Putting Works in Their Proper Place

Kongsvinger Lutheran Church

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

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

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And now, here's a message from Pastor Chris Roseberg. The Holy Gospel according to St. Luke, the 17th chapter.

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Jesus said to his disciples, temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come.

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It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea, that he should cause one of these little ones to sin.

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So pay attention to yourselves. If your brother sins, rebuke him. If he repents, forgive him.

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If he sins against you seven times in the day and turns to you seven times saying, I repent, you must forgive him.

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The Apostle said to the Lord, increase our faith. And the Lord said, if you had faith like the grain of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, be uprooted and planted into the sea and it would obey you.

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Will any one of you who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, come at once and recline at table.

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Will he not rather say to him, prepare supper for me, dress properly, serve me while I eat and drink and afterwards you will eat and drink.

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Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say we are unworthy servants.

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We have only done what was our duty. This is the gospel of the Lord. In the name of Jesus.

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Here again these words, the second verse of the hymn we just sang. Increase my faith, dear

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Savior. Remember that we are saved by grace through faith apart from works.

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So here's this wonderful prayer that we just sang. Increase my faith, dear Savior, for Satan seeks by night and day to rob me of this treasure and to take my hope of bliss away.

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Believe me when I tell you, this really is what the devil is all about. It's about knocking that faith right out of you and getting you to trust in something that cannot save you.

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But Lord, when with you beside me I shall be undismayed and led by your good spirit

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I shall be unafraid. Abide with me, O Savior, a firmer faith bestow.

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Then I shall bid defiance. I love that word, defiance. Defiance of the devil. I shall bid defiance to every evil foe.

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Brothers and sisters in Christ, what do we do with our works? What do you do with them?

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Now a little bit of a note here. I'm gonna, to my shame, tell you something about myself.

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And that is that my wife and I, we play Yahtzee from time to time, all right? It's a great game.

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And I have this habit that I engage in. And the habit goes something like this.

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When I have an amazing score, maybe one of those games where you have like three or four Yahtzees, you know what I'm talking about, right?

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And I win by several hundred points. I'm tempted to have the scorecard bronzed. But what

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I instead do is I take the scorecard and I use the magnets and I tack it right on the fridge so that my wife can see it, you know, for days to come.

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And she's learned that the best way to handle that is to just take the scorecard and throw it in the toilet and leave it there for me to see.

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But you'll note that what we tend to do with our good works is what I do with my

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Yahtzee scorecards. Oh, we organize our good works and we stack them up and we go, look

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God, isn't this great? Look at that. Look at these good, yeah. And we think that somehow our good works get tallied up in the justification column, in the column regarding our salvation.

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This is not true at all. But do not think that by me saying that, that I'm saying that good works aren't necessary.

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Oh, they're absolutely necessary. If you do not have good works, I don't believe you have faith.

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You see, faith, as James says, is the breath that shows that your faith is alive.

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But it doesn't make it alive. And so consider then the words of Christ in our gospel text as he frames for us a proper way of understanding where our good works go.

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Here's what Jesus says, will any of you who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, come at once, recline at the table.

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Will he not rather say to him, prepare supper for me, dress properly, serve me while I eat and drink and afterwards you will eat and drink.

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Now, if you're not sure what this looks like, I recommend, you know, like the first season of Downton Abbey. This will clear it right up for you.

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You know, the people who live above the ground floor, they are the ones who have the servants and the servants are always doing their, you know, beck and call.

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And they're not really thanked for what they do because that's their job. So you'll note then that Christ is having us adopt this mindset regarding our good works.

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And he says, does he thank the servant because he did what he was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say that we are unworthy servants.

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We have only done what was our duty. Now, a little bit of a note here. I'm going to pick on Josh because I can see him.

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But when Josh was a wee little lad, all right, Josh had a hard time getting with the whole chores program.

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You know, Josh, his mind likes to wander and he goes off into this direction, into that direction.

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And it was very difficult for him to kind of get this concept. And the concept goes something like this. On a

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Saturday morning when you have chores, I understand you want to be with your friends, you want to play video games, you want to have some fun, no problemo.

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But you're going to get there a lot quicker if you just buckle down and do your chores.

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You know, because what he would do is he would dawdle, he would mope, he would complain. And somewhere around like late junior high, it kind of like the light went on.

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It's like, wait a second, if I do these things, I can have the rest of the afternoon to do what

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I want to do after I do my homework. And so I remember one particular Saturday morning, you know, he got right to it, right to it.

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I mean, he just plowed through his chores and he was so proud of it. In fact, he did such a good job, he didn't even have to do a chore twice because after inspection, it passed muster.

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You know what I'm saying? And so, and he was so proud of himself and the look on his face was like, you know, like, and I'm looking at him like, you know, and I think

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I said something to the effect of, and these weren't the exact words, but something to the effect of, what, you want a cookie? You know, what's the deal?

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Now, a little bit of note here. To my shame, he throws that line in my face like all the time now.

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He does. You know, all I could say is fourth commandment, fourth commandment, man. But the point is this, the point is this, is that at the end of the day, if you've only done what you've been told to do, are you a worthy servant?

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No. No. Which of you can say, hey, listen, I went above and beyond, you know?

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God commanded these 10 things. Well, I added an 11th and 12th and, you know, he's impressed with me.

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No, it doesn't work that way, right? So I want you to think of it this way. Mikey, I'm going to pick on you because I can see you.

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No, I'm picking on family today. So Mikey, so I've heard a rumor that this coming

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Thursday, why Thursday? I don't know. But this coming Thursday, like from the moment you wake up to the moment you go back to sleep, you're going to keep all 10 commandments perfectly in thought, word, deed, by the things you do, and you won't leave anything undone.

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It's just going to be a glorious, spectacular, obedient day for you. It's a sermon illustration.

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Work with me, right? But if you were to pull that off, would you be able to take

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Thursday and put it into the salvation category for you? No, not at all.

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It wouldn't add to your salvation one bit, because don't forget Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and then, you know,

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Friday, and we all know how that goes. So the idea here is that Jesus is helping us to calibrate a right understanding of our good works, and that is that they do not merit his favor at all, nor could they, because sadly enough, all of our sins are still, well, they have to be atoned for, and our best good works are still soiled with sin.

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That's kind of the issue. So Jesus gives us a right way of understanding that when we have done all that has been commanded, we say, we're still unworthy servants.

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We've only done what has been commanded of us, and how could we possibly do more? There is no way to do more.

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And so you'll note then, let's take a look at our Epistle text, because I would like to remind you that the

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Apostle Paul in Philippians 3 makes it clear that if anybody could be saved by keeping the laws of the

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Mosaic Covenant, it would have been Paul. If anybody could have been saved by the laws of the

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Mosaic Covenant, I mean, this guy, before he was a Christian, was zealous to keep the commandments of the

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Mosaic Covenant, and he was perfectly self -righteous in that sense, and he had complete confidence, if you would, strangely enough, in his ability to keep the law.

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And he says that all of that that he did under the Mosaic Covenant as a Pharisee and a

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Jew, he considers all that to be rubbish so that he may be found in Christ. And so you'll note then that that's what

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Paul describes about himself in Philippians. But consider this, the context of 2

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Timothy. 2 Timothy is Paul's last letter. He's writing this from prison, and shortly after the ink dries on this letter to young Pastor Timothy, Paul will be led to a place where he will be made to bow down, and a

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Roman soldier will swing his gladius and take his head off his neck.

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He will be martyred for the Christian faith. So as he is finishing his course, consider this, never once does

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Paul point to his good works as somehow meritorious. Instead, he goes to his grave betting everything he has on the gospel, the good news that Christ has died for our sins.

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And so starting at verse 5 in 2 Timothy 1, consider what Paul writes here. He says to young Pastor Timothy, I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that first dwelt in your grandmother

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Lois and in your mother Eunice, and now I am sure and confident that it dwells in you. And what is this faith?

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This is the faith that says that I am saved by the merits of Christ, that he in his great love and mercy has bled and died for all of my sins.

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And so Paul then says, for this reason then I remind you then to fan into flame the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.

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And this is a reference to that day years before when Timothy, through the laying on of hands, was ordained as a pastor in Christ's church.

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You'll note that the laying on of hands is a vital aspect of ordination.

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And then he says this, for God gave us a spirit, not of fear, but of power and love and self -control.

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Think of power here as the power that regarding that God raised Christ from the grave on the third day.

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And that same power, he raised us from the grave and give us faith. And that we now having been forgiven, we have faith towards God and fervent love towards one another.

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And then that wonderful gift of the Holy Spirit, that fruit of the Holy Spirit, self -control.

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Have you ever noticed that sin just seems like a complete mental illness? And that when you give in to its desires and its passions and you offer up the members of your body for evil, that you are out of control, not in control.

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And so note then that all of this is the result of the faith, the confidence that Christ has bled and died for us.

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But the spirit of fear, consider what this is. I'm quite familiar with this. Having attempted to earn my salvation in part through my works,

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I can tell you something about that. And that is that there's something that is always nagging at you.

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You try to save yourself by your works. The big question that comes up constantly is, what is it gonna take to please

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God? And how do I know when I've done enough to be saved? So you really buckle down, you try hard, and you try harder and try harder.

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And you know what? At the end of the day, you taking your good works and holding them to hold in check the wrath of God against your sin, it doesn't seem to measure up.

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And so you begin then in real true fear to fear the wrath of God and have this nagging suspicion that your works may not be enough.

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And you fear that day when you will stand before God and you fear him saying, depart from me,

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I never knew you because you know how wicked you are and how much effort it takes to behave.

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And instead, you want to hear, well done, good and faithful servant. Again, the question comes up, how will

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I know when I've done enough so that God will say to me, well done, good and faithful servant.

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And so this creates anxiety, it creates fear, and it cultivates doubt, not faith.

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And so note then that God has not given us a spirit of fear, but through the gospel, power, love, and self -control.

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And then Paul says this to young pastor Timothy, so therefore, do not be ashamed of the testimony about our

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Lord, nor of me, his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy calling.

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Not because of our works, but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began.

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And so here we've got another text, Paul, just days, weeks away from being martyred for the

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Christian faith, notes again that everything that we have in Christ we've received as a gift. God has given it to us not because of our works.

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And then consider the shame that is mentioned here as well. This is something that we often can overlook or not quite get.

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But remember, when Paul wrote this letter, crucifixion wasn't something that people heard about or saw depicted in church artwork or on stained glass windows.

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Crucifixion was a very real thing. They had seen members of their community nailed to the cross and made an example of by the

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Roman Empire. And it was an ignominious death, it was a shameful death, and this was reserved for the lowest of the low.

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And so consider then what Paul is saying. Everybody who knew what crucifixion was all about knows the shame that's involved in it, the act itself, and the ongoing shame that members of their families have after the fact.

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Note then, this is the time period when the gospel goes forward. And so put yourself back then, and you're saying to one of your friends,

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I'm now a Christian. Really, what's that? Well, I believe that Jesus is my

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God and my Lord, and that he has died for my sins. He has?

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How? He was crucified. What? You believe your

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God was crucified? Yeah, where'd you learn about this? From a guy named

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Paul. Well, who's he? Well, he's in prison. Uh -huh, so you learned about Jesus from a criminal.

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And Jesus was crucified. What kind of religion is this, right? And you'll note that there's cultural shame in the preaching of the gospel, yet this is the gospel that goes out, and the time in which it goes forward covered with complete shame.

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So note then, that shame still comes to us today, but the shame always seems to shift a little bit.

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We who have no concept of crucifixion and its gory, horrible details, and we still recognize that people who are in prison are criminals, but the shame kind of moves today.

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You believe God created the world in six days? Are you some kind of idiot? You believe that Jesus rose from the grave?

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Come on, that's gotta be a myth. You believe that God created people, male and female?

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Come on, everybody knows that you can pick your own gender, right? This is, you'll note how the shame keeps moving.

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So Paul writes to Timothy, don't be ashamed. Note then, it is God then who saved us.

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He's the one who called us to a holy calling. And he did this not because of our works, but because of his own purpose and his grace, which he gave, gave, gave.

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Love the word, gave us in Christ, not that we earned these things. And so he gave us these things in Christ even before the ages began.

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I love this picture because it's almost as if we know how the beginning of the book goes, in the beginning, in the beginning,

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God created the heavens and the earth. But see, that's when time and space began. But before time and space began, before God created the world, it's as if he sat down and kind of mapped it all out.

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And in his mapping it all out, he already had you by name in mind, knew that he was going to love you, send his son to bleed and to die for your sins, and to call you to a holy calling, call you out of darkness into his light.

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And so he wrote down his list and included in the list all the good works that you would do even before he said, let there be light, all of that was finished out.

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And it's profound and it's mystery and deeply comforting. And so now this has been manifested through the appearing of our savior,

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Jesus Christ, and he has abolished death and he has brought life, true life and immortality to light through the gospel, the gospel that says that Christ bled and died for our sins.

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For which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle and a teacher, and it's also because of this gospel that I suffer as I do, but I'm not ashamed.

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And then look at this confidence that he has in Christ, for I am convinced that he, Jesus, he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me, and he will.

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So then, young Pastor Timothy, follow the pattern of sound words that you've heard from me in the faith and the love that are in Christ Jesus.

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And by the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.

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So brothers and sisters, guarding the good deposit entrusted to you, the faith given you, the confidence that you have, not of fear but of forgiveness, the confidence that you have, not of God's wrath but of his mercy, the confidence that you have that you are already, past tense, saved.

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All of this is given to you and has been entrusted to you by God, the Holy Spirit. So guard that good deposit and don't let anyone come along and say, listen, you need to hedge your bets.

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You need to make sure that you've done enough works. And how do you know you've done enough? I don't know, that you won't suffer shame on that day.

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No, instead adopt what Jesus says. Listen, good works are absolutely necessary.

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Which servant says to his master, no way, I'm not going to do what you told me to do. Right? Instead, they're absolutely necessary.

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But we do them because we are already saved, not in order to be saved. So, when you've done all that you're supposed to do, say, well,

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I'm an unworthy servant. Oh, what a wretched servant I've been, because I've only done what I've been told to do and I don't know what else

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I could do otherwise. And it doesn't merit me salvation. But the reason I'm even in the house, able to do these good works, is before the ages began,

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God already saved me. God already called me into holiness, called me to the forgiveness of sins.

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He's washed me and fed me, and he comforts me even now, that even though my sins be as scarlet, he has made them white as snow.

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So note then this, that this Jesus, the one whom you can trust, he wasn't perfect just on Thursday.

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He kept God's law perfectly from the moment of his conception, Monday through Friday, 24 -7, all the way up until that last dying breath, when he said, it is finished.

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And so he has kept God's law perfectly for you. And he is the one who makes you worthy.

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And his perfect righteousness is given to you as a gift. And dare I say, you would have a hard time adding to that perfection.

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So receive it by faith. Be confident of that gift given by faith, because God is the one who richly gives.

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And he has promised us a new earth, resurrection, and life in a world without end.

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And the best part of the story is that you don't have to pay a farthing for it.

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I wouldn't even know what a farthing is. But you don't have to pay a farthing for it, because Christ has paid the whole cost for you.

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And he's given the whole thing away for free. So go and obey

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God. Do your works and do them with joy for the sake of your neighbor. And know that, eh,

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I'm just an unworthy servant, because I'm only doing what I'm told to do. And trust in your great Jesus, who has done exceedingly abundantly more than you can imagine in the gospel, by forgiving you all, not some, every single one of your sins, and giving you new life in him as a gift.

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In the name of Jesus. Amen. Oslo, Minnesota.

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