January 16, 2022 - Sunday Service Live Stream

Ascension Presbyterian Church Longwood

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Grace and peace to you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Welcome to the corporate worship of our

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God, please stand Call to worship today is drawn from Psalm 90 the prayer of Moses Lord you have been our dwelling place in all generations

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Before the mountains were brought forth or you ever formed the earth in the world even from everlasting to everlasting

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You are God You turn man to destruction and say return

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O children of men For a thousand years and your sight are like yesterday when it is passed

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And like a watch in the night You carry them away like a flood. They are like asleep in the morning

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They are like grass which grows up in the morning. It flourishes and grows up in the evening

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It is cut down and withers For we have been consumed by your anger and by your wrath

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We are terrified you have set our iniquities before you our secret sins in the light of your countenance

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For all our days have passed away in your wrath. We finish our years like a sigh

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The days of our lives are 70 years and if by reason of strength, they are 80 years

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Yet their boast is only labor and sorrow for to soon cut off and we fly away

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Who knows the power of your anger? For as the fear of you so is your wrath.

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So teach us to number our days That we may gain a heart of wisdom

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Return Oh Lord How long and have compassion on your servants Oh Satisfy us early with your mercy that we may rejoice and be glad all our days

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Make us glad according to the days in which you have afflicted us The years in which we have seen evil

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Let your work appear to your servants and your glory to their children And let the beauty of the

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Lord our God be upon us and establish the work of our hands for us. Yes Establish the work of our hands.

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Please pray with me. Oh father in heaven

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We have come to worship and bow down before you to kneel before you For you

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Oh Lord are our maker. You are our God And we are the people of your pasture the sheep of your hand

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We come to you today in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world

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He is the only mediator between God and man. He always lives to make intercession for us

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Through him Oh Lord. We come boldly to your throne of grace in His name we earnestly seek you our soul thirsts for you our flesh yearns for you

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Like a dry and weary land where there is no water We ask now that you would bow your heavens and come down Inhabit the praises of your people

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Remember your promise Oh Spirit to be present in the midst of your worship worshiping people who gather in your name

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Condescend to us grant us the joy of your fellowship Speak to us through your word and be blessed by our praise and adoration

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We pray all these things in Jesus name, please kneel for the confession of sin the corporate confession of sin

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Let us now confess our sin in unison Gracious God, we confess that we have longed too much for the comforts of this world

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His glory for our shame his righteousness for our dead works his death for our life

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Please stand repent therefore and be converted

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That your sins may be blotted out So that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the

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Lord Oh take heart people of God if you be in Christ, your sins are forgiven.

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Amen Please turn in the hymnal to number 295 crown him with many crowns

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For Zion's sake I will not hold my peace and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest

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Until her righteousness goes forth as brightness and her salvation as a lamp that burns

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The Gentiles shall see your righteousness and all kings your glory and all kings your glory

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You shall be called by a new name, which is a mouth which is which the mouth of the

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Lord will name You shall also be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord and a royal diadem in the hand of your

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God You shall no longer be termed forsaken Nor shall your land anymore be termed desolate

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But you shall be called Hephzibah and your land Beulah for the

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Lord delights in you and your land shall be married For as a young man marries a virgin so shall your sons marry you and as a bridegroom

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Rejoices over the bride. So shall your God rejoice over you I have set watchmen on your walls of Jerusalem.

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They shall never hold their peace day or night You who make mention of the Lord do not keep silent and give him no rest till he establishes

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Until he makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth The Lord has sworn by his right hand and by the arm of his strength

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Surely, I will no longer give your grain as food for your enemies and the sons of the foreigner shall not drink your new wine

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For what she of labor? But those who have gathered it shall eat it and praise the

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Lord those who have brought it together shall drink it in my holy courts Go through go through the gates

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Prepare the way for the people build up build up the highway Take out the stones lift up a banner for the people's

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Indeed, the Lord has proclaimed to the end of the world Say to the daughter of Zion. Surely your salvation is coming behold, his reward is with him and his work before and They shall call them the holy people the redeemed of the

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Lord and you shall be called sought out the city not forsaken This is the word of the

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Lord I can see your God. Let us confess our faith now and the singing of the

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Apostles cream We're continuing a kingly theme in our hymn singing in the month of January number 164

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Let us now pray together in unison almighty and everlasting

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God We your beloved children

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Offer to you our humble praises for having preserved us from the beginning of our lives to this day

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For these mercies we bless and magnify Humbly beseeching you to accept this our morning sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving

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For his sake who lay down in the grave and rose again for us your son our

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Savior Jesus Christ Fulfill now. Oh Lord our desires and petitions as may be best for us

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Granting us in this world knowledge of thy truth I Ask Your prayers for God's people throughout the world for the

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Covenant Presbyterian Denomination for this church and for all ministers and missionaries pray for the church

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Fulfilling their calling for you and sharing the gospel Pray that you'd be with them

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And pray that the church as a whole Ask your prayers for the poor the sick the bereaved the burdened and for the widows orphans and prisoners

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Pray for those in any need or trouble Ask your prayers for those who do not know

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Christ and for those who seek a deeper knowledge of him Pray that they may find and be found by him

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Those who have not yet come to know you we pray father that a swift those who

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Do not know you desire only to love and serve you and full servants of you

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We pray father also for all of those who? Do know you?

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We pray that you would help them to you would guide them

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You guide them toward churches that will and then all things that each and every one of us here today that we would

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Be constantly seeking out first your kingdom We would always be seeking out to emulate your holiness

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Before men I ask your prayers for our children and future generations, which will be born to them

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Pray that the knowledge of the Lord will fill the earth through them

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Hear our prayers pray that we may have grace to glorify

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Christ today Please stand and take up the insert again

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And Psalm 103 I want to encourage you this week if you have not done so Sing this privately and with your family that it may be

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Further burrowed into your heart that you might call it to remembrance and we are singing it pretty well

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It's singing with great joy the January psalm of the month psalm 103 Begin reading in verse 1 included verse 11 2nd

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Corinthians 8 This is God's holy and infallible

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Word Moreover brethren, we make known to you the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia That in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded in the riches of their liberality

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For I bear witness that according to their ability. Yes and beyond their ability

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They were freely willing Imploring us with much urgency that we should receive the gift and the fellowship of the ministering to the

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Saints and Not only as we had hoped but they first gave themselves to the

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Lord and then to us by the will of God So we urge Titus that as he had begun

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So we'd also complete this grace and you as well But as you abound in everything in faith and speech and knowledge and all diligence and in your love for us

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See that you abound in this grace also. I Speak not by commandment, but I am testing the sincerity of your love by the diligence of others

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For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ Though he was rich yet for your sakes.

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He became poor That you through his poverty might become rich and In this

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I gave advice It is not to your advantage not only to be doing what you began or desiring to do a year ago

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But now you also must complete the doing of it that as there was a readiness to desire it so there also may be a completion of What you have the

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Lord you are a great God you have shown us Wondrous love and grace

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We thank you for practical instruction in the scripture that teach us

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How to live and how to glorify you how to bless our brethren. I Pray today.

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Oh Lord that your people Would just know how rich they are in Christ and as a result new fruits of obedience and worship and praise and Good works would flow out of this grace that you've shown upon us

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And ask all these things in Jesus name Amen, please be seated

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Reflecting on the message from last week. I was a little Disappointed with my treatment or lack of full treatment on verse 9

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And 10 and what you spend most of the time today on that subject particularly verse 9 and I want you to be reminded of the context we have been in a

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Long series in 2nd Corinthians prior to the holiday season Thanksgiving and Advent But we had been going through 2nd

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Corinthians and it's been very rich to study Paul's defense of his apostolic

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Authority because of all this rich doctrine Practical instruction comes to the surface as he deals with the issues of a local church much like ours a little bigger than ours, but somewhere and Problems we we don't have some of the problems that Corinth had but we have an acquaintance with the issues that are being brought to bear here

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You'll remember from last week that Paul is eager for the Corinthians to participate fully in the relief of the

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Judean Saints He was urging them exhorting them munching them to follow the example of the

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Macedonian churches and Those churches there in Macedonia did it under a great trial of affliction our text says

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They did it in the abundance of joy They did it beyond their ability and they had this earnest desire to minister to the

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Saints Powerfully last week we considered for some time that they entirely consecrated themselves to God And that was our hope from last week that we too would be consecrated in that way and out of that consecration their generosity was

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Certainly the natural outworking of God's grace to them if God's grace has come upon you

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If his bright light has shone upon you if you have known something of the goodness and mercy of God you are

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Changed and new things begin to happen. I want you to pay attention and look close again at Verse 9 of chapter 8 it says for you know the grace of our

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Lord Jesus Christ that though he was rich Yet for your sakes he became poor

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That you through his poverty might become rich. I'd like you to take up the hymnal

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And turn in the back to page 871 instead of just quoting

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The shorter catechism. I thought it'd be helpful for us To read it together and to see it with our own eyes question 27 of The shorter catechism it's on page 871 in the back of The hymnal and there's something

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I'd like you to have in view in this Christ's Humility his poverty is in our text the source

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The mechanism that God uses to make us abound and to be rich So today we're going to fill it fill a little bit of the void in our understanding of this

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We're going to consider the humiliation of Christ very briefly here first And then we're going to consider the surpassing richness of Christ the unsearchable riches of Christ and that's going to be the main idea of our

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Discussion today in the message look at question 27 Where in did

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Christ's humiliation consist Christ's humiliation consisted in his being born and that in a low condition made under the law undergoing the miseries of this life the wrath of God and the cursed death of the cross and being buried and continuing under the power of death for a time and now question 28 wherein consist of Christ's exaltation

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Christ's exaltation consisted in his rising again from the dead on the third day and ascending up into heaven in Sitting at the right hand of God the

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Father and in coming to judge the world at the last day now this is a very powerful concept and what

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I'd like to point out as a Way of introduction to where we're going to go with this One of the thoughts

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I had in relation to this Subject is this question isn't part of the incarnation of Christ The idea that the heavenly and the spiritual has really come down and that Christ's incarnation

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Sanctifies the physical and the material If we have been united to Adam and his sin and its consequences, which we certainly have

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It would follow then that if we be united to Christ Something of that glorious redeemed life that he has bestowed upon us transforms our

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Physical and material life when we think about the exceedingly great riches the unsearchable riches of Christ We always spiritualize them and always separate them from the real world becomes very internal it is immensely spiritual to be

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Made rich by Christ and I'm going to hopefully point out some practical ways where that is true

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Please turn to the book of Ephesians just a book over a couple books over Galatians Ephesians In chapter 3 we're going to touch on a couple of verses here

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So maybe put a little mark and we're to come back to Ephesians later. Most likely Want us to think about first and the main point today is the unsearchable riches of Christ I think you'll see how this all ties in to us

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Contextually by the end the unsearchable riches of Christ Ephesians 3

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For this reason I Paul the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles If indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God, which was given to me for you how that by revelation

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He made known to me the mystery as I have briefly written already by which when you read

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You may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ Which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men as it has now been revealed by the

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Spirit to his holy apostles and prophets He's answering the question now, what is the mystery verse 6 tells us the answer that the

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Gentiles should be fellow heirs of The same body and partakers of his promise in Christ through the gospel

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Which I became a minister According to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effective working of his power

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Now listen to what Paul says about himself and what he preaches Verse 8 to me who am less than the least of all the

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Saints This grace was given that I should preach among the Gentiles Children, what does it say?

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What is he saying? The content of his message is going to be the unsearchable riches of Christ and To make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God Who created all things?

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through Jesus Christ To the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God Might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places now as Paul did for the

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Ephesians So to Paul preached the unsearchable riches of Christ To the

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Corinthians, we've already established from last week. They knew the grace of God I Have an interesting illustration that was originally pointed out by Thomas Brooks 400 years ago, basically a long time ago

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And I'd like to Talk to you to relate to you the idea of the inexhaustible riches of Christ This is

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Brooks's illustration from a long time ago The Spanish ambassador coming to see the treasury of st.

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Mark in Venice Which was famous throughout the world fell a groping

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Whether it had any Bottom, so he comes to a room and there's a lot of gold and silver and things and he falls to the ground looking for the bottom of it and Being asked why?

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Answered and this among other things my great master's treasure differs from yours

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He's referring to the king of Spain My treasure my master's treasure is different than yours

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And that it has no bottom as I find yours to have

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Here he is alluding to the minds of Mexico Potosi, etc so what the

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Spanish ambassador says to this caretaker of st. Mark's Treasury is

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I can see the bottom of the gold. There's a floor. There's an end.

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There is a finiteness to The gold of your treasury the illustration is certainly

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Christ's treasures have no bottom all his bags are bottomless

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But scripture history and experience do abundantly testify that men's bags purses coffers and minds

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May be exhausted or drawn dry But Christ's can never draw dry

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Millions of thousands live upon Christ and he feels it not

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His purse is always full though. He is always giving We're an amazing concept to consider

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So contextually you'll remember that Paul is hoping that the Corinthians will participate in this ministry to the

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Saints of Judea who are suffering a famine and Interjecting into this idea the riches of the people of God in Christ Opens up this whole huge Avenue for us to consider

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What are the unsearchable riches of Christ? What are they?

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How do I know where do I find them? What is where the what's the content of his great riches?

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Well, there's another helpful Thing for us to consider along these lines, let's turn to Matthew chapter 13

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This is another little cog in our wheel that we're trying to put together here Matthew 13 Probably will know very quickly what we're going to consider here

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Go to the end of the chapter And begin reading in verse 44

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Again this is Matthew 13 44 Again the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field

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Which a man found and hid and for joy over it.

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He goes and sells all that he has and buys that field the second parable in this

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Illustration again verse 45 the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls

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Who would he had found one pearl of great price went and sold all that he had and Bought it

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How precious are the unsearchable riches of Christ Times not going to permit it but Hosea points out that the idolaters

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Use the wealth that comes from God Himself to purchase their idols

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The very ground that we stand on belongs to our God in our

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King All the cattle on a thousand hills and that notion is all the cattle everywhere they belong to the

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Lord and The Lord is not only the creator and sustainer of all things.

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We're going to learn in a minute in Hebrews He's the heir of all things all of these things belong to him in glory of glories mystery of mysteries and He has wedded himself to you the bride

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So the unsearchable riches of Christ and we are going to spend the rest of our lives in eternity plumbing the depths of what that is

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Because of our union with Christ we are now partakers of the wealth of all that We share in and because he's brought us into this covenant union with himself

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This is where we're operating from So this is a lofty grand idea and you can see it's very practical import

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Into a situation like we have in 2nd Corinthians 8 If these things are true certainly

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I can contribute to the Judean saints who are starving in a famine

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Well, let's turn to Hebrews in chapter 1 thank you for being page turners today Hebrews chapter 1 want you to Think about the honor and dignity of the

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Son How he became poor? Think about the glory of Christ prior to his incarnation you think about his humiliation

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Which we talked a little bit about there in the confessional citation and Now in his exaltation

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He has all of his glory and all of his wealth. It's all in his possession.

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That's the present reality today for Christ Listen to Hebrews 1

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God who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets

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Has in these last days spoken to us by his Son We've died with Adam, right?

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Adam was a representative But there's a greater Adam listen to it.

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Think about your Identity and union with Christ and light of this next phrase

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He has in these last days spoken to us by his Son Whom he has appointed heir of all things today

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Saudi Arabia Nepal The Congo and Africa all of these are in the possession of the

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Lord Jesus Christ every grain of sand

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Belongs to him all the stars in the sky twinkle at him and for him

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Our God has appointed Christ to be the heir of all things.

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I This week as I sometimes do trying to hear from other scholars about biblical texts and he's disparaging

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Christianity Said Jesus could not be God. God would not come in the flesh is what this rabbi was

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So devastating to hear so knowledgeable in the scriptures and denying who Christ is

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Denying the very God he thinks he serves What does it say? Through whom also he made the world's

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Christ is the one who made the world's He's the heir of all things

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He's preeminent over all things the fullness of his riches

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Belongs to you as the people of God Should change the way we live and walk around and the boldness and the courage and the confidence we have in him

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The description is reminiscent of John 1 that great Prologue to the gospel verse 3 who being the brightness of his glory referring to Christ and the express image of his person and Upholding all things by the word of his power and he had by himself purged our sins

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Sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high having become so much better than the angels as he has by inheritance a more excellent name than they

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He's made a little lower than the angels and his humiliation But now he's exalted

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The heir of all things the creator and sustainer of all things the one who holds it all together the one who made the world's the start of the unsearchable

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Riches of Christ verse 5 you are my son today. I have begotten you

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I will be to him a father and he shall be to me the son When he again brings the firstborn into the world, he says let all the angels of God worship him

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And of the angels he says who makes his angel spirits and his ministers a flame of fire but to the

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Sun he says What an amazing statement 45

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Your throne Oh God is forever and ever Mary's son

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God the Father says to him your throne. Oh God is forever and ever a

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Scepter of righteousness is the scepter of your kingdom You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness therefore

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God your God Has anointed you with the oil of gladness more

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Than your companions again children listen referring to Christ Using the covenant name of God in reference to him you

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Lord in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth And the heavens are the work of your hands they will perish but you remain

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They will all grow old like a garment like a cloak. He will fold them up and they will be changed but You are the same and your years

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Will not fail Sometimes I'm asked why I'm a post millennial s and this verse

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Give you some clues as to so you are millennial s a brand listen pay attention

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But to which of the angels has he ever said Sit at my right hand till I make your enemies

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Your footstool. This is all his This all belongs to him

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And the simple yet profound truth is you too belong to him in a way that's different than just the created order

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You're the redeemed in Christ You're the ones who are the objects of his

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Affection you're the ones who are now seeing and being revealed It's being revealed to you is the unsearchable riches of Christ.

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I want you to imagine for another illustration That you and I have been bequeathed each of us a sizable piece of property and we learn that our benefactor who's the

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Lord himself has put gold all under the dirt in the ground under the rocks under that field and He says to us

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I have given you The feel the wealth and the riches of the field are yours now you have to go and dig it up You have to discover it

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You have to create a refinery where you can burn off the dross that the pure gold might be there

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There is a limitless Bottom to my blessing and my treasures and is yours for the taking now go out and mine it

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Go out and dig it up Brethren, that's what we're doing. You and I are seeing all the precious jewels

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We we pull a shovel a spade full of dirt off the topsoil and there are some diamonds and there's some rubies and there's some emeralds and Then we scoop them up and we realize under there is onyx and and silver and gold

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You and I hold up this scripture and every day we get into it and more of the treasures and riches are being

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Revealed to us page after page jot after tittle We are being exposed more and more to the unsearchable riches of Christ, this is what has been given to you to our context

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The Corinthians are much wealthier their middle class and upper middle class in comparison to the

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Macedonians and They had an idea. We will remember for the week prior the first Corinthians.

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They'd already started talking about giving to this Project of relieving the

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Judean Saints this famine lasts for a long time There's a lot of offerings that need to be taken but apparently they don't go through with it.

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They don't finish the job It takes us to the second point

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I have today and that is you have been made rich in Christ you've been united to Christ the unsearchable riches of Christ you have access to that the depths that cannot be plumbed you've been given a road map and a scuba tank and a

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Snorkel and a mask you've been given the ability to go down and see what all of these things are

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What are you going to do with your wealth? You say well,

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I don't feel like I have a lot of wealth You see the lack you see the sin in your life.

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You see the deficiencies You see maybe a lack of knowledge or understanding in some of these things. What should you do?

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With your wealth. Well first you should worship you should bow down your knees and Give thanks to the

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God who has included you in this wondrous endeavor to redeem men and to make them joint heirs with Christ You should be more obedient as last week

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Challenge you what area are you not being obedient in and repent of that and start being obedient today?

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These two categories of love for God and love for others Plenty of work to do there and when you've sinned and you've fallen

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Short of your higher calling what should you do? You should repent each of us should be repenting daily multiple times a day turning away

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From our sin, and do we believe that we found treasure in a field?

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Do we believe that we have the pearl of great price and would seem to you that evangelism and the proclamation of the gospel be?

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Very natural and ordinary and in common it should be ever on our lips speaking the praises of Christ and what he's done for us

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Should we have now a life of service where we're seeing and looking for ways that we might be a blessing to To Christ in his body that we might serve the church

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And our vocations and callings are we desiring to live productive lives for his glory?

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It would seem to me these would be appropriate responses to great wealth

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The question we have to ask had a little discussion with my children

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Recently about this do we actually believe that Christ is the greatest treasure

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Abraham quoted my favorite verse in Bible Abraham. I am your shield

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I Am your exceedingly great reward do we believe that intellectually we all believe it

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Theologically we all believe it, but now it now has to turn into praxis We have to live as though Christ is our greatest treasure not some other things

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That that we find our greatest delight in joy in him We don't have

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Christ that we might get gold and silver. We found something better than gold and silver

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We found and been united to Christ It's far better than all these other earthly pursuits that we

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Get entangled in so the question is do you believe you're rich in Christ?

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And if you've been made rich in Christ, what are you going to do? with your wealth well as I mentioned

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I Think we tend to spiritualize all these things and detach it from ordinary life

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There are evidences that our richness in Christ is spiritual, but it is

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Evidenced tangibly There's something tangible about peace with God It's not just in the clouds.

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It's not in the ether. It's not just that there's something about peace with God That there's something about joy in the

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Holy Spirit Something tangible about that There's something about having a

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God glorifying purpose Whatever you do as a child of God your pants weighed down with the wealth of Christ's riches knowledge wisdom righteousness

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You have a God glorifying purpose to fulfill and whatever vocation it is that you're in whatever your calling is

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What about fellowship with the

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Saints There's something tangible about it today I will sit on the porch in the back of the church and I will be nourished and enriched

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By the fellowship of my brethren I will sit across the table and share a meal with people whom

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I love and adore there's something tangible and real and Physical about that about the grace of God who gives you a very godly wife a very godly husband

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What about the grace of God on display that the unsearchable riches of having children?

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to pour into and to shape and to teach and to disciple and to lead that they may know the

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Unsearchable with riches of Christ and their children may know the unsearchable riches

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We're gonna say kids We have the back 40 which God has given to us.

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I for now 50 years have been digging on the shovel on this land grab a shovel and Let's unearth more and more of the glorious unsearchable riches of Christ and you're gonna get your kids to do this

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As well, and he puts us together In a fellowship of believers called the church and we together in our collective fields unearth more and more the unsearchable riches

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What about the wisdom? He grants to us to discern the right path from the wrong to see the evil behind the veneer of the flash and the shine to see the reality of things in Christ There's something tangible what about a different kind of Appreciation for a beautiful material world which

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Christ created for his glory a Sunset This morning before dawn a dark red sky which says to the sailors.

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There's trouble Don't go on the ocean today All of this speaks to the glory of God the

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Christian Sees the world Experiences the world smells and tastes the world differently

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Because the riches of Christ have been exposed and revealed to them the fish in the sea the stars and the skies and Gifts We think about spiritual gifts

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But there are also material gifts and everyone in here

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It's so fun to get to know you and to learn about you. Every one of you has

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Incredible material gifts and the ability to create and build things for the glory of God There are things you can do that.

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I could never do It's amazing to me that God equips us and gives us all of these graces not only spiritual gifts

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But material gifts that we might build and reflect the glory of the unsearchable riches

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Well times short the last thing I'd like to Ask you there's only two options as I mentioned the celebrities who worship

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Satan and the athletes who spend all their wealth on women and wine and their pleasures their thieves

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All the wealth belongs to him it's all his we're all stewards or either a steward or we're thieves that's it

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Maybe vandals stewards thieves and vandals. That's all we can be So I think we should be stewards of the good gifts

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Positionally you are stewards, you know it to be true But practically are you living your life as though you recognize who

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Christ is and who you are? And all that he owns and all that he possesses and all that he has bestowed on you because of his grace

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That would be life -changing if we were to live as though we really believed it and finally

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Isn't it something that the church is referred to as the body of Christ Remember when

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I had the limp keys up here a couple weeks ago for their time of membership before the baptism service

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I said something to the effect that You are uniting yourself not just to an idea but to some real people

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Tangible physical breathing sinners Who make up the body of Christ?

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Isn't it something? That the one who possesses all things Makes us so close to him

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Unites himself to us so intimately that he calls us his body and Then out of his great love for us.

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He feeds us himself essentially He gives himself entirely to us

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That we might be entirely given. So I hope this starts something in your mind about Finding the rare and precious jewels of who

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Christ is Because you're going to spend eternity seeing more and more and more of that glory

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Now we'll get started now and you also need to recognize That the work you do now the things you're engaged in raising children

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Carrying children should L this week delivering a child bringing an eternal soul

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Into the world what a great work all that is See with fresh eyes the value and weightiness of all the work that we're doing because in in it and through it

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Other people see something of the glory of Christ. Now, finally, let's go back to our text and this will be where we close

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I'm not a big fan of the

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New Year's resolution Because they usually fail they usually

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Don't come to pass or sometimes rash vows and they don't Do things?

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There's a little practical wisdom. I'd like to give you from verse 10 in Context the idea here is we started something in 1st

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Corinthians 16 and now you guys need to bring it to completion Some of you in the last couple of years or maybe recently have made some

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Commitments to the Lord of things that you would like to do for his glory You're going to start a reading plan.

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You're going to do this with your life You're going to see something that you're going to build something.

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You're gonna grow something. You're gonna do something for his glory Listen to the words of Paul again, and this

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I give advice It is to your advantage not only to be doing what you began

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And we're desiring to do a year ago Everybody starts out the

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Christian life with zeal Everybody starts out in their married life saying I'm gonna love my husband and my wife.

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Everybody starts out there having children I'm going to be the best parent Then the realities and hard things of life come where the joint heirs with Christ and hard things come

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To Christ he endures them all for us So if you made a commitment to be a husband to be a wife to be a child

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Do something for God's glory to serve him in some way persevere to the end

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Finish the work everybody can start the project almost very very few people can finish

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What you began to do or desiring to do a year ago If you made a resolution to read your

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Bible every day this year and you haven't start reading your Bible every day this year today

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You said I'm gonna pray for missions and I'm gonna pray for this I'm gonna support the church start doing that again see it through to the end

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He says but now you also must complete the doing of it

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That as there was a readiness to desire it.

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Oh, we desire it so earnestly on the front side So there also must be a completion of what you have

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That willing mind that readiness in the beginning needs to be Persevered through do you believe that you are rich in Christ?

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There's dozens and dozens of there's a bunch of verses. I was gonna do it It have time there are dozens and dozens of those verses like Ephesians 3 like Hebrews 2

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Hebrews 1 I'm sorry. Do you believe that you are rich in Christ and if so What will you do with your wealth it's a big question.

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The first answer is you are Endlessly rich and so now it's time to take action

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What are you going to do with it? Let's start by Joyfully feasting at his table today.

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Amen Let's pray together. Oh Lord.

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We've we've sought riches elsewhere We've sought temporal comforts momentary pleasures

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In favor of true riches. Oh Lord. I pray that we would today embark

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On a new pilgrimage a new kingdom building reality of Mining from your word and the life of other

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Christians and the fellowship of the Saints Something of the unsearchable riches of Christ Oh Lord Give us the field give us the shovel give us the dirt to turn over and give us the desire and the earnestness finish the work to unearth all of those

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Incredible riches that we might see more and more of the glory of Christ and be more and more

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Motivated to live for that glory and where I pray that it would translate

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Like it should have for the Corinthians into ordinary things Lending a helping hand to the brethren as needed

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Making a meal for someone who just has a baby for comforting the sick for driving someone to the doctor

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Whatever it is Lord I pray that would be willing servants to do that work to bring you glory to love your people as you have shown your great love for us

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We ask all these things in Jesus name Let's continue our worship through the presentation of the offering

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Please stand. Let's pray together

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The Lord we are stewards of immense treasures, which are first spiritual

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And they flow out into this world gloriously to the tangible and to the physical

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Things we experience and enjoy we pray that our time our talent our treasure would be entirely consecrated to your service and Then we would be able servants and skilled workmen in the building of your kingdom

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We ask these things in Jesus name Let us give glory to God now in the singing of the

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Gloria Lift up your hearts

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Let us give thanks to the Lord It is good It is right and a good and joyful thing that we should at all times and in all places

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Give thanks to you. Oh, holy Lord father almighty everlasting

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God Because you sent your beloved son to redeem us from sin and death and to make us heirs in him of everlasting life

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That when he shall come again in power and great triumph to judge the world we may without shame or fear rejoice to behold his appearing

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Therefore with angels and archangels with all the company of heaven We praise and magnify your glorious name evermore praising you and singing

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You Pray along with me

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Almighty God you are the creator and Lord of all things you are the sovereign whom we have offended and Yet you are our most loving and merciful father

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Who has given your son to reconcile us to yourself Who has ratified the new covenant with his most precious blood and has instituted this holy sacrament

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To be celebrated in remembrance of him until he comes We asked

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O Lord that you would sanctify your creatures of bread and wine Which according to your institution and command we set apart to this holy use

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That they may be to us sacramentally the body and blood of the Son Jesus Christ Let's approach the table now by praying together in unison

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For So to eat the flesh of your dear son

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Jesus Christ and to drink of his blood That our sinful bodies may be made clean by his body

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And our souls wash through his most precious blood and that we may evermore dwell in him

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Christ our Passover was sacrificed for us Therefore, let us keep the peace the gifts of God for the people of God Say it together and mean it in unison

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Almighty and ever -living God we thank you for feeding us with the spiritual food

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Of the most precious body and blood of your son our Savior Jesus Christ And for assuring us in these holy mysteries

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That we are living members of the body of your son and heirs of your eternal kingdom

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And Oh Lord grant us this other benefit But having them imprinted on our hearts may we grow and increase daily in the faith

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At work in every good deed and now father send us out to do the work you have given us to do

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To love and serve you as faithful witnesses of Christ our Lord To him to you to the