against us.
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It is the law which holds us accountable again. Before a holy God.
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Which exposes the wretchedness of our depraved hearts as transgressors.
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So that the law is hostile to us. It's hostile. Why? Because it condemns us as transgressors.
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Deserving the divine judgment and wrath. But aren't you glad for the gospel?
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But God. Martin Lloyd Jones says that's the gospel in two words.
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But God. But God. God intervenes. Aren't you glad that God intervened in your life?
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Aren't you glad that but God in the good news of the gospel. That is through Jesus Christ. God has cancelled out the certificate of debt against us.
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For the law was given through Moses. But grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
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That says everything doesn't it? Luther said this. The law discovers the disease.
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But the gospel gives the remedy. It gives the cure. But first we must recognize that we're sick.
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And Jesus says it's those. It is those that are sick. Desires a physician.
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But the self righteous didn't see themselves sick. They didn't think. You know why? Because they thought they were self deceived.
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They didn't see themselves as needing a savior. So they thought they were good. They thought they were pleasing
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God. But in every way that they were doing. Jesus says. You honor me with your lips. But your heart is far from me.
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Condemnation is removed at the cross of Christ. When we come to him in humility. And recognizing that we are sinners.
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And we've sinned against a holy God. And we plead for mercy. And we ask God. Oh God have mercy upon me.
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Back in that day. Charges against a criminal being crucified. Was typically nailed above his head on a cross.
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We see this done at the mockery concerning of our Lord Jesus. The imagery is clear. At the cross of Calvary.
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All the charges by which we justly deserve in ourselves. The most severest condemnation by God.
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Has been settled once and for all. And God looked upon his own son.
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The perfect son of God. Who made him to be sin for us. That doesn't mean he was a sinner.
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But the sin. He bore that sin to the cross. And God unleashed all his wrath upon his son.
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Because of your sin and my sin. Beloved how can we see that?
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I can't make you see that. And even the preached sermon of Christ cannot make you.
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The letter cannot make you see it. But the Holy Spirit can. Ask yourself.
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See that Jesus paid it all. And all to him I owe. Sin had left the crimson stain. But he washed it white as snow.
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That's the gospel. The debt is cleared forever. Once and for all.
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He took it out of the way. Romans 8.
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One for the believer. Now there is therefore no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.
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The question is today. Are you in Christ? Are you dead to sin?
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And alive to God? Have you been baptized with him in his death? Have you been raised up in resurrection life?
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To him. With him. Beloved do we see anything in this text that would suggest.
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That the sinner needs to work hard to improve himself morally? God forbid.
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God forbid. God forgives him. And releases him from his debt. No not at all do we.
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The only thing that we see is God. Sinnerness of salvation. That it is all of grace.
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And all of God through Jesus Christ. So how do we know that we are complete in Christ? That we need to not add anything else to what he has accomplished.
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And Paul's thought is that we look and behold. The son of the living God. As John the
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Baptist says. Behold the lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. Look to Christ.
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And look to Christ alone. It was God through Christ who cancelled the certificate of debt.
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Consisting of the decrees against us. Hostile to us. Let me give some application.
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We come now to an application which is so important. If we don't get the application everything in this message.
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Will count for nothing. First of all the major problem is sin right?
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It is sin. And we need to see our sin. And you know again.
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The scriptures reveal. The sin that we have. You have to go to the word of God.
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And allow the word of God. That you should see your sin as you are.
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Who you really are before God. And this is why David even says. Search me oh God. And see if there be any wicked way in me.
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We need forgiveness of sin. Turn with me very quickly to Matthew.
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Chapter 6. It's a very simple, powerful, profound sermon.
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But deep, deep. Matthew 6. By the way Matthew 5, 6 and 7.
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Is the greatest sermon ever preached by the greatest person who ever lived. It's the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus speaks about prayer.
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In Matthew chapter 6. Let me take up here. To verse 5.
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And read it all the way to verse 15. And when you pray you shall not be like the hypocrites to play actors.
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They were basically just for show. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and the corners of the streets.
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That they may be seen by men. Assuredly I say to you. They have their reward. But you when you pray.
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Go into your room. And when you have shut your door. Pray to the Father who is in the secret place.
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And your Father who is in secret will reward you openly. And when you pray. Do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do.
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For they think that they will be heard for their many words. They really make a show of it.
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Don't they? And their motive is. You see they prayed. And they fasted.
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And they did good works. But everything they did was self. Their motive was not for God.
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And he says in verse 8. Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask
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Him. God knows your heart. He is the searcher of your heart. And in this manner he says.
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Therefore pray. And here it is. Our Father in heaven. Hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come.
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Your will be done. On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread.
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And forgive us. Forgive us our debts. As we forgive our debtors.
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And do not lead us into temptation. But deliver us from the evil one. For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.
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And then he says. Amen. And verse 14 and 15 says. For if you forgive men their trespasses.
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Your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses. Neither will your
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Father forgive your trespasses. This is so important folks. There is a debt here. He says.
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And forgive us our debts. As we forgive our debtors. Trespasses is here.
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Verse 14 and 15. Equally implies sin. So the problem is sin. Sin dominates.
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Dominates the heart. Dominates the mind. Dominates men and women. Is therefore the greatest enemy.
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And the greatest problem. A lot of people like Philip Wilson years ago in the 70's.
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Used to say. The devil made me do it. Not so folks.
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The devil is the tempter. But the sin problem is on you. On me. We are responsible.
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You are responsible. You can't pass the buck to someone else. You have to own up to it.
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And say. I have sinned. It is the common denominator in it. For every crime.
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Immoral. Immorality. Pain and sorrow. That there is no natural cure. Jeremiah 13.
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23 says. Can the Ethiopian change his skin. Or the leopard his spots. Then you also. Can do good.
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Who are accustomed to doing evil. Therefore sin is our greatest problem.
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Isn't it? Our greatest need is the forgiveness of God. That God provides in Jesus Christ.
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And that we need to be cleansed. And washed. And forgiven. Have you been forgiven today?
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Sin is the reality of the Christian life. And when you become a Christian. You don't allow. You don't all of a sudden.
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I should say. Stop sinning. Yeah we practice not sinning.
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But we end up sinning. Don't we? Because Romans 7 basically says. Oh Richard man. There I am. Paul even says.
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There is a war that goes on. Even in the believer's life. He needs to be sanctified. He still needs to be cleansed.
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And washed. That's why Calvin says. Repentance is just not the beginning of the Christian life.
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It is the Christian life. And I don't know about you. The more I see my sin.
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I want to repent. More and more and more. And own up to it. And confess it. To my
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God. And to others that I have sinned against. Actually the truth is.
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That when Christ. That when you become a believer in Jesus Christ. You become more sensitive to sin.
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You see the sin. You see that. Oh God. I have sinned against you.
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And we know our sin. And that we own up to the problem. So how do we.
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How do we deal with that? Here's the first application. Sin. The principle we need to see here.
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Sin makes us guilty. And brings judgment. Sin makes us guilty. And brings judgment.
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So. Where there's sin in our life. There's judgment. Whom the Lord loves.
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He chastens. And every son. He scourges. And part of that chastening process.
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Is our sinfulness. Is because of our sinfulness. And this is why David said in Psalm 23.
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Thy rod and thy staff comfort me. Because he knew if he stepped out of bounds.
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And sinned against his Lord. His shepherd. That the shepherd would lovingly put the rod to his back.
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And that's great love. The chastening process. For our sinfulness.
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Because of our sin. Our debt. We violated God's holiness. We are in debt to him.
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And we have to deal with that debt. By seeking his forgiveness. So again. The problem is sin.
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But the provision is the forgiveness. That God has offered the forgiveness.
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And has provided the forgiveness. In Jesus Christ alone. And aren't you glad of that?
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We must recognize the problem. We must recognize we got a disease.
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And then we come to Christ for forgiveness. And by the way. What entails and goes along with that forgiveness of sin.
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Is repentance. True repentance. Forgiveness from sin ultimately brings the penalty.
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But forgiveness is provided for in Jesus Christ. But we must turn from that sin.
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And hate it. Abhor it. Forgiveness for sin is that we've committed.
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The Apostle John cautions us this. In 1 John 1, 8 and 9.
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If we say that we have no sin. We are deceiving ourselves. And the truth is not in us.
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The truth is not in us. If we basically say we have not sinned. We deceive ourselves.
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And if we confess our sins. He is faithful and just and righteous. To forgive us our sins. And to what?
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Cleanse us. Don't you this morning. Desire that cleansing fountain of the blood of Jesus.
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To wash and cleanse your sins. Wash you whiter than snow.
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There are some who teach that. A Christian can reach a certain level in his life. That he doesn't sin anymore.
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That's a lie. I can't see how that happened. Spurgeon once gave an example.
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That someone that believed in that. And he walked right against him. And he said. They believed.
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I haven't sinned against the Lord. And I've come to the ultimate place. That I've arrived. And Spurgeon put his foot right on that man's foot.
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And I laid a lot of pressure on him. And the next thing you know. That guy bellowed out. And got mad at Spurgeon.
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Obviously. He hasn't arrived. You see. We continue to sin.
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But we should not practice sinning. As a believer. So how is it possible.
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That God can forgive us. And how does that forgiveness work? Well it's possible because of the death of Jesus Christ.
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And on the basis of Christ's death. The forgiveness is available. Because of the price that Jesus Christ paid.
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It cost God. Folks. It cost God everything. It cost
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Him the blood of His Son. For your sin. My sin.
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Full. Complete. Positional. Forgiveness. Forgiven. And folks.
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It's a glorious act of God. By faith in the life and death of Jesus Christ. That God saves us.
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That glorious moment when God takes our sin. And He gives us the imputed righteousness of Christ. By faith and faith alone.
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This is the gospel. The imputed righteousness. Let me talk about that a little bit in application.
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It's by faith alone. It's not anything that we do. To be justified.
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It's an absolute. Positional truth. That is eternal. And God is eternal.
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And something that is inviolable. Unchangeable. Forever. And in that very moment.
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I put my faith in Christ. In Christ alone. Christ's righteousness is imputed and laid upon us.
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So therefore when God looks down. He doesn't see you or me. He sees Christ. Isn't that glorious?
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The great exchange. That Christ's righteousness.
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His perfect righteousness is laid to our account. It's placed upon us. Because of Christ.
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Because of what Christ has done. God Himself declares. Me righteous.
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You righteous. Because of Christ. All because of the merits. The works. And the death of Jesus. Hallelujah.
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It's placed upon me because. God has forgiven us.
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Through Jesus Christ. God the just is satisfied. As one song says. Forgive us of our debts.
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It's done judicially. If God has done this for us. He's declared us righteous in Christ.
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And that's why we say forgive us of our debts. We're asking God for forgiveness. And all that is a settled matter.
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And that Christ to the point. That He has paid that price. And the point is answered.
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So why do we pray that? Well it's important that we pray that. Because it's a kind of forgiveness.
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And again it's not a second blessing. It's the blessing that Christ has earned for us.
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Provided for us. Well it's a judicial forgiveness.
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But it's also a parental forgiveness. A parental forgiveness. It means based on the fact that our father.
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Who is in heaven. Begins as the prayer begins. Now we are not dealing with God as a righteous judge.
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We are dealing with God as a loving father. Believer.
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If you're a believer in Christ. God is no longer your judge in the sense of.
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Yeah shall not the judge of all the earth do right. He will. But as we stand before God. He is our loving father now.
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I remember when I was in school. We took a class. I took a class. It was called intercessory prayer.
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The first thing the teacher taught. And I love this. And I never have forgotten. He says when you come to God. He's just not a
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God to pray to. He's a loving father to have fellowship with. There's intimacy.
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Because you have union with Christ. It's a settled matter.
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Because and it never changes. Because of what Jesus Christ has done at the cross. And when we sin.
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Something happens in our relationship to God. And our relationship doesn't end does it.
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We must repent of it. But there is a loss of intimacy. There's a loss of fellowship with God.
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Let me give you a quick example. In closing here. If my children, my boys, my girls sin against me.
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By disobeying me. As being their father. The relationship doesn't end does it.
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It doesn't mean that they're no longer my children. I'm no longer their father. I'm still their father.
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And there's certainly forgiveness that in my heart. That I desire to forgive them. But something is in the relationship that causes a loss of intimacy.
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Until they come and say. Father forgive me for this act
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I have done against you. And not until that happens. Not until that happens.
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And true sorrow. Godly sorrow. Then I could say.
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I forgive you. And the relationship is restored. See. So I'm married to my wife
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Teresa. And I'm so thankful for 36 years coming up here real soon. And I'm so happily married.
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And it wouldn't have it any other way. But if I should sin against her. And by thoughtless deeds or words.
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Or something of an unkind way. It doesn't change our relationship. And I use this as an example.
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There's a sense in which I'm forgiven. Because I'm not under. Because I'm sorry.
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I'm under her umbrella of constant love. We're still married.
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If I sinned against her. I need to ask forgiveness. And if you've been married.
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And you will find out. Having forgiveness. And forgiving one another. Is just about an everyday grace.
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And a virtue. And an act that needs to happen. Within your marriage. To make it healthy. Whether it's something lost in intimacy.
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If I've sinned against her. And I must ask forgiveness. And again.
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Folks. Let me bring it down to this one thing. Proverbs 28, 13. He who covers his sin will not prosper.
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But. Don't you love the but? The door hinge. That's the bad news.
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It says. If you cover up your sin. You will hide your sin. You will not prosper.
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And it doesn't mean material prosperity. It means your soul prospers. And it says this.
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But. Whoever confesses and forsakes. Them. Will. Have.
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Mercy. Compassion. There's a confession of sin. And there's a forsaking of that sin.
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When Jesus washed feet. In John 13, 5 through 11. As another perfect example.
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That the act of washing the apostles feet. Is more than a picture of humility. It also portrays
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God's repeated cleansing forgiveness. To his disciples. A cleansing that we need.
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To. Follow. The forgiveness that serves. In our saving position.
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In Christ. At regeneration. And does not need repeating. But we need
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God's practical forgiveness. Every day that we live. To cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
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To cleanse our hearts from contamination. As we live in this perverted. Fallen evil world.
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Dirty world. Stay unspotted from the world folks. And out of God's vast heart.
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And love of forgiveness. He is ever willing to continually pardon. His own children. And let me close with this.
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And we'll go right into communion. Romans 3, 20. Moreover the law entered.
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That the offense might abound. But where sin abound.
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Grace. Abounded. Much more. Folks as great as our sin is.
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Grace is far greater. And God is. If you are desirous to rid of your sin.
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And be cleansed of that sin. I want you to think of this for a second. God is far more willing to wash away.
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The dirtiness of your sin. Than you are. He's far more desirous.
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Because his heart. Is so large folks. Of his mercy and his love.
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And his goodness. He desires you to come to repentance. To confess your sin.
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And to forsake your sin. Again. The law entered that the offense might abound.
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But where sin abounded. Grace abounded. Much, much more. Grace is greater than all of our sin.
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Amen. Far greater. Praise his holy name.
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Let us pray. Father we thank you.
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And we praise you. We thank you for your word. We bless you today.
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Thank you for the great forgiveness. That's been provided for. In Jesus Christ.
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But Lord there's a great deliverance. A great, great deliverance. That's been given. Lord if there's anyone here today.
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That does not know this. This forgiveness. Their conscience is screaming at them.
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Oh God would you come. In your great mercy. And grant repentance.
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I pray. That they would turn. Against this sin. And to hate it.
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And abhor it. And see that it is putrid. And it is filth. And Lord may the law.
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Your holiness shine upon that. Their hearts. And see that they.
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Have a great disease. But there is a great remedy. And this is why we fly to the cross. And we go to the cross.
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And we thank you. Mercy there was great. And grace was free. And pardon there was multiplied to me.
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Oh hallelujah Lord. We thank you that Jesus Christ. Paid it all. And all to him we owe.
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And sin had left the crimson stain. And he washed it white as snow. The dead is cleared forever.
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And we praise you for that. And we adore you for that. And we marvel at the greatness.
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Of your forgiveness. But Lord there must be repentance. And I pray Lord grant repentance.
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Grant that repentance. And then mercy will be given. And just like the public.
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And I think we make this such a difficult thing. In our own ways. Lord. And we think we have sinned so much.
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Lord how can you forgive. Such a rotten person like us. But Lord. You are so willing to forgive and cleanse us.
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If we would just be willing. And by your grace. To turn away from this sin.
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And repent. And be genuine in it. To deliver us. And help us to understand.
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That we stand complete. In Jesus Christ. And we are full in Jesus Christ. Through his crucifixion.
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Through his death. Through his burial. And through his resurrection. Oh that we be ready.
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And prepared as a bride adorned. For the bridegroom.
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The husband to come. And have a clean. And a pure bride.
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Without spot. Without wrinkle. Washed in the blood of the lamb. May this be real to us Lord. In our daily walk with you.
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As we have received the Lord Jesus Christ. Now may we walk in him. In completeness.
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We thank you for the great offer of salvation. We thank you for. Not only the offer of it.
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But Lord that it is actual. It has happened. And may this be real to.
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Anyone that has not. Come to you. Because you said he that comes to me. I will no wise cast out.
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We praise you for this. And we thank you. And we ask you to bless the remaining time. Of our communion with you.
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As we partake. And celebrate. And remember our Lord's suffering and death.