413: Sam Snelling – Exhortation: Known by God, Redeemed by Christ and Examined by the Word

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Welcome to good Christophian
talks.

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Thank you for.
Joining us this week on this

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podcast, we select one talk a
week to help us get the Bible in

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our 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.
Hello, it’s Levi.

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I’m really excited to share
Brother Sam Stelling’s

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exhortation Known by God,
redeemed by Christ, and examined

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by the Word.
Brother Sam presented this on

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June 21st of this year and that
date’s kind of important because

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he does actually refer to all
three of the daily readings in

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his exhortation, Ruth, Isaiah
and Revelation.

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And I really enjoyed that.
I maybe it’s just, you know,

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being old fashioned, but I do
enjoy when all of the by

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readings are included.
This was a really excellent

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exhortation.
Brother Sam is a doctor and he

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has lots of kind of doctor’s
notes in the exhort as well as

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just a lot of really great one
liners.

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It’s a very well written exhort.
He talks about how the God who

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examines is also the God who
saves.

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He talks about how we are known
and used by God whether or not

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we want to comply, like Cyrus in
Isaiah.

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So really great excitation.
Again, very memorable.

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Really excited to to share it.
I wanted to thank all of our Co

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hosts through the summer,
brother Bryan Adams, Gideon

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Ryan, Reuben Norton, Adam Stark,
Levi McKinley and St.

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Neal.
It was so it’s it’s always a

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treat to kind of lay down the
responsibility of finding a talk

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and and pass it on.
I mean, I don’t know.

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It’s so much easier now that we
have I only go every six weeks

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than I used to go every two
weeks.

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But still very thankful to the
to the brothers who who helped

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us out through the summer.
So thank you to them.

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So here is known by God,
redeemed by Christ, examined by

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the Word, by Brother Sam
Snelling.

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Good morning my dear brothers
and sisters, It’s lovely to be

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back with you.
Have you ever experienced that

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strange moment when someone
knows your name and you have

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absolutely no idea who they are?
Perhaps you’ve been walking

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through a shopping centre
perhaps, and someone smiles

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warmly and says in my case it
will be.

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Hello Sam.
And immediately your mind starts

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racing.
How do they know me?

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Where have I met them?
Is that someone I know from

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school?
Is that someone I know from the

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inclusion environment?
Is that is that a patient I

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treated once?
Or is that someone from the

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hospital environment?
I can’t place them.

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And while you’re desperately
trying to remember, they’re

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continuing the conversation with
you very nicely, as though

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you’ve been known to each other
for years.

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There’s something remarkable
about being known.

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Not simply recognised, not
simply seen, but known.

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Because being known means that
someone has paid attention to

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you.
They have remembered.

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They have taken notice.
In this example, perhaps you’ve

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not taken notice of them.
But the point remains that being

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known means that someone has
paid attention.

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And the remarkable truth which
is running through all of our

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daily readings today is that God
knows people.

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Not generally, not collectively,
personally.

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Isaiah 45 in our reading today
opens with God calling Cyrus by

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name over a century before his
birth.

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Ruth, chapters 3 and 4, they
give us a story where God is

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quietly guiding the life of a
widowed foreigner who probably

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felt entirely insignificant.
And our readings in Revelation

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open with the Lord Jesus Christ
walking amongst the lampstands,

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saying repeatedly, I know, I
know thy works, I know thy

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tribulation, I know where thou
dwellest, I know.

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And perhaps there’s no greater
comfort and no greater challenge

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then that simple truth.
God knows, and it’s interesting

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for us to think about that that
God knows before we do.

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And so with that, in the back of
our minds, when we consider

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Isaiah 45, we can conclude that
this is one of the most

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astonishing chapters in the
whole of Scripture.

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Imagine when you’re reading
Isaiah 45.

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You’re a a Jewish captive in
Babylon.

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Jerusalem lies in ruins, the
temple’s been destroyed, the

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throne of David is empty, and
everything which God has

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promised seems impossible.
Then the words which Isaiah

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records spoken by Yahweh about
150 years before the events

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occur, says in verse one of
Isaiah 45.

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Thus saith the Lord to his
anointed, to Cyrus, whose right

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hand I have Holden to subdue
nations before him.

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Imagine hearing that not merely
that a deliverer will come, but

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that God already knew His name.
It’s too.

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I will go before thee, he says,
and make the crooked places

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straight.
I’ll break in pieces the gates

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of brass, and cut in sunder are
the bars of iron.

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And I’ll give thee the treasures
of darkness, and hidden riches,

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and secret places, that thou
mayest know that I the Lord will

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call thee by thy name, and the
God of Israel for Jacob my

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servant’s sake, and Israel mine
elect.

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I have even called thee by thy
name.

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I have surnamed thee, though
thou hast not known me.

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I am Yahweh, and there is none
else.

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There is no God beside me.
I girded thee, though thou hast

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not known me.
And that word elect in verse 4

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is chosen or selected in Hebrew.
And the word for called in verse

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4 is the Hebrew word Cara, which
means to address by name.

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I have called thee.
It means more than simply

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identifying someone.
It carries the sense of

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appointing them, summoning,
summoning them, assigning them a

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purpose.
God is effectively saying,

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Cyrus, before you exist, I know
who you are, and I know why

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you’re here.
Oh, Cyrus certainly didn’t know

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that.
He had no idea.

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He believed he was building an
empire, conquering nations,

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expanding influence.
Yet Heaven saw something

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entirely different, as it says
in four and five, though thou

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hast not known me.
And one of the most striking

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aspects of Isaiah 45 is that in
the contrast there between God

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and his knowledge of Cyrus, on
the other hand, is Cyrus’s

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ignorance of God.
I girded thee, though thou hast

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not known me.
And the Hebrew word for known

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yadah often implies more than
simple awareness.

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It speaks of relationship.
It speaks of recognition, of

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personal knowledge.
Cyrus was known by God long

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before he knew anything of
Yahweh.

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In fact, God had named him,
raised him up, directed his path

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way more than a century before
his birth.

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And it’s a powerful reminder to
us, isn’t it, that God is often

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at work in human lives long
before we recognise his hand.

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Looking back in our lives, many
of us can see moments where God

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was quietly shaking, shaping
circumstance, opening doors,

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guiding events, before we fully
understood his purpose.

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The phrase I girded thee is
equally significant.

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The Hebrew word there conveys
the idea of equipping or

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strengthening or fastening on a
warrior’s belt before battle.

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Cyrus to the world appeared as a
self-made conqueror, but Yahweh

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declares him that he is the
provider of every victory.

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He gave him the opportunity.
He gave him the ability to do

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what he did, and the lesson is a
humbling one for us.

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Human achievements can often
foster self-reliance.

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Yet God reminds us, He reminds
Cyrus, that all strength and

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opportunity originate with him.
The victories of nations and the

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experiences of individuals alike
alike are under God’s control.

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There’s also a sobering contrast
in the life of Cyrus.

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He was chosen by God.
He was empowered by God.

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He was used mightily in God’s
purpose.

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Yet there’s little evidence that
he ever truly came to know the

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God who is directing his life.
There’s a stark reality,

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brothers and sisters, that it’s
possible to experience God’s

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Providence without fully
responding to his calling.

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Cyrus was an instrument in God’s
hand, but we as believers, we’re

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called to something greater than
usefulness alone.

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We’re invited into a
relationship with our God, our

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heavenly Father.
The challenge of the verse is

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therefore personal.
It’s not simply whether God’s

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been working in our lives, but
whether we’ve come to truly know

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the God who has been working in
our lives all along.

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God can still use us whether we
choose to respond or not.

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So in summary, the remarkable
thing is that Cyrus is moving

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according to a purpose he cannot
see.

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And brothers and sisters, it’s
true, Isn’t ourselves most in

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our lives?
Most of us would love a road

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map.
We would love God to tell us

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what’s going to happen next
week, next month, next year, the

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next decade.
Where will we be?

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What difficulties might arise?
What opportunities might arrive

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in our lives?
Who will we meet?

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What relationships will develop?
What will happen with our

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children?
Will we have children?

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What will happen as they grow
up?

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Their careers, our careers, life
events?

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What Providence’s are unfolding?
We would love to know all of

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that, but instead God gives us
just enough, just enough light

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for the next step, not the whole
journey.

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And that’s where faith lives.
Faith lives in taking that next

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step.
And Isaiah 45 then goes on to

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establish this almighty divine
creator and it’s narrative.

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And then we’re introduced in
verse 15.

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Come there with me.
One of the most profound

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observations in Scripture.
Verily, thou art a God that

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hidest thyself, oh God of
Israel, the Saviour.

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And that word hidest is the
Hebrew Hebrew word sotha, which

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means to conceal or to hide.
A God who conceals himself, a

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God who works behind the
curtain, a God whose

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fingerprints are everywhere but
whose hand is rarely seen

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directly.
As a doctor, one of the things

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which constantly amazes me is
how much happens inside of each

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and every one of our bodies
right now, completely unseen.

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It’s interesting because we
often spend a lot of time in our

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lives developing the things we
can control.

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We practice a sport, we learn an
instrument, we improve our

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fitness, we refine a skill at
work, and perhaps after years of

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effort, we become quite
accomplished at those things.

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It’s easy to feel that successes
come from our own determination

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and ability.
Yet all the while, for each and

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every one of us, there is
something far more remarkable

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going on in the background right
now.

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All of you sitting here, me
standing here.

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We’re not consciously telling
our heart to beat.

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We’re not consciously telling
our lungs to breathe or our

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digestive system to work.
We’ve got what is known as the

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autonomic nervous system, which
carries out its work quietly in

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the background.
Autonomic just means that the

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bodily functions are going on
spontaneously, without our

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conscious control.
Moment by moment, whether we

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think about them or not, we
hardly notice it.

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Day in, day out, it continues
keeping you alive.

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We simply assume it will be
there tomorrow as it was today.

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Perhaps you’ve never even
thought about it.

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But if that hidden system were
to fail, suddenly all those

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skills we spent years perfecting
become irrelevant.

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The table tennis bat gets put
down.

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The instrument falls silent.
The gym routine stops.

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The office desk becomes empty.
Everything we proudly control

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depends entirely on something we
don’t control at all.

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And there’s a spiritual lesson
in us, in this, for us.

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Because God so often works in
ways that are hidden from view,

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we can become so absorbed in the
physical parts of life, on the

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visible parts of life, the plans
we make, the achievements we

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pursue, the problems we solve.
Yet behind it all is that

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sustaining hand of God.
As Paul tells the Athenians, in

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him we live and move and have
our being.

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The autonomic nervous system is
a quiet reminder that the most

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00:14:46,760 –> 00:14:49,560
important things are not always
the most visible.

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00:14:50,320 –> 00:14:55,240
Just as our bodies depend every
second on processes we can’t, or

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00:14:55,240 –> 00:15:01,480
we rarely notice, our lives
depend every day on a God who

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00:15:01,480 –> 00:15:05,240
remains unseen.
And that’s not a discouraging

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00:15:05,240 –> 00:15:06,560
thought.
It’s a comforting 1.

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00:15:07,320 –> 00:15:11,520
The God who sustains us is at
work even when we’re not

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00:15:11,520 –> 00:15:14,280
thinking about him.
We like to think we’re thinking

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00:15:14,280 –> 00:15:15,720
about God all the time, but
we’re not.

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00:15:17,560 –> 00:15:22,040
His care for us is far more
constant than our awareness of

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00:15:22,040 –> 00:15:26,000
it.
So we can be encouraged that

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00:15:26,000 –> 00:15:29,240
what is invisible is often far
more important than that which

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00:15:29,240 –> 00:15:33,760
is visible.
And Providence often works out

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00:15:34,520 –> 00:15:38,200
in exactly the same way.
We usually only see the symptoms

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00:15:38,200 –> 00:15:42,640
of Providence.
God sees and develops the entire

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00:15:42,640 –> 00:15:46,360
processes and the underlying
’cause we see the immediate

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00:15:46,360 –> 00:15:48,800
problem, God sees the final
outcome.

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00:15:49,800 –> 00:15:52,400
We see chapter 1 and God sees
chapter 40.

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00:15:54,840 –> 00:15:57,000
And nowhere is that more
beautifully illustrated than our

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00:15:57,000 –> 00:15:59,840
readings and Ruth.
Come back to Ruth chapter 1.

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00:15:59,840 –> 00:16:03,200
So yesterday’s readings, Ruth
chapter 1 and 2, Today’s

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00:16:03,200 –> 00:16:06,480
readings, Ruth chapter 3 and 4.
But let’s just get to the start

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00:16:06,480 –> 00:16:22,360
of the story and Ruth.
Naomi could not see chapter 40.

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00:16:22,520 –> 00:16:25,600
She could barely survive chapter
1.

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00:16:27,480 –> 00:16:29,400
Let’s just remind ourselves what
happens because it says in

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00:16:29,400 –> 00:16:31,520
chapter 1, verse one.
Now it came to pass in the days

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00:16:31,520 –> 00:16:34,160
when the judges ruled that there
was a famine in the land and a

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00:16:34,160 –> 00:16:36,960
certain man of Bethlehem, Judah
went to dwell in the country of

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00:16:36,960 –> 00:16:38,960
Moab, he and his wife and his
two sons.

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00:16:39,120 –> 00:16:40,440
The name of that man was
Elimelech.

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00:16:40,440 –> 00:16:43,000
In the name of his wife was
Naomi, and the names of his two

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00:16:43,000 –> 00:16:46,400
sons were Malhan and Chilion,
Ephrathites of Bethlehem, Judah.

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00:16:47,280 –> 00:16:49,440
And they went to the country of
Moab and remained there.

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00:16:49,920 –> 00:16:54,400
Then Elimelech Naomi’s husband
died, and she was left, and her

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00:16:54,400 –> 00:16:56,720
two sons.
Now they took wives of the women

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00:16:56,720 –> 00:16:58,880
of Moab.
The name of 1 was Orpa, and the

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00:16:58,880 –> 00:17:02,200
name of the other Ruth, and they
dwelt there about 10 years.

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00:17:02,800 –> 00:17:05,880
Then the brother, then both
Mahon and Chilian also died.

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00:17:06,240 –> 00:17:09,480
So the women survived her two
sons and her husband.

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00:17:11,720 –> 00:17:17,680
So her husband dies, her sons
die, her security disappears,

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00:17:17,680 –> 00:17:22,240
her future seems hopeless.
And eventually we read in, in

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00:17:22,240 –> 00:17:25,760
verse 20, she’s come back to
Bethlehem saying call me Mara,

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00:17:25,760 –> 00:17:29,640
call me bitter.
Imagine the emotional burden

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00:17:29,720 –> 00:17:31,960
she’s faced to get to that
moment of declaration.

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00:17:33,280 –> 00:17:38,520
Imagine the questions, the
prayers at night which seem

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00:17:38,520 –> 00:17:41,680
unanswered, the Knights
wondering why?

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00:17:41,680 –> 00:17:47,240
Why is this happening to me?
Lord help me.

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00:17:49,440 –> 00:17:52,360
And many of you here will have
known similar moments.

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00:17:53,120 –> 00:17:56,520
The loss of health, the loss of
a loved one, the loss of

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00:17:56,520 –> 00:18:00,080
certainty.
And perhaps like Naomi, we’ve,

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00:18:00,280 –> 00:18:03,600
we’ve wondered where was God?
Where are you?

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00:18:05,640 –> 00:18:08,480
Perhaps we’ve we’ve felt bitter.
Perhaps we’ve called ourselves

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00:18:08,480 –> 00:18:12,560
bitter.
Yet the extraordinary thing here

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00:18:12,560 –> 00:18:15,720
about the story of Ruth is that
while Naomi is feeling

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00:18:15,720 –> 00:18:20,880
abandoned, the God behind the
curtain is orchestrating

275
00:18:20,880 –> 00:18:24,840
redemption.
Every event is moving towards a

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00:18:24,840 –> 00:18:28,800
purpose that she cannot see yet.
And that’s the Providence we

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00:18:28,800 –> 00:18:33,000
often miss and come to chapter
2, one of those beautiful

278
00:18:33,000 –> 00:18:39,840
phrases there and verse 3, she
happened, Ruth happened to come

279
00:18:39,840 –> 00:18:45,000
to the field of Boaz or Hap, you
know, in the King James humanly

280
00:18:45,000 –> 00:18:50,440
speaking, coincidence,
biblically speaking, Providence.

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00:18:52,520 –> 00:18:55,040
Now I remember speaking to a
brother many years ago who’s

282
00:18:55,040 –> 00:18:59,320
reflecting on his baptism.
He told me about a seemingly

283
00:18:59,880 –> 00:19:03,520
ordinary day in his life when he
missed a train and he was

284
00:19:03,520 –> 00:19:06,080
frustrated.
He was waiting on the platform,

285
00:19:06,080 –> 00:19:08,600
sitting down sometimes, looking
at the screen, trying to work

286
00:19:08,600 –> 00:19:10,640
out what he was going to do.
This isn’t the days before

287
00:19:10,880 –> 00:19:13,360
everyone had a mobile phone,
unaware what to do.

288
00:19:15,160 –> 00:19:18,760
Unaware that what felt like an
inconvenience at the time would

289
00:19:18,760 –> 00:19:20,320
become a turning point in his
life.

290
00:19:21,440 –> 00:19:23,800
Because while he waited, he
struck up a conversation with a

291
00:19:23,800 –> 00:19:27,680
sister lasted about 10:15
minutes.

292
00:19:27,680 –> 00:19:29,560
Nothing dramatic happened.
There was no miracle.

293
00:19:29,560 –> 00:19:32,800
There was no sudden train which
appeared, no vision, no voice

294
00:19:32,800 –> 00:19:35,240
from heaven.
Just a simple conversation

295
00:19:36,040 –> 00:19:39,400
between two people.
Yet that brief encounter led to

296
00:19:39,400 –> 00:19:42,840
an invitation to a Bible class.
And Bible classes led to a

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00:19:42,840 –> 00:19:44,320
growing understanding of the
truth.

298
00:19:45,400 –> 00:19:46,960
That understanding led to
baptism.

299
00:19:46,960 –> 00:19:51,000
And a baptism led to embarking
on a lifetime of service to God.

300
00:19:52,200 –> 00:19:54,800
And many years later he was
looking back over the path his

301
00:19:54,800 –> 00:19:57,640
life had taken.
And he said at that time I

302
00:19:57,640 –> 00:19:59,440
thought I’d missed my train that
day.

303
00:20:00,000 –> 00:20:03,640
But then he smiled and added it
turned out that God had a

304
00:20:03,640 –> 00:20:05,240
different journey planned for
me.

305
00:20:06,720 –> 00:20:09,800
What appeared to be a missed
connection was in reality a

306
00:20:09,800 –> 00:20:13,520
divine appointment.
What seemed like a chance hap

307
00:20:14,360 –> 00:20:18,160
was Providence.
Looking back, he could see that

308
00:20:18,160 –> 00:20:21,600
God had been quietly directing
events long before he recognised

309
00:20:21,600 –> 00:20:24,080
his hand.
And that is the story of Ruth,

310
00:20:24,080 –> 00:20:28,320
brothers and sisters.
Ordinary decisions, ordinary

311
00:20:28,320 –> 00:20:34,320
encounters, ordinary days, yet
behind them all is the unseen

312
00:20:34,320 –> 00:20:36,880
hand of God, guiding events
towards his purpose.

313
00:20:36,880 –> 00:20:41,760
And perhaps that’s true for us
in many ways.

314
00:20:41,760 –> 00:20:44,040
We often ask, why is this
happening to me?

315
00:20:45,160 –> 00:20:47,760
Yet years later, we look back
and realise the better question

316
00:20:47,760 –> 00:20:53,600
was what was God doing for me?
For while we saw coincidence or

317
00:20:53,680 –> 00:20:57,240
disappointment or delay, our
Father may have been gently

318
00:20:57,240 –> 00:21:00,800
leading us towards a destination
far greater than the one we had

319
00:21:00,800 –> 00:21:04,880
planned ourselves.
But as the story of Ruth

320
00:21:04,880 –> 00:21:07,400
unfolds, Ruth arrives at the
feet of Boaz.

321
00:21:07,400 –> 00:21:09,520
Varied.
The language is full of covenant

322
00:21:09,520 –> 00:21:13,480
significance when here in Ruth
chapter 2 verse 20, Naomi

323
00:21:13,480 –> 00:21:18,080
recognises that he’s a a close
relative with a right to redeem

324
00:21:18,080 –> 00:21:21,760
their their family inheritance.
He says the man is a near kin

325
00:21:21,760 –> 00:21:24,160
unto US, one of our next
kinsmen.

326
00:21:24,520 –> 00:21:27,880
He becomes what is known as the
goel in Hebrew, the kinsman

327
00:21:28,200 –> 00:21:32,600
Redeemer, the one who’s willing
and able to restore what has

328
00:21:32,600 –> 00:21:36,440
been lost.
And that word is beautiful.

329
00:21:36,440 –> 00:21:39,240
The Hebrew word is not really a
rescuer, not merely a

330
00:21:39,240 –> 00:21:42,400
benefactor.
He’s a family Redeemer.

331
00:21:44,440 –> 00:21:46,920
And the theme with the goel
develops through the book,

332
00:21:46,920 –> 00:21:50,320
particularly in in Ruth chapter
3 and verse 9 where Ruth asked

333
00:21:50,320 –> 00:21:54,400
Boaz to spread thy skirt.
And that that Hebrew word there

334
00:21:54,400 –> 00:21:59,320
for skirt in chapter 3 verse 9
is the Hebrew word kenaf or

335
00:21:59,320 –> 00:22:03,000
wing.
Spread it over her because He is

336
00:22:03,000 –> 00:22:07,080
the goel and that that connects
directly to Ruth 2, verse 12,

337
00:22:07,080 –> 00:22:10,360
where Boaz has commended Ruth
for seeking refuge under

338
00:22:10,360 –> 00:22:13,480
Yahweh’s wings, the the same
Hebrew word, Kanath.

339
00:22:15,440 –> 00:22:20,560
Ruth first sought shelter under
God’s wings, and then God

340
00:22:21,120 –> 00:22:24,840
provided refuge through Boaz,
his chosen Redeemer.

341
00:22:26,560 –> 00:22:29,680
And by Ruth chapter 4, Boaz
formally fulfills that role of

342
00:22:29,680 –> 00:22:32,520
the Goel, the Redeemer,
redeeming both the inheritance

343
00:22:32,760 –> 00:22:35,720
and Ruth herself.
And we know it in that way.

344
00:22:35,720 –> 00:22:39,480
He’s a powerful type of Christ
through whom God’s redeeming

345
00:22:39,480 –> 00:22:44,840
care is ultimately revealed.
Our minds are drawn to someone

346
00:22:44,840 –> 00:22:48,600
who enters into your problem,
although it was his own.

347
00:22:49,880 –> 00:22:53,520
Our minds are drawn to Christ
because that’s exactly what he

348
00:22:53,520 –> 00:22:56,720
did.
Hebrews we know very well, tells

349
00:22:56,720 –> 00:23:02,400
us He shared our nature.
For as much then as the children

350
00:23:02,400 –> 00:23:05,200
are partakers of flesh and
blood, He also Himself likewise

351
00:23:05,440 –> 00:23:07,920
took part of the same, that
through death He might destroy

352
00:23:07,920 –> 00:23:11,200
Him that had the power of death.
That is the devil.

353
00:23:13,960 –> 00:23:16,280
This 18 of that same chapter in
Hebrews Feridnad.

354
00:23:16,280 –> 00:23:19,720
He Himself hath suffered being
tempted, He is able to succor

355
00:23:19,720 –> 00:23:23,480
them that are tempted.
Christ experienced our

356
00:23:23,480 –> 00:23:27,280
weaknesses, He faced our
temptations, He bore our

357
00:23:27,280 –> 00:23:29,880
burdens.
He became our near kinsman so

358
00:23:29,880 –> 00:23:31,440
that he might become our
Redeemer.

359
00:23:33,640 –> 00:23:37,720
And with the background concept
of being known, having a God who

360
00:23:37,720 –> 00:23:41,320
notices, who knows us.
There’s something else beautiful

361
00:23:41,320 –> 00:23:44,200
about Boaz because he notices
Ruth.

362
00:23:45,440 –> 00:23:50,240
Others saw a poor widow, a
foreigner, A Moabite S, someone

363
00:23:50,760 –> 00:23:57,840
gathering scraps.
But Boaz, he saw faith, he saw

364
00:23:57,880 –> 00:24:02,160
character, he saw integrity.
And brothers and sisters,

365
00:24:02,160 –> 00:24:04,720
Perhaps one of the greatest
needs in our age is to remember

366
00:24:04,720 –> 00:24:07,400
that God notices things the
world doesn’t.

367
00:24:08,200 –> 00:24:10,560
The world around us notices
beauty.

368
00:24:11,120 –> 00:24:16,320
It notices success, influence,
popularity, self proclamation.

369
00:24:17,920 –> 00:24:22,720
But our God notices
faithfulness, kindness,

370
00:24:23,600 –> 00:24:29,960
patience, quiet service,
integrity, the things that are

371
00:24:29,960 –> 00:24:33,280
often overlooked by everyone
else, the quiet attitude of

372
00:24:33,280 –> 00:24:36,360
service, dedication to our
ecclesia.

373
00:24:37,480 –> 00:24:39,800
Perhaps you’re raising a family
and you’re exhausted.

374
00:24:39,920 –> 00:24:43,560
You’ve struggled to get up today
because all night you’ve been

375
00:24:43,560 –> 00:24:46,080
awake with a child.
You’ve managed to get the kids

376
00:24:46,080 –> 00:24:48,640
ready to go to the ecclesia and
you just about make it.

377
00:24:49,160 –> 00:24:52,080
But perhaps you’ve had to run
out with the little one, most of

378
00:24:52,080 –> 00:24:56,240
the talk, or most of their
meeting, and you’ve just about

379
00:24:56,240 –> 00:24:59,120
made it.
And you’re there in the lobby,

380
00:24:59,440 –> 00:25:03,040
the classically cramped cry room
perhaps from most of our halls,

381
00:25:03,040 –> 00:25:06,800
and you’re trying your best.
And yet you feel like that.

382
00:25:06,800 –> 00:25:09,480
Times whizzed by in an absolute
blur.

383
00:25:10,040 –> 00:25:12,760
You’ve barely heard the talk,
you had little interaction, and

384
00:25:12,760 –> 00:25:17,920
then you’ve headed home.
You may understandably sometimes

385
00:25:17,920 –> 00:25:23,920
ask, was it even worth it?
Well, the simple answer is yes,

386
00:25:24,480 –> 00:25:27,040
because these moments are not
missed by God.

387
00:25:27,680 –> 00:25:29,840
Perhaps you’ve got older
children and the weight of

388
00:25:29,840 –> 00:25:33,080
concern for them leaves you
weary and anxious about what

389
00:25:33,080 –> 00:25:36,960
challenges are coming in your
life or going on right now.

390
00:25:37,240 –> 00:25:40,760
Perhaps you’re carrying health
worries, financial pressures,

391
00:25:41,760 –> 00:25:44,240
emotional burdens that seem
overwhelming.

392
00:25:44,920 –> 00:25:50,440
Maybe loneliness has settled in,
and coming along to the ecclesia

393
00:25:50,440 –> 00:25:55,640
itself feels difficult from a
place of isolation.

394
00:25:57,640 –> 00:26:00,560
You may be troubled by choices
being made around you.

395
00:26:01,520 –> 00:26:05,920
You feel disappointed,
conflicted, discouraged.

396
00:26:06,800 –> 00:26:10,800
And so the question arises,
should I stay home or should I

397
00:26:10,800 –> 00:26:15,040
go?
Yet it’s often those very days

398
00:26:15,040 –> 00:26:19,560
when attendance feels hardest
that we actually need the

399
00:26:19,560 –> 00:26:22,000
fellowship of God’s family the
most.

400
00:26:24,120 –> 00:26:27,520
The Father sees the struggle
that others cannot see.

401
00:26:27,960 –> 00:26:31,120
He knows the effort that it’s
taken for you to be present here

402
00:26:31,120 –> 00:26:34,960
today.
He knows you like Ruth, gleaning

403
00:26:34,960 –> 00:26:40,480
faithfully one day at a time.
God notices those quiet acts of

404
00:26:40,480 –> 00:26:47,040
service in your life.
He delights in those who

405
00:26:47,040 –> 00:26:50,440
continue to seek Him even when
the path is difficult.

406
00:26:51,240 –> 00:26:53,160
These actions are not missed by
God.

407
00:26:53,400 –> 00:26:57,000
He knows who we are and who we
serve.

408
00:26:59,240 –> 00:27:02,040
And as we live our lives in our
eccleses, we’re reminded in our

409
00:27:02,040 –> 00:27:05,120
readings in Revelation 1:00 and
2:00 today that Christ is

410
00:27:05,120 –> 00:27:08,160
walking among the lampstands.
Let’s come to our final reading

411
00:27:08,200 –> 00:27:15,080
today in Revelation chapter 1,
because here we’re reminded that

412
00:27:15,080 –> 00:27:18,840
those types of the ecclesias,
and they’re so relevant for us

413
00:27:18,840 –> 00:27:22,960
now in our lives, that in
Revelation chapter 1, John

414
00:27:23,040 –> 00:27:26,880
turns, we read, and he sees
Christ, not the suffering

415
00:27:26,880 –> 00:27:31,080
servant, not as the man hanging
on a cross, but this glorified,

416
00:27:31,080 –> 00:27:34,600
majestic, powerful Christ.
And where is He?

417
00:27:36,040 –> 00:27:38,280
He’s among the lampstands, among
the ecclesias.

418
00:27:38,280 –> 00:27:40,480
Let’s read from verses 12 and
13.

419
00:27:40,480 –> 00:27:44,320
And he says, I turned to see the
voice that spake with me, and

420
00:27:44,320 –> 00:27:47,920
being turned, I saw 7 golden
candlesticks, And in the midst

421
00:27:47,920 –> 00:27:50,640
of the seven candlesticks one
like unto the Son of Man,

422
00:27:50,880 –> 00:27:53,880
clothed with a garment down to
the foot, and girt about the

423
00:27:53,880 –> 00:27:59,200
paps with a golden girdle.
And that image should be deeply

424
00:27:59,200 –> 00:28:02,720
comforting to us.
Brothers and sisters, Christ is

425
00:28:02,720 –> 00:28:07,760
not distant, He’s not detached,
He’s not uninterested in what

426
00:28:07,760 –> 00:28:09,560
happens right here in your
ecclesia.

427
00:28:11,040 –> 00:28:15,080
He walks amongst his people.
And seven times I alluded to it

428
00:28:15,080 –> 00:28:20,880
before, but in chapters 2 and
three he says I know, I know, I

429
00:28:20,880 –> 00:28:29,680
know, I know, I know, I know, I
know. 7 times not I’ve heard or

430
00:28:29,680 –> 00:28:32,640
I suspect or I’ve been informed
or I’ve been told.

431
00:28:32,640 –> 00:28:38,880
He knows, and the Greek word for
no implies complete knowledge,

432
00:28:39,160 –> 00:28:41,920
perfect awareness.
Nothing is hidden from Him.

433
00:28:42,200 –> 00:28:44,280
Nothing is overlooked.
Nothing is forgotten.

434
00:28:44,640 –> 00:28:48,680
Which means that Christ knows.
Every struggle that never

435
00:28:48,680 –> 00:28:51,720
appears in a prayer request
because we’re too ashamed to say

436
00:28:51,720 –> 00:28:55,400
it.
Every anxiety that nobody talks

437
00:28:55,400 –> 00:28:59,280
about, every private battle
we’ve got going on in our life

438
00:28:59,280 –> 00:29:02,200
right now.
Every act of faithfulness that

439
00:29:02,200 –> 00:29:06,760
nobody ever notices or
acknowledges, every quiet

440
00:29:06,760 –> 00:29:11,080
kindness, every hidden sacrifice
that we make, He knows.

441
00:29:12,480 –> 00:29:15,840
And these lampstands are His
ecclesias.

442
00:29:16,520 –> 00:29:20,400
And wherever our corner of the
vineyard is, we need to make

443
00:29:20,400 –> 00:29:24,640
sure we are keeping our
lampstand burning, shining as

444
00:29:24,640 –> 00:29:30,160
lights in a World of Darkness.
And because He knows everything,

445
00:29:31,680 –> 00:29:35,160
we need to make sure we’re
allowing ourselves to use the

446
00:29:35,160 –> 00:29:40,760
mind of Christ to guide our
paths, to help us make decisions

447
00:29:40,760 –> 00:29:42,760
in our lives.
We need to examine ourselves

448
00:29:42,760 –> 00:29:45,720
with God’s Word.
And this is where conscience

449
00:29:45,720 –> 00:29:50,720
becomes so important because
conscience is the internal

450
00:29:50,720 –> 00:29:53,920
witness that reminds us that we
live before God.

451
00:29:55,200 –> 00:29:59,520
Conscience is like a compass.
A compass doesn’t decide or

452
00:29:59,520 –> 00:30:04,600
create where north is.
A compass simply points to

453
00:30:04,600 –> 00:30:09,520
north.
Similarly, conscience doesn’t

454
00:30:09,520 –> 00:30:14,280
create truth, it responds to the
truth that God has revealed,

455
00:30:16,120 –> 00:30:19,280
Paul writes in Romans 2.
For when the Gentiles, which do

456
00:30:19,280 –> 00:30:22,040
not have the law, do by nature
the things contained in the law,

457
00:30:22,320 –> 00:30:24,960
their conscience bears and
witness.

458
00:30:26,000 –> 00:30:30,240
So our conscience, conscience
bears US witness.

459
00:30:30,240 –> 00:30:34,120
It bears witness to us, it
testifies and it reminds us.

460
00:30:35,920 –> 00:30:40,760
But just like a physical
compass, it can be damaged, it

461
00:30:40,760 –> 00:30:44,600
can be misaligned.
Our conscience can become weak,

462
00:30:44,880 –> 00:30:48,080
ignored, or distorted.
Maybe there’s some magnetic

463
00:30:48,080 –> 00:30:50,600
field we’re influencing our
compass with, with our own

464
00:30:50,600 –> 00:30:55,360
ideologies.
That’s why we’ve must use and

465
00:30:55,360 –> 00:30:58,480
educate our conscience through
God’s Word.

466
00:30:58,520 –> 00:31:02,360
We need to make sure we’re
pointing to God’s truth, not our

467
00:31:02,360 –> 00:31:06,480
truth.
Once again, as a doctor, one of

468
00:31:06,480 –> 00:31:08,920
the most useful things in
medicine is an early warning

469
00:31:08,920 –> 00:31:12,240
sign, a sign that something’s
going wrong.

470
00:31:13,240 –> 00:31:16,920
Perhaps you’re coming in with
chest pain, or a fever, or loss

471
00:31:16,920 –> 00:31:19,240
of sensation or shortness of
breath.

472
00:31:19,680 –> 00:31:23,960
Symptoms to me are gifts.
The symptom to you may be

473
00:31:23,960 –> 00:31:28,400
unpleasant, but it alerts us to
something deeper going on,

474
00:31:28,840 –> 00:31:32,000
because the real danger is not
the pain, it’s not the symptom.

475
00:31:32,400 –> 00:31:35,520
The real danger is when the pain
or the symptom disappears

476
00:31:36,000 –> 00:31:39,840
because the warning system is
gone and the problem becomes

477
00:31:39,840 –> 00:31:43,080
much worse.
When there’s no warning signals,

478
00:31:43,200 –> 00:31:49,080
eventually disaster occurs.
Conscience works the same way.

479
00:31:50,360 –> 00:31:53,640
Conscience is one of God’s early
warning systems and when

480
00:31:53,720 –> 00:31:57,000
functioning properly alerts us
to what we should be doing

481
00:31:57,000 –> 00:31:59,480
before we drift too far from
God.

482
00:32:00,640 –> 00:32:04,720
Paul says in Acts herein do I
exercise myself to always have a

483
00:32:04,720 –> 00:32:08,600
conscience void of offence
towards God and towards men.

484
00:32:08,600 –> 00:32:13,200
Acts 24 verse 16 he says he
doesn’t hope for a good

485
00:32:13,200 –> 00:32:16,400
conscience.
He doesn’t just wait for it, he

486
00:32:16,560 –> 00:32:20,720
exercises himself.
It requires effort, it requires

487
00:32:20,720 –> 00:32:24,120
training, it requires practice
and deliberate choices in your

488
00:32:24,120 –> 00:32:27,240
life.
And the same is true for us.

489
00:32:28,520 –> 00:32:33,240
The discomfort we feel before a
sin is often a mercy.

490
00:32:34,880 –> 00:32:37,000
The danger is not hearing a
conscience.

491
00:32:37,000 –> 00:32:39,000
The danger is no longer hearing
it.

492
00:32:40,800 –> 00:32:42,920
If you notice when you hear a
loud noise, it grabs your

493
00:32:42,920 –> 00:32:46,440
attention, but after repeatedly
hearing it, you start to stop

494
00:32:46,960 –> 00:32:49,600
hearing it, stop noticing it,
you habituate to it.

495
00:32:50,320 –> 00:32:55,240
Conscience works similarly.
Maybe a first lie feels

496
00:32:55,240 –> 00:32:59,120
uncomfortable, the second is
easier, but eventually the

497
00:32:59,120 –> 00:33:02,760
discomfort fades and it no
longer bothers us because the

498
00:33:02,760 –> 00:33:06,200
conscience is distorted and
we’re warned about that.

499
00:33:06,680 –> 00:33:09,280
In First Timothy 4, verse 2,
Paul warned the people, saying

500
00:33:09,280 –> 00:33:12,320
they’re in the last days.
This Is Us brothers and sisters

501
00:33:12,800 –> 00:33:16,240
having their conscience seared
with a hot iron.

502
00:33:17,640 –> 00:33:20,640
What does that mean?
Well, essentially we have seared

503
00:33:22,080 –> 00:33:26,000
our skin, our nerves.
It becomes numb, numb and

504
00:33:26,000 –> 00:33:31,680
insensitive and able to respond.
So a seared conscience loses

505
00:33:31,920 –> 00:33:35,080
responsiveness.
The danger isn’t merely

506
00:33:35,080 –> 00:33:38,840
committing one wrong act.
The danger is becoming

507
00:33:38,840 –> 00:33:42,000
comfortable with it, and we no
longer even know it’s wrong.

508
00:33:43,720 –> 00:33:47,920
Medically speaking, when you see
yourself with an iron, losing

509
00:33:47,920 –> 00:33:50,240
sensation is one of the things
you see.

510
00:33:50,240 –> 00:33:52,080
We think of burns in the old
age.

511
00:33:52,080 –> 00:33:54,520
We used to talk about them as
first, second and third degree,

512
00:33:54,960 –> 00:33:56,680
maybe more.
Now partial thickness and

513
00:33:57,240 –> 00:34:01,200
superficial and full thickness.
A shallow burn may affect the

514
00:34:01,200 –> 00:34:06,640
sensation, it might cause
tingling, affect how we respond

515
00:34:06,640 –> 00:34:09,120
to our how our nerves respond to
stimulus.

516
00:34:09,960 –> 00:34:14,560
But if we leave the iron on
there for a long, long time, we

517
00:34:14,560 –> 00:34:18,000
result in a full thickness burn
and from that the nerves may

518
00:34:18,000 –> 00:34:22,639
never recover.
Following a burn, you get a

519
00:34:22,639 –> 00:34:27,159
scar.
We have to choose how we’re

520
00:34:27,159 –> 00:34:31,360
going to try and restore our
integrity of the scar.

521
00:34:31,360 –> 00:34:36,280
Maybe you’re going to need to
manipulate it, massage it, put

522
00:34:36,280 –> 00:34:39,159
special oils and creams on it.
If you have got a full thickness

523
00:34:39,159 –> 00:34:44,040
scar there.
Every time we ignore our

524
00:34:44,040 –> 00:34:47,080
conscience, we make it easier to
ignore the next time.

525
00:34:47,719 –> 00:34:51,480
And spiritual numbness is every
bit as dangerous as physical

526
00:34:51,480 –> 00:34:54,719
numbers.
The challenge today is we live

527
00:34:54,719 –> 00:34:57,760
in a world which aggressively
shapes our conscience.

528
00:34:58,240 –> 00:35:00,680
There’s a battle for our our
identity.

529
00:35:01,600 –> 00:35:04,040
Everyday voices compete for our
attention.

530
00:35:04,520 –> 00:35:09,000
Advertisements, politics, media,
social media, entertainment,

531
00:35:09,440 –> 00:35:12,520
algorithms.
They’re designed to influence

532
00:35:12,520 –> 00:35:14,600
how we think, particularly our
young people.

533
00:35:15,840 –> 00:35:21,000
The world constantly says follow
your heart, but Scripture says

534
00:35:21,000 –> 00:35:26,520
that let this mind be in you.
The world says express yourself,

535
00:35:27,360 –> 00:35:31,920
but Christ says deny yourself.
The world says become who you

536
00:35:31,920 –> 00:35:38,440
want to be, but God says become
who I am shaping you to be.

537
00:35:39,120 –> 00:35:42,360
And those are fundamentally
different ideologies, different

538
00:35:42,360 –> 00:35:45,960
ideas.
And every day we choose whose

539
00:35:45,960 –> 00:35:51,400
voice we’re going to follow.
Because small decisions build

540
00:35:51,400 –> 00:35:53,840
character.
And it’s important to remember

541
00:35:54,000 –> 00:35:57,680
that most spiritual failures
don’t begin with a dramatic

542
00:35:58,400 –> 00:36:02,560
rebellion.
They begin with tiny, tiny

543
00:36:02,880 –> 00:36:05,760
compromises.
A neglected prayer.

544
00:36:05,800 –> 00:36:12,360
Perhaps a missed reading, a
tolerated attitude, a private

545
00:36:12,520 –> 00:36:16,920
internal rationalisation, A
gradual decline in our physical

546
00:36:16,960 –> 00:36:22,600
ecclesial attendance.
And if we think of conscience,

547
00:36:22,600 –> 00:36:25,680
like the monitoring alarms in
perhaps the intensive care unit,

548
00:36:25,840 –> 00:36:29,360
initially every abnormality
triggers a reaction, an

549
00:36:29,360 –> 00:36:32,040
attention.
But if the alarms are constantly

550
00:36:32,040 –> 00:36:36,880
sounding and ignored, eventually
people stop responding to them.

551
00:36:38,160 –> 00:36:40,680
The alarm isn’t changing, but
the listener has.

552
00:36:41,720 –> 00:36:44,040
The same thing can happen happen
to us spiritually.

553
00:36:45,000 –> 00:36:46,880
The first compromise troubles
us.

554
00:36:47,360 –> 00:36:50,520
The second troubles us less.
Eventually we stop hearing that

555
00:36:50,520 –> 00:36:52,920
warning and we carry on
regardless.

556
00:36:53,400 –> 00:36:56,280
And sometimes, in our journey of
convincing ourselves, we create

557
00:36:56,280 –> 00:37:00,440
a whole new narrative, often
directly impacted by secular

558
00:37:00,440 –> 00:37:03,560
society, and we frame ourselves
to that metric.

559
00:37:04,320 –> 00:37:07,440
And we can be guilty of
forgetting that we are to be

560
00:37:07,440 –> 00:37:12,440
fitly framed to Christ as the
cornerstone, not with new

561
00:37:12,440 –> 00:37:18,200
adjusted moral relativity based
off our lived experience or our

562
00:37:18,320 –> 00:37:22,280
value system.
We are fitly framed to the

563
00:37:22,280 –> 00:37:27,080
cornerstone.
Which is why Scripture

564
00:37:27,080 –> 00:37:32,200
repeatedly says today, if you
will hear his voice today, not

565
00:37:32,200 –> 00:37:37,320
tomorrow, today hear his voice,
not ours, not yours.

566
00:37:39,080 –> 00:37:43,920
We have to frame ourself to Him,
not to any new age ideology.

567
00:37:45,320 –> 00:37:48,200
And that’s why I keep
referencing that Philippians

568
00:37:48,200 –> 00:37:52,360
verse, Philippians 2, verse 5.
Let this mind be in you, which

569
00:37:52,360 –> 00:37:56,920
was also in Christ Jesus,
because developing a conscience

570
00:37:56,920 –> 00:37:58,720
is about developing the mind of
Christ.

571
00:37:59,920 –> 00:38:01,920
And we think about Christ every
time he was tempted in the

572
00:38:01,920 –> 00:38:04,000
wilderness.
He didn’t rely on his feelings.

573
00:38:04,000 –> 00:38:05,960
He didn’t rely on lived
experience.

574
00:38:05,960 –> 00:38:09,520
He relied on Scripture.
Every temptations written,

575
00:38:09,600 –> 00:38:14,240
answered with it is written.
His thinking had been shaped

576
00:38:14,240 –> 00:38:18,320
entirely by God’s Word.
And that’s why daily reading of

577
00:38:18,320 –> 00:38:22,480
the Bible matters so much.
Not because we’re ticking a box,

578
00:38:23,280 –> 00:38:26,600
not because we’re trying to
impress God, but because our

579
00:38:26,600 –> 00:38:31,280
conscience cannot be stronger
than the truth we place into it.

580
00:38:32,600 –> 00:38:35,800
The more we let Scripture fill
our minds, the more accurately

581
00:38:35,800 –> 00:38:39,800
our conscience can guide us.
And the simplest reason we have

582
00:38:39,800 –> 00:38:44,680
a conscience is because our
faith, because of our faith.

583
00:38:45,320 –> 00:38:48,920
And we know from the Bible that
that faith comes by hearing, and

584
00:38:48,920 –> 00:38:53,880
hearing by the Word of God.
So for our final verse, come

585
00:38:53,880 –> 00:39:01,360
back with me to Isaiah 45
because it concludes with this

586
00:39:01,360 –> 00:39:11,250
remarkable Kingdom vision.
It says in the middle of verse

587
00:39:11,250 –> 00:39:16,770
21, There is no God else beside
me, a just God and a Saviour.

588
00:39:16,770 –> 00:39:21,610
There is none else beside me.
Look unto me and be ye saved all

589
00:39:21,610 –> 00:39:25,650
the ends of the earth, for I am
God, and there is none else I

590
00:39:25,650 –> 00:39:29,250
have sworn by myself.
The word is gone out of my mouth

591
00:39:29,250 –> 00:39:33,640
in righteousness, and shall not
return, that unto me shall every

592
00:39:33,640 –> 00:39:36,360
knee bow, every tongue shall
swear.

593
00:39:37,600 –> 00:39:40,120
And Paul applies those words
directly to Christ also.

594
00:39:40,240 –> 00:39:43,440
The same Christ who walks
amongst the lampstands today,

595
00:39:43,520 –> 00:39:48,200
the same Christ who knows our
works today, the same Christ who

596
00:39:48,200 –> 00:39:53,800
examines our conscience today,
will one day stand openly as

597
00:39:53,800 –> 00:39:59,400
king over all the earth.
And when that day comes, nobody

598
00:39:59,400 –> 00:40:01,200
will wonder who controls
history.

599
00:40:01,840 –> 00:40:04,080
Nobody will doubt God’s
Providence.

600
00:40:04,720 –> 00:40:06,800
Nobody will question His
purpose.

601
00:40:07,600 –> 00:40:10,760
Everything will be revealed.
Every hidden thread, every

602
00:40:10,760 –> 00:40:13,800
unseen Providence, every
faithful act, every answered

603
00:40:13,800 –> 00:40:16,000
prayer, every deliverance,
everything.

604
00:40:17,120 –> 00:40:20,760
And perhaps we can picture Naomi
herself will stand in the

605
00:40:20,760 –> 00:40:23,160
Kingdom and finally see what God
was doing all along.

606
00:40:25,720 –> 00:40:28,800
So today, as we come to our
memorial emblems this morning,

607
00:40:29,560 –> 00:40:34,800
let’s remember three things.
Like Cyrus, we are known by God

608
00:40:35,160 –> 00:40:37,360
before we fully understand his
purpose.

609
00:40:37,760 –> 00:40:41,960
Like Ruth, we’re redeemed by
grace through a greater Boaz.

610
00:40:42,600 –> 00:40:45,880
And like the ecclesias of
Revelation, we live before the

611
00:40:45,880 –> 00:40:50,480
eyes of the risen Christ.
And because he knows us, let us

612
00:40:50,480 –> 00:40:54,280
cultivate hearts and minds that
respond quickly when our

613
00:40:54,280 –> 00:40:58,040
conscience speaks.
Let us keep our spiritual senses

614
00:40:58,400 –> 00:41:02,440
sensitive, let us continue
shaping our minds through

615
00:41:02,440 –> 00:41:05,440
Scripture.
Let us remember that Christ

616
00:41:05,440 –> 00:41:08,000
walks among the lampstands
still.

617
00:41:08,760 –> 00:41:11,120
And let us take comfort in this
wonderful truth.

618
00:41:12,280 –> 00:41:16,640
The God who calls by name, the
God who guides through hidden

619
00:41:16,640 –> 00:41:22,720
Providence, the God who redeems,
the God who examines, is also

620
00:41:23,080 –> 00:41:28,040
the God who saves.
And one day every knee shall

621
00:41:28,040 –> 00:41:33,280
bow, every tongue shall confess,
and every hidden purpose will be

622
00:41:33,280 –> 00:41:49,570
revealed to His glory.
Thank you for listening to the

623
00:41:49,570 –> 00:41:51,170
good Chris Adelphian Talks
podcast.

624
00:41:51,970 –> 00:41:54,450
We hope this talk helped you in
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625
00:41:54,450 –> 00:41:56,810
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626
00:41:56,810 –> 00:41:58,570
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