God's Publicity Program - [Ephesians 2:8]

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Let's turn our Bibles to Ephesians chapter 2. We'll briefly look at this very well -known passage But I think very encouraging and then we'll have the
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Lord's Supper as you're turning there Joanne Dunn the rest of the ladies Thank you for serving us and getting everything together
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I really appreciate it Ephesians chapter 2 again a very common passage yet I thought nice to go back to to remember who
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Jesus is and how great our salvation is Is Martin Lloyd -jones says of this passage that is why
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I say that we are here face -to -face with the most Crucial statement that can be found anywhere in all the scripture
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So I'm going to read chapter 2 verses 1 to 10 and we'll just highlight a couple truths so you can remember
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God's free sovereign salvation Ephesians 2 1 to 10 by the way, this was the passage that was read
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When JC Ryle was sitting in the congregation and the Spirit of God quicken
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JC Ryle's heart He was an unbeliever. He heard this scripture just read and then God saved him
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And you were dead in trespasses and sins in which you once walked Following the course of this world following the prince of the power of the air the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience
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Among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh Carrying out the desires of the body and the mind and were by nature children of wrath like the rest of mankind but God Being rich in mercy because of the great love with which he loved us even when we were dead in our trespasses made us alive together with Christ by grace you have been saved and Raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus So that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness
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Toward us in Christ Jesus for by grace you have been saved through faith and this is not of your own doing
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It is the gift of God not a result of works so that no one may boast
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For we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them
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Pray with me if you would father in heaven we thank you for this word today How many pillows this passage has comforted how many people have been?
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renewed in their hearts and minds So that they might praise you better because of this passage
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And I would pray for the folks here tonight that you would use this passage by your spirits power and illumination
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To just stir our hearts again to be thankful people people full of gratitude and people who recognize that Salvation is something that was done to us and that you alone save We contributed nothing you did it all
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And that you were so kind to us that you would grace us in Christ Jesus The eternal
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Son of God we ask these things in Christ's name Amen The main reason you're saved is not so you could be forgiven
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The main reason that you're saved is not so that you don't have to go to hell
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The main reason you are saved if in fact you're a Christian is what?
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Thinking at a in a grander picture The main reason you're saved is so that God throughout the ages throughout the eons throughout
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Eternity future would receive praise look at verse 7 Paul gives us a little inkling there
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Why did God save sinners of course because God's rich in mercy verse 4 of course because he has great love
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But he saved sinners so he can show his kindness Throughout the eons in order that in the ages to come verse 7 of chapter 2
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He might show the surpassing riches of his grace and kindness toward us in Christ Jesus God saved sinners so that they might serve to display the wealth of his grace
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Peter O 'Brien says God saves so that he gets all the glory
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By the way, since this is true we know we contribute nothing because if God is going to have a
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Publicity a publicity program of how great he is with the riches of mercy and grace
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Then it's not going to have anything to do with us if God wants to get glory in eternity future
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How would he get glory if we somehow combine our good works our good deeds our baptism?
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None of that contributes anything because God alone saves when I was a kid I'd like to go to the beach one of the things
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I liked about the beaches they'd have these kind of Biplanes that would fly over and there would be some kind of cable and then this super long ad
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Afterwards and they would have some kind of promotion these days. It's probably drink Red Bull.
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I don't know Monster drinks or something and so you just sit there at the beach and you think yeah
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I kind of I'd love to have some Fritos and a Red Bull right about now look at that this publicity program
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And so here in a much greater way God is showing how great he is through the ages by saving people like us
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So the focus of our salvation isn't we get saved although that's wonderful but that God gets glory
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We get benefits, of course happiness eternal life heaven communion with the Living God purpose in life meaning to life understanding the mysteries of life and death
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Receiving the promises of God having examples to live by But the main purpose of salvation is that God puts his grace on Display for all eternity that God alone saves and we are the recipients of his grace
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Do you like this sentence true or false Grace is God's part faith ours
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No, no Don't like Simon you can't
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Simon's gonna like this. That's right Grace is God's part
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Do we have to believe well, of course, but that doesn't contribute anything to our salvation
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And let's take a look at Ephesians chapter 2 and I'm gonna preach about a topic that you really already know about But I just like to tell you what you already know because isn't that the duty of a preacher?
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Too often we forget what we're supposed to remember and we remember what we're supposed to forget
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And I've said many times before I can't wait for heaven for many reasons But one is so I can stop remembering what
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I'm supposed to forget about all my sin That's already been paid for Ephesians chapter 2 what does the text say verse 8?
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For by grace you have been saved through faith and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God What Paul does is he puts grace up front if you'd like to emphasize something today and you can even probably see some of my
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Notes, I have a yellow highlighter for special emphasis But since they didn't have yellow highlighters back then and they wanted to emphasize something in the
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Greek language You could put it at the end of the sentence or you could front load it and put it at the beginning of the sentence
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And so here so that we get this for by grace you have been saved
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If there's going to be a publicity program in verse 7 that God alone saves It's going to have to be for by grace in verse 8.
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Those two verses are connected It's by grace He could have said you're saved by grace, but no he wanted to emphasize grace
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Do you see it for by grace you have been saved through faith?
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God alone getting the credit for Rescuing people so he alone receives the honor and glory
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Paul used the word grace our chorus Twice as much as all the other writers combined.
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Why do you think that was for Paul? Why did Paul give kind of a double portion of grace? I think just an educated guess
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I think he did it because he was a Pharisee steeped in legalism Steeped in the do's and the don'ts and when he received grace, it was that refreshing Gatorade liquid to his soul parched
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Work work work work work and then Paul received grace. So he just wanted to talk about it all the time so much so the word grace is probably synonymous with the gospel of Christ Jesus and Then he says in verse 8.
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Do you see it? You have been saved This is something that's been done to you If you'd like to be a theologian we call this the perfect passive that God acts upon you you were acted upon You didn't let
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God save you. You didn't take the first step. God helps those who help you themselves. No, none of that God alone saved
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He did the saving when my grandfather got in the car accident with my grandmother and He quit got out of the car
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He saw another car maybe going to come and hit them because they swerved around on the road
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And why I grandpa got out of the car Smashed the window of the passenger side and pulled my grandmother out
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My grandfather was the saver and my grandmother was the save II he was the one saving she was on the receiving side of Salvation and if I looked up to grandpa
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Because he saved grandma from this wreck and then looked down at his foot and thought my foots cut off Dangling by a couple tendons.
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I thought grandpa was a man Grandpa for the love of his wife saved her she was in peril.
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He rescued It's exactly what's happening here except to a much greater extent
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Spurgeon said ye are saved. He says not you're partly saved Nor in the way to being saved hopeful of salvation
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Instead he says by grace you are saved. I can just hear Dave Jeffries up here saying you're not halfway saved
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You're all the way saved. Oh, you got a good opportunity to be saved by the grace of God God just might go out on a limb.
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You just might be saved by grace But no for eternal reasons.
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He saves us by grace And what does he do? It says he's been we've been saved through faith
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Now does the text say you've been saved because of faith when you first get saved you think to yourself
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I've saved because I let God I'm saved because of my faith. I have faith. My friend doesn't have faith
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Therefore God picks me, but here this is used very very Purposefully you were saved through faith
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Non -meritoriously, this is an instrument. We call this instrument of means you don't earn anything through faith faith is the opposite of work
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This is a trusting commitment What did the Reformers say about faith
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K knowledge of yes, we know about Jesus a Ascent I believe that for myself and T Trust a willful volitional trust kat like I said many times the only cat
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I like kat knowledge ascent and trust Just not making any other comments
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Remember when Abraham believed God and it was reckoned to him as righteousness Genesis 15 6
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The word to believe in Hebrew is where we get the word. I mean sound familiar Amen God you did this great work and I believe it
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Abraham Amen to what God said and it was reckoned him as righteousness. I believe what you said
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God. Amen. So be it Nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but through faith in Christ Jesus Galatians 2
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Jonathan read it Romans 3 22 even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ Not because of faith, but through faith salvation is 100 % from God we receive it
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But friends faith didn't die on the cross for your sins. Faith wasn't raised from the dead for your sins
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Our response to the gospel is faith, but the gospel isn't faith
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It is to believe and be persuaded of didn't we sing that song this morning I know whom I have believed and am persuaded
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Did we sing that song or no? That when Steve and I were in my office and we were late coming in for the song singing leading and all that I don't know if we sang that or not
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And so we make sure we get it that it's all of God and that not of yourself see that in verse 8
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Not the the grace isn't from yourself the faith isn't from yourself all of grace through faith salvation
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Didn't come from you You believed as Acts 18 27 says through grace
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By the way, every time you think of your salvation you could say to yourself not of myself not of myself
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Not of myself not of myself When were you saved in?
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In eternity past when God the Father Son and Spirit chose you you could say to yourself not of myself
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When Jesus Christ died on Calvary and on behalf of sinners like you
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He said it is finished. It was not of myself when God Regenerated you for me.
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It was in 1989 and made me alive and made me born again Not of myself when
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I'm gonna be glorified one day and go to heaven not of myself And so what does he say in verse 8 it is the gift of God God's the giver
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It's not from you it's from God we know this at BBC But it's good to be reminded of because I am a do -it -yourselfer.
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I am a born Pelagian in the Kansas I just was in Kansas and you know what kind of people they are in Kansas I bet you the same kind of people you are what kind of people are they?
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Bet you Jack hurts this kind of person bet you Makarov skis this kind of person They're get -her -done kind of people
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We just get her done make it happen But Whitfield would say if you'd like to get her done when it comes to your own salvation
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You just as soon should climb up a ladder to the moon made of sand the ladder itself made of sand
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Can't do it Then he says in verse 9 just to make sure it's covered from every area not a result of works
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You say yeah, but it's like that illustration the frog fell into the large melt can it kept paddling until it churned out a pad
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Of butter and then it jumped off the pad of butter That's how people kind of come up with their salvation.
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I talked to a guy once and he said, you know what? I'm saved by grace. Really? I thought you believed you have to get baptized to get to heaven
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He said you do I said, how can you believe you have to get baptized to get to heaven? Which is a work when you think you're telling me grace.
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How does that work? And you know what he said to me? Somebody else dunks you So you don't do it.
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They do it for you. Well, according to God's salvation. He does it or it's not done at all
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Not a result of works and what's the main reason all this happens and we're gonna wrap it up here Why is salvation all of grace all of God?
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Trying to show this publicity program of God promoting him and him alone
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Because it shows it right there at the end of verse 9 to not a result of works that no one should boast
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Don't we live in a boasting culture? By the way, let's push it all the way you're born to boast
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You will boast everybody. Here's a great boaster You're oh, you're I'm trying to think of some
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Kansas term. What do they say? That's interesting That's interesting
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You're an interesting boaster, no, that doesn't fit what else do they say I Don't know.
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Let's go down to Sonic and have a slushy. I don't know what they say But you're a born boaster.
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You're made to boast Go to Fenway Park yesterday. How many boasters were there?
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Well and nine to nothing. There was a lot of boasters 44 ,000 boasters and then the boasters turned into something else when the other team scored 15 uninterrupted runs
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But people boast you watch a baby born I remember Haley Luke Maddy and Gracie each one of them and as they were born,
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I could not hardly stand it. I Was calling people who weren't even my relatives just because I got to tell people
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I'm just gonna what do they call it when you dial somebody's phone number. That's not not not you're just gonna
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Pocket dial Not speed dial, what do you call when you're gonna try to just prank some kind of prank call, what do you call it prank call?
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I was just giving people prank calls. I'm a dad. I can't believe it I am a father who'd have thought that sports teams
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You just praise people when the Lakers win the championship five times in the 1980s. You tell other people don't you?
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Especially the people in Boston who you only got four wins we praise You can say this after you've been here 15 years
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Because I've outlasted everybody except Scott and Cindy basically Who else
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Fred and Maxine? They're the only ones will outweigh the guy
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But we're boasters. So you say I'm either gonna boast in my works my work my money
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My profession my kids are you say, you know what? I've been made to boast in Christ Jesus and then when you boast in Christ Jesus Everything else you get to I boast in Christ Jesus because he gave me those four kids
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I boast in Christ Jesus because he gave me my wife. I boast in Christ Jesus because I can't enjoy a sports game
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I boast in Christ Jesus because I can't enjoy rest and food and steak and desserts
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We make money the old -fashioned way the ad said We earn it my kids like watching
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Cupcake Wars And so I read kids this is for you I Read about an instant cake mix.
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That was a big flop The instructions said that all you had to do was to add water and bake
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The company couldn't understand why it didn't sell until their research discovered that the buying public felt uneasy about a mix that required only water
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Apparently people thought it was too easy So the company altered the formula and changed the directions to call for adding an egg to the mix in addition to the water
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The idea worked and the sales jumped dramatically We just want to do something
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It's too easy to just put the water in and put it in the oven and out comes this cupcake
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We've got to do something, but we're not supposed to do something It's been done to religions in the world.
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God alone does everything we respond with faith Are you try to work your way to heaven and this first one is the one that says you know what you've got boasting
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Then boast in what God has done Boast all you want I wonder
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What's the last time you said to someone believer unbeliever? I think God is great for these reasons
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Jesus Christ is tremendous because what he's done. I praise God that he did this for me
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When's the last time you said that to anyone? What was the last time you said to any person alive on this or saved or unsaved?
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I? Praise God when I was a kid Praise the Lord was this kind of thing. You just didn't really say it's what they said on TV and praise the
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Lord PTL but really When is the last time you said
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I? boast in knowing God More than that I boast that he knew me and when you boast in God You realize all self self congratulation and pride and confidence is gone
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William Grinnell said the gospel cuts the very comb of pride when thou hast thy best suit on Christian Remember who paid for it and the
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Lord said to Gideon the people are with you are too many for me to give Midian into Their hands lest Israel become boastful saying my own power has delivered me
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Romans 4 if Abraham was justified by work. He has something to boast about but not before God years ago
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Muhammad Ali Coined the phrase I am the what? Greatest it caught on But we ought to be careful we are spiritual paupers saved by God Naked before God Condemned before God, but his grace intervened
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I read these this week and thought they were kind of interesting your halo only has to slip a few inches to become a noose
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Human body is very sensitive pat a man on the back and his head swells When you sing your own praise you always get the tune too high
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Talk to a man about himself and he'll listen for hours But instead 2nd
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Corinthians 10 let him who boasts boasts in the Lord 1st Corinthians 1 let him who boasts boasts in the
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Lord 2nd Corinthians 12, I will rather gladly boast about my weakness at the power of Christ may dwell within me.
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Let's pray together Father I pray for these dear people that you would give them an opportunity to boast this week
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For those that love to boast about who you are and what your son has done. I pray that you would grant them more of that But father for those that have kind of a quiet faith
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Don't like to talk a lot. I pray that you would help them not to boast about their wisdom
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Not to boast about their might not to boast about their riches But let him who boasts boast of this that he understands and knows me that I am the
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Lord Father I pray for Bethlehem Bible Church and the pastors visiting
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Would you make us resolve to never boast except in the cross of our
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Lord Jesus Christ Through which the world has been crucified to us and to us the world in Jesus name.