333: Everett Muniz – If God Be For Us

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Welcome to good Chris Selfian
talks.

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I’m Levi.
I’m Chris.

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I’m Jason.
And I’m Brian, thank you for

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joining us this week on this
podcast.

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We select one talk a week to
help us get the Bible in our

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Daily News feed.
Each week we post a talk that we

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previewed from suggestions sent
in by listeners from around the

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world.
Then we record a short intro

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beforehand as a personalized
recommendation to you on why we

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are sharing the talk.
And now let’s talk more about

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this week’s talk.
Hey everyone, it’s Jason

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Hensley.
This week we are going to be

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listening to a talk by brother
Everett Muniz and this talk was

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given in 2015 at the Ontario
Winter Bible School.

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It is part of a series, it’s the
last in a series and this whole

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series was recommended to us.
I listened to it, I recommend it

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as well.
I particularly felt that this

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last class, though, really
brought the series together and

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left us with a very powerful,
enduring message.

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So the series is on holiness.
It’s called Be ye Holy, the high

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calling of God in Christ Jesus.
So that’s the whole series on

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holiness.
And this particular talk, the

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last one in the series is called
If God Be for Us.

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I really loved this talk because
sometimes, as Brother Everett

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acknowledges, sometimes
discussing holiness can be

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challenging.
It can be intimidating because

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we realize how unholy we really
are, or at least how unholy we

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tend to live.
This last class brings that

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together because it’s an
acknowledgement that God is our

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Father.
It’s an acknowledgement that

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even though holiness is
challenging, that God cares for

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us as a father and that he will
ultimately bring us to true

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holiness.
One of the lines that I found

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most powerful was when Brother
Everett went through Romans

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chapter 8 where the apostle Paul
says what will separate us from

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the love of God.
I mean, that’s just such a a

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powerful section.
And after reading it, Brother

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Everett concludes the only thing
then that can separate us from

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God is really us if we make that
choice to make that separation.

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So even though holiness is a
high calling, even though it can

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be challenging, we have God on
our side.

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And I hope that this class can
encourage us in that, remind us

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of that, and help us to really
strive for that holiness.

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So here we go, if God before us,
Brother Everett Muniz.

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We’ve titled our final session,
If God Be for Us.

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In our first session together,
we looked at Our Calling to

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holiness, and we noted the
prominence of the theme

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throughout the Bible.
We suggested a contextual

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definition, and we looked at a
model for the pursuit of

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holiness from Philippians
chapter 3.

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In our second session, we
followed the cues that we found

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in first Peter chapters one and
two back to the events of the

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Exodus to see what we could
learn about Our Calling to

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holiness from the experience of
Israel.

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We saw that our holiness
requires God’s intervention to

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redeem us and that He has done
so in order to make U.S.

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citizens of a Kingdom that He
will use to fill the earth with

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His glory.
We also looked at His desire to

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dwell with His people and the
requirement that His dwelling be

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a holy place and that ultimately
He wants to dwell within each

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one of us.
In our third session, we looked

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at the priestly aspect to our
call to holiness.

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God has called us to be priests
after the order of Melchizedek

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in order to make us part of his
work to prepare the whole earth

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to be a holy place where He can
dwell.

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And so we looked at a few
lessons about priesthood

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generally based on the example
of the Levitical priesthood.

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And then in our fourth session
yesterday, we, we shifted gears

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a bit and we looked at the
opposition to holiness that we

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face from our nature and its
greater manifestation in the

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world, along with a couple of
important ways that we can

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resist those influences.
Now in our session today, we’re

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going to look at 4 things.
We changed the the forecast a

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little bit from yesterday, but
the content is more or less the

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same.
Essentially what we want to look

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at this morning is some of the
comfort and the encouragement to

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be found for those who’ve chosen
to do the difficult work of

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crucifying the flesh with its
affections and lusts in pursuit

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of holiness.
Because it is difficult and

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wearying work, It’s not to say
that it isn’t also satisfying

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and rewarding as well.
But the fact remains that the

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pursuit of holiness involves
toil and adversity.

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There are times in life when the
struggle can feel particularly

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onerous.
It can seem as if, in spite of

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our best intentions, our nature
gets the better of us over and

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over, as if we’re failing our
God at every turn.

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Whatever the reasons may be, we
can begin to feel as if the

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failures that we are
experiencing define us and that

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ultimately they amount to
defeat.

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If you felt this way, then you
know how utterly crushing it can

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be.
You know how isolated and alone

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it can leave you feeling.
But we are not alone, brothers

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and sisters and young people.
The assurance that Samuel offers

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Israel is no less relevant to
us, for the Lord will not

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forsake His people for His great
name’s sake.

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Not only that, we’re in good
company because everyone that’s

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chosen to take up God’s call to
holiness has experienced this

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kind of adversity.
And we know that Paul expresses

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something of this struggle with
the flesh in Romans Chapter 7.

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And in the process, he seems to
touch on something that may be

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of help when we encounter one of
these particularly rough patches

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in our pursuit of holiness.
And what we’d like to do is come

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to Romans Chapter 7, which
should just be a page back or so

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from where we were in our
reading for this morning.

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And for the sake of time, we’ll
just look at verses 16 and 17,

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and then we’ll skip down to
verse 20.

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So reading from Romans Chapter
7, verse 16 and 17.

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If then I do that, which I would
not, I consent to the law that

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it is good.
Now then, it is no more I that

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do it, but sin that dwelleth in
me.

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Now if I do that, I would not,
it is no more.

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We’re skipping down to verse 20,
by the way.

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Now that if I do that I would
not, it is no more I that do it,

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but sin that dwelleth in me.
I find that a law that when I

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would do good, evil is present
with me.

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For I delight in the law of God
after the inward man, but I see

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another law in my members,
warring against the law of my

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mind and bringing me into
captivity to the law of sin,

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which is in my members.
A wretched man that I am, who

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shall deliver me from the body
of this death.

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I thank God through Jesus Christ
our Lord.

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So then with the mind, I myself
serve the law of God, but with

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the flesh the law of sin.
But did you notice what Paul

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said at the end of verses 17 and
20?

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He says it is not I that do it,
but sin that dwelleth in me.

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What would you say if a brother
or sister said to you, it is not

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I that do it, but sin that
dwelleth in me?

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I think I’d be inclined to
wonder if if he or she wasn’t

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shirking their responsibility.
But of course we know that the

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apostle Paul is not shirking his
responsibility for sin.

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So So what does he mean?
I think the answer may be in

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verse 25.
Notice he says with the mind, I

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myself serve the law of God.
It seems that Paul saw his flesh

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as other than himself.
Oh yes, it was a part of him,

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and he knew that he was
responsible for the sins that he

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committed.
He certainly understand

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understood rather the need to
confess those sins, repent and

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seek forgiveness.
Nevertheless, Paul was in

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pursuit of the prize of our high
calling.

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So he refused to identify with
or be defined by the flesh.

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He chose instead to be defined
by the law of God, as he says in

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Romans Chapter 7, verse 22.
For I delight in the law of God

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after the inward man.
This is what shaped Paul’s mind.

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And if our mind, our inward man,
is shaped by the law of God, we

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too can find comfort in the hope
of God’s ultimate deliverance.

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To be clear, brothers and
sisters, sin is A cause for

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sorrow.
It was an important step for

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those to whom James wrote.
Be afflicted and mourn and weep.

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Let your laughter be turned to
mourning and your joy to

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heaviness.
Humble yourselves in the sight

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of the Lord, and he shall lift
you up.

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They had befriended the world,
which put them at enmity with

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God, and that was cause for
affliction and mourning and

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tears.
In a more positive context,

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Jesus tells his disciples,
Blessed are they that mourn, for

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they shall be comforted in
Matthew chapter 5 and verse 4.

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If we’re genuinely invested in
the pursuit of holiness, we

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can’t help but feel sorrow over
sin.

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That said, we have to bear in
mind what Paul says in Second

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Corinthians Chapter 7 and verse
10.

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For godly sorrow worketh
repentance to salvation, not to

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be repented of.
The sorrow of the world worketh

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death.
To the extent that our sorrow

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over sin leads us to confess and
to repent and to seek

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forgiveness, it’s necessary,
healthy and good.

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But beyond that, it becomes a
distraction from true

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reconciliation and the pressing
work of actually being holy in

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response to Our Calling.
One of the reasons the sorrow of

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this world is so deadly is that
it blinds us to the reality of

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God’s presence and the tools
that he’s provided to affect

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reconciliation and move forward
in hope of ultimate deliverance.

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And this is when we lose
courage.

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And a loss of courage is an
enormous loss.

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It’s an enormous loss, because
when courage fails, we’re more

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likely to consider giving up or
changing course.

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Of course, our Heavenly Father
knows this all too well.

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He understands our need for
encouragement, and there’s no

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shortage of it to be found in
the pages of Scripture.

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For instance, Psalms 27 and 31
have lovely exhortations to

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courage.
In Psalm 27 at verse 14, we read

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Wait on the Lord, Be of good
courage, and he shall strengthen

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thine heart.
Wait, I say, on the Lord.

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And in Psalm 31, which is
displayed on the slide, O love

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the Lord, all ye his Saints, for
the Lord preserveth the

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faithful, and plentifully
rewardeth the proud doer.

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Be of good courage, and he shall
strengthen your heart, all ye

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that hope in the Lord.
So the goal of this session is

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to look at the encouragement
that God has provided to help us

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continue struggling against sin
in pursuit of holiness.

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Now when we’re feeling
discouraged and hopeless about

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our struggle against sin, it may
be helpful to recall the

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sentiments that are expressed in
first John chapter one, verse 8

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through chapter 2, verse 2.
If we say that we have no sin,

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we deceive ourselves, and the
truth is not in us.

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But if we confess our sins, He
is faithful and just to forgive

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us our sins and to cleanse us
from all unrighteousness.

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If we say that we have not
sinned, we make Him a liar, and

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His word is not in us.
My little children, these things

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write I unto you, that ye sin
not.

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And if any man sin, we have an
advocate with the Father, Jesus

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Christ the righteous, and He is
the propitiation for our sins,

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and not for ours only, but also
for the sins of the whole world.

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And when we’re in the midst of
discouragement, it’s easy to

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forget that God, as a loving and
merciful Father, has made every

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provision for our success.
If we confess our sins, He is

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faithful and just to forgive us
our sins and to cleanse us from

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all unrighteousness.
And if any man sin, we have an

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advocate with the Father, Jesus
Christ the Righteous, and He is

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the propitiation for our sins,
and not for ours only, but also

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for the sins of the whole world.
Of course, we know that the fact

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that God has graciously made
forgiveness possible does not

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mean that we can presume upon
His grace.

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After all, John says, My little
children, these things write I

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unto you that ye sin not.
Our purpose this morning is not

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to diminish the seriousness or
significance of sin in the

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least, but rather to provide a
beacon that can lead us back to

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the pursuit of holiness when the
manifestation of sin in our

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lives has left us feeling
discouraged and hopeless.

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In Psalm 32, David writes about
his experience of the process

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that we’ve just looked at in
first John he says, I

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acknowledged my sin unto thee,
and my iniquity have I not hid.

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I said, I will confess my
transgressions unto the Lord,

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and now forgavest the iniquity
of my sin.

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If we truly and sincerely in
pursuit of, rather, if we are

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truly and sincerely in pursuit
of holiness, then God has

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provided a process to deal with
sin.

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God doesn’t make mistakes.
Brothers and sisters, you didn’t

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00:16:21,040 –> 00:16:26,120
get the invitation in error.
He means for each of us to be

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permanent members of His family,
but we can get bogged down in

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worldly sorrow.
We have to embrace the process

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that God has provided.
Sin is an offense against Him,

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so He defines the terms of our
reconciliation.

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If our lives are characterized
by striving against sin and we

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00:16:49,600 –> 00:16:53,320
submit to the process of
reconciliation God has provided

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when it occurs, then we can
return to our pursuit of the

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prize of our high calling in
trust and confidence that our

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sins have been forgiven.
There must be a typo.

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I I gather that from smiles.
I see these various smiles that

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00:17:10,160 –> 00:17:12,119
suggest that maybe there’s a
typo.

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00:17:12,560 –> 00:17:15,160
So we’ll, we’ll look for that
afterwards or somebody can point

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00:17:15,160 –> 00:17:18,760
it out to me.
Before we continue to the next

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00:17:18,760 –> 00:17:20,880
section, it’s just worth
pointing out that when the

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overarching goal of our lives is
the pursuit of holiness, God

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does not judge us by our worst
failures.

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Consider this, brothers and
sisters and young people through

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00:17:32,720 –> 00:17:36,280
Samuel, God provide.
God describes David as a man

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00:17:36,280 –> 00:17:41,240
after his own heart in First
Samuel 13 and verse 14.

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What’s more, God makes a
covenant with him to raise up a

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Savior to Israel in Second
Samuel Chapter 7.

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All the while, God knew the
events of Second Samuel 11 would

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take place.
He knew that God would commit

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adult.
Thank God, I apologize.

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He knew that David would commit
adultery with Bathsheba and

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conspire in the death of her
husband.

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But he also knew that those sins
did not define the man David.

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Those sins did not describe the
trajectory of his life.

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They did not truly express the
content of His character.

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And so it can be with us,
brothers and sisters and young

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people.
If the trajectory of our lives

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00:18:29,120 –> 00:18:34,920
is described by our desire to be
holy as He is holy, and we

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pursue that end with the energy
and ability that God has made

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available to us, then He does
not define us by our greatest

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failures.
God’s work with humanity has

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always been based on the family
model.

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He presents himself to mankind
over and over again as a father

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00:18:57,760 –> 00:19:01,560
because he wants us to be his
sons and daughters in love.

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In fact, He will only have us as
his children.

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Think of the parable of the lost
sons.

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The younger son returns home
after squandering his

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inheritance and riotous living,
and he seeks a place in his

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00:19:15,680 –> 00:19:19,920
Father’s house as a servant.
But his Father will only have

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00:19:19,920 –> 00:19:24,000
him back as a son.
And so it is with our heavenly

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00:19:24,000 –> 00:19:25,840
Father, brothers and sisters and
young people.

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Our place in his eternal purpose
is based on his fatherhood.

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And if God dealt with us as
slaves who could only receive

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what we earn, we’d be doomed
because all have sinned and come

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short of the glory of God.
And we know that the wages of

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00:19:43,640 –> 00:19:48,920
sin is death.
Instead, he’s extended the gift

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00:19:48,920 –> 00:19:52,400
of eternal life through Jesus
Christ our Lord, according to

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00:19:52,400 –> 00:19:55,760
the great love of a Father for
his children.

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00:19:59,360 –> 00:20:05,160
David takes up this theme of
God’s fatherhood in Psalm 103.

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00:20:05,960 –> 00:20:09,040
I invite you to join me there.
So we’ll spend a moment just

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00:20:09,040 –> 00:20:13,760
looking at this Psalm.
It says, Bless the Lord, O my

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00:20:13,760 –> 00:20:16,400
soul.
All that is within me, bless his

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00:20:16,400 –> 00:20:20,760
holy name, bless the Lord, O my
soul, and forget not all his

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00:20:20,760 –> 00:20:24,000
benefits.
Who forgiveth all thine

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00:20:24,000 –> 00:20:27,560
iniquities, Who healeth all thy
diseases?

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00:20:28,120 –> 00:20:30,560
Who redeemeth thy life from
destruction?

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00:20:30,560 –> 00:20:35,960
Who crowneth thee with loving
kindness and tender mercies, Who

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00:20:35,960 –> 00:20:40,760
satisfieth thy soul with good
things, so that thy youth is

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00:20:40,760 –> 00:20:45,120
renewed like the eagles?
The Lord executed righteousness

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00:20:45,120 –> 00:20:47,360
and judgment for all that are
oppressed.

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00:20:47,360 –> 00:20:50,680
He made known his ways unto
Moses, his acts unto the

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00:20:50,680 –> 00:20:53,200
children of Israel.
The Lord is merciful and

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00:20:53,200 –> 00:20:56,560
gracious, slow to anger, and
plenteous in mercy.

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00:20:57,040 –> 00:21:00,120
He will not always chide,
neither will He keep his anger

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00:21:00,120 –> 00:21:01,400
forever.
He will not.

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00:21:01,400 –> 00:21:04,720
He has not dealt with us after
our sins, nor rewarded us

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00:21:04,720 –> 00:21:08,120
according to our iniquities.
For the heaven is high above the

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00:21:08,120 –> 00:21:11,200
earth.
As the heaven is high above the

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00:21:11,240 –> 00:21:13,960
earth, so great is His mercy
toward them that fear Him.

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00:21:14,560 –> 00:21:16,400
As far as the east is from the
West.

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00:21:16,400 –> 00:21:20,000
So far hath He removed our
transgressions from us.

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00:21:20,720 –> 00:21:26,000
Like as a father pitieth His
children, so the Lord pitieth

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00:21:26,000 –> 00:21:29,120
them that fear Him, for He
knoweth our frame, He

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00:21:29,120 –> 00:21:35,080
remembereth that we are dust.
As for man, His days are as

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00:21:35,080 –> 00:21:39,080
grass as a flower of the field,
so He flourisheth, for the wind

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00:21:39,080 –> 00:21:42,480
passeth over it, and it is gone,
and the place thereof shall know

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00:21:42,480 –> 00:21:45,400
it no more.
But the mercy of the Lord is

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00:21:45,400 –> 00:21:49,680
from everlasting to everlasting
upon them that fear Him, and His

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00:21:49,680 –> 00:21:54,280
righteousness unto children’s
children, to such as keep His

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00:21:54,280 –> 00:21:58,440
covenant, and to those that
remember His commandments to do

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00:21:58,440 –> 00:22:02,320
them.
The picture that emerges here is

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00:22:02,320 –> 00:22:07,240
quite beautiful really.
We see a nurturing Father deeply

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00:22:07,240 –> 00:22:12,080
invested in the success of
children who reverence Him, keep

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00:22:12,080 –> 00:22:15,000
His covenant, and remember His
commandments to do them.

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00:22:16,840 –> 00:22:20,360
While He doesn’t overlook their
sins, He’s also abundantly

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00:22:20,360 –> 00:22:23,480
merciful toward them, and He has
compassion on them and

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00:22:23,480 –> 00:22:25,400
understanding of their
weaknesses.

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00:22:26,960 –> 00:22:30,480
We’re told that all of these
benefits are described in in

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00:22:30,480 –> 00:22:34,640
verse one as the outworking of
His Holy Name.

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00:22:35,640 –> 00:22:38,520
Brothers and sisters, this is
our Father.

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00:22:39,320 –> 00:22:42,280
He’s not waiting for us to make
a mistake that so so that he can

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00:22:42,280 –> 00:22:46,120
destroy us in anger.
It’s his earnest desire to

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00:22:46,120 –> 00:22:51,080
transform us if we reverence
him, keep his covenant and

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00:22:51,080 –> 00:22:53,440
remember his commandments to do
them.

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00:22:55,400 –> 00:22:58,280
Before we continue, I’ll just
mention one thing about verse

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00:22:58,280 –> 00:23:00,960
five that really stood out to me
as I looked into this Psalm.

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00:23:02,560 –> 00:23:06,120
God is described as satisfying
our mouth with good things so

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00:23:06,120 –> 00:23:09,440
that our youth is renewed, like
the eagles.

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00:23:11,400 –> 00:23:15,920
This may have reference to the
way that eagles are designed by

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00:23:15,920 –> 00:23:18,840
God to molt.
And this is what the National

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00:23:18,840 –> 00:23:22,520
Eagle Center has to say about an
eagle’s molting process.

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00:23:22,520 –> 00:23:25,920
It says molting is the natural
process of replacing feathers.

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00:23:26,360 –> 00:23:29,400
Feathers wear out and and they
need to be replaced over time.

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00:23:30,880 –> 00:23:34,320
Raptors molt once a year,
usually in spring and summer.

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00:23:34,720 –> 00:23:40,000
They tend to molt symmetrically,
meaning if they lose the third

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00:23:40,000 –> 00:23:43,360
primary on the right, they also
lose the third primary on the

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00:23:43,360 –> 00:23:46,400
left.
Raptors do not lose all their

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00:23:46,400 –> 00:23:54,600
flight feathers at one time and
are never rendered flightless by

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00:23:54,600 –> 00:23:58,680
a molt.
It can take up to four years for

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00:23:58,680 –> 00:24:04,240
an eagle to complete a molt.
To put it simply, an eagle has

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00:24:04,240 –> 00:24:08,520
to be able to soar to survive.
I’m not sure any of us have ever

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00:24:08,520 –> 00:24:11,400
seen a nature documentary where
an eagle is running down its

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00:24:11,400 –> 00:24:12,960
prey.
It’s not the way.

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00:24:13,240 –> 00:24:14,640
It’s not the way eagles hunt, is
it?

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00:24:14,640 –> 00:24:16,880
They have to be able to get
above the earth.

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00:24:18,320 –> 00:24:21,600
Their life depends on being able
to rise above the earth, and God

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00:24:21,600 –> 00:24:25,920
designed them to be sure that’s
always possible.

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00:24:25,920 –> 00:24:30,840
Their youth, as it were, is
renewed in such a way that their

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00:24:30,840 –> 00:24:36,520
life is never in jeopardy.
The children of God, like

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00:24:36,520 –> 00:24:40,560
eagles, have to be able to soar
to survive.

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00:24:40,920 –> 00:24:44,720
We have to be able to rise above
earthly lusts and desires in

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00:24:44,720 –> 00:24:49,000
order to be successful in our
pursuit of holiness.

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00:24:51,200 –> 00:24:54,760
Brothers and sisters, if the
Father has taken such care for

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00:24:54,760 –> 00:24:59,840
eagles, then how much greater
must his care be for his

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00:24:59,840 –> 00:25:03,640
children who reverence him and
keep his covenant and remember

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00:25:03,760 –> 00:25:13,880
His commandments to do them?
In first John 3 John touches on

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00:25:13,880 –> 00:25:15,680
the theme of God’s fatherhood as
well.

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00:25:17,000 –> 00:25:19,600
It says, Behold, what manner of
love the Father hath bestowed

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00:25:19,600 –> 00:25:23,600
upon us, that we should be
called the sons of God.

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00:25:24,520 –> 00:25:28,160
Therefore the world knoweth us
not, because it knew him not.

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00:25:28,920 –> 00:25:32,080
Behold, now are we the sons of
God, and it does not yet appear

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00:25:32,080 –> 00:25:35,720
what we shall be, but we know
that when He shall appear, we

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00:25:35,920 –> 00:25:40,080
shall be like Him, for we shall
see him as he is.

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00:25:40,080 –> 00:25:45,320
And every man that hath this
hope in him, this expectation,

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00:25:46,080 –> 00:25:49,800
purifieth himself even as he is
pure.

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00:25:51,240 –> 00:25:55,760
This is what God has always
wanted from humanity, sons and

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00:25:55,760 –> 00:25:59,680
daughters who purify themselves
because they want to be like

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00:25:59,960 –> 00:26:04,360
their heavenly Father.
Tragically, in spite of all that

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00:26:04,360 –> 00:26:08,200
he’s done for us, very few of us
are willing to respond to God

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00:26:08,200 –> 00:26:11,960
this way.
And the language of a family

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00:26:11,960 –> 00:26:14,400
isn’t just a convenient
metaphor.

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00:26:14,840 –> 00:26:17,720
God deliberately reveals himself
as a father to help us

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00:26:17,720 –> 00:26:21,960
understand who he is and how he
feels towards us.

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00:26:22,640 –> 00:26:25,560
In fact, it’s so important to
him that that he’s established

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00:26:25,560 –> 00:26:30,320
the institution of the family in
part to reinforce that lesson.

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00:26:31,720 –> 00:26:34,240
It’s a theme that runs right
throughout the Bible, isn’t it?

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00:26:35,000 –> 00:26:39,040
We can never forget that God is
a righteous judge that requires

380
00:26:39,040 –> 00:26:42,880
obedience from His children, but
He is also a loving father,

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00:26:42,880 –> 00:26:45,680
deeply invested in their
success.

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00:26:46,280 –> 00:26:49,960
In fact, God’s judgement is
often the direct outworking of

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00:26:49,960 –> 00:26:53,160
His fatherhood, either in
defense of those who respond to

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00:26:53,160 –> 00:26:57,520
His love with faithfulness and
thankfulness or in punishment of

385
00:26:57,520 –> 00:27:01,640
those who show contempt for it.
One of the important lessons

386
00:27:01,640 –> 00:27:05,400
that we learn about our Heavenly
Father from our experience of

387
00:27:05,400 –> 00:27:09,160
parenthood has to do with why He
loves us.

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00:27:10,000 –> 00:27:12,400
Why do parents love their
children?

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00:27:13,720 –> 00:27:17,040
Do our children earn it?
Some would argue at times they

390
00:27:17,040 –> 00:27:20,520
do just the opposite.
In the way that they behave,

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00:27:20,520 –> 00:27:23,960
they may provoke us from time to
time.

392
00:27:26,000 –> 00:27:28,520
I think most parents would say
that they love their children

393
00:27:28,600 –> 00:27:33,400
long before their children could
have possibly done anything to

394
00:27:33,400 –> 00:27:36,600
deserve it.
Brothers and sisters, God made

395
00:27:36,600 –> 00:27:40,120
us this way.
He made us this way because he

396
00:27:40,120 –> 00:27:44,160
wants us to understand and to
appreciate how he feels towards

397
00:27:44,160 –> 00:27:47,480
us.
He loves us because it’s who He

398
00:27:47,480 –> 00:27:50,960
is.
It is part of his identity.

399
00:27:51,960 –> 00:27:56,640
We haven’t done anything to earn
it, John says.

400
00:27:56,640 –> 00:28:00,120
We love him because he first
loved us.

401
00:28:01,880 –> 00:28:04,480
This is much like the message
that Moses delivered to Israel

402
00:28:04,480 –> 00:28:06,800
on the eve of their entry into
the Promised Land.

403
00:28:07,680 –> 00:28:12,040
He says to them, For thou art an
holy people unto the Lord thy

404
00:28:12,040 –> 00:28:16,240
God.
The Lord thy God hath chosen

405
00:28:16,240 –> 00:28:20,200
thee to be a special people unto
himself, above all people upon

406
00:28:20,200 –> 00:28:21,720
the face of the earth.
And why?

407
00:28:21,880 –> 00:28:24,920
Why did God do this?
Why had he made them a holy

408
00:28:24,920 –> 00:28:28,880
people?
Moses goes on to say, The Lord

409
00:28:28,880 –> 00:28:31,920
did not set his love on you, nor
choose you, because you were

410
00:28:31,920 –> 00:28:34,880
more in number than any people,
for you were the fewest of all

411
00:28:34,880 –> 00:28:40,040
people, but because the Lord
loved you, and because he would

412
00:28:40,040 –> 00:28:43,960
keep the oath which he had sworn
unto your Father’s hath.

413
00:28:43,960 –> 00:28:47,640
The Lord brought you out with a
mighty hand, and redeemed you

414
00:28:47,680 –> 00:28:51,000
out of the House of bondsman
from the hand of Pharaoh king of

415
00:28:51,000 –> 00:28:55,360
Egypt.
Like the Israelites who God

416
00:28:55,360 –> 00:29:00,160
brought out of Egypt, we are
born into slavery, slavery to

417
00:29:00,160 –> 00:29:04,560
sin and death, but our heavenly
Father redeems us out of the

418
00:29:04,560 –> 00:29:07,320
House of bondsman with a
stretched out arm, and with

419
00:29:07,320 –> 00:29:12,160
great judgments.
He blesses us with all spiritual

420
00:29:12,160 –> 00:29:16,960
blessings in heavenly places,
according as He hath chosen us

421
00:29:16,960 –> 00:29:21,160
in Him before the foundation of
the world, that we should be

422
00:29:21,160 –> 00:29:27,720
holy and without blame before
Him in love, having predestined

423
00:29:27,720 –> 00:29:33,200
us unto the adoption of children
by Jesus Christ to Himself,

424
00:29:33,960 –> 00:29:38,000
according to the good pleasure
of His will, the praise of the

425
00:29:38,000 –> 00:29:42,680
glory of His grace, wherein He
hath made us accepted in the

426
00:29:42,680 –> 00:29:48,720
Beloved.
God has chosen us to be His

427
00:29:48,720 –> 00:29:54,200
children because of His love and
because He would keep the oath

428
00:29:54,200 –> 00:29:57,160
which He swore to Abraham and
Isaac and Jacob, that they would

429
00:29:57,160 –> 00:30:00,360
be fathers of a great nation and
through one of their descendants

430
00:30:00,480 –> 00:30:03,240
all nations of the earth would
be blessed.

431
00:30:04,800 –> 00:30:08,960
Through Jesus we have received
the adoption of children

432
00:30:10,120 –> 00:30:12,920
according to our Heavenly
Father’s good pleasure.

433
00:30:14,800 –> 00:30:17,400
Think of it, brothers and
sisters and young people, it is

434
00:30:17,400 –> 00:30:21,520
the good pleasure of God
Almighty that you and I should

435
00:30:21,520 –> 00:30:25,160
be His children, members of His
family.

436
00:30:27,000 –> 00:30:30,240
Paul expands on the incredible
privilege of being a part of the

437
00:30:30,240 –> 00:30:36,160
divine family in Romans chapter
8 when he says, among other

438
00:30:36,160 –> 00:30:39,520
things in verse 15, not
received.

439
00:30:39,520 –> 00:30:42,720
We have not received the spirit
of bondage again to fear, but ye

440
00:30:42,720 –> 00:30:47,160
have received the spirit of
adoption whereby we cry ABBA,

441
00:30:47,200 –> 00:30:52,640
father, the spirit itself bear
witness with our spirit that we

442
00:30:52,640 –> 00:30:55,640
are the children of God.
And if children then heirs,

443
00:30:55,920 –> 00:30:59,200
heirs of God and joint heirs
with Christ.

444
00:31:01,240 –> 00:31:04,600
Here Paul links our adoption
into the family of God with the

445
00:31:04,600 –> 00:31:09,480
cry ABBA father.
This same phrase shows up in

446
00:31:09,480 –> 00:31:13,080
Galatians chapter 4 verse six in
a very similar context.

447
00:31:13,680 –> 00:31:17,720
Paul says that because we are
sons, God has sent forth the

448
00:31:17,720 –> 00:31:23,240
spirit of his son into our
hearts, crying ABBA father.

449
00:31:24,600 –> 00:31:28,480
This phrase only appears in one
other passage, and that passage

450
00:31:28,480 –> 00:31:31,400
highlights the incredible
privilege that we have to be

451
00:31:31,400 –> 00:31:36,800
called into the family of God.
Jesus uses this very phrase in

452
00:31:36,800 –> 00:31:39,360
Gethsemane before his trial and
crucifixion.

453
00:31:41,080 –> 00:31:43,840
In a profound depth of sorrow,
he prays ABBA.

454
00:31:44,160 –> 00:31:46,560
Father, all things are possible
unto thee.

455
00:31:46,720 –> 00:31:51,880
Take away this cup from me,
nevertheless, not what I will,

456
00:31:51,880 –> 00:31:57,000
but what thou wilt.
This is the intimate plea of a

457
00:31:57,000 –> 00:32:03,400
beloved son in great distress.
Luke records God’s response.

458
00:32:04,280 –> 00:32:07,800
And there appeared an Angel unto
him from heaven, strengthening

459
00:32:07,800 –> 00:32:11,960
him.
Brothers and sisters, our Father

460
00:32:11,960 –> 00:32:17,320
is not an absentee parent.
He is ever present to guide and

461
00:32:17,320 –> 00:32:20,640
to strengthen His children in
their pursuit of holiness.

462
00:32:22,200 –> 00:32:25,680
Consider the Lord’s words in
Matthew Chapter 7, verses 7:00

463
00:32:25,680 –> 00:32:28,640
to 11:00.
Ask, and it shall be given.

464
00:32:28,640 –> 00:32:31,800
You seek, and ye shall find
knock, and it shall be opened

465
00:32:31,800 –> 00:32:34,080
unto you.
For everyone that asketh

466
00:32:34,080 –> 00:32:37,840
receiveth, and he that seeketh
findeth unto him that knocketh

467
00:32:38,040 –> 00:32:42,240
it shall be opened.
Or what man is there of you,

468
00:32:42,280 –> 00:32:44,760
whom, if his son ask bread, will
he give him a stone?

469
00:32:45,080 –> 00:32:47,320
Or if he ask a fish, will he
give him a serpent?

470
00:32:47,960 –> 00:32:51,680
If ye then, being evil, know how
to give good gifts unto your

471
00:32:51,680 –> 00:32:56,760
children, how much more shall
your Father, which is in heaven,

472
00:32:57,400 –> 00:32:59,960
give good things to them that
ask Him?

473
00:33:01,720 –> 00:33:05,320
Jesus testifies to our Heavenly
Father’s willingness and ability

474
00:33:05,560 –> 00:33:11,680
to provide those things we need
so that His will is done both in

475
00:33:12,000 –> 00:33:15,600
and through us.
Back in Romans 8, Paul touches

476
00:33:15,600 –> 00:33:20,440
on that on what that will is for
you and I We left off in verse

477
00:33:20,440 –> 00:33:22,800
17, but we’ll pick back up in
verse 28.

478
00:33:24,720 –> 00:33:27,240
We know that all things work
together for good to them that

479
00:33:27,240 –> 00:33:30,760
love God to them who are the
called according to his purpose,

480
00:33:31,280 –> 00:33:34,320
for whom he did for know.
He also did predestinate to be

481
00:33:34,320 –> 00:33:38,480
conformed to the image of His
Son, that He might be the first

482
00:33:38,480 –> 00:33:41,880
born among many brethren.
Moreover, whom He did

483
00:33:41,880 –> 00:33:45,240
predestinate them He also
called, and whom He called them

484
00:33:45,480 –> 00:33:49,880
he also justified, and whom He
justified them he also

485
00:33:50,040 –> 00:33:54,520
glorified.
God’s will for you and me is

486
00:33:54,520 –> 00:33:59,600
that we should be conformed to
the image of His Son the Holy 1,

487
00:34:00,480 –> 00:34:02,920
and ultimately that we should be
glorified.

488
00:34:03,960 –> 00:34:07,320
And isn’t it beautiful that Paul
uses the past tense here?

489
00:34:07,640 –> 00:34:10,480
It may represent an instance of
that principle that he refers to

490
00:34:10,480 –> 00:34:14,159
in Romans chapter 4, that God
calls those things that are not

491
00:34:14,800 –> 00:34:17,920
as though they were.
In other words, he speaks of the

492
00:34:17,920 –> 00:34:20,080
future as though it had already
happened.

493
00:34:21,159 –> 00:34:25,120
This is a testimony to the
absolute certainty of God’s work

494
00:34:25,120 –> 00:34:29,840
in us.
If we allow Him to do it, He is

495
00:34:29,840 –> 00:34:34,000
able to do exceeding abundantly
above all that we are able to

496
00:34:34,000 –> 00:34:39,760
ask or think by the power that
worketh in US.

497
00:34:39,760 –> 00:34:45,480
And this is another awe
inspiring aspect to God’s

498
00:34:45,480 –> 00:34:48,239
fatherhood.
Isaiah expresses it this way.

499
00:34:48,239 –> 00:34:53,120
But now, O Lord, thou art our
Father, we are the clay, and

500
00:34:53,120 –> 00:34:57,080
Thou our Potter, and we all are
the work of Thy hand.

501
00:34:58,760 –> 00:35:02,920
Our heavenly Father is carefully
and lovingly at work to make us

502
00:35:03,240 –> 00:35:06,320
conformable to the image of His
Son.

503
00:35:06,440 –> 00:35:10,080
We are vessels of mercy which He
is preparing for glory.

504
00:35:10,720 –> 00:35:14,880
As Paul says in Ephesians
chapter 2, we are his

505
00:35:15,280 –> 00:35:21,240
workmanship.
Those of you who are makers of

506
00:35:21,240 –> 00:35:25,160
one sort or another understand
the intimate connection that

507
00:35:25,160 –> 00:35:28,680
exists between the maker and the
thing made.

508
00:35:29,560 –> 00:35:34,120
If we feel that way about the
things we make with our hands,

509
00:35:34,240 –> 00:35:37,600
how must our heavenly Father
feel about us?

510
00:35:38,800 –> 00:35:42,880
Undoubtedly He is deeply
invested, and personally so in

511
00:35:42,880 –> 00:35:45,320
the work He has begun in each
one of us.

512
00:35:46,160 –> 00:35:50,080
Like a master Potter, He softens
us with the water of His Word,

513
00:35:50,240 –> 00:35:53,720
and through the loving pressure
of His providential hands, He

514
00:35:53,720 –> 00:35:57,440
shapes us.
We know, don’t we, that that

515
00:35:57,440 –> 00:36:00,480
pressure can occasionally be
intense.

516
00:36:01,800 –> 00:36:04,000
But God’s purpose is always
creative.

517
00:36:05,000 –> 00:36:09,040
The unswerving intention of our
heavenly Father is to prepare us

518
00:36:09,600 –> 00:36:19,640
for glory, to prepare us to be
partakers of His Holiness, and

519
00:36:19,640 –> 00:36:21,360
Hebrews chapter 12 speaks to
this.

520
00:36:21,360 –> 00:36:24,720
We’re exhorted to look to Jesus,
the Author and the finisher of

521
00:36:24,720 –> 00:36:29,320
our faith, who is set down at
the right hand of God, as proof

522
00:36:30,000 –> 00:36:33,600
that even when God’s hand feels
heavy upon us, we can rest

523
00:36:33,600 –> 00:36:38,160
assured that He is preparing us
to be partakers of His Holiness.

524
00:36:40,920 –> 00:36:43,760
Beginning at verse 5 of Hebrews
chapter 12, it says, And ye have

525
00:36:43,760 –> 00:36:48,360
forgotten the exhortation which
which speaketh unto you as unto

526
00:36:48,800 –> 00:36:53,640
children, my son, despise not
thou the chastening of the Lord,

527
00:36:53,960 –> 00:36:55,880
nor faint when thou art rebuked
of him.

528
00:36:55,880 –> 00:36:58,760
For when the whom the Lord
loveth, he chasteneth, and

529
00:36:58,760 –> 00:37:02,640
scourgeth every son whom he
receiveth, if he endure

530
00:37:02,640 –> 00:37:05,760
chastening, God dealeth with you
as with sons.

531
00:37:06,320 –> 00:37:09,360
For what son is he whom the
Father chasteneth not?

532
00:37:10,600 –> 00:37:12,160
But if he be without
chastisement?

533
00:37:12,160 –> 00:37:16,600
Wherefore all are partakers.
Then are ye bastards and not

534
00:37:16,600 –> 00:37:20,400
sons.
Furthermore, we have had fathers

535
00:37:20,400 –> 00:37:23,600
after our flesh, which corrected
us, and we gave them reverence.

536
00:37:24,240 –> 00:37:27,040
Shall we not much rather be in
subjection into the Father of

537
00:37:27,040 –> 00:37:31,440
spirits, and live?
For they verily for a few days

538
00:37:31,440 –> 00:37:36,360
chastened us after their own
pleasure, but He for our

539
00:37:36,360 –> 00:37:40,840
Prophet, that we might be
partakers of His Holiness.

540
00:37:42,760 –> 00:37:46,520
Now no chastening for the
present seemeth to be joyous,

541
00:37:46,520 –> 00:37:50,680
but grievous nevertheless.
Afterward it yieldeth the

542
00:37:50,680 –> 00:37:52,880
peaceable fruit of
righteousness.

543
00:37:53,440 –> 00:37:59,760
And to them which are exercised
thereby, how truly incredible

544
00:38:00,160 –> 00:38:03,520
that the Creator of heaven and
earth should want us as His

545
00:38:03,520 –> 00:38:10,880
children, and take such personal
interest in each one of us to

546
00:38:10,880 –> 00:38:14,960
make us partakers of His
Holiness.

547
00:38:16,320 –> 00:38:19,920
The prophet Malachi has this to
say about those that cooperate

548
00:38:20,080 –> 00:38:24,640
with the Father’s efforts to
prepare them to be partakers of

549
00:38:24,640 –> 00:38:28,360
His Holiness.
Reading from Malachi chapter 3,

550
00:38:28,360 –> 00:38:32,640
verse 16, it says then they that
fear the Lord spake often one to

551
00:38:32,640 –> 00:38:34,760
another.
And the Lord hearkened and heard

552
00:38:34,760 –> 00:38:38,240
it, and a book of remembrance
was written before him for them

553
00:38:38,240 –> 00:38:41,640
that feared the Lord, and that
thought upon his name.

554
00:38:43,120 –> 00:38:45,840
And they shall be mine, saith
the Lord of Hosts, in that day

555
00:38:45,840 –> 00:38:52,440
when I make up my jewels, and I
will spare them as a man spareth

556
00:38:52,920 –> 00:39:03,000
his own son that serveth him.
We would be remiss if we didn’t

557
00:39:03,000 –> 00:39:06,160
also mention that the blessing
of being adopted into the family

558
00:39:06,440 –> 00:39:09,520
of God comes with the
significant responsibility of

559
00:39:09,760 –> 00:39:15,760
developing a family resemblance.
In Matthew chapter 5, Jesus says

560
00:39:15,760 –> 00:39:19,160
to his disciples, Let your light
so shine before men, that they

561
00:39:19,440 –> 00:39:26,400
may see your good works and
glorify your Father which is in

562
00:39:26,400 –> 00:39:31,520
heaven.
In the disciples of Christ the

563
00:39:31,560 –> 00:39:35,880
character of God, a family
resemblance ought to be evident.

564
00:39:36,640 –> 00:39:40,040
God expects His children to
represent the family well.

565
00:39:40,800 –> 00:39:44,120
Our character and our works
should reflect the character and

566
00:39:44,120 –> 00:39:47,400
the purpose of our heavenly
Father to His glory.

567
00:39:48,520 –> 00:39:51,960
You recall that Peter framed his
argument for our holiness on the

568
00:39:51,960 –> 00:39:57,000
basis of God’s fatherhood back
in first Peter chapter 1 in

569
00:39:57,000 –> 00:40:00,600
verse 14.
He says as obedient children,

570
00:40:01,160 –> 00:40:04,280
not fashioning yourselves
according to the former lusts in

571
00:40:04,280 –> 00:40:08,520
your ignorance, but as he which
has called you as holy, so be ye

572
00:40:08,640 –> 00:40:11,600
holy in all manner of
conversation, because it is

573
00:40:11,600 –> 00:40:14,600
written, Be ye holy, for I am
holy.

574
00:40:16,080 –> 00:40:21,320
And if ye call on the Father.
Who without respect of persons,

575
00:40:21,320 –> 00:40:24,960
judgeth according to every man’s
work, Pass the time of your

576
00:40:24,960 –> 00:40:31,200
sojourning here in fear the
impetus for our holiness.

577
00:40:31,200 –> 00:40:35,920
The argument, the necessity has
to do with the fact that we are

578
00:40:35,920 –> 00:40:41,560
children of our Father, and he
requires that we demonstrate a

579
00:40:41,560 –> 00:40:46,160
family resemblance.
Paul touches on this as well in

580
00:40:46,160 –> 00:40:49,920
Second Corinthians chapter 6,
verse 14 through Chapter 7 and

581
00:40:49,920 –> 00:40:52,760
verse one.
Having pressed his exhortation

582
00:40:52,960 –> 00:40:56,480
not to be unequally yoked with
unbelievers, he goes on to say,

583
00:40:56,680 –> 00:40:59,960
You are the temple of the living
God, as God had said, I will

584
00:40:59,960 –> 00:41:03,040
dwell in them and walk in them,
and I will be their God, and

585
00:41:03,040 –> 00:41:06,840
they shall be my people.
And he goes on to say, Wherefore

586
00:41:06,840 –> 00:41:10,560
come out from among them, and be
separate, saith the Lord, and

587
00:41:10,560 –> 00:41:15,600
touch not the unclean thing, and
I will receive you, and will be

588
00:41:15,600 –> 00:41:21,200
a father unto you, and ye shall
be my sons and daughters, saith

589
00:41:21,280 –> 00:41:26,360
the Lord Almighty.
Having therefore these promises,

590
00:41:26,360 –> 00:41:29,840
dearly beloved, let us cleanse
ourselves from all filthiness of

591
00:41:29,840 –> 00:41:34,640
flesh and spirit, perfecting
holiness in the fear of God.

592
00:41:36,480 –> 00:41:39,800
Being received by God as His
sons and daughters is contingent

593
00:41:39,800 –> 00:41:44,840
upon separating from unholy
things, brothers and sisters and

594
00:41:44,840 –> 00:41:46,760
young people.
When we make a place for

595
00:41:46,760 –> 00:41:51,680
unholiness in ourselves, we undo
the work that God has done in

596
00:41:51,680 –> 00:41:55,720
US.
How can we love and honor our

597
00:41:55,720 –> 00:42:03,960
God as we undo His work?
Jesus tells us that unto

598
00:42:03,960 –> 00:42:08,400
whomsoever much is given of Him
shall much be required.

599
00:42:09,240 –> 00:42:14,000
Our Heavenly Father has given us
an amazing gift of love, and He

600
00:42:14,000 –> 00:42:17,760
requires that we love and honor
Him in return.

601
00:42:19,400 –> 00:42:22,920
In Ephesians verse chapter 6 and
verse one, Paul points out that

602
00:42:23,200 –> 00:42:26,520
honor thy Father and thy mother
is the first commandment with

603
00:42:26,520 –> 00:42:30,160
promise.
If our natural parents are

604
00:42:30,160 –> 00:42:34,400
worthy of love and honor, and
there is a promise associated

605
00:42:34,560 –> 00:42:38,800
with that, and how much more do
we owe it to our heavenly Father

606
00:42:38,800 –> 00:42:42,840
to honor and to love Him?
And how much greater is the

607
00:42:42,840 –> 00:42:47,680
promise that He has extended to
us by grace through faith?

608
00:42:52,160 –> 00:42:55,840
One of the things that seems to
happen as we embrace God’s call

609
00:42:55,840 –> 00:42:59,720
to holiness is that we become
increasingly aware of our need

610
00:42:59,720 –> 00:43:03,840
to change.
It can be the source of no small

611
00:43:03,840 –> 00:43:07,400
amount of stress and anxiety.
Where do we start?

612
00:43:08,240 –> 00:43:12,760
How precisely do we go about it?
How do we measure progress?

613
00:43:13,960 –> 00:43:17,760
When we imagine that we’re
responsible for overseeing the

614
00:43:17,760 –> 00:43:21,000
process, it can be downright
overwhelming.

615
00:43:24,760 –> 00:43:29,280
But thankfully, we’re not
responsible for overseeing the

616
00:43:29,280 –> 00:43:32,200
process.
Our primary responsibility is to

617
00:43:32,200 –> 00:43:35,840
take in a regular diet of God’s
Word and then apply what we’ve

618
00:43:35,840 –> 00:43:43,040
learned to the moment that we’re
in over and over and over again.

619
00:43:44,200 –> 00:43:48,800
Thankfully, God is a change
expert and if we put ourselves

620
00:43:48,800 –> 00:43:53,240
into His infinitely wise and
loving hands, He will oversee

621
00:43:53,480 –> 00:43:58,800
the process of change in US.
There are a couple of passages

622
00:43:58,800 –> 00:44:03,960
that I resort to regularly to
remind myself of my part in the

623
00:44:03,960 –> 00:44:07,760
process of change, and one of
them is Ecclesiastes chapter 12

624
00:44:07,760 –> 00:44:11,440
and verse 13.
Let us hear the conclusion of

625
00:44:11,440 –> 00:44:13,920
the whole matter.
Fear God and keep His

626
00:44:13,920 –> 00:44:19,200
commandments, for this is the
whole duty of man.

627
00:44:22,000 –> 00:44:25,320
Our son Isaiah when he was very
small, this was one of his very

628
00:44:25,320 –> 00:44:29,520
first memory verses this and
Psalms 9 verse one.

629
00:44:29,600 –> 00:44:30,880
That’s exactly how you would say
it.

630
00:44:30,880 –> 00:44:34,480
Psalms 9 verse one.
And every time I read this

631
00:44:34,480 –> 00:44:38,920
verse, I I have a picture of his
jubilant little face.

632
00:44:39,200 –> 00:44:45,160
He was a a square of a toddler,
very a very blocky little guy

633
00:44:45,680 –> 00:44:52,480
and he would say with with just
so much enthusiasm, fear God and

634
00:44:52,480 –> 00:44:55,200
keep his commandments for this
is the whole duty of man.

635
00:44:58,320 –> 00:45:05,480
It’s it’s the kind of precept
that even a small child can

636
00:45:05,480 –> 00:45:07,680
remember.
And so for me, I tend to sort of

637
00:45:07,680 –> 00:45:09,960
discount it.
It’s not all that significant

638
00:45:09,960 –> 00:45:11,520
right.
I mean, if a kid can remember it

639
00:45:11,680 –> 00:45:14,680
a little one, right, How how
important could it really be?

640
00:45:15,800 –> 00:45:18,880
Enormously so to my life,
brothers and sisters.

641
00:45:19,520 –> 00:45:23,400
It frames our responsibility in
the process of change that God

642
00:45:23,400 –> 00:45:28,840
has has invited us into.
The other passage that’s been

643
00:45:28,840 –> 00:45:31,960
helpful to me in this regard is
Micah chapter 6 and verse 8.

644
00:45:33,400 –> 00:45:36,240
He has showed the old man what
is good and what does the Lord

645
00:45:36,240 –> 00:45:40,800
require of thee.
Notice overseeing the process of

646
00:45:40,800 –> 00:45:42,520
our change is not part of it, is
it?

647
00:45:43,680 –> 00:45:49,680
It’s to do justly and to love
mercy and to walk humbly with

648
00:45:49,680 –> 00:45:53,080
our God.
Not to make sure other people do

649
00:45:53,080 –> 00:45:57,720
justly and love mercy and walk
humbly with their God, but

650
00:45:57,720 –> 00:46:02,840
ourselves to do justly and to
love mercy and to walk humbly

651
00:46:02,840 –> 00:46:07,360
with our heavenly Father.
Passages like these describe our

652
00:46:07,360 –> 00:46:10,720
part in God’s work of
transformation in a simple but

653
00:46:10,720 –> 00:46:13,800
powerful way that’s pretty easy
to remember.

654
00:46:14,960 –> 00:46:17,400
They can be a touchstone for
those moments when we begin to

655
00:46:17,400 –> 00:46:22,360
feel overwhelmed by our
perception of all the work that

656
00:46:22,360 –> 00:46:24,760
needs to be done to make us
ready.

657
00:46:27,960 –> 00:46:31,360
We’ve seen that God likens our
pursuit of holiness to a

658
00:46:31,360 –> 00:46:34,680
journey.
Hiking imagery comes to mind for

659
00:46:34,680 –> 00:46:37,520
me when I think about this.
It was certainly a common way to

660
00:46:37,520 –> 00:46:40,320
get from here to there in Bible
times.

661
00:46:41,400 –> 00:46:44,440
An important part of hiking,
especially over rough terrain,

662
00:46:44,440 –> 00:46:47,440
is to focus on the step that
you’re taking.

663
00:46:49,560 –> 00:46:52,400
You certainly have to look
ahead, but if you’re too focused

664
00:46:52,840 –> 00:46:59,720
too far ahead, or worse yet, on
some previous step, then you’re

665
00:46:59,720 –> 00:47:05,000
likely to take a nasty tumble.
As we said in a previous

666
00:47:05,000 –> 00:47:09,000
session, the moment over which
we have the greatest opportunity

667
00:47:09,600 –> 00:47:13,680
for effect is the one that we’re
in right now.

668
00:47:14,800 –> 00:47:18,160
If we focus on being present for
the moment that we’re in and

669
00:47:18,160 –> 00:47:22,480
doing what’s right with what’s
right in front of us, then God

670
00:47:22,480 –> 00:47:25,720
will be able to do the work of
change that needs to be done in

671
00:47:25,720 –> 00:47:28,800
us.
In effect, to God changes us

672
00:47:28,800 –> 00:47:34,320
through our obedience, one
choice at a time.

673
00:47:35,640 –> 00:47:38,080
We don’t have to concern
ourselves so much with the

674
00:47:38,080 –> 00:47:42,640
greater process, only with the
choices before us today.

675
00:47:44,000 –> 00:47:48,360
What a blessing that our Father
should have structured things

676
00:47:48,880 –> 00:47:52,600
this way.
You know, we have an interesting

677
00:47:52,600 –> 00:47:58,240
case study for God’s ability to
expertly manage even the most

678
00:47:58,240 –> 00:48:03,560
significant changes in His
children in the model for our

679
00:48:03,560 –> 00:48:05,840
pursuit of holiness that we
looked at earlier in the week.

680
00:48:05,840 –> 00:48:11,520
From Philippians chapter 3
verses 13 and 14, Paul says this

681
00:48:11,520 –> 00:48:13,920
one thing I do for getting those
things which are behind and

682
00:48:13,920 –> 00:48:18,960
reaching forth unto those things
which are before I press for the

683
00:48:18,960 –> 00:48:23,120
mark for the prize of the high
calling of God in Christ Jesus.

684
00:48:24,840 –> 00:48:28,400
One of the other occurrences of
the Greek word that’s translated

685
00:48:28,440 –> 00:48:32,880
press here in Philippians
chapter 3 and verse 14 is in

686
00:48:32,880 –> 00:48:38,320
Acts Chapter 9 and verse 4, and
it helps us to understand the

687
00:48:38,320 –> 00:48:44,480
kind of intensity Paul brought
to his pursuit of holiness in

688
00:48:44,480 –> 00:48:47,240
Acts Chapter 9 and verse 4.
As Saul was journeying toward

689
00:48:47,240 –> 00:48:50,080
Damascus, there was suddenly a
light from heaven that shined

690
00:48:50,080 –> 00:48:53,360
around about him, and after
falling to the earth, he heard a

691
00:48:53,360 –> 00:49:04,080
voice, and the voice said, Saul,
Saul, why persecutest thou me?

692
00:49:05,920 –> 00:49:10,800
The word persecutest here in
Acts 9 and verse 4 is the same

693
00:49:10,800 –> 00:49:15,680
word translated press in
Philippians chapter 3 and verse

694
00:49:15,680 –> 00:49:21,080
14.
We know the intensity and sheer

695
00:49:21,240 –> 00:49:25,840
ferocity that Paul brought to
the persecution of the early

696
00:49:25,840 –> 00:49:28,680
church.
He testifies to it himself.

697
00:49:29,120 –> 00:49:40,400
He was dogged and relentless.
What an incredible change our

698
00:49:40,400 –> 00:49:42,880
Heavenly Father affected in this
man.

699
00:49:47,080 –> 00:49:51,240
Whereas he had doggedly,
relentlessly pursued those of

700
00:49:51,240 –> 00:49:57,800
the way to their destruction in
Philippians Chapter 3, Paul

701
00:49:57,800 –> 00:50:05,120
himself has become a fellow
traveller on that way, doggedly,

702
00:50:06,400 –> 00:50:16,120
relentlessly pursuing the prize
of our high calling in Christ

703
00:50:16,120 –> 00:50:28,840
Jesus.
Brothers and sisters, if God

704
00:50:28,840 –> 00:50:37,400
could affect such a change in
Paul, He can surely change us in

705
00:50:37,400 –> 00:50:43,280
mind now in order to prepare us
for a change in body when His

706
00:50:43,280 –> 00:50:56,160
Son returns
in Paul’s own words.

707
00:50:56,320 –> 00:51:00,200
Brothers and sisters, reading
from Romans chapter 8, verses 31

708
00:51:00,200 –> 00:51:07,120
to 39.
If God be for us, who can be

709
00:51:07,120 –> 00:51:11,000
against us?
He that prepared, not prepared?

710
00:51:11,240 –> 00:51:14,920
Excuse me, He that spared not
his own Son, but delivered him

711
00:51:14,920 –> 00:51:19,320
up for us all, how shall he not
with Him freely give us all

712
00:51:19,320 –> 00:51:22,360
things?
Who shall lay anything to the

713
00:51:22,360 –> 00:51:25,280
charge of God’s elect?
It is God that justifieth.

714
00:51:25,640 –> 00:51:28,920
Who is he that condemneth?
It is Christ that died ye rather

715
00:51:28,920 –> 00:51:32,840
that is risen, who is even at
the right hand of God, who also

716
00:51:32,840 –> 00:51:37,280
maketh intercession for us, Who
shall separate us from the love

717
00:51:37,280 –> 00:51:40,920
of Christ?
Shall tribulation, or distress,

718
00:51:40,920 –> 00:51:45,200
or persecution, or famine, or
nakedness, or peril, or sword,

719
00:51:46,160 –> 00:51:49,200
as it is written, for thy sake?
We are killed all the day long.

720
00:51:49,200 –> 00:51:51,120
We are counted as sheep for the
slaughter.

721
00:51:52,440 –> 00:51:56,200
Nay, in all these things we are
more than conquerors through Him

722
00:51:56,200 –> 00:52:00,800
that loved us.
For I am persuaded that neither

723
00:52:00,800 –> 00:52:07,040
death, nor life, nor angels, nor
principalities, nor powers, nor

724
00:52:07,040 –> 00:52:10,560
things present, nor things to
come, nor height, nor depth, nor

725
00:52:10,560 –> 00:52:16,400
any other creature, shall be
able to separate us from the

726
00:52:16,400 –> 00:52:20,480
love of God, which is in Christ
Jesus our Lord.

727
00:52:24,200 –> 00:52:28,440
Brothers and sisters, the only
thing that can separate us from

728
00:52:28,440 –> 00:52:35,600
the love of God is us.
But if our earnest desire is to

729
00:52:35,600 –> 00:52:39,480
be holy as He is holy, and we
reverence Him, we keep His

730
00:52:39,480 –> 00:52:42,880
covenant and remember His
commandments to do them, then we

731
00:52:42,880 –> 00:52:48,960
have nothing to fear and every
reason to be strong and of good

732
00:52:48,960 –> 00:52:52,680
courage.
So, brothers and sisters, we’ll

733
00:52:52,680 –> 00:52:55,920
bring our time together this
week to a close with the words

734
00:52:55,920 –> 00:53:03,080
of Isaiah 35 Versus four to 10.
Be strong, fear not.

735
00:53:04,000 –> 00:53:06,960
Behold, your God will come with
vengeance, even God with a

736
00:53:06,960 –> 00:53:09,720
recompense, He will come and
save you.

737
00:53:10,440 –> 00:53:12,920
Then the eyes of the blind shall
be opened, and the ears of the

738
00:53:12,920 –> 00:53:17,040
death shall be unstopped.
Then shall the lame man leap as

739
00:53:17,040 –> 00:53:19,200
in heart, and the tongue of the
dumb sing.

740
00:53:20,000 –> 00:53:23,200
For in the wilderness shall
waters break out, and streams in

741
00:53:23,200 –> 00:53:26,480
the desert, and the parched
ground shall become a pool in

742
00:53:26,480 –> 00:53:30,120
the thirsty land, springs of
water, in the habitation of

743
00:53:30,120 –> 00:53:34,040
Dragons, where each lay shall be
grass with reeds and rushes.

744
00:53:34,920 –> 00:53:37,920
And in highway she’ll be there
and away.

745
00:53:38,960 –> 00:53:41,640
And it shall be called the way
of holiness.

746
00:53:42,800 –> 00:53:47,160
The unclean shall not pass over
it, but it shall be for those

747
00:53:47,160 –> 00:53:50,360
the wayfaring men.
Those, though fools shall not

748
00:53:50,360 –> 00:53:54,400
air therein.
No lion shall be there, nor any

749
00:53:54,400 –> 00:53:56,560
ravenous beast shall go up
thereon.

750
00:53:57,480 –> 00:54:02,320
It shall be.
It shall not be found there, but

751
00:54:02,320 –> 00:54:05,040
the redeemed shall walk there,
and the ransomed of the Lord

752
00:54:05,040 –> 00:54:09,600
shall return and come to Zion
with songs and everlasting joy

753
00:54:09,600 –> 00:54:13,640
upon their heads they shall
obtain joy, and gladness, and

754
00:54:13,640 –> 00:54:16,800
sorrow, and sighing shall flee
away.

755
00:54:18,640 –> 00:54:23,760
This is the way, brothers and
sisters, and May God bless our

756
00:54:23,760 –> 00:54:30,160
efforts to walk in it so that we
are blessed to come together

757
00:54:31,200 –> 00:54:37,280
with the faithful of every
generation to Zion with songs

758
00:54:38,080 –> 00:54:40,480
and everlasting joy upon our
heads.

759
00:54:41,760 –> 00:55:01,600
Even so, come Lord Jesus.
Thank you for listening to the

760
00:55:01,600 –> 00:55:03,200
Good Christadelphian Talks
podcast.

761
00:55:04,000 –> 00:55:06,440
We hope this talk helped you in
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762
00:55:06,440 –> 00:55:08,800
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763
00:55:08,800 –> 00:55:10,560
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764
00:55:10,960 –> 00:55:14,200
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765
00:55:15,320 –> 00:55:17,800
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766
00:55:17,800 –> 00:55:19,720
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767
00:55:20,640 –> 00:55:23,360
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768
00:55:23,360 –> 00:55:27,240
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769
00:55:27,240 –> 00:55:30,960
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770
00:55:30,960 –> 00:55:34,000
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778
00:55:53,640 –> 00:55:55,560
God bless and talk to you next
week.