Repent or Perish

Silicon Valley Reformed Baptist Church

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Well, good morning church If you have a Bible, please turn to Luke chapter 13

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We'll be examining verses 1 to 17. When you have that please do stand for the reading of God's Word again, our main text

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This morning is Luke chapter 13 Starting in verse 1 here you this morning the word of the

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Lord There were some president at that very time who told him about the

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Galileans His blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices and he answered them Do you think that these

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Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered in this way?

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No I tell you but unless you repent you will all likewise perish or those 18 on whom the tower of Siloam fell and Killed them.

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Do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, but I tell you unless you repent you will all likewise perish and he told this parable a man had a fig tree planted in the vineyard and We came seeking fruit on it and found none and he said to the vinedresser look for three years now

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I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and I find none cut it down Why should it use up the ground?

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He answered him sir Let alone this year also until I dig around it and put on manure

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Then it should bear fruit next year well and good, but if not you can cut it down now when he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the

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Sabbath and Behold, there was a woman who had a disabling spirit for 18 years and she bent over and could not fully straighten herself

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When Jesus saw her he called her over and said to her woman You are freed from your disability

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He laid his hands on her and immediately She was made straight and she glorified God But the ruler of the synagogue indignant because Jesus had healed on the

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Sabbath said to the people there are six days in Which work ought to be done? Come on those days and be healed not on the

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Sabbath day The Lord answered him you hypocrites Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it away to water it?

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And ought not this woman a daughter of Abraham Satan bound for 18 years be loose from the bound on the

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Sabbath day He said these things know his adversaries are put to shame and the people rejoice at all the glorious things that were done by him

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This is the word of the Lord. You may be seated It was coming to the preaching of God's Word this morning by also

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Praying to this majestic Lord indeed sovereign

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Lord. We do come to you by the blood and the merit sacrifice of Jesus Christ by whom and through whom you have purchased a

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People distinct for your name We pray Lord that this morning you would grant us the gift of thy

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Holy Spirit That the Holy Spirit would work in us that which is pleasing in your sight That the

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Spirit would lead us away from the trials and the temptations and troubles of this world and grant us a clear mind

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To hear this clear warning message by the Lord Jesus Christ in which he said to the people's repent or perish

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Lord let us likewise heed these words on to our own benefit and on to our salvation through the blood

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Sacrifice and merit of Jesus Christ to whom be glory both now and forevermore. Amen Well church, have you ever?

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encountered calamity Have you encountered a difficult season in your life where you felt?

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God has cursed you Surely he has forgotten you Surely you are an outcast before him

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Maybe it was during a time of trial or trouble in which maybe you were laid off of work

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Maybe you found yourself hopeless Desperate and asking yourself.

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Where would your next meal come from? How would you be able to pay that rent or mortgage at the end of the month?

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Maybe you've also struggled in the areas of your relationships your spouse your marriage of your children

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And you were at wits end and you said how am I going to get through this? Surely God has forgotten me

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Surely I've been cast out from his presence. Surely. He doesn't love me Maybe you've encountered a season in your life where you experienced such great stress and difficulty where God just felt so way because the the

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Problems of life the stresses anxieties were so close so present that God's presence might as well have been

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Millions of miles away In the time of Jesus This was a turbulent time in human history

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The Jews were people who felt forsaken They've been the people who had been trampled on time and time again by various empires the northern tribes were taken over by the

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Assyrians and then they were dispersed throughout all the nations and then came the great empire of Babylon that came destroyed the sanctuary and the holy city only for them later to be

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Reassembled to come together into the land when the metal Peter and Persian Empire Conquered the

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Babylonian Empire and they were given the edict to go back to the city But even then as they were rebuilding their city and their temple and beginning to recuperate what came was the

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Hellenization of the ancient world and then the menacing power of the

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Roman Empire Trembling once again upon the Jewish people and Jesus came to a people who felt abandoned who felt forsaken in This time in history many people even like today thought that when bad things happened

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Surely it was a sign that you had been cursed and cut off from God Do you remember the story of Job in the

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Old Testament? Where Job's friends after seeing all the calamity that was coming upon him.

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They said surely God has forsaken you Surely you must have sinned greatly so that God's wrath may abide on you

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And this was the mindset of many people in the time of Jesus Notice what it says again in our main text in Luke chapter 13 verses 1 of 3

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It says and there were some present at the very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood

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Pilate had mingled with their Sacrifices and he answered them Do you think that these

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Galileans are worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered in this way?

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Jesus is basically saying he's there's there's a reference here to an historical event. This historical event is not seen elsewhere in history

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What's interesting here again? Is that Jesus uses the story of a disaster where apparently pilot goes to the

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Galileans and he offering a sacrifice at the temple? No other historical count of this event exists

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But there's no reason to doubt the Lord Jesus as he uses this event to dismiss some sort of cosmic karma

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Where people are immediately punished for their wickedness So Jesus brings out this this historical or the text of Scripture brings out this historical event where it says again in verse 1

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There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood

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Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices so the Galileans Were obviously trampled over by Pilate who was the

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Roman governor. This is a foreign occupation and apparently

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Pilate had used their blood and mingled it with their sacrifices an affront to the

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Jewish customs at the time and Jesus asked the question. He says do you think that these

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Galileans the ones who had suffered under Pilate? Were worse sinners than all the other

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Galileans because they suffered in this way Now the average answer that they make that he might have gotten from the

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Jews at that time would have been of course Of course, they must have done something terribly wicked for him to suffer this fate from the suffering this way

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But Jesus says no, I tell you But unless you repent

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You will all likewise Perish if you're following along in today's teaching in the first part of our insert

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Jesus uses a tragedy Involving Galileans to dismiss karma a lot of Christians today believe in some form of karma erroneously, so When I talk to Christians, they often try to wrap it under the veneer of Scripture Saying that you will reap what you sow and that in some way then this is

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God's way of viewing karma or using karma as a means of Bringing people's

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Judgment or just rewards at the right time, but Jesus dismisses this notion of karma

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Karma being this ideology this doctrine that is taught Eastern religions that essentially what you put in is

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What you will receive so if you sow wickedness in this life and possibly in the next life

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You will reap that which you sow so in many Eastern religions the idea of karma is that this is the universes or the creators way of Bringing forth judgment of weighing the scales of people's works whether good or evil

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But Jesus rejects the notion of karma and you'll see why in good reason he rejects such a notion

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Because what he is pointing towards is what he says here in verse 3. He says no karma is not

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What is at play here? Rather I tell you Jesus says unless you repent you will all likewise perish

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Jesus uses again the tragedy involved involving the Galileans to dismiss karma rather he turns our attention towards repentance

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Repentance once you write that word in there repentance and what does this word mean repentance?

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You've you've heard it used often in church Contexts maybe you've been out at a football game and you see these people

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I went to Sacramento not that long ago and I when I went downtown there was these preachers holding up these signs that says repent or perish and They're preaching a gospel message and usually when people hear that term, they don't like it

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Doesn't it sound kind of judgy Repent or perish it sounds like there's an imperative and there is there is an imperative the word repent means to turn

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To turn away, which means a turning away from something so if you're on a train track and You're on a sure path to destruction because a train that's hurling towards you

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You would likely heed the words of the conductor when he says turn away go away

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Go in another direction because heeding that call would save your life unfortunately today many in today's society they hear the words repent and they

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Unfortunately think of a Judgmental call but rather what's true about this call to repentance is not that this is a judgmental call

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But rather this is a scythe. This is a life -saving call This is a call to life not judgment

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This is a call to turn away from one's path will turn away from one's wickedness in order not to perish

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So Jesus points us not to some sort of cosmic karma, but rather to the gift of repentance again, sowing and reaping is often used by those who even within the

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Christian Church who believe in some form of karma to Justify it and God's Word does indeed talk about sowing and reaping

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But there's a great distinction that should be made and it's this in the midst of sowing and reaping

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God's patience God's Kindness in which it says in 1st

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Timothy chapter 2 that God does not desire any to perish But for all to be saved so in the midst of what is

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Reaping and sowing is God's patience and God's patience is where you find repentance consider the world that once was

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Before the the Rains came and the world was flood in the days of Noah.

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You had a world that was filled of wickedness and God's patience was wearing thin but God sent the world a messenger and the

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Bible says this of Noah that he was a preacher of righteousness in the midst of an ungodly world

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God's Patience was demonstrated through the preaching of Noah God through Noah gave a message of repentance to the nations and yet they did not heed and when it began

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To rain it was too late in the nations were destroyed So too we live in a new dispensation

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Where we preach a message because there is a flood coming not one of water

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But one of fire that will consume the world in Righteousness and there is a people that God has called out a prophet

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It is the Christian Church and the Christian Church is to be a herald a preacher of righteousness calling and beckoning this world to turn and repent of their sins or They will likewise perish to the question that is begged by all this is why is

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God not quick to inflict judgment and the answer is because he desires repentance and It's in God's patience that you meet the opportunity for repentance

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God is patient. So this idea of Karma where you have you do something good and you reap something good immediately or you do something evil and you reap something evil immediately in between Truly is

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God's patience That's why Sometimes you see in this world the wicked seem to get away of a lot

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How is it then that ultimately there will be justice and it's because God is patient But his patience will come to an end at the coming and revelation of his son

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Jesus Christ When every single person will be judged for what they have done in the body where they're good or evil and the same is true

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Even for those who seem to do good When we do good, sometimes we get a bad outcome

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It's not karma. That's at play. It's God's patience God is patient with us and he desires us to repent

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Now notice what it says in verse 4 Jesus uses another imagery to point out the folly of karma and the patience of God and also the call to repentance when he says

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Or those 18 on whom the Tower of Siloam fell and killed them Do you think that they were worse offenders and all the others who lived in Jerusalem?

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So again Jesus using some disasters that were happening in his time is similar today if there's a natural disaster like a hurricane a flood an

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Earthquake and we don't think to ourselves. Well, surely these people must have been wicked Surely and there are

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Christians that think that way today when something is something bad happens in, California Let me tell you I I've only lived in California for two years, and I've had my fill

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And when I lived outside of California Anytime something bad happened in California, you know what Christian start to say?

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Well, it's what they deserve. God is judging, California God is judging all those crazy liberals that live there.

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He's judging Gavin Newsom. He's he's judging this this state But then when a disaster comes upon Alabama those

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Christians become real quiet Surely God is sovereign

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But what we shouldn't think is of some type that God is some type of Cosmic karma where where he's bringing just or right or quick judgment on a particular people because it seems to suit our

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Ideology remember God is patient and justice will be truly served at the end of the age

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God's judgment and timing is perfect and Jesus uses this picture of these natural disasters or these man -made disasters that were happening in his day

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He says this those 18 on whom the tower said low and fell and killed him Do you think that they were worse offenders and all the others who live in Jerusalem?

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Again, sometimes you might have that mindset. Oh this happened to a particular people. That means they must have deserved it That's that's not how

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God operates Instead Jesus says no He gives us a warning, but I tell you unless you repent turn away from wickedness

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Then you will all likewise Perish so the end result of an unrepentant life is the same

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It's destruction. It's death. It's separation from God Jesus goes again and on to speak to it of another disaster in Jerusalem also unknown to us apart from this reference in Scripture His heroes are not to suppose that the 18 people who had been killed when the tower salon fell were worse offenders than the others but their fate is still a warning to his audience of the urgency of repentance of repenting if Not should they not repent

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They would likewise perish in their sins. So the outcome would be the same Truly the greatest tragedy.

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I want you to write this in the notes the greatest tragedy is The disaster of not repenting of our sins

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That's the true tragedy and that's what Jesus is pointing towards he says yes, there's a tragedy when

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Pilate spilled the blood of the Galileans Yes, it was a tragedy when the tower fell on those who were in Siloam, but even more tragic

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Are those who hear this message of repentance yet do not repent?

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Because their outcome will be the same destruction and perishing therefore beloved

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Take this urgent call Take this urgent call to repent and what does this mean for the

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Christian? You may be asking yourself Well pastor, I've repented of my sins,

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I'm a believer. I love Jesus. I'm here at church this morning brother and sister

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It's not just so that you repent one time a long time ago But the call of the Christian is to continue to live and walk in repentance.

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Why? Friends because we all sin We all fall short of the mark Every single one of us in the past week have sinned

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Every single one of us in the last 24 hours have sinned

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So don't come to church with this veneer of Religiosity and thinking that your works somehow preserve you or that somehow

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God is being patient only with you friends Today the call is to repentance

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Today while you hear his voice Whether you be found in him or whether you be lost the call is the same repent repentance for the unbeliever so they may see life and they may be right with the

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Lord and repentance for the believer so that he may draw closer to his master so that he may be able to reflect the glory and the majesty of his

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Savior because repentance brings forth life

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Life for the unbeliever and life on to newness of life for those who already know him and are found in him

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But the call is the same repent repent Trust in Jesus because the greatest disaster the greatest tragedy is not repenting of our sins

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Truly that is sad Jesus goes on to give us a parable here in verses 6 through 9

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Notice the parable it says he told this parable a man had a fig tree and planted in his vineyard And we had came seeking fruit on it and found none

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And he said to the vinedresser look for three years don't have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none cut it down Why should

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I why should it use up the ground? This is very reasonable, isn't it? Even think as a maybe a prudent investor for a moment

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Let's say you have an investment and for three years you see no return Clearly at that point you want to cut your losses

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Maybe you have a tree in your backyard and it's finding you're finding it difficult to reap fruit out of it

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Clearly all it's doing is taking up space cut it down make room for something else That's more productive yet notice the caution here notice the call and he answered him in verse 8

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Sir let alone this year also until I dig around it and put on manure Then if it should bear fruit next year, well and good, but if not, you can cut it down What is the difference between the two individuals in this parable

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The difference is that one has the patience to see and reap the reward of fruit as a

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Christian Oftentimes we we should certainly examine our lives to see whether there is fruit and Sometimes as Christians when we're examining others

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We are looking for immediate fruit So that we can make a judgment of whether they're saved or not saved whether they're a

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Christian or not a Christian whether they're good Christian or a bad Christian But you know what we should not forget or forsake is patience

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God is patient towards you God desires us to be patient towards others

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Once you write this in the notes the fig tree bore no fruit But instead of cutting it down The man wanted to invest once you write in that word

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Invest another year's labor to save it Here's the moral of the story of the parable

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Christian fruit is not automatic It takes an investment

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And it takes an investment and it takes patience You see Jesus has a scene with a fig tree in a vineyard.

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And so vineyard has has fertile soil The owner has been looking for fruit for three years, which seems to indicate a well -established tree.

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This tree has been there It's growing but no fruit is being produced by this tree. So the owner gives the command cut it down Not only was it not bearing fruit

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But it was taking up ground and some time in investment from what would otherwise be a productive land

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But the vine dresser comes and he urges patience That maybe with some time maybe with some attention

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Maybe with further investments the tree can produce good fruit

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This is how God extends the open door to repentance that bears fruit

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It's patience God's patience again. We don't believe in cosmic karma rather.

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We believe in providential patience We believe that God in his mercy and his loving -kindness

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Because he is not wanting any to perish. He opens the door of mercy and allows the opportunity for repentance

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God is patient towards us and that is good news So the question for the

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Christian is do you reflect the patience kindness and mercy of God?

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Are we quick to write people off? Who maybe aren't as developed as quickly as we have or I've not

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Seem to bear the fruit that we want to see and desire from them Church my hope in my heart for you is the same heart that Jesus had for his people as he preached these words

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Which is to be patient with one another be patient We're not all in the same level spiritually.

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We're not all able to maybe sit through two services right now we're not all maybe able to Get all the nuances and and togetherness of family worship.

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We're not all at the same level but church We all should be patient and loving towards one another

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Spurring one another to love and good works. That's the call of the Christian.

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Why do so many people leave the church? Why do so many people have an issue with Christianity?

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It's because again, there's this caricature that the church is judgmental The church is uncaring the church is unloving and sometimes those criticisms are well -earned

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And not be so with us May not be so with you May you be a

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Christian who is a beacon of light love mercy and patience?

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Because it's the loving -kindness of God in Which he is patient with us

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So we ought to be patient with one another don't be so quick to cut down the tree

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Don't be so quick to give up on your brother or sister who may not be progressing as quickly as you are

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Don't be so quick To write off the addict who's had a relapse

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Don't be so quick to write off the young man or woman who's relapsed into pornography. Don't be so quick to cut off those

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Who may seem untenable? unlovable Be patient be kind be merciful let the law of Christ be your guide

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Again, so often Christians are quick to cut down the tree We can sometimes be quick to cut people down when they don't perform or produce the way that we are expecting them to produce

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Again, I urge you beloved to adopt God's loving -kindness and Patience which leads to repentance.

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I want you if you can turn to Romans chapter 2 I'm gonna read a very short verse to you when

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Romans the second chapter Notice what it says in verse 4 as Paul reminds us of God's mercy

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He says or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience?

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Not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance

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You see some of us might be in a wayward or have experienced a wayward life or course and we didn't immediately see the wrath or judgment of God why

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Because his kindness and his patience is to lead you to repentance

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There's a grace there. There's a loving -kindness there. God is patient But even

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God's patient has its limits and it shall eventually

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Run its course at the coming and revelation of his son Jesus Christ in which he will judge the world in righteousness

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But while it is still called today the Bible says both in the Old Testament in the third chapter of Hebrews while it is still called today

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The call is this do not harden your hearts as in the days of rebellion rather give heed to God's calling to repentance

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God's kindness truly Leads us to repentance Then in the parable the fig tree it brings out these two truths

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And I want you to write this in the next part of the of the notes Number one

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The truth that the parable the fig tree brings out is the need for repentance I know we've been using this term a lot today and writing it in but I want you to write it again the need for repentance

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In God's slowness to punish Sometimes as Christians we may see wickedness and we may see evil we say why hasn't

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God punished it Why hasn't God been quick to judge the people who have treated me harshly?

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Why isn't God quick to judge those who have hurt me? Why isn't God quick to judge those who have lied to me?

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Brothers and sisters consider the mercy and loving -kindness of God, which is leading

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People to repentance It's not your timing it's

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God's timing that we should rely on Therefore remember that the fig tree Leads us to these two truths one the need for repentance and God's slowness to punish sin and Don't consider it as the

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Bible says in 2nd Peter God's slowness as God being forgetful, but rather again

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God's heart for humanity God's heart for you to turn from wickedness

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See, that's God's heart for us beloved. He wants us to turn from wickedness

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Therefore he's patient He's loving he's merciful

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But do not trample upon God's mercy or his kindness or his forbearance or his patience

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Be quick to repent when the call is made be quick to embrace forgiveness

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Be quick to embrace God's loving -kindness We close the message by focusing on this rather large part of scripture in verses 10 to 17 of Luke chapter 13

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There's three main ideas that's at play here But the the the meta -narrative is the same over these three subsections of this chapter verse 10 says and he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the

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Sabbath and Behold, there was a woman who had a disabling spirit for 18 years and she was bent over it could not fully straighten herself

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And when Jesus saw her he called her over to and said to her woman You are freed from your disability and he laid his hands on her and immediately

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He was she was made straight and she glorified God But verse 14 the ruler of the synagogue indignant

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Because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath said to the people there are six days in which work ought to be done

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Come on those days and be healed and on this and not on the Sabbath day This is the definition of a buzzkill, isn't it?

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when someone is should be rejoicing and Celebrating, you know as a video that went viral several years ago in Disney World in I think it was the one in Orlando and there was this platform where It's just kind of oversees the the castle and this guy had took a ring out

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And he was about to propose and just as he's about to open it and get on his knees This employee from Disney runs up and snatches the ring

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And he's just start saying no no, no, no, you can't do this here he tells him to get off the stage because they didn't have proper permission to be there and The backlash that this employee got was pretty strong They ended up firing this guy and they ended up Maybe changing some of their policies around this because it was such a viral moment

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And in fact Disney ended up paying or offering at least to pay for this couple's wedding because the backlash was so strong Maybe you've seen this video

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Sometimes Even within the Christian Church There are those

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Who act in a similar fashion where there should be rejoicing?

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Sometimes Christians run up in the on the stage of a person's life and snatches a good thing

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Because this isn't fit with the rules or parameters as they understand it

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Sometimes Christians are quick to neglect the law of mercy and Yet they fall prey to the trap of legalism

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Notice the Pharisees here the Pharisees see this woman this woman was probably familiar amongst this congregation or the synagogue and on the

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Sabbath They see her in her pain in her misery and they see the Lord Jesus Christ coming on to her

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Healing her and instead of rejoicing Instead of glorifying

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God instead of seeing that this woman who was in pain and suffering her whole life now has freedom

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Instead they don't rejoice in that but they begin to become critical naysayers

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Legalistic judgmental all marks of a good Pharisee Who elevated their understanding of the law above the law of mercy

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Friends don't be a Pharisee Don't be a Pharisee Let love

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Let mercy Be your guiding light, of course not to the detriment of Scripture not to allow permissive sin in the church or in our lives

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But rather recognize not everyone is at the same level or walk or stage of life that you may be in Let patience be your guide love and allow mercy to reign

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Because how the Pharisees taking that approach? They probably would have won the approval of those of whom were in their midst

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But instead as it says in verse 17 as he said these things all his adversaries were put to shame

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Because it was evident. It was so clearly evident that they were in the wrong so clearly

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Evident that they should have prioritized mercy over law

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But they could not see past their own legalistic eyes Jesus goes on to give a brilliant rebuttal to the criticism of the

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Pharisees Because the Pharisees again says there are six days in which you were you work ought to be done

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Come on those days and be healed and not on the Sabbath day This sounds

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I can't help but you know hear these words And think of some church folks.

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I've encountered over the years I've got the privilege of working with Men who suffered of addictions and When I lived in Canada, we had a church plant where we baptized probably 20 different guys

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Who were former addicts or even people who were still struggling in their addiction? And I recall this one particular person in our midst this young man who boy was he?

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on fire for God Boy was that he he just loved the Lord and and his life was messy.

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I You can't even hide it. His life was so incredibly messy and But what was clear is that he loved

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Jesus and he loved that Jesus Was a patient loving and merciful

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God who loves to clean up people's messes But one time in one of our church contexts, we had another guy who was kind of an old -school

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Baptist and My buddy, I won't say his name, but he liked wearing a hat to church

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And one day he's worshiping and he's praising God and This brother one time pulls him aside and just gives him a scold rebuking

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He says God doesn't like it when you wear a hat at church Now whether or not that's true.

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That's not for us to debate today. Maybe God doesn't like a hat at church. I personally I Could do without a hat right but What happened in that instinct in that moment is that brother killed this man's spirit

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Where he was rejoicing and praising God in the midst of his mess Then he became downcast

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Began to wonder why why am I being judged over something? Seemingly at least to him and his understanding trivial and small

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Isn't Jesus bigger than this or are we gonna get hanged up over the small details of life here?

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This man ended up relapsing I'm not saying this is what led to his relapse. I'm saying that this justifies his relapse

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But when a harsh critical spirit Tears down someone who's weak in faith you bear some responsibility in that and so friends

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Allow law the law of love and mercy to reign Don't be so quick to be critical or nitpick part of the beauty of the

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Christian Church is that in the midst of all of the

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Messiness of life. We were called to walk alongside one another and the messiness of it.

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This is called discipleship Discipleship is the hard work of living

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Alongside your brothers and sisters doing life together with them as you progressively collectively draw closer to the image of Christ That's discipleship

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Us doing the hard work of loving fighting wrestling over the difficulties of life together

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That's Where you begin to see the power of God's patience and God's loving -kindness

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Towards us when we don't have it all figured out But we're doing life together and we're growing together in life and holiness

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God is so pleased when Christians Live on mission like that.

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God is so pleased when a church is on mission like that God desires you

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To prioritize Love and mercy. I keep saying those words churches. I want it.

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I want it to hit home God wants you to prioritize those things why?

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Because the disabled woman Who is healed it highlights once you write this in the notes it highlights the unrepentant heart of the

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Pharisees That's what it highlights in the Pharisees that these men were unrepentant because they emphasized legalism

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Over freedom Legalism What is legalism?

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That's a term that's sometimes used maybe a little bit too often within the context of the church

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Broadly at times legalism is used as a means of escape

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From accountability. So for instance if a church is doing something right, but maybe harsh sometimes

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Individuals or denominations may say that's just legalistic of you. No, sometimes this is called following the

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Bible Okay, so not every criticism of legalism is Always correct.

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So we have to correctly define this term of legalism Well in the word legalism is the term legal it is one who prioritizes a total literal interpretation of Certain laws and not only literalize it to such a degree that they actually begin to add more criterias and other things

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Top of God's law similar to the Pharisees in the times of Jesus to hear in this story you have a legitimate concern you have the

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Upholding of the sanctity of the Sabbath and the Pharisees probably felt that Jesus was violating the sanctity of the

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Sabbath because God's law Demands that we remember and keep the holy day as Holy that we keep the

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Sabbath day as holy So the Pharisees went to an extreme to protect the sanctity of the

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Sabbath where they forgot God's patience and God's kindness leading us to repentance and So we too must beware of being a people who?

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prioritize The law as coming down on people Rather than seeing

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God's patience and forbearance Leading us to repentance That's the hope beloved is that we turn from legalism

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To freedom and what does that freedom mean? What does the preacher mean by that term freedom?

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It's not the freedom to do as you please It's not the freedom to sin as often as you want and how often in whatever manner you want

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That's not freedom. That is actually in itself a form of legalism.

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It's a form of bondage the freedom That I call and beckon you to today is

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The freedom of the sons of God in that when we come here to this church

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That we're not under the microscope of judgmental pastors or judgmental members rather we come together recognizing we've all got a certain level of Sanctification in our lives some more sanctified than others but in the midst of various levels of Spirituality and sanctification we have the freedom to figure out the mess of life together

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Collectively together as a family as sons and daughters of the Most High God Families are messy

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No wonder then church is messy embrace the messiness of life

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Be patient with one another and Chiefly and most importantly as our

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Lord Jesus Christ said would be the mark of every true Christian love one another

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Let's love let me pray We thank you

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Jesus Our beloved Savior Who loved us in the proper way at the proper time?

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By being offered as a propitiation for our sins That through your shed blood your perfect obedience to the will of the

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Father You grant us now eternal life not by any work that we have done in righteousness, but by faith in you and by By our repenting of our sins in which you have called us to do as the call has been crystal clear today repent or perish

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Lord let us choose repentance over Destruction let us choose patience over Judgment and let us choose love over legalism

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Thank you Lord Jesus for granting us this word and giving in and giving to us even now

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The gift of the Holy Spirit to be able to apply these things Not only to hear them and be a hearer, but to be doers of your word

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So that when we see one suffering or being challenged or or need of help and grace

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That we readily give what is needed Not giving what we think is needed.

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But what you have Told us is needed namely love patience forbearance and Sanctification which is the will of God for us

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Lord God help us in our weakness Help us if we find ourselves having a judgmental critical spirit

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Help us Lord to overcome the weaknesses of the flesh and God help us to have eyes

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To see ears to hear and hearts to receive that which you have laid out in this word namely this

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That we should repent of all types of sins of all sins that we encounter in our lives that we partake in Willfully or unwillfully

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So that we may draw closer to your perfect image and be like you our glorious Savior Raised from the dead

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Exalted to the right hand of God the Father where you now live and intercede for us now Intercede for us now

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Lord Jesus for we are weak and feeble We love you

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We exalt you and we worship you our king our prophet and our priest to you belongs the glory both now and forevermore