[0:00] Our scripture today is from the book of Acts, chapter 13, starting at verse 13. Now Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia.
[0:15] And John left them and returned to Jerusalem, but they went on from Perga and came to Antioch in Pisidia. And on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down.
[0:26] After reading from the law and the prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent a message to them saying, brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, say it.
[0:39] So Paul stood up and motioning with his hand said, men of Israel and you who fear God, listen. The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt.
[0:56] And with uplifted arm, he led them out of it. And for about 40 years, he put up with them in the wilderness. And after destroying seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land as an inheritance.
[1:12] All this took about 450 years. And after that, he gave them judges until Samuel the prophet. Then they asked for a king and God gave them Saul, the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin for 40 years.
[1:29] And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king of whom he testified and said, I have found in David, the son of Jesse, a man after my heart who will do all my will.
[1:45] Of this man's offspring, God has brought to Israel a savior, Jesus, as he promised. Before his coming, John had proclaimed a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.
[1:58] And as John was finishing his course, he said, what do you suppose that I am? I am not he, but no, behold, after me, one is coming.
[2:12] The sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie. Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham and those among you who fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation.
[2:26] For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognize him, nor understand the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him.
[2:41] And though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have him executed. And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb.
[2:54] But God raised him from the dead. And for many days, he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people.
[3:07] And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, this he has fulfilled to us, their children, by raising Jesus. And as for the fact that he raised him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, he was spoken, he has spoken in this way.
[3:33] I will give you the holy and sure blessing of David. Therefore, he says also in another psalm, you will not let your holy one see corruption.
[3:44] For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption. But he whom God raised up did not see corruption.
[3:58] Let it be known to you, therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. And by him, everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.
[4:14] Beware, therefore, lest what is said in the prophets should come about. Look, you scoffers, be astounded and perish, for I am doing a work in your days, a work that you will not believe, even if one tells it to you.
[4:31] As they went out, the people begged that these things might be told them the next Sabbath. And after the meeting of the synagogue broke up, many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who, as they spoke with them, urged them to continue in the grace of God.
[4:51] This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Exciting to continue through the book of Acts, which is a historic narrative in the New Testament.
[5:08] And what you have in historic narratives is usually longer sections of text which tell a story. You've heard stories of the three bears and that big bad wolf, right?
[5:24] And each story has a length. It has a beginning. It has an end. And usually within that story has a turning point. And we're going to look at this narrative today together as a section of passage.
[5:38] I got to ask you a question. Where in the world did a sermon become so important within the Christian life?
[5:50] When did this all become important? Sermon. Is this component of our worship as a gathered church that vital?
[6:03] A sermon. Looking back to the corporate worship of the nation of Israel, if you were to look back with me in your mind to sort of two periods of time, pre-exilic Israel and post-exilic Israel.
[6:22] So looking back at pre-exilic Israel back in the day, you would see the gathered people of Israel.
[6:34] You'd see sacrifices. You'd see rituals. You'd see prayers. You'd see singing. You'd even see reading of the Word of God. But you wouldn't see a sermon.
[6:44] However, after the fall of Jerusalem, the sermon, as we might call it, began to take shape as the hunger grew for the Old Testament.
[7:00] To treasure its truth. To treasure its history. To treasure the words of the prophets. Of what is to come. And regular worship not only then held the reading of God's Word, just as it was just read, but it would be followed by a sermon.
[7:23] An exposition of what that meant. And as the corporate life of the Jewish worship developed, it became fairly predictable.
[7:34] You would have the reading of the Shema. They'd be repeating the Shema. Deuteronomy 6, 4-5. They would go to expressions of praise then. Expressions of praise to God.
[7:46] And the reading of the Old Testament, followed by a sermon. An explanation of meaning. An application. An application. Of the text that was just read.
[8:01] We enter into that point here in Acts 13. Starting in verse 13. Do you see that occurring here? Let's read it together real quick.
[8:12] To refresh your mind. I want you to see what's going on here. This is post-exilic time period. In the gathering of the church. In verse 13 and 14.
[8:23] The scene is setting up as a transition. Barnabas and Paul are back in Antioch. And they're in the synagogue. And in verse 15.
[8:33] After the reading from the law. And the prophets. The rulers of the synagogue sent a message to them saying. Brothers. If you have any word of encouragement for the people.
[8:48] Say it. Calling for a sermon. Amen. And so Paul stood up. And motioned with his hands.
[8:58] Now you guys can't say anything about me with my hands. Paul did it. Deal with it. Paul stood up.
[9:09] Motioned with his hands. And began to speak. And so Paul preaches his first sermon in the synagogue.
[9:22] A sermon that would continue a international movement of God. Just as what was sparked in Jerusalem by Peter's first sermon.
[9:33] That sent the word forth. And now it is spreading through the end of the earth. Gentile region. And guess what?
[9:44] The very words of this sermon. Reaches our seats today. And our gathering even today. Isn't that incredible? They will be unpacking a sermon.
[9:57] This is going to be a sermon on a sermon. How about that? And so this passage is going to invite you to accept the invitation that this sermon proclaims.
[10:14] The sermon title today, we need not a lecture, but a sermon. Let's pray. Father, make your word a swift word.
[10:33] Passing from the ear to the heart. From the heart to the lip. In conversation. That as the rain returns, not empty.
[10:46] So neither may your word. But accomplish that for which it is given to us. Do your work today, Lord.
[10:57] We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. A sermon on a sermon. I'm going to break this passage out into three points.
[11:10] The first point is that a sermon unfolds God's promise according to history. A sermon unfolds God's promise according to history.
[11:22] And we see that from verse 16 all the way to 25. And now those who have poured into my life, into my pastoral preaching endeavors, I've heard it said this way.
[11:41] That a sermon is a well-played game of chess. I don't know if you connect with the chess illustration.
[11:53] But I certainly do. A sermon is a well-played game of chess. It's through movements. It's through moves. Through anticipating an end. Through argumentation.
[12:05] It finds the last move of a sermon is calling checkmate upon hearers. This is what Paul begins to do here in his sermon.
[12:16] From verse 16 all the way to verse 25. Paul makes three strategic moves to his audience. Three moves in this chess match.
[12:30] He addresses the audience. Men of Israel and you who fear God. This makes known that this is a Jewish audience. And also those men who fear God.
[12:43] Is a reference to Gentile converts. Proselytes. Proselytes. People who have gone through the motions and converted to Judaism. Circumcision and all. It took blood to convert.
[12:59] Men of Israel and those who fear God. You who fear God. You could imagine the looks around the room. What does this guy want?
[13:10] This seems pretty authoritative. He says listen. Listen. And as this passage informs. It's almost to say listen.
[13:24] Friends. We got a problem. We have a big problem. We have a problem of following God's path.
[13:36] And so he makes a first move in verse 17. He explains how God's promise has been carried out by the patriarchs. Leaders.
[13:48] And the nation of Israel was intended to follow. And so God of Israel. He chose them. In verse 17. He set them apart in verse 17.
[14:02] He led them. Out of slavery. God did it. In 17. But the problem in verse 18 still existed.
[14:13] Did it not? And for 40 years. He put up with them. In the wilderness. He makes a second move.
[14:24] God's promise was carried out. Through conquering enemies. Through Joshua. Through the days of the judges.
[14:37] God gave them an inheritance. To have in verse 19. Until God gave them judges. To guide them. Until Samuel.
[14:48] To what? Guide them. To what? The problem still existed. Because at the end of judges. It pretty clearly indicates. That they did what was right.
[15:02] In their own eyes. He makes this third move. As Paul stands up in this synagogue. That God's promise was then carried out.
[15:14] Through David. In verse 22. Verse 21. God gave them. A yearn for king. He gave him Saul. We got to remember.
[15:25] From our first Samuel series. That wasn't a good thing. That was. Saul was an object of judgment to them. Because in their asking for a king. They were rejecting.
[15:35] The almighty king of kings. They had a king. And so the problem. Still existed. For them.
[15:45] They had a king. First Samuel. Chapter 8. And then we get to verse 23. He says. Of this man's offspring.
[15:57] David's offspring. God has brought to Israel. A savior. Jesus. As. He promised.
[16:12] God did it. God did it. God. God. God. Throughout the history. Of this nation. Of Israel. The fullness. Of God's promise. Was preparing.
[16:23] Humanity. For the incarnation. Of Jesus Christ. The lack. Of following. The sin. The wandering. The apostasy. Was all.
[16:34] Proclaiming. That we cannot. Achieve salvation. On our own. Behalf. We need. God. To do it. Jesus. From Moses.
[16:44] All the way. To the Messiah. It was. Jesus Christ. Whom humanity. Truly. Longed for. It was. Jesus. In the wilderness.
[16:55] It was Jesus. In the monarch. And it was Jesus. Whom. David. Foreshadowed. To. This was. This was the greatest.
[17:05] Intervention. Of God. On behalf. Of humanity. Reflecting. On this passage. And this sermon. So far. If there is one thing.
[17:19] We can reflect on. At this point. I think. Is that. We're habitually. Problem. Makers. We're habitually. Pushing. Against.
[17:29] The mold. In our lives. That God. Desires. For us. To follow. We're pushing. Against that.
[17:40] So much. And this passage. This sermon. Begins to make that clear. Not only to the audience. Then. But also. To us.
[17:51] Today. God might even. Give us. A perfect. Ruler. That. Looks as. Wonderful. As David. And conquers. And does. All of our bidding.
[18:02] We're in a presidential year. You know what I'm talking about. That we might get. Anybody. That we might long for. To fix things. But even. At times.
[18:12] Of our asking. In those instances. Might that actually. Be a rejection. Of God. The almighty. Ruler. Over us. We have a sinful itch.
[18:30] And it's a humbling reminder. That John the Baptist. Recognized in verse 25. Did he not? He says. What do you suppose?
[18:42] That I am. I am not he. No. But behold. After me. One is coming. The sandals of those feet. I am. Not worthy.
[18:54] To untie. John the Baptist. The sinful itch. But do you. Know. The sinful itch. Church.
[19:04] We ought to realize. That the greatest promise. Of God. In our lives. Is not necessarily. Being healed. From a disease. It's not. To. Have. And acquire.
[19:15] More things. That. God. Blesses us with. Not. Provisions. Of good leaders. Even. The greatest promise. Of God. In all history.
[19:25] Is found. In the person. And the work. Of Jesus Christ. Is the ultimate. Promise. That we can. Set our hope. And our sights. Upon.
[19:37] Salvation. Through Jesus Christ. Paul makes three moves. As he unfolds. God's promise.
[19:47] According to. History. But he makes. More moves. And he follows. Along with. An argument. In point. In point. Two. A sermon. Unpacks.
[19:57] The fulfillment. Of God's. Promise. We see that. From verse. 26. To 37. After making.
[20:08] Those three moves. Regarding. History. Paul. Uses. Another set. Of three. To drive. His argument. Home. But points.
[20:19] To scripture. Now. Not history. But now. Scripture. Directly. Making. Three. References. To. Scripture. You wonder. Why us. Baptist.
[20:29] Preachers. Are three point. Preachers. You can blame. Paul. With his. Threes. Right. So. In verse 26. Paul. Readdresses. His audience. Again.
[20:40] Are you ready. For the argument. Essentially. Let's argue. He says. The Jews. And the proselytes. Son. Of the.
[20:51] Family. Of Abraham. In verse 26. And. Again. Proselytes. Those who. Fear. God. What do we do now? You simply.
[21:02] Receive. The message. Of. Salvation. Right? Doesn't that seem. So simple. The message. Of salvation. Is.
[21:13] Jesus. Christ. It was. Rejected. By the Jewish people. In verse 27. By devout Jewish rulers. Who knew the scriptures. They knew how it was supposed to unfold.
[21:26] And they rejected him. They couldn't see past themselves. They manipulated the Roman government. To execute Jesus. In verse 28. And we see that he was put to death.
[21:39] He was buried. In verse 29. But. In verse 29. But. As verse 27. So clearly says. This verse stuck out with me. The entire week. Their condemning of Jesus.
[21:52] Was fulfilling. Every word. Of scripture. Try to understand that one. God. To. God. To.
[22:03] For. To. The incarnation. Of Jesus. Christ. Just the incarnation. Dwelling in humanity. Solve. The problem. Of.
[22:14] The nation of Israel. Following God's way. No. So what did God do? God raised him. From the dead.
[22:25] In verse 30. He appeared. In verse 31. And he sent apostles. To spread the testimony. All throughout. The world.
[22:36] Of that good news. And Paul makes these three additional. Argumentation. Moves. In using scripture. As its fulfillment.
[22:48] And we see that in verse. 32. And we bring you. Good news. That what God promised. To. The fathers. What does he say? He makes his first argument.
[23:00] Verse 33. Which is a reference. From Psalm. 2. This he has fulfilled. To us. Their children. By raising. Jesus.
[23:11] As also. It is written. In the second. Psalm. You are my son. Today. I have. Begotten. You. Paul takes them.
[23:22] To the baptism. Of Jesus Christ. Where Psalm. 2. Was fulfilled. What was the baptism. Of Jesus Christ. That was the public.
[23:34] Declaration. As he came out of water. That it was. Testified. He is the son. Of God. And they all heard it.
[23:47] The next argument. Is in verse 34. For. And as for. The fact. That he raised him. From the dead. This is. He raised him.
[23:57] Out of water. No. More. To return. To corruption. He has spoken. In this way. I will give you. The holy. And sure. Blessings. Of David.
[24:07] That's. Out of. Isaiah. 55. Paul takes them. To the resurrection. Now. Not just. Jesus. Coming out. Of the water. As a public. Declaration.
[24:18] Of who he is. Now. He takes them. To the resurrection. Of him. Coming out. Of the grave. As another. Public declaration. Of who he is.
[24:31] Being raised. From the dead. Publicly. Declares. A fulfillment. Of scripture. This is the. Davidic. King. There is no. Question. About it.
[24:42] And the final. Arguments. In these. Passes. In this passage. In verse 35. Therefore. He says. Also. In another psalm. You will not let your.
[24:54] Holy one. See corruption. For David. After he had. Served the. Purpose of God. In his own generation. Fell asleep. And. Was laid. With his fathers.
[25:05] And saw. Corruption. This is a reference. Out of psalm 16. And Paul takes them. To the promise. Jesus Christ.
[25:17] Is greater than David. Is greater than David. He didn't see. Corruption. David. Was sinful. Jesus Christ. Did not see.
[25:28] Corruption. He wasn't sinful. He was perfect. He was the perfect. Spotless. Lamb. Who was executed. By who? The Jewish people.
[25:38] The same people. Who are wandering. In the wilderness. The same people. Who rejected God. As king.
[25:50] The same people. Who are rejecting Jesus. Why is Paul making these. Moves. This argumentation. He's clarifying.
[26:02] God's initiative. In salvation. Is guided by his hand. According. To his promise. To people.
[26:14] Who have quite a historical. Problem. You see. Jesus Christ is the. Only. Solution.
[26:26] To the problem. That history reveals. If only. His people. Would follow. God's. Path. You see.
[26:38] The death. And the resurrection. Of Jesus Christ. Is the central. Interpretive. Point. Of all history. Of all scripture. The death.
[26:49] And resurrection. Is the central. Interpretive. Center. Of everything. In life. And when we realize this.
[26:59] When we sit back. With these people. In the synagogue. And we're like. Oh. Well. Fancy you say that.
[27:10] I never thought about it. That way. I guess we do have. Quite a problem. Well. Leaves us. With quite an obstacle. And it has nothing. To do. With what God has done.
[27:22] It has everything. To do. What we have done. It poses a question. What do we do? And for that. We see the point.
[27:32] Three. A sermon. Exposes. The remedy. To our problem. He says. In verse 38. And this is just like. In a narrative.
[27:43] That has a scene. That sets up. All the characters. And places. And then it has a. A resolution. We're at like. The turning point. Right now. In the narrative. About to.
[27:54] Make a turning point. And so. In every narrative. We ought to pay attention. I'm asking you. To pay attention. At this. Point. A sermon.
[28:05] Exposes. The remedy. Of our problem. We see this. From verse 32. Through 43. To the end. In verse 38. We see. Let it be known. To you. Therefore.
[28:15] Brothers. That through this man. Forgiveness of sins. Is proclaimed to you. And by him. Everyone. Who believes. Is freed.
[28:25] From everything. That which. You could not. Be freed. By the law. Of Moses. You're doing it wrong. He's saying.
[28:38] You don't need a lecture. You need a sermon. In other words. In Jesus Christ. Is the means.
[28:50] And the end. Of which sins. Are forgiven. And it's done. It's paid for. At the cross. We're justified. At his resurrection.
[29:02] That everyone. Who believes. Is freed. From that which. History. And scripture. Reveals. That we are bound to. Everyone.
[29:14] Who believes. Is freed. From that which. History. And scripture. Prove. That we are bound to. In other words. It's God's path. It's God's plan. God's promise.
[29:27] Found in Jesus Christ. The law of Moses. Says. Do. And guess what? Jesus Christ.
[29:38] Did. And now the gospel. Of Jesus. Says. Done. And Jesus Christ. Has done it. Not us.
[29:50] This. Is. Good. News. For those. Who can get. Past. The obstacle. Of self.
[30:03] He says. If. A sermon. Is a well played. Game of chess. Paul calls. Checkmate here. Makes his final move.
[30:16] Verse 40. Beware. Therefore. Lest. What is said. In the prophets. Should come about. Verse 41. Look. You. Scoffers. Be.
[30:27] Astounded. And. Perish. For. I am doing. A work. In your days. A work. That you. Will. Not.
[30:38] Believe. Even. If. One. Tells it. To you. You. You. Know. You. That's out of. Habakkuk. One. Verse.
[30:49] Five. It's. Checkmate. Indeed. Even. If. One. Stands. In. The. Synagogue. And. Tells.
[31:00] You. Can you. Imagine. The look. On. These. People's. Faces. Can you. Imagine. The. Ruler. Of. This. Synagogue. Just. Simply.
[31:10] Went. Through. The motions. Of. Any. Other. Day. Of. Gathering. Looking. For. A word. Of. Encouragement. And. What. He. Got. Was. A. Warning.
[31:21] I mean. I'm. Sure. He. Was. Going. Around. The. Sound. Booth. Turn. That. Mic. Off. Turn. It. Off. Fire. The. Whole. Tech. Team. Close. The. Synagogue. Paul.
[31:34] Calls. Checkmate. In. This. Last. Scripture. Reference. As. The. Sermonic. Chess. Match. Comes. To. An. End. And. You know. It's. Unclear.
[31:44] Here. At. This. In. This. Passage. But. I. Would. Bet. You. As. The. Reading. Of. The. Law. And. The. Prophets. Was. Read. And. Then. They. Ask. For. Someone. To. Provide.
[31:54] Encouragement. In. The. Synagogue. I. Wonder. If. Habakkuk. Was. The. Scripture. That. Was. Read. Previously. Of. Which. Paul. Is.
[32:05] Expounding. Upon. Which. Paul. Is. Explaining. I. Can't. Die. On. That. Hill. Because. It's. Not. Clearly. Indicated. But. It. Makes. Me. Wonder. Of. How. He. He.
[32:15] Says. Therefore. Lest. What. Is. Said. In. The. Prophets. Should. Come. About. Habakkuk. Is. A. Book. That. Looks. Back. To. The. Work. Of.
[32:26] God. And. Israel. Rejecting. It. So. Might. Paul. Be. Explaining. Expositing. It. Applying. It. I.
[32:37] Would. Say. So. You. See. This. Synagogue. Did. Not. Need. A. Lecture. They. Didn't. Need. A. Lecture. They. Needed. A. Sermon. They.
[32:47] Needed. Application. They. Needed. Transformation. They. Needed. An. Invitation. They. Need. Truth. Truth. About. What? Truth. About. The. Gospel.
[32:58] Of. Jesus. Christ. By. The. Power. Of. The. Holy. Spirit. This. Sermon. Was. Definitely. Not. Expected. But. God. Expected.
[33:08] Them. To. Hear. Remember. They. Desired. A. Word. Of. Encouragement. And. God. Desired. To. Give. Them. A. Warning. How.
[33:18] Loving. Is. Our. God. To. Warn. Us. Of. The. Catastrophe. That. Waits. Ahead. If.
[33:29] We. Do. Not. Believe. History. And. Scripture. Both. Attests. That. We. Don't. Know. What. We. Need. Quite. Like. God. And.
[33:39] This. Passage. This. Sermon. Clearly. Makes. That. Come. To. Life. From. Moses. To. The. Monarch. To. Messiah. God.
[33:50] Has. Been. Revealing. And. Working. Out. Our. Problem. Through. History. According. To. Scripture.
[34:01] And. The. Problem. Then. Is. With. Our. Faith. The. Problem. Is. In. Our. Following. Did you get that? The. Problem. Is.
[34:12] Us. We. Are. The. Obstacle. And. So. As. They. Went. Out. In. Verse. Forty. Three. And. On.
[34:23] Or. Verse. Forty. Two. And. On. They. Went. Out. The. People. Begged. That. These. Things. Might. Be. Told. To. Them. The. Next. Sabbath. Look. Paul's. Got. Another.
[34:33] Preaching. Engagement. Just. Fresh. Out. Of. The. Press. Being. Converted. Barnabas. Is. Like. Hey. I. Want. A. Preaching. Engagement. We'll. See.
[34:43] That. Tension. Kind. Of. Come. About. In. The. Book. Of. Acts. Between. Saul. Or. Paul. And. Barnabas. But. They. Wanted. Him. To. Come. Back. There. Was. An. Eagerness. To. Hear. More.
[34:53] Of. It. There. Is. An. Eagerness. To. Gather. And. To. Hear. That. In. Verse. 43. And. After. The. Meeting. Of. The. Synagogue. Broke. Up. Many. Jews. And. Guess. What. Devout.
[35:04] Converts. Of. Judaism. Those. Proselytes. Those. Who. Feared. God. Didn't. Follow. Judaism. Anymore. They.
[35:15] Followed. Paul. And. Barnabas. These. Men. Were. Christ. Who. As. They. Spoke. With.
[35:25] Them. Paul. Urged. Them. To. Continue. In. The. Grace. Of. God. Continue. In. The. Grace. Of. God. This.
[35:39] Profoundly. Shook. This. Synagogue. Steel Valley Church. Do you. Sense. The. Tremors. Of. The. Gospel. In. Our.
[35:49] Church. Today. We. Should. Because. It's. Still. Moving. Still. Working. Are you. Aware. Of. The. Invitation.
[35:59] That. This. Gospel. Brings. This. Sermon. Has. All. Sermons. That.
[36:10] Are. Ever. Proclaims. If. It's. A. Sermon. On. A. Sermon. Or. A. Sermon. On. Another. Passage. These. Sermons. Are. Vital. To.
[36:21] Be. Followed. According. To. God's. Word. It. Shook. Them. And. Sermons. Shake. Us. So. This.
[36:31] Ought. To. Hit. The. Conscience. Of. Many. Unbelievers. If. If. There's. Any. Unbelievers. Gathered. Here. With. Us. Today. Or. Maybe. On. The. Live. Stream. It. Ought. To. Hit. The. Conscience. Of.
[36:42] Those. I. Mean. What. Do. Do. With. Your. Look.
[36:53] At. The. Rejection. Of. Jesus. Christ. Even. On. This. Earth. Even. Though. He. Was. Baptized. And. Publicly. Declared. Who. He. Was. Even. Though. He. Was. Eyewitness. By.
[37:04] So. Many. People. On. Earth. Publicly. Testify. Who. He. Was. What. Do. You. Do. With. The. Guilt. That. None. Of. That. Is. Good. Enough. For. You. What.
[37:14] Do. Do. With. It. Well. It's. A. Question. That. No. Drug. That. You. Can. Take. On. This. Earth. Can. Mask. It's.
[37:26] A. Question. That. No. Amount. Of. Pornography. Could. Ever. Distract. You. From. You. Can. Run. From. That. Guilt. You. Could. Try.
[37:36] To. Hide. But. You. Will. Never. Evade. That. Problem. Because. Why? The problem. Rest. Within. Our. Own. Hearts. You.
[37:47] Cannot. Evade. Your. Own. Hearts. It. Will. Haunt. You. You. Can. Medicate. It. You. Can. Distract. Yourself. With. Whatever. You. Want.
[37:58] You. Can. Live. At. A. Casino. But. There. Will. Come. A. Time. Where. Your. Head. Will. Hit. The. Pillow. And. That. Haunting. And.
[38:10] You. Cannot. Escape. It. So. This. Problem. Has. Been. Worked. Out. Though. This. Is. The. Good. News. Of. Salvation. It. It. Been. Worked. Out.
[38:21] According. To. History. According. To. Scripture. You. Cannot. Keep. Working. Out. The. Problem. Yourself. God. Has. Solved. It. For.
[38:31] You. The. Call. Of. Salvation. Is. To. Believe. In. It. To. Have. Faith. In. It. In. Jesus. Christ. And. I. Don't. Want. You. To. Miss.
[38:41] Out. On. This. Today. I. Don't. Want. You. To. Miss. Out. On. That. I. Don't. Want. You. To. Leave. Here. Today. Questioning. This. History. Questioning.
[38:52] Scriptures. The. Warning. Is. Made. If. You. Reject. You. Will. Miss. Out. On. And.
[39:05] Though. For. Others. Of. Us. Today. I. Don't. Want. You. To. Forget. The. Propensity. Of. Our. Losing. Sight. Of. God. At. Work. And. Constantly. Rejecting.
[39:15] Him. In. Our. Lives. Even. After. We. Come. To. Faith. There. Is. A. Transcendent. Urging. To. These. Converts. In. This. Time.
[39:26] Period. And. It. A. Transcendent. Urging. For. Even. Us. Today. You. And. Myself. Included. There's. An. Urging. To.
[39:37] Continue. In. The. Grace. Of. God. There's. A. Participation. Of. Every. Believer. To. Do. This. Well. And.
[39:49] There's. Actually. A. Metric. To. Evaluate. Your. Own. Life. To. Say. Am. I. Doing. It. Well. Or. Am. I. Actually. Failing. Miserably.
[40:00] You. Smell. Like. The. World. You. Look. Like. The. World. You. Act. Like. The. World. You. Talk. Like. The. World. A. Christian. Is. Meant. To. Be. Set. Apart. Continue. In. The.
[40:10] Grace. Of. God. Don't. Be. Surprised. That. When. We. Ask. For. Encouragement. We. Get. A. Warning. Don't. Be. Surprised. When. You. Ask. For. A. Promotion. At.
[40:20] Work. The. Next. Day. You. Lose. Your. Job. Don't. Be. Surprised. When. You. Ask. For. Healing. And. You. Get. More.
[40:31] Treatment. Plans. From. A. Doctor. Maybe. A. New. Medication. Don't. Be. Surprised. When. You. Ask. For. Relief. But. Then. You. Face. Another. Hard. Trauma. In. Your. Life. God.
[40:44] Knows. What. We. Need. More. Than. We. Could. Ever. Imagine. And. We. Trust. Him. We. Continue. In. The. Grace. Of. God. You. See. Don't. Mistake. In. God's. Salvation.
[40:55] That. Everything. Is. Going. To. Be. Rosy. And. Peachy. It's. A lot. Better. With. God. Along. The. Along. The. Way. It. Certainly. Is. But. Don't. Mistake.
[41:05] God's. Salvation. In. Jesus. Christ. And. Reject. The. Ongoing. Refinement. Process. In. Our. Lives. Through. His. Word. Through. The. Holy. Spirit. In. Our. Lives. In. Other. Words.
[41:15] God. Forgives. But. God. Also. Forges. Us. Continually. Into. His. Image. It's. Ghastly.
[41:26] Painful. At. Times. Certainly. Painful. At. Times. When. The. Healing. Doesn't. Come. When. All. A sudden. You. Lose. Your. Job. And. You. You. You. You. Praying. For. A. Promotion. Well. Thanks. A lot. God. Right.
[41:36] We. Push. Against. Following. Him. This. Is. Why. Sermons. Make. All. The. Difference. They. Encourage. They. Explain. They. Apply.
[41:48] And. Lastly. Before. I. Go. Too. Long. And. Our souls.
[41:59] Desperately. Long. For. It. Not. A. Lecture. Lectures. Have. Their. Place. But. They. Certainly. Cannot. Take. Place. Of. A. Sermon. We.
[42:10] Don't. Need. More. Information. In. Our. Heads. Information. Is. Good. We. Need. Transformation. In. Our. Hearts. Okay. How. Explanation.
[42:21] Exposing. Meaning. Applying. His. Word. To. Our. Lives. And. Through. The. Oratory. Practice. Of. Sermons. God's. Word. Invites. Every. Human. Being. On. This. Earth. To.
[42:32] Receive. It. And. Be. Changed. By. It. To. Urge. Them. To. Continue. In. The. Grace. Of. God. And. So. The. Question. Stands. Will. You. All.
[42:43] And. Myself. Included. Accept. The. Invitation. That. Paul's. Sermon. Presents. Let's. Pray.