Questions & Answers

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Father, thank you for this morning. Thank you for all the blessings that you grant us in Christ Jesus.
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Thank you for forgiveness of sin, full and free in him. Father, I pray that you'd bless our time as we look to different questions that people have brought up, and just pray that this time would be not only beneficial, but that it would build us up, that it would make us think more deeply about the scriptures and have more confidence in you.
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Father, I pray that you'd bless each one here in Jesus' name. Amen. And I ask you to also ask her, you know, save for those who are watching on, you know,
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YouTube. So, well, several weeks ago I sent out an email asking for questions.
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Some of them were impossible. Those are the ones I chose. No, no, no, I'm kidding. I don't do that.
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But let me start with number one, which is a good place to start. Why did
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Joab kill Amasa, his brother? We've been reading through 2
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Samuel on our Sunday morning Old Testament reading. And so somebody was reading through this and thought,
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OK, this is bad. Why did Joab kill his brother, Amasa? So let me read.
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In fact, you can turn to 2 Samuel chapter 20, verses 8 to 10. And we'll see the murder of Amasa.
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There's a good sermon titled The Murder of Amasa. I'm not going to identify, by the way, the people who submitted these questions.
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You know, I believe in protecting the guilty. So the names are changed to protect the innocent.
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Let me read that 2 Samuel chapter 20, verses 8 to 10. When they were at the great stone that is in Gibeon, Amasa came to meet them.
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Now Joab was wearing a soldier's garment and it was and over it was a belt with a sword in its sheath fastened on his thigh.
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And as he went forward, it fell out. And Joab said to Amasa, you know, now just think about that.
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His sword fell out. You think that was an accident? I'm going to say no.
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And Joab said to Amasa, is it well with you, my brother? And Joab took
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Amasa by the beard with his right hand to kiss him. Okay. Hey, bro.
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But Amasa did not observe the sword that was in Joab's hand. So Joab struck him with it in the stomach and spilled his entrails to the ground without striking a second blow.
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And he died. Then Joab and Abishai, his brother, pursued
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Sheba, the son of Bichri. Now the question was, why? Why did he do that?
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Any thoughts? Yeah, me either. So I looked it up because that's what that's what you do when you don't know.
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This is from Eugene Merrill, Old Testament scholar. Of some notes, he used to be at Dallas Theological Seminary before he went to glory.
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He says, David ordered Amasa, his new commander, this is in 2
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Samuel 19, 13, to reorganize the army of Judah within three days so that Sheba might be brought to heel.
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This is all in pursuit of Sheba. When Amasa was unable to do so in the allotted time,
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Abishai, at David's command, took his own personal elite troops and set out for the north. On the way, they met
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Amasa at Gibeon, about five miles north of Jerusalem. Joab, though having been demoted and replaced by Amasa, Underline.
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Why did Joab stab him? Though having been demoted and replaced by Amasa was present, pretending to greet
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Amasa warmly by grabbing his beard and going for the kiss. Joab killed him with his dagger.
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He dropped his sword, had his dagger, stabbed him. That's why, you know, Amasa's guard was completely down because Joab had no sword.
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He'd seen it drop on the ground. Thus, Joab gained revenge for his loss of rank.
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What is particularly heinous is the fact that Joab and Amasa were, not brothers, but cousins.
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Sons of two of David's half -sisters. We can learn that from 1
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Chronicles 2, verses 16 and 17. Again, then, the prophecy of Nathan came to pass.
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The sword will never depart from your house. Talking about the house of David. So, always constant conflict there.
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But why? Because he was jealous. Because he'd been demoted and Amasa had taken his place.
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So, what better way to get your old job back by killing your successor? I mean, there are better ways, but that's what he did.
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So, that's question number one. Question number two. More difficult.
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More thought -provoking. When Christ performed a miracle, did he, in an active sense, alter the decree of God by breaking the laws of physics and nature, or did the decree include
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God's decree, include the miracles which broke the laws of physics?
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Let me read that again. I should provide a flow chart, maybe.
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When Christ performed a miracle, did he, in an active sense, alter the decree of God by breaking the laws of physics and nature, or did the decree include the miracles which broke the laws of physics?
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Thoughts. Stunned silence.
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More coffee is needed. Give me some gecko. Okay, God wrote the laws, so he can bend, break, spindle, fold, mutilate the laws.
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Do we really know all of his laws when it comes to physics?
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Well, if we did, then we wouldn't have science, would we? Well, you know, the rules, the confines, the knowable things.
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I mean, when Jesus, for example, turns water into wine, I mean, is he breaking the laws of physics and nature?
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Well, I mean, he's certainly doing something that is, as far as we know, outside the norm, unnatural.
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Let me read what our Confession of Faith says in a partial answer, and then we'll go further.
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God hath decreed in himself, from all eternity, by the most wise and holy counsel of his own will, freely and, listen, unchangeably, all things whatsoever comes to pass.
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So, were the miracles part of the decree of God? Yes. So, I wrote here, because I put my own comments in blue, so that I could keep them straight, in case you're wondering.
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Jesus cannot change the decree of God, because it's his decree.
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How could he change it? Because to change it would mean what? That there's some kind of division of will between the persons of the
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Trinity, so it's in complete compliance with the will of God. Well, okay,
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I could answer about Hezekiah. How do we explain Hezekiah getting more life?
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You know, it appears that God relented. I mean, we could do that with a number of situations, where God repented, or God changed his mind, or God...
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Those are, okay, anthropopast...
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that. They're God using language that we would understand to basically accommodate our way of thinking, but it doesn't change the decree of God.
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Everything comes to pass exactly as God planned it. Let me go a little bit further here.
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Charlie said this, because if I don't, we'll spend all of our time on this one question. What are the implications of this, meaning these miracles, for the sects,
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S -E -C -T -S, to be clear, the sects of Christianity that request non -stop miracles?
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You know, in other words, they pray that somebody will be raised from the dead.
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They pray that... just all kinds of things. You know, lengthen this leg, do this, do that, whatever.
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I mean, I would like to have both my legs lengthened. Of course, it's probably about 40 years too late for that, but...
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Roger's going, yeah, yeah, yeah. Charlie. Okay, I like that.
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So let me try to say it again. The predicament that you find yourself in is as much the decree of God as the miracle or the means of delivery that you're asking for, right?
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And we sometimes forget that when we think, you know, how could
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I be in this situation, etc., etc.? Well, I'm in this situation because, ultimately,
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God wants me to be in this situation, right? It's for my good. No matter what
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I think about it, you know, the fact that I'm broke, my spouse doesn't like me anymore. Oh, boy, that's not funny.
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I'm not talking about my spouse. I'm just talking about in general, you know. I'm broke.
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I lost my job. You know, my snowplow doesn't work.
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I guess that doesn't matter enough in July. But whatever the situation is, we think, well, this is awful.
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Okay, maybe it is. But it's exactly what God decreed from before the foundation of the world.
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And He's using it for our good and for His glory.
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Romans 8 .28 always wins. Let me read another verse here, Daniel 4 .35.
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All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing. And He does, talking about God, according to His will among the hosts of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth.
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And none can stay His hand or say to Him, What have you done?
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You can't stop God from bringing about His will.
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And you can say, What have you done? But when you do that, what are you doing?
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You're sinning. God, how could you let this happen? Complaining against God is not a good habit to be in.
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Other thoughts, questions about this particular question? The providence of God?
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The miracles? Is Jesus breaking the rules, so to speak?
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Actually, He's entering the space -time continuum and doing what only God can do, right?
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But it's not in disharmony with the decree of God. In other words, His eternal will is always being carried out, even in the miracles of Jesus.
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Thoughts, questions? Okay, moving on. Number three. See, as I read these questions,
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I'm like, I can't help but think, I know who wrote this. Anyway.
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What do I say to those people? I know what I say to those people. What do
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I say to those people that say, Pharaoh hardened his own heart versus what it says in Romans 9?
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In other words, people say, and why would they say this? Pharaoh hardened his heart. It's not what
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Romans 9 says. Let me read Romans 9 so that we get a firm picture. Somebody comes to you and says, well, actually,
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Pharaoh was responsible for his own sin. Well, that's true. Pharaoh hardened his own heart.
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Well, it's true. What does Romans 9 say? Romans 9, verses 14 to 18.
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Romans 9, 14 to 18. What should we say then? Is there injustice on God's part?
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By no means. For He says to Moses, I will have mercy on whom
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I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion. So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God who has mercy.
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For the scripture says to Pharaoh, for this very purpose, I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.
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So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and listen, and he hardens whomever he wills.
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I mean, as you, you know, if you were to look at this, because I had the opportunity of printing it out and, you know, every place where God speaks to Moses and uses
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I, I underlined, I will have mercy. I have mercy.
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I will have compassion. I have compassion. It depends on God who has mercy for the scripture says to Pharaoh, basically personifying scripture as God, right?
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It's not scripture. The Bible doesn't speak to Pharaoh. It's God saying to Pharaoh, I have raised,
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I might show my name. He has mercy in whomever he wills and he hardens and he wills.
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So clearly God is sovereign, even over Pharaoh's heart. And it says, or I wrote, doesn't say
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God hardened Pharaoh's heart. Anyone who says otherwise is doing what to Romans nine, they're inverting it, right?
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I mean, they're, they're changing it entirely, but let's look at X is four 21
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X is four 21. And I'm not having everybody read this morning because I'm trying to get through as many of these as we can.
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And, you know, I have nine pages of notes and so far we're on page two. I think we're doing pretty good.
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Okay. Exodus four 21. And the Lord said to Moses, when you go back to Egypt, see that you do or see that you do before Pharaoh, all the miracles that I have put in your power and listen, but I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go.
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So the old Testament says, God hardens Pharaoh's heart. The new Testament says, God hardens
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Pharaoh's heart. Doesn't see that seem that complicated, but what are people trying to defend when they say
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Pharaoh hardened his own heart free will.
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I mean, they're also defending the Bible, whether they know it or not. We'll get to that in a minute. Nexus eight. We're going to see that, but they're trying to defend free will.
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And, you know, I think some people have really good motivations. What's a good motivation for defending free will
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Charlie. Okay. Defending or rescuing the character of God, right?
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Because if we don't have free will, then God's what he's a puppeteer.
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And he's not fair. He's not fair. And that's exactly what
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Paul's were feuding in Romans chapter nine. But let me just read excess eight versus one to 15.
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Then the Lord said to Moses, go into Pharaoh and say to him, thus says the Lord, let my people go.
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I mean, this is we, how many times have we seen this? You know, the 10 commandments here, here comes a, what's his name?
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Charlton Heston. You know, that's just the Lord. Let my people go that they may serve me.
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But if you refuse to let them go, behold, I will plague all your country with frogs.
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The Nile shall swarm with frogs. That shall come up into your house and into your bedroom and on your bed and into the houses of your servants and your people and into your ovens and you're needing bowls.
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The frog shall come up on you and on your people and on all your servants. And the
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Lord said to Moses, say to Aaron, stretch out your hand and your staff over the rivers, over the canals and over the pools and make frogs come up on, on the land of Egypt.
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So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt and verse seven.
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It was probably one of my favorite verses, but the magicians, that is to say Pharaoh's magicians did the same by their secret arts and made frogs come up on the land of Egypt.
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Now, if I was Pharaoh, what would I say? Thanks a lot. You know what?
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That's what we needed was more fair and more frogs. Then Pharaoh called the Moses and Aaron and said, plead with the
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Lord to take away the frogs for me and for my people. And I will let the people go to sacrifice to the
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Lord. In other words, I relent, I give up, you know, I'm going to give you what you want.
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He thinks, but ultimately it's what God wants. Verse nine.
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Moses said to Pharaoh, be pleased to command me when I am to plead for you, to pray for you and for your servants and for your people, that the frogs be cut off from you and your houses and be left only in the
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Nile. And he said, tomorrow, Moses said, be it as you say so that you may know that there is no one like the
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Lord, our God, the frog shall go away from you and your houses and your servants and your people.
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They shall be left only in the Nile. So Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh and Moses cried to the
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Lord about the frogs as he had agreed with Pharaoh. And the Lord did according to the word of Moses, the frogs died out in the houses, the courtyards, in the fields and they gathered them together in heaps and the land stank.
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But when Pharaoh saw that there was a respite, he hardened his heart and he would not listen to them as the
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Lord had said. And that's a repeated pattern, right? Pharaoh gets relief from the curse.
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And what does he do? He hardens his heart. He goes back on his word. So what would I say to somebody who said
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Pharaoh hardened his own heart? I'd say he did, but that's not enough.
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That's not the whole story. The whole story is he hardened his heart and God hardened his heart. Like our confession of faith says, as I just was talking about how he does things unchangeably, all things whatsoever comes to pass his decree.
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Yet I cut it off here. Yet. So as thereby is
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God, neither the author of sin nor have fellowship with any therein, nor is violence offered to the will of the creature, nor yet is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather established in which appears his wisdom and disposing all things and power and faithfulness in accomplishing his decree.
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Let's just break that down. God did not make Pharaoh sin, but Pharaoh sinned.
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God was not passive in Pharaoh's sin. He decreed it and use second causes to bring it about.
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And what would those second causes be Pharaoh's unsinned or unsaved nature and his sin nature, right?
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I mean, he, he wanted to do these things. And so God let him do it. Okay. Questions, comments.
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Number four, this is, this is, would you consider untangling the confusing parts of law and grace?
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Hmm. Well, you know, there's an old saying, mama didn't raise no fools.
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She might've had one, but we don't need to talk about that right now. So I went to, to the internet, downloaded a couple of articles by a man named
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Mike Avendroth and we'll excise some of the highlights there.
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What's the, what's the, you know, the big deal about law and gospel? I mean, does it matter if they're two separate things or can they be one thing?
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You know, what, what's a, what's the word that Pat coined for it? Pat Avendroth. When you merge the two, you get glossful.
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Glossful is gawful. Um, Mike says this, he says, the law reveals sin, right?
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What's the purpose of the law? When we look at the law, I mean, one of the purposes of the law, we look at the law and what do we see?
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The Holy nature of God. And we recognize that we fall short of that. So the law's good when, when uses it rightly, right?
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The law reveals sin. The law shouts, do, do this and what?
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Live, fail to do this and die. The gospel on the other hand, declares the triune
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God, triune God's favor and free salvation in Christ Jesus. The gospel comfort saying it is done.
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And you know, the big thing is, and I think I could say this without referring to Mike. I think the big thing is the, the question is, what do we come to church for?
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We come to church to worship the triune God, to hear the word preached, to have fellowship, to do the one and others, to sing, pray, give, do all these things.
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Should the goal every week be for the pastor to come in and beat people about the head and shoulders so they leave feeling worse than when they came in for some churches, that is the goal, right?
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If you're not crying on the way out the door, the pastor's like, I failed today. I failed you people because I failed to show you that you're all miserable sinners.
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Okay. That's one. Approach. The other one is
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I'm going to look at the, the nature of the passage I have before me, and I'm going to preach that and not try to turn everything into a beat down sermon.
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If it's good news, I want to give you good news. If it's bad news, I want to say to you, ultimately, yes, you fall short.
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Let me tell you about the one who never fell short. Let me tell you about Jesus Christ. So in a world that we live in that, you know, in which we're afflicted, we're often aggravated by things that go on for, you know, an hour or so on Sunday morning, what do we do?
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We like to apply the salve as it were of the gospel. Mike says this, he says, when the law and gospel are confused or mingled, the gospel, which means good news, turns
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Jesus into a new Moses, a lawgiver. He goes on to say, the strict gospel is not an exhortation.
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It is a promise. This is why I get confused sometimes when people say, well, I'm doing the best
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I can to live the gospel. I don't know what that means. What does it mean to do your best to live the gospel?
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What's that? To be a great sinner. Yeah. I mean, to, you know, to live like a redeemed sinner.
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Sure. So he says, the gospel is a declaration, not a to -do list.
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Yet it is very easy for the difference between law and gospel to be eclipsed. Beza says this, he says, ignorance of this distinction between law and gospel is one of the principal sources of the abuses, which corrupted and still corrupt
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Christianity. And by that he meant what, what was Beza most likely referring to?
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What's that? When did he live? He lived during the reformation.
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So he's referring to Rome. I mean, there's no greater example,
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I don't think, of conflating, you know, gospel with law, because in the
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Roman Catholic system, you have to do things and you can never know that you're saved. That's the whole purpose, right?
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And that's, that's the fusing of law and gospel. Let me, let's turn to Romans or sorry,
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Galatians three for a moment, because Mike cites this as an example.
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And I think, I think it pretty, it's pretty good. Shockingly. Oh, he won't listen to this.
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Galatians chapter three. And just listen as I read verses 10 to 12, and then verses 13 and 14.
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See if you can see the difference. 10 to 12 for all who rely on works of the law are under a curse for it is written cursed is be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law and do them.
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Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law for the righteous shall live by faith, but the law is not a faith.
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Rather the one who does them shall live by them. In other words, the law says do, do this and live.
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If you perfectly obey the law, then you are justified by the law. Nobody does that.
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Listen to verse 13 and 14. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us.
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For it is written, cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree who has hanged on a tree so that in Christ Jesus, the blessing of Abraham might come to the
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Gentiles so that we might receive the promised spirit through faith.
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It's not what we do. It's what Christ has done. Difference between law and gospel gospel points to Jesus.
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Abedroth, the stress is upon the object of one's faith, not even the faith itself.
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While the unbeliever must believe his or her faith is not the savior. Rather, Jesus is the savior.
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Faith directs its attention to the Lord Jesus Christ who perfectly entirely exactly perpetually obeyed and merited righteousness by his wonderful law keeping for us.
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That's the gospel, right? He also gives the example of the rich young ruler.
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How many times do you get that? That one pointed out to you, you know, usually by unbelieving people who want you to be a socialist.
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Didn't Jesus say, sell all you have and give it to the poor. Let me read that. And behold, this is
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Matthew 19 verse 16 to 22. And behold, a man came up to him, Jesus saying, teacher, what good deed must
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I do to have eternal life? And he said to him, why do you ask me what is good?
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There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments, do this and what live.
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He said to him that rich young ruler said to Jesus, which ones?
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And Jesus said, you shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness, honor your mother and your father, and you shall love your neighbor as yourself.
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The young man said to him, all these, I have kept. What do I still lack?
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Jesus said to him, if you would be perfect, go sell what you possess and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven and come follow me.
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When the young man heard this, he went away sorrowful for he had great possessions.
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Now did Jesus give this man the gospel? No, he gave him law.
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Why? What's that? Because he was living by the law.
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He wanted to justify himself by the law. You know, it was like, what do I do to be saved?
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And ultimately he knew the man's heart and he wanted what to show him that to show him his failure.
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There's no gospel there. There's only law. Let me read from the Westminster larger catechism.
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Question 73, how does faith justify a sinner in the sight of God?
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Answer faith justifies a sinner in the sight of God, not because of those other graces, which do always accompany it.
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In other words, things always accompany belief, true faith or of good works that are the fruits of it, nor as if the grace of God or any act thereof were imputed to him for his justification, but only as it is an instrument by which he receives and applies the grace of Christ and his righteousness.
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How much faith do you need to go to heaven? Faith of a mustard seed.
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I mean, you just need a little, if it's actual faith, it, it works. Uh, Ola Vanius or Ola, Ola Vianus, I actually know
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Casper and it doesn't matter. One of the reformers said this, he said, the law does not promise freely, but under the condition that you keep it completely.
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In other words, you have to keep the whole thing. The gospel promises freely the remission of sins and life.
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Not if we keep the law, but for the sake of the son of God through faith, the gospel is not conditional.
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The gospel is not conditional. Hmm. What do you suppose that means?
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Abendroth wrote that the gospel is not conditional, Charlie.
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Okay. You're a passive participant. And here's what I would say.
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What are our conditions for being saved?
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What do we have to do to be saved? Believe which is okay.
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So we have to be quick and we have to be caused to be born again. We know that faith is a gift of God.
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And there are some who say what, that you have to take that faith and you have to receive it, which is true.
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The question is, you know, how do you receive it? You receive it by the grace of God, because a dead person can't receive anything.
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He has to cause you to be born again. Um, okay. Questions or comments before I move on to question number five, we're sailing along.
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And I mean, I didn't even try to answer half of the questions. Um, in second
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King 17, four, why does the King of Assyria charge
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Hosea Hosea with Hosea, uh, with conspiracy?
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Let's read that second Kings 17, one to six. And we'll be quick with this.
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In other words, why does he get charged with conspiracy? He's the King of Israel.
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Why does he get charged with conspiracy by the King of Assyria? Second King 17, one to six in the 12th year of Ahaz, King of Judah Hosea, the son of Ella began to reign in Samaria over Israel.
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We have the divided kingdoms, Israel, the North Judah and the South. And he reigned nine years and he did what was evil in the sight of the
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Lord. What does that mean? Anytime you see that it's, it always, you know, has some reference to idolatry, but it's interesting here because it says, yet not as the
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Kings of Israel who were before him. So he didn't participate wholeheartedly.
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You know, he was some kind of modified idolater. I, I, I, I didn't look that up, um, against him up came
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Shalman, Shalmaneser King of Assyria and Hosea became his vassal and paid him tribute.
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Now, what that basically means is this that rather than Assyria conquering
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Israel, here comes Assyria with their, their horrible reputation.
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I mean, they, they would skin people alive and do all these other things. And, you know, the King of Syria says, look, you can either submit to me or we'll, you know, do the, do the usual.
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We submit verse four, but the
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King of Assyria found treachery in Hosea for he had sent messengers.
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This is talking about Hosea, uh, had sent measures messengers to sow who was the
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King of Egypt and offered no tribute to the King of Assyria as he had done year by year.
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So here's the habit every year to keep the Assyrians from wiping us out. I give, I pay like a heavy tax, uh, uh, protection money.
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You know, this is a racket every year. Do I do that? But one year
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Hosea says, you know what? I've had enough of this. I'm not going to pay
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Assyria this year. I'm going to contact Egypt, appeal to them for help and refuse to pay
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Assyria. Now what's the problem with that, by the way, from a, from a divine standpoint over and over again, the people of Israel are warned to rely only on, on Yahweh, you know, on God and not to appeal.
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I mean, it was wrong to pay the tax to Syria, but it was wrong to commit idolatry.
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That's, that's the ultimate problem. If you wiped out idolatry, there would be no issue because God would protect them, but there's idolatry going on in the land.
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He agrees to pay this tax to Assyria and then to get out of it, he appeals to Egypt again, relying on his own wisdom, on his own knowledge, on what he thinks is best.
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And then he gets his justice searched. Therefore the king of Assyria shut him up, talking about Hosea, shuts him up, arrests him and, and bound him in prison.
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Then the king of Assyria invaded all the land and came to Samaria. And for three years he besieged it.
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In the ninth year of Hosea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and he carried the Israelites away to Assyria.
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We can, we can skip over most of that. Egypt did not, and apparently could not help.
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Shalmaneser discovered Hosea's plan to revolt, marched on Israel and took Hosea prisoner.
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So there's your, there's your answer. Why did he charge him with conspiracy? Because he was committing conspiracy against him anyway, so that he could get out of the payment, the annual bribery.
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Okay. Number six. Why did God create men and women to be rather different from each other and yet expect we are supposed to become one?
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Come on. If you've been married more than a year and a half, you've, you've wondered this a few times. And then the second part of the question, if God made men and women the same.
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Oh, this is my question. I should have put it in blue. So I know I was like, if God made men and women the same, it would be kind of boring.
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Wouldn't it? I mean, that would be awful. I'd hate to be married to me.
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I don't think I could take it. Let's go to Genesis two verse 20, which
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I really think gives us, you know, or implies all the answer that we need.
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The man being Adam and gave names to all livestock. Remember God praise them all in front of him.
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God gave, or a man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field.
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But for Adam, there was not found a helper fit for him. I mean,
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I, I guess he at this point didn't really like dogs. I don't know what the deal is.
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Man's best friend didn't work. Eve was made for Adam because he was not self -sufficient, right?
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There was nothing wrong with Adam except he was alone. James Montgomery Boyce wrote this.
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He said, Luther thought Eve would have been as strong, fast, clear -sighted and brilliant as the man as Adam.
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And in addition that she must have been a beauty, had a beauty and grace that excelled him.
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What a woman in her pristine glory, Eve would have made wonder woman or the bionic woman look sick.
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What if she came with all the sound effects for those of you old enough to remember that?
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Boyce goes on to say, there is something particularly poignant and even poetic about this creation.
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The woman had been made for the man and might therefore be thought by us thinking now in our fallen sinful state to be man's servant, but Genesis has nothing of this.
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Instead Adam immediately perceives Eve to be his companion. And so breaks into verse and celebration of their essential similarity and union.
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Now the question goes on and says, do you think the main reason God made men and women different is to chip away at our selfishness forces to be selfless for our spouse who is different from us?
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Or is there some other substantive reason? Sure. There's going to be friction.
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Yep. I totally agree with that. Um, but, but like I said earlier,
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I don't think anybody was meant to be self sufficient. God looks at him and says, what? It's not good for man to be alone.
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He needs companionship. We were created, you know, this is an easy one, true or false. We're created to be social beings.
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I mean, one of the most, the, uh, one of the great controversies with regard to jails and prisons and everything else is the idea of solitary confinement.
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Why? Cruel and unusual, unusual punishment, they say.
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And I'm like, if you've been around some of those people, you'd know that the only people they're fit to be around is themselves.
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But, um, but we are social animals.
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It's very difficult for us to be alone. Very, very hard. If you don't believe that, uh, watch that, uh, you know, the movie with the beach ball, uh, uh, volleyball was cast away.
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Yeah. I mean, I, and if nothing else, it, it illustrates that one thing, you know, he's so desperate for companionship.
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He gives a name to his volleyball. Um, Matthew Henry says how graciously
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God pitied Adam's solitude. It is not good that man, this man should be alone.
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Though there were an upper world of angels and a lower world of brutes, animals, and he between them, yet there being none of the same nature and rank of beings with himself, none that he could converse familiarly with.
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He might be truly said to be alone. Now he that made him knew both him and what was good for him better than he did better than Adam did himself.
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And he said, it's not good. Then he should continue alone. Um, I need to close.
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God graciously provided society for him. Suitable help needs, yada, yada, yada.
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Um, okay. I don't want to go any further with that, but, uh, it, you know, does it, you know, along with day, uh,
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I just almost identified him, uh, with the question, you know, is it a, is marriage a refining process, a sanctifying process?
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And the answer is of course, yes. You know, are there commands in scripture concerning, you know, husband towards his wife and a wife towards her husband?
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Yes. And I think ultimately we have to look at it and, and, you know,
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God wasn't taken by surprise by the fact that here's Adam, this poor pitiable creature by himself.
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You know, I, I, I think, you know, when my wife, uh, will travel without me and I'm at home alone, what do
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I think? It's not good for a man to be alone. Uh, it it's,
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I mean, we, we crave companionship. We crave community. And, you know, the most basic level of community is that, that structure of that marriage.
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Um, other thoughts before we close here, Charlie. Yeah. I think it says something about Christ's regard for his bride.
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Absolutely. Um, you know, it's a really an excellent point though. All these, uh, all these animals are coming along and they're all male and female and he's like, okay, male and female lion, male and female giraffe, male and female, you know, whatever.
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And you know, here's Adam going, what's up?
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You know, but he doesn't complain. He's just like, no, no, no, no, no.
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And God says, okay, well, you know, point point demonstrated here, you know, you need somebody and I'm going to provide that.
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So good. I like that. Well, I need to close father. Thank you for this brief time we've had here this morning to consider these various questions.
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Lord, I pray, even as we look at your word, uh, even this morning, we can see that there are many, many aspects of, uh, the gospel of law of life that we can continually go to the word, learn, grow, um, and be transformed from as it were glory to glory as we learn more and more and more about you and about ourselves.
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Father, I pray that we would continue to worship you today and that all the glory would go to Jesus Christ.