He Made Room for Us | Behold Your God Podcast

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Years ago in seminary, and Chuck and Shelton and I were all in seminary at the same time,

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I remember in a class, I think it was probably on spirituality, and it was a class that, you know, just spoke to things that they felt that ministers needed to hear about walking with the

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Lord as a preacher. And one of the things that they talked about one day was a survey that was given to leading preachers, evangelical preachers in the land, with this question, what do you find most difficult in your

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Christian walk in light of being a pastor? And the number one thing that came back was this, that the frequent handling of holy things, the

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Word of God, prayer, worship, that frequent handling that in a professional way would often produce, you know, an attitude in them that would cause you to treat it in a common way.

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So the sacred becomes common by constant contact. Now, unfortunately, that's not limited to ministers.

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It is a real danger for every believer, and it does really require work on your part to have frequent contact with some of the most wonderful facts about God, and particularly as we see

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God in the sending of a son, and yet not to lose, as you grow more acquainted with these facts, not to lose the appropriate wonder, not to lose the ability to be surprised when you read the

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Bible. This morning, I'm going to point to a few facts about Christ and His coming, and none of the things that we're going to talk about this morning would probably be new to us.

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We're going to be looking at what He has done for us in our rescue, but in looking at that, we're also going to be seeing, in a sense, in a mirror image, not just what

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Christ has done in coming, but also it's a picture of what we need, because everything

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He did was for us. And then also, in each of these pictures that we're going to look at of Christ's work, we see something that ought to fashion the

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Christian life. Now, I'm going to use a very simple statement from Psalm 4, but before we get there, we're going to start with the

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Christmas account, since it is the Christmassy season. Now, everyone is probably pretty familiar.

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Last night, Misty and I and Sarah, we watched the Peanuts Christmas show.

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Actually, I met a man that said he was converted watching the Peanuts Christmas show. I don't think that he was, but if you're going to watch a

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Christmas show, Linus' sermon is a pretty good sermon. He just quotes the Scripture. So we were watching that, and you're thinking about Christmassy stuff and family coming in.

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Let's go back in our minds 2 ,000 years ago to probably the year 6

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B .C. The Bible doesn't tell us that Jesus was born on 0 B .C., the year zero, but it's probably either 6 or 4

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B .C. that the birth occurred. Rome issued a decree that a census would be taken, like one of our census every 10 years we have.

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So a census would be taken in the Roman Empire. Every region that they ruled had to take this census, and so in order to take a census, you had to go back to your hometown where you were born, where you grew up.

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That's why we had this very inconvenient and apparently ill -timed journey for Joseph and Mary, and she is very pregnant.

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We know the account. They finally make it to Bethlehem, where they're from, and they go to spend the night.

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There's no room for them in the inn, so they have to go out basically to the stable, and Mary gives birth to the

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Son of God in a stable. Now we all know that account. In fact, we know it so well that it's kind of become a cliché -ish sentimental picture.

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Poor baby Jesus, no room for Him in the inn. Now I have to stop and say right now, you are always on the wrong track if you pity

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Jesus Christ. He is the King of everything, and no matter how poorly

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He was treated, He does not need your pity. Pity yourself. If you do not give

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Him your love, but don't pity Him. So we have this picture of the humility of God, the shocking indifference of creation.

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Christ's mother comes. There's no room for her in the inn. He's born in a stable.

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Now I want to take that picture, no room made for Him, and I want to contrast that to a statement that David makes that we've read before, but we're going to spend more time on it this morning.

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And that takes us all the way back to Psalm 4. One thousand years before there was no room for Mary and Joseph in the inn, the royal ancestor of Jesus, King David, wrote a prayer,

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Psalm 4. It was written during one of those times where David is really troubled.

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We don't know exactly what occasion it was in David's life that made him cry out to God like this.

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So Charles Spurgeon summarizes the entire Psalm. He says this, It is another sweet flower taken from the garden of David's affliction.

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Now Psalm 4 opens with a request. Answer me when I call,

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O God of my righteousness. And then what follows is an argument. And what a wonderful picture of faith.

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God, it's not enough for us to go through the motions to say a prayer. We need you to answer us. And God, here's my argument.

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And I wonder if you believe that God is and that God rewards those that seek

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Him. Do you believe that enough to lay arguments before Him? Look at David's argument, verse 1. You have relieved me in my distress.

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Past kindnesses. God, how frequently you have come to my aid. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer.

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So very simple verse. God, answer me when I call. You're the God of my righteousness.

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You're the God who has relieved me in my distress so many times before. Hear my prayer.

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Now, verse 1, that simple statement. You have relieved me in my distress. Is all that we're going to look at this morning.

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And we're going to use it as kind of a theme. It's a very simple statement. It helps us to understand.

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It helps us to have kind of a window to look through as we consider why Christ was sent.

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But really, we want to go back to the original language. The Greeks were very philosophical.

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We know that. So the Greek language of the New Testament is extremely precise with concepts. The Hebrew people were not philosophers.

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And so the Hebrew language of the Old Testament is very concrete. And I really find that helpful. And this is one of those examples where it is helpful.

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David says, you have relieved me in a time of distress. The word distress is the word for a really tight place.

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So let's not just rush over that. There are times in every person's life where things get really difficult.

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Especially if you're an adult. And you've been an adult for any period of time. Things get particularly difficult.

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And immediately, you begin to kind of sort through a series of plans to get yourself out of a tight place.

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But there are some times in life where no matter what you do, you can't get out of the tight place. And the harder you try, the tighter it gets until you reach a place of utter despair.

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Because it's like being walked into the tightest corner like a crack. And you're there and you can't turn to the left or to the right.

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And you've got no more plans. And you just cry out. And that's the picture in the

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Hebrew. God, in those days when nothing else can help me.

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And I've reached the end of all of my plan B. God, you have.

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You have delivered me. Or relieved me. Now the word relieved matches the picture that David gives there.

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It means to make room for. When I found myself in a tight place.

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And after all my schemes, things got worse and worse until there was just nowhere else to go.

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I couldn't even turn around. You relieved me. You made room for me. So I want to use that phrase as a general description.

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God the Father sent the Son by the Spirit to accomplish everything necessary to make room for you.

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And it's a wonderful contrast, you know, when we compare how He was treated. No room made for Him in the end.

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Room made for us. But let's look at a number of simple ways. Actually, we're just going to look at four this morning.

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Four simple ways that Christ was sent to make room for you. How that shows a picture of His rescue.

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How that shows your need. And how that shows things that ought to fashion the

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Christian life. Alright, so let's just look at them first. Christ shelters us from the wrath of God.

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I think that, you know, when we think of the work of Christ, surely that's what comes first. There is something about our choices.

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It goes deeper than that. There's something about my being that is opposed to God. And God is an infinitely pure and right and just and holy judge.

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God is against what we are. But Christ has been sent to shelter us from the wrath of God.

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And it's such a complete shelter. Room is made for you in that shelter to such a degree that Paul can write in the book of Romans as well as many other places.

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But just think of chapter 8. He starts that chapter by saying, There is now, therefore, no condemnation for those who are in Christ.

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And toward the end of the book, he basically says, It is impossible for anyone to come and to lay your crimes, your sins, which are honest accounts.

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They cannot lay them against you in a way that sticks because the judge is for you.

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Because he's made room for you. How is he made room for us?

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Let me use the simple picture of the Ark. Not the Ark of the Covenant with the Ten Commandments inside that golden box.

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But the Ark of Noah. Christ has made room for us in a spiritual

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Ark. The Ark in the Old Testament was a very wonderful, clear display of two things.

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Of the justice of God let loose. And of the mercy of God that distinguished one family.

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When you think of God's response to the sinfulness of humanity in destroying every human except Noah and his family.

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Do you feel that it's an overreaction? Do you feel it was maybe a bit extreme? Do you think it was probably emotional?

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When we look at the flood, we're watching

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God's perfect choice to send justice forth and to let it have its way.

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It is fair for every human to be drowned. Grandparent, parent, brother, sister, child.

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It is not fairness. It is mercy that Moses and his wife and his three sons and their wives were rescued.

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Try to think correctly about sin. Try to shake the false advertisement that it wears.

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Every sin that you commit. Sin is not just emptiness. Sin is not just a deception.

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Sin is not just something that destroys you and steals and kills. Sin is an offense against God personally.

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We become the object of God's anger as we embrace sin.

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The unrepentant sinner has grabbed hold of like it's life.

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Has grabbed hold of the one thing that God directs His anger against. There is an infinite wrath of God against sin.

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His anger is turned against all that is polluted. It cannot be measured by theologians.

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It cannot be described by angels. It cannot be held in the context of all the galaxies.

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It is incomparably pure and terrifying.

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The wrath of God against your sin is timeless. Past, present and future.

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The only being who is not limited to time is the one being that you live against.

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And the offense is before Him. And outside of the Lord Jesus Christ it will always be before Him.

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It is against the being who is in every place. So wherever you have chosen self over God.

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You have done it with Him in the room. There is an infinite energy in God's wrath.

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Omnipotence. The flood is a very small picture of the justice of God turned toward the rebel.

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Listen to Genesis chapter 6 verse 5. The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth.

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And that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the

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Lord was sorry that He made man on the earth. And it grieved Him to His heart. So the Lord said,

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I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the ground.

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Man and beast and creeping things and birds of the air. For I am sorry that I have made them.

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But Noah found favor in the eyes of the

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Lord. Would have been a terrible scene. Not really appropriate you know for a little children's

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Bible story hour. You can imagine the decades of mocking as over a century.

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Moses is a preacher of righteousness and a builder of a boat. They can't understand why would you want a boat.

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The rains begin. Maybe the mocking stops. And the people as the rains continue and things are beginning to be flooded in the lowlands.

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Can you imagine the response of humanity? Everyone beginning to do plan

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B. Okay so we need a plan here. I'm a dad. I have a family.

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I need a plan for them. I'm a grandparent. I need a plan. I'm a grandson or granddaughter and my elderly grandparents.

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I need a plan for them. How do we get to high ground? And everyone else is trying to get to the same high ground.

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And all the scheming of humanity as the rain continues. And minute by minute or hour by hour and inch by inch and foot by foot the earth is covered.

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And it goes from planning to crying out. To hammering against the side of an ark that God himself closed.

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And Noah can't open. Until the voices are drowned. It was justice.

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Now Christian. That is a very bland picture.

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Of what our sin has earned. Hell. An eternal hell. Will be a clearer one.

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But Christ was sent to make room for you. His enemy.

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In an ark. By the obedience of the humanity of Christ.

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By the death of the son. Where he becomes the object of God's infinite wrath. He endures the full blast of this flood.

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So that you could be sheltered from it. It's an account that we've heard a thousand times. But let's start there.

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There was no room for him in the end. Why was he sent? To make room for you in an ark.

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Let me give you a second picture. Room made for you in his kingdom. When the

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Bible describes our spiritual condition. It doesn't root your condition in your behavior.

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In other words. You're not a sinner because you've done some bad things. And that made you a sinner. And that put you in a bad place with God.

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You are a sinner by nature. And that's why you've been making these choices. And you're.

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In a sense we could say it this way. When it comes to spiritual realities. It's where you live that determines your behavior.

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Not the opposite way. When the Bible describes our spiritual condition.

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It describes us as living in one of two kingdoms. We know this. A kingdom of darkness or a kingdom of light.

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And the kingdom of darkness. Is what you're in. If you're outside of Christ.

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And you're in that kingdom. Whether you're having a good day or a bad day. You can be a very religious person. You can know everything that I'm saying this morning.

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You can be very devout. In a sense very devoted. To being a good person.

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Being a Christian -ish person. But if you're in the kingdom of darkness. It doesn't matter.

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Being in the kingdom of darkness. That defines you. And if you're in the kingdom of light.

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By the kindness of Christ. And you've cast yourself upon him. And he has grabbed hold of you.

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And brought you out of that old slavery. Into the kingdom of God's beloved son.

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Then if you're having a bad day or a good day. In a sense it ultimately doesn't matter. You're in the kingdom of light.

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You may stumble along. Or you may run well. But if you're in the kingdom of light. That defines you.

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Christ came. To make room for his enemies. In the kingdom of light.

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Colossians 1. Paul's in prison. But he writes this. He rescued us from the domain of darkness.

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The tyranny of darkness. And he transferred us. To the kingdom of his beloved son. We know that the

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Bible talks about this. Especially in Romans 6. Recently we saw this.

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You heard this in a sermon. When Jordan Thomas preached. The Bible describes. What sin gives you.

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As enslavement. Now let's think about it honestly. Sin comes to us. And every time it makes promises to us.

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And one of the big promises it makes. Is complete freedom. You can finally do what you want to do.

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Without someone hanging over you. And this is so attractive to us.

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And if you believe it. You need to understand. That the slavery that sin offers you.

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The freedom it offers you. Is not a freedom but a slavery. It will require that you sacrifice everything.

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Think about it. Living for yourself. Just look at humanity. Marriages are sacrificed.

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So an individual can have. What they feel they deserve. Children are sacrificed. So parents can get what they want out of life.

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Grandparents are sacrificed. So the younger generation. Doesn't have to be shackled with caring for them. We risk our reputation.

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We risk losing a job. We risk getting kicked out of a school. We risk going to a prison. Doing things that we know.

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That are risky behavior. But we do them because sin promises me. If I'll just do this.

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It will free me. And I'll have everything I want. And deserve. And at the end of life it pays.

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With slavery. Remember what

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Paul wrote in Romans 6. What benefit were you then. Deriving from the things.

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Of which now you are ashamed. For the outcome of those things is death. So it's a pretty simple picture isn't it.

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You lived for yourself. Thinking it would bring freedom. What did it actually give you.

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Paul says. Well that slavery. Brought you embarrassment and shame.

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And ultimately death. But Christ was sent. No room for Christ.

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True. But he makes room for his enemies. In a kingdom of light. He transfers us.

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Nobody immigrates. He goes into a kingdom of darkness. And he brings us into the kingdom of his grace.

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What's grace? It's a realm in which you are ruled. There is an authority there.

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The king rules you. No less authoritatively than sin rules you. But the king rules you.

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By his friendship. And it's such a perfect rule. That slavery to Christ.

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Is preferable to the false freedom of sin. Every time. Let me give you a third thing that Christ came.

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Was sent to make room for sin. And that's in a family. When we think of sin.

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And we think of it in legal terms. We think of guilt before a law. Guilt before a judge.

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But when we think of it in personal terms. Relational terms. We think of alienation. Sin creates a distance between you.

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And the God. You can't afford to be distant from. He's the source of our life.

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Not just the one that created us. But the one that makes getting out of bed. Something more than.

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You know just going through the motions. So the God who is our life. Is distant from us.

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Because of sin. Christ comes. To remove the offense. The alienation.

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So that you could be brought. Do you remember what Andrew Davis told us? Brought out of the what?

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Out of the courtroom. Into the family room. Sin has put us all in the wrong family.

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And Christ has made it. So God can adopt us. Legally. Rightly. Without altering anything in God.

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Now there are many of you. Many of us who have been adopted. In this church. And it's a wonderful, wonderful picture.

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Of the way God loves us. Not always. But often. Adoptions happen because.

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The child was in a situation. In a home. Or in a family situation that is so dangerous.

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That our government. Intervenes and says. It is not. It would not be right. It would be criminal to allow the child.

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To stay in this situation. And so they remove the child from the family. And the child is made available.

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To be adopted into a safe home. When Adam and Eve.

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Chose self over God. When they believed the tempter over their creator. When they felt that they had the right.

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To do what they want. So that they could be like God. In a sense. The entire family was corrupted.

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And every one of us. Every one of you were born in the wrong family. You have a.

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Everyone in that family has certain traits. That are similar. They all have the same attitude. They talk the same way.

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They think the same way. They like the same things. They react the same way. And it's all.

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Alienated from God. And if you think you can go to God and say. At some point in life. God.

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I've come here to strike a bargain. Now I know I haven't done so well. In these past years.

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But I've got an idea. For how we can make things right. Before it gets too bad. If you could think of it in a very concrete way.

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You come to the gates. Of the courthouse of God. And you beat on it and say.

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I want an audience with the king. I have a deal. I want to offer him. And if the royal messenger.

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Meets you and say. What's your name? Son of Adam. Daughter of Adam.

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I'm sorry. You can't enter. Do you think that you have a right. To present a deal.

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To God. It's crazy to think that. He would accept it. But do you think your voice would even be heard.

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We're from the wrong family. Everyone in our family has been against him. And the inheritance.

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That we all expect is pretty bitter. But Christ was sent. No room for him in the end.

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That's true. But he was sent to make room for his enemies. In his own family.

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Galatians 4. We read this. When the fullness of time came. God sent forth his son.

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Born of a woman. Born under the law. So that.

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He might redeem. Rescue. Purchase. Those who were under the law. That we might receive.

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The adoption as sons. I'll give you a fourth picture. Christ making room for us.

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At his table. This is helpful because. Sin also. It doesn't just offer us freedom.

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It offers us satisfaction. It offers us. Every satisfaction that we think we need for happiness.

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Everything you want. So think of it in the terms of food. You can have all you want. Of what you want.

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Right now. No restrictions. But has sin ever kept it's word to you.

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Even once. Has sin ever kept it's word to anyone. In the history of humanity.

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Look around. The only explanation. For what you see on the news. Is that humanity is a species.

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That's starving. Internally. And we're scraping. And cruelly trampling.

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Anybody that gets in our way. In the pursuit of some table. That would feed us.

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And every table we run up to. It's like a mirage. It looked like it was full. And we get there and there's nothing.

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We're feasting. On the dust. That people have feasted on before us. If you go

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Christmas shopping in a big city. So not Tupelo. Bigger city. Have you ever been

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Christmas shopping. And so you know the city is all decked out. In pretty lights. And you go to the place where there are the nice shops.

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And you're walking down. You know the street that has all the nice shops. And you've been in there.

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Buying something for a spouse. Or a kid or a parent. And you walk out. And there's that awkward moment.

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Because you've just spent more money than you probably meant to. And there's a homeless person. With a sign saying that they're starving.

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Or someone begging. That you just give them a few dollars for a meal. Humanity is very much like that.

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But imagine this. Imagine a beggar who has begged for so long. But because they are so. Foul looking.

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Their appearance. Their smell. It's terrible. People look at them. And it's just easier to pretend like you didn't see them.

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And you just grab the kids and walk another direction. Anything to keep from walking by them. And so the beggar begs.

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But no one listens. And the beggar reaches a place. Where there's such complete and utter despair.

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And they know they're just going to starve. That they stop begging. And they just pull themselves off the main street.

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And go down some dark alley. And they figure it'd only be a few days. Before they're dead. Why bother asking anymore?

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Now imagine that a wealthy man. Is having a. A Christmas party. And he's inviting all the wealthy people.

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Of the big city. And he sends out an invitation. But all the wealthy people. Like most of us are just too busy.

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They say well I would come. But actually I already have plans. So no wealthy person accepts the invitation.

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And he spent all this money. On this spread. This banquet. So he sends out his employees.

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And says I want you to take the day off. At lunch. You're going to end early. Because your job is before you go home.

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To go out into the streets. You find every homeless person you can. And tell them they can come. To my house for the banquet.

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And they come and they get the man. And they bring him. When he shows up he's embarrassed. He's so nasty.

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The wealthy man comes and takes him. And says friend I invited you in. Yeah but look at me. Come with me.

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He washes him up. He gives him his own clothes. He tells him he can sit at the table.

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And eat as much as he wants. He introduces him to the other people. This is my new friend so and so. He's welcome here.

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Well you know where I'm getting all that. Matthew 22. Christ gives a parable. The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king.

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Who gave a wedding feast for his son. He sends out the invitations. None of the important people respond.

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Go therefore. He says to his servants. To the main highways and as many as you find there.

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Invite to the wedding feast. And those slaves went out into the streets. And they gathered together all they found.

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Evil people and good. And the wedding hall was filled.

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Filled with dinner guests. Now. That sounds really encouraging.

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So we say to ourselves well. I'll just say to God okay. I'll take it you know. I'm kind of hungry.

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Life's leaving me pretty miserable. Now I know Christmas is coming. And generally we have this kind of crazy optimism.

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That Christmas will fill me up. But what about the day after. And everything bottoms out. And you feel those hunger pains.

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That gnawing. Emptiness. That nothing is stopping. And you think well

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I'll just tell God fine. What you got there I'll take it. But there's a requirement. Why would any of us be allowed in there.

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Listen to the rest of the parable. When the king came. To look over the dinner guests. Bad people and good people.

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He saw a man. Who was not dressed in wedding clothes. And he said to him friend.

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How did you come in here without wedding clothes. It's not dressed appropriately. And the man was speechless.

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Then the king said to the servants. Bind him hand and foot. Throw him out.

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Into the utter darkness. In that place where there will be weeping. And gnashing of teeth. If we come to God.

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When we feel hungry. And we say well sure. I mean if Jesus has just given handouts. I'll take them. What right do you have.

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None. You'll never dress. Appropriately for God.

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But Christ came. To make room at his table. To give us the wedding clothes.

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His righteousness. Now those are four simple pictures. Let me give a quick application.

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I mentioned that these obviously. Are four pictures of what Christ has done. In rescuing us.

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He makes room for us in these ways. And there are others. But let's think about how they are also a picture of your need.

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I don't mean you. If you're not a Christian. I mean all of you. Because whether you came to Christ 40 years ago.

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Last week. Or you still hold him at arms length. We're still needy. Even after we embrace

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Christ. These needs continue. The wonderful fact is that the provision continues. It wasn't just a one time thing.

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We live in this atmosphere of grace. Where God is constantly being to us.

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All that we need. So in a sense you could say. Christ is continually. Continually making room.

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So let's think of our need. You are facing. A flood of wrath.

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And you can't get into the ark. No matter what you do. I mean what would you do.

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Just to convince God. To not judge you. To judge every other human.

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But to pass you by. To be an unjust judge. And to say well I just won't pay attention. You are in a kingdom of darkness.

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And you cannot migrate from the kingdom of darkness. To the kingdom of light. You might throw a ladder up against the wall.

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And say well this ladder. With 10 rungs. 10 commandments. I'll be a better me.

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I'll do better this year. And you start to climb the 10 commandments. To get over the wall. To go out of the kingdom of darkness.

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And into the kingdom of light. And about half way up the enemy comes. And breaks the rungs off. And beats you at them.

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I mean we just can't do it. You can't get yourself.

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Adopted into a royal family. It's obvious isn't it. You can't get an invitation.

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To the banquet. You can't find the appropriate clothing. Why would you waste another hour.

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Trying to provide. Room for yourself in this way. When there is only one that can.

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So what do you do. You turn to him. You open the scriptures. You lock yourself in your bedroom.

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You get on your knees and you say to him. I have no hope but you. Have you made room for me.

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It says here. In all these ways. That you do this for your enemy. So I hand all to you.

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And I want to. Grab hold of all that you are. Because I trust what you say.

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What about for the Christian. How do these things shape the Christian life. Let me ask you. How are the normal desires.

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Choices. Responses. When you are ready for something. And when you are not ready for it.

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It's kind of a knee jerk response. How are all those fashioned for you. If you are a Christian. Have you memorized.

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A few. A few. You know memory verses. With rules in them.

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Have you memorized 10, 20, 30 Christian rules. And so you wake up every morning. And say this is how

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I live my Christian life. This is how I change my thinking. And my choices and my words.

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I have a long list of rules. You ever read. It's coming up on New Years. Have you ever read Jonathan Edwards New Years resolutions.

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I totally give up. I read that. I don't even make it through the list. And I say I give up. Forget it. I fail.

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I can't even read the list. I mean is that how you live a Christian life. I have 40 or 50 resolutions.

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And I just get up and I remind myself. Now maybe you have that kind of brain. But I just can't imagine living the

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Christian life that way. The Christian life. While there are rules. And patterns for us to follow.

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It seems to me that. Most of us are fashioned. By the great realities.

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That we believe. So just take these four. And think of how they fashion a life.

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You wake up tomorrow morning. And as you are swinging your leg out of the bed. And putting it on the floor.

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You think of this. He made room for me. To shelter me.

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From his wrath. And the sins I committed yesterday. And sadly.

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The sins I may do today. These will. Though it's sad that they exist. They will not bring me under his wrath again.

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There is no condemnation for me. Because he made room for me in his ark. And so there is such a happiness there.

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And a gratitude. That it shapes the way you think. And do. And choose.

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Think about the other one. He made room for me. In his kingdom. I have a king.

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But a king of love. Who knows everything I need. Provides everything I need. Why should I go about worrying.

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And disobeying. And trying to fix my own life. It shapes your life. If you wake up and realize.

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I'm in a kingdom of light. Ruled by this king of love. He's made room for me in his family.

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Why do I act like the worldling. As if no one loves me. And takes care of me. He makes room for me at his table.

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Why do I believe the lies of the enemy. That if I don't eat what sin offers. I'll be starving.

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Noble yes. Noble but starving. These are lies. And so the

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Christian wakes up. And lives on the realities. And it shapes our thoughts. It shapes what

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I want out of a day. It shapes how I respond. To people in my home. If you don't.

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Live on those. If faith doesn't. Grab those. And see what

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God has revealed. To be real for you. Christian. Then think of how that produces a life of sin.

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Waking up. I fail to remind myself. That he's made room for me in the ark. And so aware that I still sin.

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I live far from him. Hiding out in the shadowy edges. Spiritually. Not walking near to him.

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Thinking he would never want to see me. It's a sure formula for sin. Fearing that I have no king.

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Because I disobeyed that king. Fearing maybe I'm not in that kingdom. I live by what

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I think I should do. By what I think is right in my own eyes. Fearing I have no father.

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That would love me. I scratch around the planet. To provide for myself. Fearing that there's no place for me.

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At the table anymore. I feed on sin and selfishness. So the

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Christian's life. Is shaped by these realities. When we live by faith. What is faith? Do you remember.

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Did you get one of those little books. By Wilcox. The Honey from the

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Rock of Christ. Every family should have gotten one. Did you see the bookmark in there. By John Calvin. Wonderful quote from Calvin.

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Faith is not a distant view. So when we say live by faith. We're not saying. Well these four things will be true one day.

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So I see them at a great distance. And I tell myself. Behave yourself. One day these are going to be true.

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Calvin gives such a simple definition of faith here. Faith is not a distant view.

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But a warm embrace of Christ. All four things.

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These four simple pictures. When a Christian wakes up and lives on them. What are you doing? It is the warm embrace of Christ.

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And it changes everything. Now to him. Who is able to keep you from stumbling.

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And to make you stand. In the presence of his glory. Blameless. With great joy.

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To the only God our Savior. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Be glory.

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Majesty. Dominion and authority. Before all time. And now. And forever.