1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:03,520 Hello and welcome to the Middletown Baptist Church Podcast, 2 00:00:03,600 --> 00:00:06,480 where we are proclaiming the truth to the world. 3 00:00:06,640 --> 00:00:09,720 My name is Pastor Josh and I want to thank you for listening to 4 00:00:09,720 --> 00:00:10,480 this podcast. 5 00:00:10,960 --> 00:00:14,680 I hope that this podcast can be a blessing to you and strengthen 6 00:00:14,680 --> 00:00:16,080 you in the word of God. 7 00:00:16,800 --> 00:00:20,160 Now come along, let's look into the Bible and see what God has 8 00:00:20,160 --> 00:00:21,440 for us here today. 9 00:00:23,360 --> 00:00:25,360 We're going to be in Romans, chapter 11. 10 00:00:25,360 --> 00:00:27,390 If you have your Bibles, turn there. 11 00:00:27,390 --> 00:00:29,790 With me to Romans, chapter 11. 12 00:00:29,790 --> 00:00:33,110 We've been going through verse by verse through the book of Romans. 13 00:00:33,110 --> 00:00:37,150 And what we've seen so far, hopefully, is that theology matters. 14 00:00:37,150 --> 00:00:40,750 What we believe about God matters because what we believe about 15 00:00:40,750 --> 00:00:42,430 God dictates the way that we live. 16 00:00:42,430 --> 00:00:44,030 It dictates the way that we love. 17 00:00:44,270 --> 00:00:46,110 It dictates the way that we forgive. 18 00:00:46,510 --> 00:00:48,070 And what we see here today In. 19 00:00:48,070 --> 00:00:52,510 Romans, chapter 11 is Paul is coming back to that idea that many 20 00:00:52,510 --> 00:00:55,230 people are thinking at the time of this. 21 00:00:55,230 --> 00:00:58,380 Book being written, that if God's people,. 22 00:00:58,380 --> 00:01:02,460 The people of Israel, have predominantly turned their back against 23 00:01:02,460 --> 00:01:05,940 the Messiah, does that mean that God has turned his back against 24 00:01:05,940 --> 00:01:06,220 them? 25 00:01:06,220 --> 00:01:07,340 Has God failed? 26 00:01:07,580 --> 00:01:09,260 Is God done with his people? 27 00:01:09,260 --> 00:01:13,860 In Romans, chapter 11, verse 1, Paul says, I say, then hath God 28 00:01:13,860 --> 00:01:15,180 cast away his people? 29 00:01:15,900 --> 00:01:18,500 And you know, there's times in our life that we might even think 30 00:01:18,500 --> 00:01:18,660 that. 31 00:01:18,660 --> 00:01:20,780 God's done with us because of our failures. 32 00:01:21,580 --> 00:01:24,060 We might think that there's times in our life because of our 33 00:01:24,060 --> 00:01:27,450 sin that maybe we've gone too far and God. 34 00:01:27,450 --> 00:01:28,970 Has let go of us. 35 00:01:29,290 --> 00:01:31,290 But the Bible says here, there. 36 00:01:31,290 --> 00:01:33,330 There is a different way of thinking about this. 37 00:01:33,330 --> 00:01:35,050 And he says, God forbid. 38 00:01:35,370 --> 00:01:37,850 He says, no, God has not forgotten about his people, even 39 00:01:37,850 --> 00:01:39,850 though there's many that don't believe. 40 00:01:39,930 --> 00:01:41,129 God is not forgotten. 41 00:01:41,129 --> 00:01:42,450 God is not limited. 42 00:01:42,450 --> 00:01:46,610 He is not to a place in his life and in his will that he has 43 00:01:46,610 --> 00:01:47,570 looked away from them. 44 00:01:47,570 --> 00:01:51,830 He says, for I also am an Israelite of the seed of Abraham, 45 00:01:51,830 --> 00:01:53,190 of the tribe of Benjamin. 46 00:01:53,190 --> 00:01:54,430 So what does Paul say? 47 00:01:54,430 --> 00:01:55,230 Paul says this. 48 00:01:55,310 --> 00:01:57,950 I'm proof that God hasn't forgotten his people. 49 00:01:58,430 --> 00:02:00,030 He says, it's my testimony. 50 00:02:00,030 --> 00:02:03,550 I look to my own life and I see the change that God has brought 51 00:02:03,550 --> 00:02:03,750 me. 52 00:02:03,750 --> 00:02:06,070 I see the grace that God has given me. 53 00:02:06,070 --> 00:02:10,150 I see the salvation that God has bestowed upon me and the ministry 54 00:02:10,150 --> 00:02:11,030 that he's given me. 55 00:02:11,030 --> 00:02:14,990 And he says, it's my testimony that's proof that God is still working, 56 00:02:15,310 --> 00:02:16,670 that God's not done. 57 00:02:17,300 --> 00:02:18,340 And I think that's a lesson for. 58 00:02:18,340 --> 00:02:19,540 All of us to see that we. 59 00:02:19,540 --> 00:02:23,500 We might look out into our community we might look even broader 60 00:02:23,500 --> 00:02:23,980 into our. 61 00:02:23,980 --> 00:02:25,540 World today, and we see, you know what? 62 00:02:25,620 --> 00:02:28,060 Maybe God has forgotten about the people. 63 00:02:28,060 --> 00:02:30,300 Maybe God has allowed evil to win. 64 00:02:30,300 --> 00:02:33,259 But we know that that's not the case because we're reminded that 65 00:02:33,259 --> 00:02:36,980 it's our testimony, it's our transformation, it's our salvation 66 00:02:37,220 --> 00:02:38,340 that preaches the. 67 00:02:38,420 --> 00:02:39,700 The gospel message. 68 00:02:39,700 --> 00:02:42,850 As we talked about the last few weeks, our testimony is. 69 00:02:43,000 --> 00:02:44,600 Is a wonderful sermon to the world. 70 00:02:45,000 --> 00:02:47,200 It's a testimony of God's power. 71 00:02:47,200 --> 00:02:50,440 It's a testimony of God's presence in our life. 72 00:02:50,840 --> 00:02:52,200 And what we can see here is. 73 00:02:52,200 --> 00:02:53,640 That Paul is saying this. 74 00:02:53,640 --> 00:02:56,040 He says, has God forgotten about all of Israel? 75 00:02:56,040 --> 00:02:59,119 He goes, no, because I'm from Israel and God has changed me. 76 00:02:59,119 --> 00:03:00,680 And some of you know the story of Paul. 77 00:03:01,000 --> 00:03:04,240 He was on the road to Damascus, and at that point in time 78 00:03:04,240 --> 00:03:04,360 in. 79 00:03:04,360 --> 00:03:05,640 His life, he was zealous. 80 00:03:05,960 --> 00:03:07,840 He was passionate about what he was doing. 81 00:03:07,840 --> 00:03:08,920 He was religious. 82 00:03:09,610 --> 00:03:11,210 But we know that his faith was. 83 00:03:11,210 --> 00:03:12,530 Placed in the wrong area. 84 00:03:12,530 --> 00:03:15,170 His object of faith was the wrong object. 85 00:03:15,170 --> 00:03:18,330 And what he was doing is he was persecuting Christians. 86 00:03:18,570 --> 00:03:21,250 He was persecuting them with the understanding. 87 00:03:21,250 --> 00:03:25,609 That these Christians are worshiping a false God, a false Messiah. 88 00:03:25,610 --> 00:03:26,850 And we know that as he was. 89 00:03:26,850 --> 00:03:28,330 On the road, there was that bright. 90 00:03:28,330 --> 00:03:30,930 Light and that encounter that he had with the Lord. 91 00:03:30,930 --> 00:03:32,250 And he was changed. 92 00:03:32,250 --> 00:03:32,970 From that point on. 93 00:03:32,970 --> 00:03:34,330 He knew that he was saved. 94 00:03:34,410 --> 00:03:35,890 He knew that he was secure. 95 00:03:35,890 --> 00:03:36,190 He knew that he. 96 00:03:36,260 --> 00:03:39,380 He knew that he had a new purpose and a new mission for his 97 00:03:39,380 --> 00:03:39,660 life. 98 00:03:39,660 --> 00:03:43,460 And so he says, it's my testimony that proves that God is 99 00:03:43,460 --> 00:03:44,100 still working. 100 00:03:44,820 --> 00:03:47,660 And I think that we can even say that today as believers. 101 00:03:47,660 --> 00:03:50,180 It's my testimony that God is still working. 102 00:03:50,500 --> 00:03:54,940 I love how one Peter, chapter two says that when we were unsaved, 103 00:03:54,940 --> 00:03:56,020 we were in darkness. 104 00:03:56,020 --> 00:03:59,340 And I think that's a great picture of what we were in before 105 00:03:59,340 --> 00:04:02,500 we were saved, before we came to faith, we were in darkness. 106 00:04:02,550 --> 00:04:02,710 We. 107 00:04:02,780 --> 00:04:04,460 We were trying to navigate this world. 108 00:04:04,860 --> 00:04:06,340 And it's a dark world, by the way. 109 00:04:06,340 --> 00:04:08,460 We were trying to navigate in complete darkness. 110 00:04:08,860 --> 00:04:12,660 Other passages of scripture liken that time of our life to be 111 00:04:12,660 --> 00:04:13,340 a time of death. 112 00:04:13,340 --> 00:04:16,300 The Bible says that we were dead in our transgressions. 113 00:04:16,620 --> 00:04:20,060 But what we can see here In Romans, chapter 11 and in other places 114 00:04:20,060 --> 00:04:23,340 in the New Testament, that when that transformation happens, 115 00:04:23,500 --> 00:04:27,740 we, as First Peter, chapter two, says, we go from darkness into 116 00:04:27,900 --> 00:04:28,940 marvelous light. 117 00:04:29,650 --> 00:04:31,250 We go from death to life. 118 00:04:31,650 --> 00:04:33,850 We go from the old life to the new life. 119 00:04:33,850 --> 00:04:36,850 And what Paul is saying here is he says, look at my life, not 120 00:04:36,850 --> 00:04:38,450 to the fact of, hey, praise me. 121 00:04:38,610 --> 00:04:40,130 Hey, look how great I am. 122 00:04:40,290 --> 00:04:41,610 Look how much I've accomplished. 123 00:04:41,610 --> 00:04:44,610 But he says, no, look what God has done through my life. 124 00:04:45,169 --> 00:04:47,650 Look what God has done in the transformation. 125 00:04:47,730 --> 00:04:51,170 He took someone who was a persecutor of Christians and made 126 00:04:51,170 --> 00:04:54,210 him a messenger of the gospel to people. 127 00:04:54,530 --> 00:04:54,790 He. 128 00:04:54,860 --> 00:04:54,980 He. 129 00:04:54,980 --> 00:04:56,740 He wrote what we would say is. 130 00:04:56,740 --> 00:04:58,100 The majority of the New Testament. 131 00:04:58,100 --> 00:05:01,580 We know that ultimately God wrote it, but he used Paul in that 132 00:05:01,580 --> 00:05:01,900 sense. 133 00:05:01,900 --> 00:05:04,780 And so what we can see today is that no matter what your past 134 00:05:04,860 --> 00:05:08,500 is, no matter what you're walking in right now, God can and 135 00:05:08,500 --> 00:05:09,140 will use. 136 00:05:09,140 --> 00:05:10,860 You if you submit yourself to him. 137 00:05:11,020 --> 00:05:13,900 And profess that testimony to the world. 138 00:05:14,140 --> 00:05:15,620 He says in verse 2, God hath. 139 00:05:15,620 --> 00:05:18,300 Not cast away his people, which he foreknew. 140 00:05:18,700 --> 00:05:21,180 That idea of foreknowing essentially means this. 141 00:05:21,660 --> 00:05:24,420 Those that he was with before, those that he had a relationship 142 00:05:24,420 --> 00:05:25,020 with before. 143 00:05:25,740 --> 00:05:27,500 As you know, God used the people. 144 00:05:27,500 --> 00:05:31,420 Of Israel to bring about, as we saw earlier in the book of Romans, 145 00:05:31,420 --> 00:05:32,260 many different things. 146 00:05:32,260 --> 00:05:35,020 He brought about the law, he brought about the prophets. 147 00:05:35,180 --> 00:05:37,980 He even brought the Messiah through the line of Israel. 148 00:05:38,140 --> 00:05:39,580 And so he knew Israel. 149 00:05:39,580 --> 00:05:41,260 He had a relationship with them. 150 00:05:41,260 --> 00:05:45,100 But as they've turned away, we see that there's a lot of questions, 151 00:05:45,100 --> 00:05:48,100 whether or not God still loves them, whether or not God still has 152 00:05:48,100 --> 00:05:48,780 a remnant. 153 00:05:49,530 --> 00:05:52,530 And what Paul does is he appeals to the prophets, he appeals 154 00:05:52,530 --> 00:05:55,770 back to Isaiah, and then he appeals back to different people. 155 00:05:55,770 --> 00:05:57,890 And in this case, he appeals back to Elijah. 156 00:05:57,890 --> 00:05:59,410 And he says, remember Elijah. 157 00:05:59,410 --> 00:06:00,730 And some of you may or may. 158 00:06:00,730 --> 00:06:02,090 Not remember this story, but there was. 159 00:06:02,090 --> 00:06:03,930 A point in time in Elijah's life. 160 00:06:04,170 --> 00:06:06,810 That he was so discouraged, that he. 161 00:06:06,810 --> 00:06:10,570 Was so beaten down with what his people were doing, how they had 162 00:06:10,570 --> 00:06:13,810 rejected the Lord, how they were turning to false gods, how they 163 00:06:13,810 --> 00:06:15,090 were living lives. 164 00:06:15,090 --> 00:06:17,490 Of sin and persecuting those who were. 165 00:06:17,490 --> 00:06:19,210 Living as prophets for the Lord. 166 00:06:19,210 --> 00:06:22,250 He was so discouraged that he actually prayed a prayer against 167 00:06:22,250 --> 00:06:23,210 his own people. 168 00:06:23,530 --> 00:06:27,850 He says in verse 2 here how he maketh intercession to God against 169 00:06:28,010 --> 00:06:28,650 Israel. 170 00:06:28,890 --> 00:06:32,770 So what the Bible tells us is that Elijah, as a prophet of God 171 00:06:32,770 --> 00:06:36,570 in the Old Testament, was so discouraged, was so beaten down because 172 00:06:36,570 --> 00:06:40,170 of who his people were turning to, that he was like, lord, okay, 173 00:06:40,170 --> 00:06:41,450 go ahead and just judge them. 174 00:06:41,940 --> 00:06:42,540 I'm done with him. 175 00:06:42,540 --> 00:06:43,460 I'm the only one. 176 00:06:43,540 --> 00:06:45,780 He thought he was the only one left. 177 00:06:46,260 --> 00:06:48,540 I don't know if you guys ever think about that sometimes in your 178 00:06:48,540 --> 00:06:48,700 life,. 179 00:06:48,700 --> 00:06:51,060 You think, maybe I'm the only person trying to serve the Lord. 180 00:06:51,460 --> 00:06:53,460 I'm the only person that sees it this way. 181 00:06:53,620 --> 00:06:56,100 And that's sometimes what Satan tries to do in our life. 182 00:06:56,100 --> 00:06:59,100 Satan tries to get us to think that we're the only ones who love 183 00:06:59,100 --> 00:07:02,020 the Lord, that we're the only ones who want to serve him. 184 00:07:02,020 --> 00:07:03,500 But really what we see is that. 185 00:07:03,500 --> 00:07:04,660 There's always a remnant. 186 00:07:04,980 --> 00:07:08,740 Verse 3, Lord, he says, lord, they have killed thy prophets and 187 00:07:08,740 --> 00:07:10,450 dig down thine altars, and. 188 00:07:10,520 --> 00:07:12,840 And I'm left alone, and they seek my life. 189 00:07:13,080 --> 00:07:16,680 He rightfully indicates all of the sin that's around him. 190 00:07:16,920 --> 00:07:18,240 Elijah was like, they're. 191 00:07:18,240 --> 00:07:20,200 They're killing your prophets, Lord. 192 00:07:20,200 --> 00:07:22,200 They're tearing down your altars. 193 00:07:22,360 --> 00:07:23,640 And he says, I'm alone. 194 00:07:23,640 --> 00:07:26,439 And that's really what depression brings us to. 195 00:07:26,439 --> 00:07:29,640 Depression brings us to a place where we feel alone, we feel 196 00:07:29,640 --> 00:07:30,800 hopeless, we. 197 00:07:30,800 --> 00:07:32,120 Feel like there is no light. 198 00:07:32,600 --> 00:07:34,120 And that's where Elijah was. 199 00:07:34,120 --> 00:07:36,080 He was at the place where he says, you know what? 200 00:07:36,080 --> 00:07:36,480 I just. 201 00:07:36,480 --> 00:07:38,280 I'm alone and they're coming after me. 202 00:07:39,020 --> 00:07:43,300 And some of you know the story of how Jezebel and Ahab, they were 203 00:07:43,300 --> 00:07:45,580 coming against Elijah. 204 00:07:46,220 --> 00:07:48,540 But then verse four says this. 205 00:07:48,540 --> 00:07:50,820 But what saith the answer of God unto him? 206 00:07:50,820 --> 00:07:54,060 What was God's answer to Elijah when he was at his darkest 207 00:07:54,060 --> 00:07:54,380 place? 208 00:07:54,940 --> 00:07:58,540 What was God's answer to Elijah when Elijah thought that everyone 209 00:07:58,780 --> 00:08:00,540 had turned their backs against God? 210 00:08:00,780 --> 00:08:02,180 God's answer to him was this. 211 00:08:02,180 --> 00:08:07,290 I have reserved to myself 7,000 men who have not bowed the 212 00:08:07,290 --> 00:08:07,730 knee to. 213 00:08:07,730 --> 00:08:08,930 The image of baal. 214 00:08:10,130 --> 00:08:12,050 Even so, he says that at this. 215 00:08:12,050 --> 00:08:13,930 Present time also there is a remnant. 216 00:08:13,930 --> 00:08:15,410 According to the election of grace. 217 00:08:15,410 --> 00:08:19,730 And so what was God's encouragement for Elijah is this. 218 00:08:19,730 --> 00:08:20,530 You're not alone. 219 00:08:20,850 --> 00:08:22,130 You're not the only one. 220 00:08:22,450 --> 00:08:23,850 I still have a remnant. 221 00:08:23,850 --> 00:08:25,730 I still have people that are worshiping me. 222 00:08:25,970 --> 00:08:28,490 I'm giving them grace, I'm giving them mercy. 223 00:08:28,490 --> 00:08:29,730 I'm giving them salvation. 224 00:08:29,970 --> 00:08:30,810 So push forward. 225 00:08:30,810 --> 00:08:32,610 Keep doing what you know to be right. 226 00:08:33,010 --> 00:08:35,570 And that's what Paul's encouragement is for those people 227 00:08:35,730 --> 00:08:38,370 who were thinking that God had forgotten about them. 228 00:08:38,450 --> 00:08:42,090 He says in verse five, even so, at this present time, meaning 229 00:08:42,090 --> 00:08:44,650 not the present time today, but at the present time, in the book 230 00:08:44,650 --> 00:08:48,210 of Romans, he says this, even so, that at this present time also 231 00:08:48,370 --> 00:08:49,650 there is a remnant. 232 00:08:50,210 --> 00:08:52,770 There is still a group of people that God is saving out of 233 00:08:52,770 --> 00:08:53,690 the nation of Israel. 234 00:08:53,690 --> 00:08:57,050 He says it's not the majority at this point, at this point in time,. 235 00:08:57,050 --> 00:08:59,490 The religious majority there in Israel and. 236 00:08:59,800 --> 00:09:01,880 Really all around the world for that point. 237 00:09:01,880 --> 00:09:02,120 The. 238 00:09:02,120 --> 00:09:04,720 The Israelite people that had spread out, the Jewish people that 239 00:09:04,720 --> 00:09:05,480 had spread out,. 240 00:09:05,480 --> 00:09:07,000 They had rejected the Messiah. 241 00:09:07,000 --> 00:09:08,480 But he says there is a remnant. 242 00:09:08,480 --> 00:09:11,400 And this is how they are in the family of God. 243 00:09:11,400 --> 00:09:13,000 This is how they find salvation. 244 00:09:13,160 --> 00:09:16,920 He says, according to the election of grace. 245 00:09:17,560 --> 00:09:18,560 Election of grace. 246 00:09:18,560 --> 00:09:19,520 What is election of grace? 247 00:09:19,520 --> 00:09:20,520 What is he talking about here? 248 00:09:20,520 --> 00:09:21,960 How can there be a remnant? 249 00:09:22,040 --> 00:09:23,640 How does God still use people? 250 00:09:23,880 --> 00:09:25,880 Who, who is God giving this grace to? 251 00:09:25,880 --> 00:09:28,600 Well, we see that word election and sometimes we think that 252 00:09:28,600 --> 00:09:31,240 that's just God saying, okay, I'm going to choose these. 253 00:09:31,240 --> 00:09:32,480 People to give grace to. 254 00:09:32,480 --> 00:09:34,080 And these people, they don't have a chance. 255 00:09:34,080 --> 00:09:37,440 No, if you look back at what we've studied In Romans chapter 9 256 00:09:37,440 --> 00:09:41,280 and Romans chapter 10, we've seen that that word election essentially 257 00:09:41,280 --> 00:09:43,760 just means that someone is elected to service. 258 00:09:43,760 --> 00:09:46,920 They, they've make a, they make a decision in faith and then 259 00:09:46,920 --> 00:09:50,480 God lumps them into the category of those that are now elected 260 00:09:50,480 --> 00:09:51,120 for service. 261 00:09:51,600 --> 00:09:55,700 As we elect an official right, they're elected, we vote them in 262 00:09:55,940 --> 00:09:56,780 and then we. 263 00:09:56,780 --> 00:09:57,860 Whether or not you agree with who's. 264 00:09:57,860 --> 00:10:00,980 Elected or not, they're elected in to a specific service. 265 00:10:00,980 --> 00:10:02,500 And now they have a purpose. 266 00:10:02,580 --> 00:10:05,500 And that purpose is to serve at whatever capacity they've been 267 00:10:05,500 --> 00:10:06,500 elected to serve in. 268 00:10:06,660 --> 00:10:10,020 And that's exactly what we see here when he says these people, how 269 00:10:10,020 --> 00:10:10,860 are they elected? 270 00:10:10,860 --> 00:10:12,580 They're elected by the grace of God. 271 00:10:12,580 --> 00:10:13,060 Therefore. 272 00:10:13,140 --> 00:10:16,580 And we know that in other passages in Romans chapter 10, 9, 273 00:10:16,660 --> 00:10:20,070 and even in verse 13, it's those who whosoever shall call upon 274 00:10:20,070 --> 00:10:20,910 the name of the Lord. 275 00:10:21,150 --> 00:10:23,550 So those who call upon the name of the Lord in faith are now 276 00:10:23,550 --> 00:10:26,390 in what we see here as the election of grace, there's now a 277 00:10:26,390 --> 00:10:26,830 purpose. 278 00:10:27,230 --> 00:10:30,430 Ephesians 2, 8, 9, Ephesians 2, 8, nine. 279 00:10:30,430 --> 00:10:32,670 Some of my favorite favorite verses in. 280 00:10:32,670 --> 00:10:33,670 All of the Bible. 281 00:10:33,670 --> 00:10:36,230 And I would encourage you if you could memorize any passage of 282 00:10:36,230 --> 00:10:36,750 scripture. 283 00:10:36,910 --> 00:10:37,830 There's, there's a lot. 284 00:10:37,830 --> 00:10:38,830 Okay, so I'm not going to say. 285 00:10:38,830 --> 00:10:42,310 This is the only passage to memorize, but Ephesians 2, 8, 9 is 286 00:10:42,310 --> 00:10:43,470 such an important verse. 287 00:10:43,710 --> 00:10:47,240 Verses I should say to memorize when it comes to, to understanding 288 00:10:47,240 --> 00:10:50,600 what kind of salvation that we have, how God has saved us. 289 00:10:50,760 --> 00:10:51,880 Ephesians 2, 8, 9. 290 00:10:51,880 --> 00:10:57,200 For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves 291 00:10:57,200 --> 00:11:00,200 it is a gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. 292 00:11:00,680 --> 00:11:03,680 So the Bible says it's by God's grace that we're saved. 293 00:11:03,680 --> 00:11:05,920 We don't earn it, but it's through faith. 294 00:11:05,920 --> 00:11:09,680 And some, some folks that speak on this passage will say, well, 295 00:11:09,680 --> 00:11:10,480 faith is a work. 296 00:11:10,480 --> 00:11:11,640 No, faith is not a work. 297 00:11:12,130 --> 00:11:14,530 Faith is trusting in a work of Jesus Christ. 298 00:11:14,850 --> 00:11:16,294 So what we see in Ephesians 2,. 299 00:11:16,339 --> 00:11:17,250 8, 9 is this. 300 00:11:17,410 --> 00:11:19,730 For by God's grace we are saved. 301 00:11:19,730 --> 00:11:21,050 It's only by God's grace. 302 00:11:21,050 --> 00:11:22,290 It's not by our own merit. 303 00:11:22,290 --> 00:11:23,410 We couldn't earn it. 304 00:11:23,490 --> 00:11:26,410 But then he says, how do we tap into that grace? 305 00:11:26,410 --> 00:11:29,170 How do we become beneficiaries of that grace? 306 00:11:29,170 --> 00:11:31,690 How do we become part of the election of grace? 307 00:11:31,690 --> 00:11:33,570 Well, it says there, through faith. 308 00:11:33,970 --> 00:11:34,730 Through faith, through. 309 00:11:34,730 --> 00:11:37,930 Through belief in Jesus Christ and the work that he has done for 310 00:11:37,930 --> 00:11:38,210 us. 311 00:11:39,000 --> 00:11:42,760 But a lot of times we quote Ephesians 2, 8 and 9, but we don't 312 00:11:42,760 --> 00:11:43,960 think about what happens in verse. 313 00:11:43,960 --> 00:11:46,120 10 because verse 10 is attached right to that. 314 00:11:46,520 --> 00:11:47,760 We say it's for by grace. 315 00:11:47,760 --> 00:11:48,840 Are we saved through faith? 316 00:11:48,920 --> 00:11:50,160 And that's it, we're done. 317 00:11:50,160 --> 00:11:50,880 Now we're saved. 318 00:11:50,880 --> 00:11:52,880 Now we can just live the life that we want to live. 319 00:11:52,880 --> 00:11:53,240 No. 320 00:11:53,320 --> 00:11:55,800 What does verse 10 say in the very next verse? 321 00:11:55,800 --> 00:11:58,280 It says, for we are his workmanship. 322 00:11:58,600 --> 00:12:00,440 When we come to Christ in faith. 323 00:12:00,440 --> 00:12:03,880 Now, God is moving and working in our lives, and he has a purpose 324 00:12:03,880 --> 00:12:04,360 for us. 325 00:12:04,860 --> 00:12:05,620 He has a plan. 326 00:12:05,620 --> 00:12:06,620 He has a mission. 327 00:12:06,620 --> 00:12:10,540 And it says that we are created in Christ Jesus unto good 328 00:12:10,540 --> 00:12:10,820 works. 329 00:12:10,820 --> 00:12:13,180 And so the good works don't save us. 330 00:12:13,340 --> 00:12:17,340 But when we are saved, God now has ordained us to walk in those 331 00:12:17,340 --> 00:12:18,060 good works. 332 00:12:18,300 --> 00:12:22,900 It says, which God hath ordained before, ordained that we 333 00:12:22,900 --> 00:12:23,620 should walk in them. 334 00:12:23,620 --> 00:12:27,300 It's God's plan for all those that come to him in faith so that 335 00:12:27,300 --> 00:12:30,820 they can now walk in newness of life, so that they can live as 336 00:12:30,820 --> 00:12:33,820 Matthew 5:16 says, live with that bright light. 337 00:12:33,820 --> 00:12:37,540 Let your light so shine before men that they may see our good works 338 00:12:37,540 --> 00:12:39,940 and glorify your Father which is in heaven. 339 00:12:40,020 --> 00:12:40,940 The idea is this. 340 00:12:40,940 --> 00:12:44,060 We're not saved just to sit back and say, okay, God's given me 341 00:12:44,060 --> 00:12:44,540 new life. 342 00:12:44,540 --> 00:12:46,660 Now I'm just waiting for my ticket to heaven. 343 00:12:46,660 --> 00:12:47,860 No, we are saved. 344 00:12:47,860 --> 00:12:50,980 And now we're to push forward and to serve him and to do these 345 00:12:50,980 --> 00:12:52,660 things that God has called us to do. 346 00:12:52,820 --> 00:12:54,740 And so that's the election of grace. 347 00:12:54,980 --> 00:12:57,020 We come to God in faith. 348 00:12:57,020 --> 00:12:58,980 God extends that grace to us. 349 00:12:58,980 --> 00:13:02,970 And now we are selected, we are elected for that specific work 350 00:13:02,970 --> 00:13:04,770 that God has for us in our life. 351 00:13:04,770 --> 00:13:06,810 And so he says in verse five. 352 00:13:06,810 --> 00:13:08,530 That there is still a remnant, and. 353 00:13:08,530 --> 00:13:10,490 They're a remnant according to grace. 354 00:13:10,890 --> 00:13:13,050 It's not because of their birthright. 355 00:13:13,210 --> 00:13:14,890 It's not because of their money. 356 00:13:15,130 --> 00:13:16,970 It's not because of their status. 357 00:13:17,130 --> 00:13:18,650 It's not because of what type of. 358 00:13:18,650 --> 00:13:19,610 Church they go to. 359 00:13:19,690 --> 00:13:21,290 It's always about grace. 360 00:13:21,450 --> 00:13:24,410 We are nothing if we are not people of grace. 361 00:13:24,810 --> 00:13:26,730 We saw that in Hebrews chapter four. 362 00:13:27,410 --> 00:13:28,290 Hebrews chapter four. 363 00:13:28,290 --> 00:13:30,250 We started out our service today reading. 364 00:13:30,250 --> 00:13:32,530 A passage of scripture that speaks of. 365 00:13:32,770 --> 00:13:37,410 Who we are in Christ, and it tells us how we can have that. 366 00:13:37,410 --> 00:13:39,330 Type of access to the Lord. 367 00:13:39,330 --> 00:13:43,210 It says in verse number 14 of Hebrews 4, seeing then that we have. 368 00:13:43,210 --> 00:13:43,970 A great high priest. 369 00:13:43,970 --> 00:13:45,250 Well, who is that high priest? 370 00:13:45,730 --> 00:13:48,330 Well, we need to know what a priest is before we know who the 371 00:13:48,330 --> 00:13:49,090 high priest is. 372 00:13:49,410 --> 00:13:51,970 A priest is someone who is that intermediary. 373 00:13:51,970 --> 00:13:52,450 It's the. 374 00:13:52,580 --> 00:13:52,700 The. 375 00:13:52,700 --> 00:13:55,020 In the Old Testament, the priest was the one who would go to 376 00:13:55,020 --> 00:13:55,180 the. 377 00:13:55,180 --> 00:13:56,180 Lord for the people. 378 00:13:56,580 --> 00:13:58,420 And oftentimes that's how people teach things. 379 00:13:58,420 --> 00:14:00,900 Today they say, well, you can't go to God yourself. 380 00:14:01,060 --> 00:14:02,740 You got to go through somebody else. 381 00:14:02,740 --> 00:14:03,940 So, Pastor Josh, I need to have. 382 00:14:03,940 --> 00:14:04,860 A meeting with you, and I need. 383 00:14:04,860 --> 00:14:06,420 To find out how I can meet God. 384 00:14:06,500 --> 00:14:08,940 Well, there's only one way to meet God, and that is through Jesus 385 00:14:08,940 --> 00:14:09,860 Christ in faith. 386 00:14:09,860 --> 00:14:11,140 It's not through Pastor Josh. 387 00:14:11,140 --> 00:14:13,060 There's only one mediator between God and man. 388 00:14:13,140 --> 00:14:14,580 It's not me, it's Jesus Christ. 389 00:14:14,580 --> 00:14:16,500 And so he says here, who is our high priest? 390 00:14:16,500 --> 00:14:18,180 Who's the one that connects us to God? 391 00:14:18,520 --> 00:14:20,000 He says, well, it is. 392 00:14:20,000 --> 00:14:21,800 That is, he is passed into the heavens. 393 00:14:21,800 --> 00:14:23,160 Jesus, the Son of God. 394 00:14:23,320 --> 00:14:25,480 He says, because of that, let us hold fast. 395 00:14:25,480 --> 00:14:27,800 Let us hold on to the profession of our faith. 396 00:14:28,600 --> 00:14:29,800 He's the security. 397 00:14:30,280 --> 00:14:31,240 He's the hope. 398 00:14:31,320 --> 00:14:34,680 And he says in verse 15, for we have not a high priest which cannot 399 00:14:34,680 --> 00:14:36,280 be touched with the feeling of our infirmities. 400 00:14:36,280 --> 00:14:36,920 Meaning this. 401 00:14:37,080 --> 00:14:39,320 Jesus understands our problems. 402 00:14:39,400 --> 00:14:41,400 He's gone through everything that we've gone through. 403 00:14:41,720 --> 00:14:43,680 You know, I want to be compassionate. 404 00:14:43,680 --> 00:14:44,560 To people around me. 405 00:14:44,560 --> 00:14:45,160 I want to. 406 00:14:45,320 --> 00:14:47,320 I want to help those that are in need. 407 00:14:47,320 --> 00:14:49,480 I want to understand the pain and. 408 00:14:49,480 --> 00:14:50,640 The struggles that people go through. 409 00:14:50,640 --> 00:14:52,040 And to some degree, I can. 410 00:14:53,320 --> 00:14:57,120 But there's no way that I can understand every single person's 411 00:14:57,120 --> 00:15:00,040 problem and temptation and trial and pain. 412 00:15:00,120 --> 00:15:01,840 There's no way that I can do that. 413 00:15:01,840 --> 00:15:05,640 But the Bible says our high priest, Jesus Christ, it says he's 414 00:15:05,640 --> 00:15:08,520 been touched in all of the feelings of our infirmities. 415 00:15:08,520 --> 00:15:10,360 He's gone through everything that we've gone through. 416 00:15:10,520 --> 00:15:11,690 And you guys know the stories. 417 00:15:11,690 --> 00:15:14,410 Jesus was betrayed, he was denied, he. 418 00:15:14,410 --> 00:15:15,810 Was beaten, he was. 419 00:15:15,810 --> 00:15:16,930 He was cursed against. 420 00:15:16,930 --> 00:15:17,410 There was. 421 00:15:17,410 --> 00:15:20,530 Everything that you can think of negatively was done to our Savior 422 00:15:20,690 --> 00:15:21,810 for our sakes. 423 00:15:21,810 --> 00:15:24,210 But what we see here is it says he went through all of that, 424 00:15:24,290 --> 00:15:26,650 and we can sit here today and go, yeah, all of us have gone through 425 00:15:26,650 --> 00:15:26,930 this. 426 00:15:26,930 --> 00:15:27,970 So what's the big deal? 427 00:15:28,130 --> 00:15:32,490 Well, the last three words of verse 15 in Hebrews 4 tell us what. 428 00:15:32,490 --> 00:15:33,330 The big deal is. 429 00:15:33,330 --> 00:15:34,050 And it's this. 430 00:15:34,050 --> 00:15:34,850 He did that. 431 00:15:34,930 --> 00:15:38,330 Yet without sin, Jesus was able to. 432 00:15:38,410 --> 00:15:41,050 Endure all those things that we all go through. 433 00:15:41,130 --> 00:15:44,010 But none of us can say that we endure everything without sin. 434 00:15:44,090 --> 00:15:45,730 Jesus does it without sin. 435 00:15:45,730 --> 00:15:47,610 And so what happens through that? 436 00:15:47,690 --> 00:15:49,410 He says, because of that, let us. 437 00:15:49,410 --> 00:15:50,090 Verse 16. 438 00:15:50,330 --> 00:15:55,250 Let us therefore come boldly or confidently into the throne of 439 00:15:55,250 --> 00:16:00,090 grace, means go into the presence of God, go to the place 440 00:16:00,090 --> 00:16:03,050 where we can access his relationship. 441 00:16:03,050 --> 00:16:08,770 And it says that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time 442 00:16:08,770 --> 00:16:09,370 of need. 443 00:16:09,930 --> 00:16:12,450 So it says everything that we have. 444 00:16:12,450 --> 00:16:16,250 Is because of the grace of God extended through the person and work 445 00:16:16,250 --> 00:16:17,050 of Jesus Christ. 446 00:16:17,370 --> 00:16:20,210 And that grace doesn't just stop at salvation. 447 00:16:20,210 --> 00:16:23,410 Even though that would be enough if it was just that God saves 448 00:16:23,410 --> 00:16:26,130 us by grace, and then he says, figure it out, and then we go to 449 00:16:26,130 --> 00:16:27,690 heaven one day, that would be enough. 450 00:16:27,850 --> 00:16:30,730 But the Bible says here it's not just about that moment, that 451 00:16:30,730 --> 00:16:33,170 miracle of salvation, that justification. 452 00:16:33,170 --> 00:16:36,280 No, he says, every day we can come to Him. 453 00:16:36,520 --> 00:16:39,800 Every moment we can come to him, and we can access the throne 454 00:16:39,800 --> 00:16:42,880 of grace through prayer and through communion and through all 455 00:16:42,880 --> 00:16:44,320 the fellowship that we find in Him. 456 00:16:44,320 --> 00:16:47,560 And then we can see that we can find mercy and grace to help 457 00:16:47,800 --> 00:16:49,000 in time of need. 458 00:16:49,000 --> 00:16:51,240 Have you been going through some times of need in your life? 459 00:16:51,480 --> 00:16:52,360 I know I have. 460 00:16:52,920 --> 00:16:55,680 I. I know that if I look hard enough, I'm going to find a lot of 461 00:16:55,680 --> 00:16:59,160 areas that I need some help in and that some of us might need help 462 00:16:59,160 --> 00:17:02,030 physically, some of us might need help emotionally, some of us. 463 00:17:02,030 --> 00:17:03,270 Might need help spiritually. 464 00:17:03,430 --> 00:17:05,510 Some of us are looking like, you know what? 465 00:17:05,510 --> 00:17:07,590 I'm at the end of my rope, and I don't know how much longer. 466 00:17:07,590 --> 00:17:08,310 I can hold on. 467 00:17:08,390 --> 00:17:11,550 The Bible says here it's because of God's grace that we can 468 00:17:11,550 --> 00:17:15,750 go back to the Lord and that he can give us mercy and grace to 469 00:17:15,750 --> 00:17:17,030 help in time of need. 470 00:17:17,030 --> 00:17:19,990 You might say, you don't know my problem, Pastor. 471 00:17:19,990 --> 00:17:21,910 You know, you live that life of a pastor. 472 00:17:22,150 --> 00:17:23,110 You grew up in church. 473 00:17:23,110 --> 00:17:23,390 You don't. 474 00:17:23,390 --> 00:17:25,150 You don't know the struggles that I have gone through. 475 00:17:25,150 --> 00:17:27,070 You don't know the struggles that I'm going through right now. 476 00:17:27,070 --> 00:17:28,070 You know what the truth is? 477 00:17:28,070 --> 00:17:28,950 I might not know. 478 00:17:28,950 --> 00:17:31,750 But what does verse number 15 tell us in Hebrews 4? 479 00:17:31,990 --> 00:17:32,790 He knows. 480 00:17:33,270 --> 00:17:35,190 And he knows what the answer is. 481 00:17:35,350 --> 00:17:37,830 And he knows how to impart that grace to us. 482 00:17:37,990 --> 00:17:40,310 And so if you're going through a struggle in your life, if you're 483 00:17:40,310 --> 00:17:42,910 going through doubt, if you're going through that, that question 484 00:17:42,910 --> 00:17:46,110 of maybe God has forgotten about me, maybe God's forgotten about 485 00:17:46,110 --> 00:17:48,470 our nation, maybe God's forgotten about the world. 486 00:17:48,710 --> 00:17:51,870 Let me tell you here this morning, he has not forgotten about 487 00:17:51,870 --> 00:17:52,230 us. 488 00:17:52,550 --> 00:17:56,000 What it is truly is that we have forgotten about him and, and 489 00:17:56,000 --> 00:17:59,080 we've turned our backs away from him and saying we want to find 490 00:17:59,080 --> 00:18:00,520 grace in other places. 491 00:18:00,760 --> 00:18:04,000 We want to go to not the throne of grace, but the throne of 492 00:18:04,000 --> 00:18:08,440 self, the throne of materialism, the throne of all these 493 00:18:08,440 --> 00:18:11,320 things that we think are going to give us satisfaction in our life, 494 00:18:11,400 --> 00:18:12,640 but really the only place. 495 00:18:12,640 --> 00:18:15,640 Of satisfaction, as we see here, is the throne of grace. 496 00:18:16,120 --> 00:18:19,000 And so we go back to romans chapter number 11. 497 00:18:19,000 --> 00:18:20,440 And we see here that he says. 498 00:18:20,600 --> 00:18:23,680 Those are the people that are in the family of God. 499 00:18:23,680 --> 00:18:27,550 It's not about being from certain tribes of Israel. 500 00:18:27,550 --> 00:18:29,350 He says, I'm from Benjamin, I'm from. 501 00:18:29,350 --> 00:18:30,390 The seed of Abraham. 502 00:18:30,470 --> 00:18:32,470 But that's not what's saving me. 503 00:18:32,710 --> 00:18:34,950 What's saving me is what the grace. 504 00:18:34,950 --> 00:18:38,230 Of God, faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ. 505 00:18:38,230 --> 00:18:44,190 And so he says in verse 6 of Romans chapter 11, and if by grace, 506 00:18:44,190 --> 00:18:49,270 if these people are saved by grace, then it is no more of works. 507 00:18:49,430 --> 00:18:50,790 He says it's not of works. 508 00:18:51,850 --> 00:18:54,730 Some people at that time were tempted. 509 00:18:54,730 --> 00:18:58,290 To believe that they were part of the family of God through their 510 00:18:58,290 --> 00:18:58,810 works. 511 00:18:59,850 --> 00:19:03,170 Some people today in this world are tempted to think that they 512 00:19:03,170 --> 00:19:03,530 are part. 513 00:19:03,530 --> 00:19:04,410 Of the family of God. 514 00:19:04,410 --> 00:19:07,130 They have salvation or they have religion through works. 515 00:19:07,130 --> 00:19:09,090 And the Bible says again, what Ephesians. 516 00:19:09,090 --> 00:19:10,210 2, 8, 9 for by grace are. 517 00:19:10,210 --> 00:19:13,290 You saved through faith, and that not of your works, it's not 518 00:19:13,290 --> 00:19:13,930 of works. 519 00:19:14,570 --> 00:19:17,890 So then sometimes people might say, well, then if works don't matter 520 00:19:17,890 --> 00:19:19,690 in salvation, why do I need to work? 521 00:19:19,690 --> 00:19:21,530 Well, you don't have to work to be saved. 522 00:19:21,530 --> 00:19:23,970 But the Bible says that when we're saved, then we're called to 523 00:19:23,970 --> 00:19:24,250 work. 524 00:19:24,330 --> 00:19:27,530 And so it's having the right order, it's having the right priorities. 525 00:19:27,930 --> 00:19:29,410 I can't earn my salvation. 526 00:19:29,410 --> 00:19:31,050 There's no chance I could earn that. 527 00:19:31,930 --> 00:19:35,050 But what the Bible does say is that as God has gifted us something, 528 00:19:35,050 --> 00:19:39,610 he's given us equipping graces that we can live out publicly to 529 00:19:39,610 --> 00:19:40,170 proclaim the. 530 00:19:40,170 --> 00:19:41,330 Truth of God and to do the. 531 00:19:41,330 --> 00:19:42,530 Things that he has called us to do. 532 00:19:42,530 --> 00:19:46,320 And so what Romans chapter 11 tells us what Ephesians chapter 2 533 00:19:46,320 --> 00:19:46,920 tells us,. 534 00:19:47,080 --> 00:19:49,120 What many other places tell us is. 535 00:19:49,120 --> 00:19:51,960 That we're saved by grace through faith. 536 00:19:51,960 --> 00:19:56,320 And then we are equipped to serve and to grow through what? 537 00:19:56,320 --> 00:19:58,040 Not through our good works, but through grace. 538 00:19:58,040 --> 00:20:01,960 The good works don't come from my own merits, even after I'm saved. 539 00:20:02,520 --> 00:20:05,160 I want you to understand this here this morning, and I need to 540 00:20:05,160 --> 00:20:05,360 understand. 541 00:20:05,360 --> 00:20:06,360 This here this morning. 542 00:20:06,520 --> 00:20:08,280 I don't grow in my faith. 543 00:20:08,280 --> 00:20:12,550 I don't grow in the works that I do for the Lord just because I'm 544 00:20:12,550 --> 00:20:15,710 a hard worker, just because I'm disciplined, just because I wake 545 00:20:15,710 --> 00:20:18,390 up in the morning earlier than everyone else, and I make sure that 546 00:20:18,390 --> 00:20:20,110 I do my Christian checklist. 547 00:20:20,110 --> 00:20:22,350 We never grow through our hard work. 548 00:20:22,510 --> 00:20:25,390 We grow as the Bible says, we grow in grace. 549 00:20:26,270 --> 00:20:27,870 We're saved by grace. 550 00:20:27,950 --> 00:20:29,830 We grow in grace, and it's through. 551 00:20:29,830 --> 00:20:30,910 Faith in Jesus Christ. 552 00:20:31,150 --> 00:20:35,950 If salvation is a work of God, our spiritual growth, our sanctification 553 00:20:35,950 --> 00:20:37,070 is a work of God. 554 00:20:37,570 --> 00:20:39,850 And when we, when we personalize it, when. 555 00:20:39,850 --> 00:20:43,050 When we selfishly say, well, look how much I've done for the Lord, 556 00:20:43,050 --> 00:20:44,610 therefore I'm a good Christian. 557 00:20:44,610 --> 00:20:45,730 No, it's not that. 558 00:20:45,730 --> 00:20:48,770 It's me tapping into God's grace every single day and saying, 559 00:20:48,770 --> 00:20:52,650 lord, I need you by faith to meet my needs today, just as you 560 00:20:52,650 --> 00:20:53,730 met my needs yesterday. 561 00:20:53,890 --> 00:20:56,130 Just as you've gotten me through this struggle, you're going 562 00:20:56,130 --> 00:20:57,050 to get me through this struggle. 563 00:20:57,050 --> 00:20:59,170 So it's a daily action of grace. 564 00:20:59,170 --> 00:21:00,690 It's a daily work of grace. 565 00:21:01,490 --> 00:21:02,650 And so what we're going to see. 566 00:21:02,650 --> 00:21:05,580 Here, he says that it's not of works. 567 00:21:05,740 --> 00:21:07,500 Otherwise, grace is no more grace. 568 00:21:07,500 --> 00:21:11,100 Meaning if we start trying to work hard, we negate the grace. 569 00:21:11,260 --> 00:21:15,020 If we start trying to take the credit, we don't trust in the grace. 570 00:21:15,020 --> 00:21:16,300 That's what verse six is saying. 571 00:21:16,460 --> 00:21:18,180 He says, then it's no more of works. 572 00:21:18,180 --> 00:21:19,740 Otherwise, grace is no more grace. 573 00:21:19,740 --> 00:21:22,180 He says, if people are part of the family of God through their works, 574 00:21:22,180 --> 00:21:23,100 grace means nothing. 575 00:21:23,820 --> 00:21:24,380 It's empty. 576 00:21:24,380 --> 00:21:26,700 And we even saw in 1st Corinthians 15 on, on. 577 00:21:26,860 --> 00:21:30,060 On Resurrection Sunday that, that Paul says it's. 578 00:21:30,060 --> 00:21:33,780 It's the idea of, of the resurrection, the, the work of Jesus 579 00:21:33,780 --> 00:21:34,780 Christ, the gospel. 580 00:21:34,780 --> 00:21:36,820 If we don't have that, everything that. 581 00:21:36,820 --> 00:21:37,740 We do is in vain. 582 00:21:38,220 --> 00:21:41,060 And part of the gospel, and at. 583 00:21:41,060 --> 00:21:43,020 The core of the gospel is grace. 584 00:21:43,500 --> 00:21:47,100 So therefore, when we take grace out of the equation, when we, 585 00:21:47,100 --> 00:21:50,100 when we take grace out of the picture and we say, you know what? 586 00:21:50,100 --> 00:21:53,020 I'm a pretty good person, we're a pretty good church, we're 587 00:21:53,020 --> 00:21:55,380 a better church than those people, we work harder than those 588 00:21:55,380 --> 00:21:57,420 people we meet more often than those people. 589 00:21:57,500 --> 00:21:59,100 So therefore we're better than those people. 590 00:21:59,500 --> 00:22:02,380 No, that's a picture of removing grace and saying, you know 591 00:22:02,380 --> 00:22:02,500 what? 592 00:22:02,500 --> 00:22:03,260 It's our works. 593 00:22:03,260 --> 00:22:04,140 We've earned this. 594 00:22:04,620 --> 00:22:06,180 We should say it's only by God's. 595 00:22:06,180 --> 00:22:08,060 Grace that we're able to do anything that we do. 596 00:22:08,140 --> 00:22:09,780 We're only, only by God's grace we're. 597 00:22:09,780 --> 00:22:10,780 Able to serve the Lord. 598 00:22:11,100 --> 00:22:12,260 And so that's what he's saying here. 599 00:22:12,260 --> 00:22:14,300 He says, it's otherwise, grace is no more grace. 600 00:22:14,300 --> 00:22:17,660 But if it be of works, then it is no more grace. 601 00:22:19,180 --> 00:22:20,860 Otherwise, work is no more work. 602 00:22:22,140 --> 00:22:24,500 And so Paul's message is simply this. 603 00:22:24,500 --> 00:22:26,020 And this part of the passage is. 604 00:22:26,020 --> 00:22:29,190 That anyone who, who is part of the family of God, anyone who 605 00:22:29,190 --> 00:22:32,830 is the remnant of God, anyone who is in that election of grace 606 00:22:32,830 --> 00:22:34,510 is never there through works. 607 00:22:34,510 --> 00:22:38,030 And even the works that come after that are not based in our own. 608 00:22:38,030 --> 00:22:40,190 Strength, they're based in the grace of God. 609 00:22:40,350 --> 00:22:41,550 So what we see in those first. 610 00:22:41,550 --> 00:22:43,430 Six verses is that there is a. 611 00:22:43,430 --> 00:22:46,870 Core principle to everything that Paul is teaching, and that is 612 00:22:46,870 --> 00:22:48,030 the teaching of grace. 613 00:22:48,750 --> 00:22:52,150 He says, if you feel alone, if you're like Elijah and you feel like. 614 00:22:52,150 --> 00:22:53,980 Everyone's turned their back, just, just remember. 615 00:22:53,980 --> 00:22:55,900 God is still working in people's lives. 616 00:22:56,220 --> 00:22:57,740 God is still saving people. 617 00:22:58,380 --> 00:22:59,900 You know, I've been tempted to think. 618 00:22:59,900 --> 00:23:02,740 That, you know, what does God's maybe. 619 00:23:02,740 --> 00:23:05,460 Even question, Is God still saving people today? 620 00:23:05,460 --> 00:23:07,100 Like, he was saving people back in the. 621 00:23:07,260 --> 00:23:07,740 Whatever. 622 00:23:07,740 --> 00:23:09,420 Fill in the, the, the, the dates. 623 00:23:09,420 --> 00:23:12,500 The 1800s and the 1700s and the Great Awakening. 624 00:23:12,500 --> 00:23:15,620 Some of you, if you've done some study in history, specifically 625 00:23:15,620 --> 00:23:18,820 in American history, there was this huge Great awakening that happened 626 00:23:18,820 --> 00:23:21,780 in America, and many people turned to Christ through the preaching 627 00:23:21,780 --> 00:23:22,700 of the word of God. 628 00:23:23,260 --> 00:23:24,340 And so we look at that and. 629 00:23:24,340 --> 00:23:25,660 We say, yeah, that was back then. 630 00:23:25,660 --> 00:23:27,740 That was back when, before they had the Internet. 631 00:23:27,740 --> 00:23:29,780 And, and that was back before they had cars. 632 00:23:29,780 --> 00:23:32,340 And that was back before they had, you know, travel, sports. 633 00:23:32,340 --> 00:23:34,740 And that was back before they had all these distractions in the 634 00:23:34,740 --> 00:23:35,260 world today. 635 00:23:35,500 --> 00:23:37,580 But, you know, that can't happen today, folks. 636 00:23:37,580 --> 00:23:40,580 That's what we see here is that's negating the grace of God, 637 00:23:40,580 --> 00:23:42,300 saying that God can do what he used to. 638 00:23:42,300 --> 00:23:44,060 Do, God can still do that. 639 00:23:44,220 --> 00:23:46,260 It's the fact of our hearts ready. 640 00:23:46,260 --> 00:23:48,820 To be open and humble before the Lord, to say, lord, we. 641 00:23:48,970 --> 00:23:52,970 We seek after you, and are we willing, as Romans chapter 10 says. 642 00:23:52,970 --> 00:23:54,410 Go back to Romans chapter 10. 643 00:23:54,410 --> 00:23:54,730 You're. 644 00:23:54,730 --> 00:23:56,010 You're in Romans chapter 11. 645 00:23:56,010 --> 00:23:57,370 So it shouldn't be that far back. 646 00:23:57,450 --> 00:24:02,490 He says, how then shall they call on him who they have not believed? 647 00:24:02,810 --> 00:24:06,010 And how should they believe in him who they have not heard? 648 00:24:06,010 --> 00:24:08,170 And how shall they hear without a preacher? 649 00:24:09,770 --> 00:24:11,930 And then how shall they preach except they be sent? 650 00:24:12,570 --> 00:24:13,850 So the idea would be this. 651 00:24:13,850 --> 00:24:16,810 We've got to be busy about sending the gospel to the world. 652 00:24:17,330 --> 00:24:21,130 We've got to be busy in and of ourselves to say, lord, we know what 653 00:24:21,130 --> 00:24:21,890 you've done for us. 654 00:24:21,890 --> 00:24:23,650 We need to tell other people about that. 655 00:24:24,370 --> 00:24:25,050 How many people? 656 00:24:25,050 --> 00:24:26,330 Let's just think about this for a second. 657 00:24:26,330 --> 00:24:27,730 Let's have a thought exercise. 658 00:24:27,970 --> 00:24:28,730 How many people? 659 00:24:28,730 --> 00:24:29,770 And I don't know the answer to. 660 00:24:29,770 --> 00:24:32,210 This, but this is something that maybe we can meditate upon this 661 00:24:32,210 --> 00:24:32,530 week. 662 00:24:32,610 --> 00:24:36,890 How many people just in the New Castle County, Delaware area, 663 00:24:36,890 --> 00:24:40,130 how many people have not had a clear presentation of. 664 00:24:40,130 --> 00:24:40,970 The gospel to them? 665 00:24:40,970 --> 00:24:41,490 I don't know. 666 00:24:41,890 --> 00:24:43,970 Some might say, well, I'm sure everyone's heard the gospel. 667 00:24:44,500 --> 00:24:45,180 I don't know about that. 668 00:24:45,180 --> 00:24:46,100 I'm not sure about that. 669 00:24:46,100 --> 00:24:48,900 I think there's probably a lot of people that have heard about God. 670 00:24:48,980 --> 00:24:50,220 They've heard about Jesus. 671 00:24:50,220 --> 00:24:52,260 They certainly have seen churches and you know what their 672 00:24:52,260 --> 00:24:53,380 perspective is, is, well,. 673 00:24:53,380 --> 00:24:54,900 Jesus was a historical figure. 674 00:24:54,900 --> 00:24:57,620 Maybe God is something that we can't understand. 675 00:24:58,420 --> 00:25:00,140 And the church is just a man. 676 00:25:00,140 --> 00:25:03,100 Made institution that abuses people and that steals money. 677 00:25:03,100 --> 00:25:05,460 And right there's all these negative perceptions. 678 00:25:05,700 --> 00:25:08,260 So how do we change those negative perceptions in our community? 679 00:25:08,660 --> 00:25:11,930 We don't just get mad at them and shun them and say, you know, 680 00:25:11,930 --> 00:25:14,210 those are a bunch of heathens over there, that we don't need to 681 00:25:14,210 --> 00:25:14,930 go to them. 682 00:25:14,930 --> 00:25:17,290 No, the Bible says that we compel them. 683 00:25:17,290 --> 00:25:18,730 We, we go to them. 684 00:25:18,730 --> 00:25:21,050 We, we live a life so boldly. 685 00:25:21,050 --> 00:25:23,170 And the Bible says that we're to be salt and light. 686 00:25:23,650 --> 00:25:25,170 That idea of being salt and light. 687 00:25:25,170 --> 00:25:26,890 In Matthew, it, it talks about the. 688 00:25:26,890 --> 00:25:28,690 Idea of shining light in darkness. 689 00:25:29,650 --> 00:25:34,690 The Bible is something that will illuminate the truth. 690 00:25:34,690 --> 00:25:35,490 It always does. 691 00:25:36,460 --> 00:25:39,980 So when the light of the word of God is shining upon a person, 692 00:25:40,220 --> 00:25:43,420 it will either reveal that it's a blessing that their heart 693 00:25:43,420 --> 00:25:47,140 is where they should be with the Lord, or the word of God will 694 00:25:47,140 --> 00:25:50,500 illuminate sin and illuminate bitterness and illuminate all the 695 00:25:50,500 --> 00:25:50,860 negative. 696 00:25:50,860 --> 00:25:52,540 Things that many people live in. 697 00:25:52,540 --> 00:25:55,100 And the book of First Peter tells us that. 698 00:25:55,500 --> 00:25:56,580 The book of First Peter. 699 00:25:56,580 --> 00:25:58,220 I want you to see this really quickly here. 700 00:25:58,620 --> 00:26:01,260 I, I just love First Peter, chapter two. 701 00:26:01,710 --> 00:26:04,430 It's one of those passages of scripture that really speak about 702 00:26:04,430 --> 00:26:07,550 the church and the cornerstone of Jesus Christ. 703 00:26:07,550 --> 00:26:09,830 In which we know he is our chief CornerStone. 704 00:26:09,830 --> 00:26:13,990 But in First Peter, chapter two, it tells us that Jesus, as we've 705 00:26:13,990 --> 00:26:14,150 seen. 706 00:26:14,150 --> 00:26:18,150 In Romans, Jesus is either going to be something that's precious 707 00:26:18,150 --> 00:26:21,150 to us, or Jesus is going to be something that's. 708 00:26:21,150 --> 00:26:24,270 A stumbling block for people, okay? 709 00:26:24,270 --> 00:26:25,270 Because a lot of people will say,. 710 00:26:25,270 --> 00:26:28,380 Yeah, church, God, whatever. 711 00:26:28,380 --> 00:26:29,460 That's all religion. 712 00:26:29,460 --> 00:26:29,980 That's okay. 713 00:26:29,980 --> 00:26:30,900 This doesn't offend me. 714 00:26:30,900 --> 00:26:31,900 It's not what I want. 715 00:26:32,220 --> 00:26:33,740 But then we say Jesus. 716 00:26:33,900 --> 00:26:37,620 And what Jesus is all about is about saying that we all have a. 717 00:26:37,620 --> 00:26:39,260 Problem and that's a problem of sin,. 718 00:26:39,660 --> 00:26:41,620 And we need a remedy to that sin. 719 00:26:41,620 --> 00:26:42,860 And so the Bible says in First. 720 00:26:42,860 --> 00:26:44,500 Peter, chapter two, and. 721 00:26:44,500 --> 00:26:46,740 And there's a lot that we could read here, but it says verse 722 00:26:46,740 --> 00:26:49,660 seven, it says unto you, therefore, which believe. 723 00:26:49,660 --> 00:26:52,980 He is precious, meaning those who believe in Jesus, those who are 724 00:26:52,980 --> 00:26:56,120 resting in the grace of Jesus, he is so precious, and he should 725 00:26:56,120 --> 00:26:57,120 be precious to us. 726 00:26:57,440 --> 00:27:00,160 We should proclaim him by the way that we talk and by the way that 727 00:27:00,160 --> 00:27:00,560 we live. 728 00:27:00,640 --> 00:27:02,960 And he says that he is precious. 729 00:27:02,960 --> 00:27:06,880 But unto them which be disobedient, those who are against 730 00:27:06,960 --> 00:27:10,360 him, those who have not believed, the stone which the builders 731 00:27:10,360 --> 00:27:14,000 disallow, the same is made the head of the corner and a stone of 732 00:27:14,000 --> 00:27:16,480 stumbling in a rock of offense. 733 00:27:17,200 --> 00:27:22,310 Even to them which stumble at the word, meaning the word of God, 734 00:27:22,310 --> 00:27:22,630 the. 735 00:27:22,630 --> 00:27:26,710 The truth of Jesus Christ, the power of the Holy Spirit is offensive 736 00:27:26,710 --> 00:27:28,670 to those who are walking in rebellion. 737 00:27:28,670 --> 00:27:31,350 And the only way to get someone to come to the truth of God 738 00:27:31,350 --> 00:27:34,190 is by presenting the gospel message, the. 739 00:27:34,190 --> 00:27:35,550 Light, to a dark world. 740 00:27:36,109 --> 00:27:38,270 And we go down in that passage all the way to verse nine, where 741 00:27:38,270 --> 00:27:40,750 it talks about going from darkness to marvelous light. 742 00:27:40,750 --> 00:27:44,950 But the Bible tells us in many occasions in which we as Christians 743 00:27:44,950 --> 00:27:46,810 have a responsibility to. 744 00:27:46,960 --> 00:27:49,120 To proclaim that message to the world. 745 00:27:49,120 --> 00:27:53,320 We have responsibility to live the light of God to the world. 746 00:27:53,320 --> 00:27:55,920 And that light doesn't come from us, okay? 747 00:27:56,000 --> 00:27:57,720 It's not a matter of a pastor. 748 00:27:57,720 --> 00:28:02,000 Or a Christian being charismatic or being attractive or. 749 00:28:02,000 --> 00:28:03,120 Or being educated. 750 00:28:03,120 --> 00:28:04,000 It's not about that. 751 00:28:04,080 --> 00:28:08,120 The light doesn't emanate from our own source, the light. 752 00:28:08,120 --> 00:28:09,680 As the Bible says in John, chapter. 753 00:28:09,680 --> 00:28:11,080 One, he was that light. 754 00:28:11,080 --> 00:28:12,160 Jesus is the light. 755 00:28:12,410 --> 00:28:15,810 And then when he lives within us, that emanates from us, it comes 756 00:28:15,810 --> 00:28:16,250 from us. 757 00:28:16,250 --> 00:28:18,330 We reflect that light to the world. 758 00:28:18,650 --> 00:28:21,410 And so In Romans, chapter 11, we see that there are people that 759 00:28:21,410 --> 00:28:22,250 are still believing. 760 00:28:22,330 --> 00:28:23,570 There's many that don't believe. 761 00:28:23,570 --> 00:28:25,770 And Paul doesn't just say, well, write them off. 762 00:28:26,170 --> 00:28:28,010 The people that don't believe we're done with them. 763 00:28:28,010 --> 00:28:30,130 It's only the people that, that God wants. 764 00:28:30,130 --> 00:28:34,010 No God, as it says in First Peter that, that God desires all 765 00:28:34,010 --> 00:28:35,050 to come to repentance. 766 00:28:35,050 --> 00:28:38,610 And so we see Romans 10 and Romans 11 tying right together with 767 00:28:38,610 --> 00:28:42,330 that call for us to proclaim the message to the world. 768 00:28:42,890 --> 00:28:47,370 And so, you know, we see that Elijah man, I, I, I really identify 769 00:28:47,370 --> 00:28:49,210 with many different characters in the Bible. 770 00:28:49,690 --> 00:28:52,850 And I'm not saying that I'm Elijah, far from it. 771 00:28:52,850 --> 00:28:57,250 But what I will say is that when Elijah is moaning and saying 772 00:28:57,250 --> 00:28:59,210 that he's, you know, woe is me. 773 00:28:59,210 --> 00:29:01,930 No one's, no one loves God like me. 774 00:29:01,930 --> 00:29:02,730 I'm sad. 775 00:29:02,890 --> 00:29:03,610 I've been there. 776 00:29:03,850 --> 00:29:06,090 And some of you say, I, I've never been there. 777 00:29:06,670 --> 00:29:07,550 Well, good for you. 778 00:29:07,550 --> 00:29:07,870 Okay. 779 00:29:07,870 --> 00:29:09,990 But the truth is there's been times in my life where I've been 780 00:29:09,990 --> 00:29:13,070 just so beaten up and broken down thinking, am I doing this all 781 00:29:13,070 --> 00:29:13,590 for not? 782 00:29:13,590 --> 00:29:14,510 Is this a waste? 783 00:29:14,590 --> 00:29:15,550 What's going on? 784 00:29:15,630 --> 00:29:18,070 And that's when, if you know the story of Elijah, God comes and 785 00:29:18,070 --> 00:29:18,190 just. 786 00:29:18,190 --> 00:29:20,790 Speaks to him in a still, small voice and reminds him that 787 00:29:20,790 --> 00:29:22,750 he's not alone, that God's still working. 788 00:29:22,830 --> 00:29:24,350 And maybe for some of us today,. 789 00:29:24,830 --> 00:29:28,110 My voice isn't a still small voice, but the word of God is maybe 790 00:29:28,110 --> 00:29:29,830 projecting to you and teaching you this. 791 00:29:29,830 --> 00:29:32,470 Morning that you're not alone, that it's not over, that you're not 792 00:29:32,470 --> 00:29:35,430 the only person that cares, that God is still working in our 793 00:29:35,430 --> 00:29:36,190 midst, that God is. 794 00:29:36,190 --> 00:29:40,550 Still saving people in 2026, just as he saved people all the way 795 00:29:40,550 --> 00:29:42,790 back in the time of the Book of Romans. 796 00:29:42,790 --> 00:29:46,830 And so he says, if by grace, then it is no more of works. 797 00:29:47,630 --> 00:29:49,870 What are we trusting in for our salvation? 798 00:29:51,150 --> 00:29:52,830 What are we trusting in for our. 799 00:29:52,990 --> 00:29:55,070 Sanctification or our spiritual growth? 800 00:29:55,470 --> 00:29:57,830 What are we trusting in for our daily life? 801 00:29:57,830 --> 00:29:59,550 What are we trusting in for our family? 802 00:30:00,090 --> 00:30:01,850 What are we trusting in for our church? 803 00:30:01,850 --> 00:30:03,370 What are we trusting in for our community? 804 00:30:04,570 --> 00:30:06,090 There's a lot of things that we can look to. 805 00:30:06,090 --> 00:30:07,930 You know, I've heard people say this. 806 00:30:07,930 --> 00:30:10,810 If I just had more money, everything would be okay. 807 00:30:11,530 --> 00:30:13,770 If I just, if I just had a little bit more money, I think. 808 00:30:13,770 --> 00:30:15,490 We would be comfortable and everything would be okay. 809 00:30:15,490 --> 00:30:16,730 If I just got a good news. 810 00:30:16,730 --> 00:30:18,330 From the doctor, everything would be okay. 811 00:30:18,570 --> 00:30:21,850 If my kids would just obey me, everything would be okay. 812 00:30:22,090 --> 00:30:24,050 If my boss would respect me more,. 813 00:30:24,050 --> 00:30:24,930 Everything would be okay. 814 00:30:24,930 --> 00:30:26,730 We look for all these other answers. 815 00:30:26,730 --> 00:30:29,560 To give us satisfaction in our life. 816 00:30:30,200 --> 00:30:31,200 But I want to go to a. 817 00:30:31,200 --> 00:30:34,360 Passage of scripture in the book of Romans that we discussed 818 00:30:34,360 --> 00:30:38,080 a while ago, but it's in Romans, chapter five, we see really 819 00:30:38,080 --> 00:30:39,480 what the answer is when. 820 00:30:39,480 --> 00:30:41,400 Sin is in our midst. 821 00:30:43,080 --> 00:30:43,880 Well, you know what? 822 00:30:43,880 --> 00:30:45,320 I just got to get rid of a situation. 823 00:30:46,360 --> 00:30:49,720 I know that even for me in my life, that's how I've been with dealing 824 00:30:49,720 --> 00:30:50,800 with struggles in my life. 825 00:30:50,800 --> 00:30:52,280 I say, if I can just remove that. 826 00:30:52,600 --> 00:30:56,130 That thing from my life, everything will be okay. 827 00:30:56,450 --> 00:30:58,730 And in some cases, that's the first step of triage. 828 00:30:58,730 --> 00:31:00,050 We got to get rid of a problem. 829 00:31:00,450 --> 00:31:04,010 Okay, so if, for example, we had an addict here today and. 830 00:31:04,010 --> 00:31:07,010 And they were falling into the trap of that addiction to that substance, 831 00:31:07,010 --> 00:31:07,290 we. 832 00:31:07,290 --> 00:31:08,770 Wouldn't just put that substance up in. 833 00:31:08,770 --> 00:31:09,970 Front of them and say, you know,. 834 00:31:09,970 --> 00:31:10,850 Just trust in God. 835 00:31:10,850 --> 00:31:11,090 We. 836 00:31:11,090 --> 00:31:12,570 We would triage that we would. 837 00:31:12,570 --> 00:31:15,770 We would immediately remove the situation that was causing the 838 00:31:15,770 --> 00:31:16,930 major issues in their life. 839 00:31:17,170 --> 00:31:21,000 But we all should understand that most of our issues that we deal 840 00:31:21,000 --> 00:31:23,280 with stem from a heart issue, from a. 841 00:31:23,280 --> 00:31:24,280 From a mind issue. 842 00:31:24,360 --> 00:31:27,600 And so we can remove outward stimuli that we have in our life, 843 00:31:27,600 --> 00:31:30,360 but ultimately, if we don't deal with the heart issue at hand, 844 00:31:30,360 --> 00:31:32,680 we're going to go right back into it a different way. 845 00:31:33,080 --> 00:31:35,840 And so that's what the Bible speaks of here in Romans chapter 846 00:31:35,840 --> 00:31:37,840 5, the very last two verses. 847 00:31:37,840 --> 00:31:41,880 In Romans chapter 5, he says, Moreover, the law entered. 848 00:31:42,200 --> 00:31:44,360 Meaning the law came on the scene. 849 00:31:44,360 --> 00:31:48,510 And many people thought that the law of God was the final authority 850 00:31:48,830 --> 00:31:50,110 to saving people. 851 00:31:50,190 --> 00:31:52,430 They thought that it was the answer for all the problems. 852 00:31:52,430 --> 00:31:55,390 So more laws, more restrictions. 853 00:31:55,950 --> 00:31:59,350 And that's how sometimes churches have acted, you know, gospel 854 00:31:59,350 --> 00:32:00,630 believing, gospel preaching. 855 00:32:00,630 --> 00:32:02,310 Churches, they say, hey, if we just. 856 00:32:02,310 --> 00:32:04,590 Put more rules, more people will be fixed. 857 00:32:04,990 --> 00:32:08,670 So if I say, okay, guys, if you want to be a good Christian, 858 00:32:08,670 --> 00:32:09,790 read your Bible every day. 859 00:32:09,870 --> 00:32:11,950 Come to church every single time the doors are open. 860 00:32:12,270 --> 00:32:13,480 Make sure that you do. 861 00:32:13,630 --> 00:32:15,870 Do all the side projects that we're doing at the church. 862 00:32:15,870 --> 00:32:18,670 Make sure you're here every single second of every single day. 863 00:32:19,150 --> 00:32:21,670 That would mean that you're a good Christian. 864 00:32:21,670 --> 00:32:22,790 No, we know that we could do. 865 00:32:22,790 --> 00:32:25,670 All those things and not be a follower of Christ because we could 866 00:32:25,670 --> 00:32:26,790 be doing it outwardly. 867 00:32:26,790 --> 00:32:27,470 It's the law. 868 00:32:27,630 --> 00:32:31,630 So he says, the law enters, that the offense might abound. 869 00:32:31,710 --> 00:32:34,070 So he says, the law wasn't there to save us. 870 00:32:34,070 --> 00:32:36,670 The law wasn't there to make us more Christian. 871 00:32:36,670 --> 00:32:39,510 The law wasn't there to make us better believers. 872 00:32:39,510 --> 00:32:41,950 The law was there to show us that we can't keep the law. 873 00:32:42,340 --> 00:32:45,140 Law is there to show us that we need something Greater we need 874 00:32:45,140 --> 00:32:46,020 the grace of God. 875 00:32:46,020 --> 00:32:48,820 So he says, but where sin abounded. 876 00:32:49,060 --> 00:32:53,140 And by the way, let me tell you, sin's abounding. 877 00:32:53,220 --> 00:32:54,340 It's all around us. 878 00:32:55,140 --> 00:32:58,260 You know, all the problems that you face at work, the core element 879 00:32:58,260 --> 00:32:58,540 of it. 880 00:32:58,540 --> 00:33:00,020 It's a sin problem, all right? 881 00:33:00,020 --> 00:33:03,540 Every problem that I face in this world is a sin problem at the 882 00:33:03,540 --> 00:33:03,980 core of it. 883 00:33:03,980 --> 00:33:04,180 Why? 884 00:33:04,180 --> 00:33:05,540 Because we live in a broken world. 885 00:33:06,500 --> 00:33:10,620 We live in a sin cursed world, so he says, where sin abounds. 886 00:33:10,620 --> 00:33:12,700 Which we could say, that's all everywhere. 887 00:33:13,100 --> 00:33:13,860 So what's the answer? 888 00:33:13,860 --> 00:33:14,780 Where sin abounds. 889 00:33:14,780 --> 00:33:16,660 Grace did much more abound. 890 00:33:16,660 --> 00:33:19,500 Meaning grace is the answer to the sins in our life. 891 00:33:19,580 --> 00:33:20,700 Grace is the answer. 892 00:33:20,700 --> 00:33:21,580 You say what grace? 893 00:33:21,660 --> 00:33:23,540 Well, ultimately the grace of the Lord. 894 00:33:23,540 --> 00:33:24,780 That's what verse 21 says. 895 00:33:24,860 --> 00:33:29,820 That as sin hath reigned unto death, meaning all sin brings is 896 00:33:29,820 --> 00:33:31,940 death, all evil brings is. 897 00:33:31,940 --> 00:33:33,100 Is destruction. 898 00:33:33,660 --> 00:33:38,540 Even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal 899 00:33:38,540 --> 00:33:40,340 life by Jesus Christ our Lord. 900 00:33:41,060 --> 00:33:46,660 So we infuse Jesus, we infuse the gospel into all of those areas 901 00:33:46,660 --> 00:33:48,580 of our life that we see sin abounding. 902 00:33:49,620 --> 00:33:50,980 So, like, what's the answer to my home? 903 00:33:50,980 --> 00:33:51,779 Like, it's just the. 904 00:33:51,779 --> 00:33:52,740 It's brokenness. 905 00:33:52,900 --> 00:33:53,980 The answer is Jesus. 906 00:33:53,980 --> 00:33:55,220 The answer is the gospel. 907 00:33:55,300 --> 00:33:59,060 The answer's resting in the grace of God, saying, I can do this, 908 00:33:59,060 --> 00:33:59,340 Lord,. 909 00:33:59,340 --> 00:34:00,580 But I know you can't. 910 00:34:00,980 --> 00:34:03,740 One of my favorite passages of scripture, it's not my favorite because 911 00:34:03,740 --> 00:34:06,630 I enjoy going through struggles, but it's a reminder to 912 00:34:06,630 --> 00:34:12,790 me in 2nd Corinthians 12, 9, that as you guys know this, and I 913 00:34:12,790 --> 00:34:15,470 talk about this a lot, but Paul, he has this thorn in his side, 914 00:34:15,470 --> 00:34:17,390 and he's asking the Lord to remove the problem. 915 00:34:17,710 --> 00:34:19,710 God says, I'm not going to remove the problem, but I'm going 916 00:34:19,710 --> 00:34:19,870 to tell. 917 00:34:19,870 --> 00:34:22,190 You something that is even better than removing the problem. 918 00:34:22,510 --> 00:34:25,350 That your grace, that the grace that you're receiving from 919 00:34:25,350 --> 00:34:27,230 me, he says, my grace is sufficient. 920 00:34:27,390 --> 00:34:29,310 God's grace is sufficient. 921 00:34:29,790 --> 00:34:31,529 I don't need more money. 922 00:34:31,529 --> 00:34:33,489 I don't need a better, you know, report. 923 00:34:33,569 --> 00:34:34,009 I don't. 924 00:34:34,009 --> 00:34:35,449 I don't need more power. 925 00:34:35,449 --> 00:34:37,089 I don't need more friends. 926 00:34:37,249 --> 00:34:38,729 What I need is the grace of. 927 00:34:38,729 --> 00:34:40,689 God to abound in my life, to. 928 00:34:40,689 --> 00:34:43,769 To be bathed and to be washed in the grace of Jesus Christ. 929 00:34:43,769 --> 00:34:46,369 And that's the answer to our struggles in this world. 930 00:34:46,369 --> 00:34:47,809 Now, it doesn't mean that every step's. 931 00:34:47,809 --> 00:34:48,369 Going to be easy. 932 00:34:48,369 --> 00:34:50,649 Doesn't mean that God's going to remove all those thorns. 933 00:34:50,649 --> 00:34:52,729 It doesn't mean that God's going to Give you everything that 934 00:34:52,729 --> 00:34:53,409 you ever wanted. 935 00:34:53,409 --> 00:34:54,649 But the Bible does say, as we. 936 00:34:54,649 --> 00:34:57,649 Heard this morning, that God will supply all of our needs. 937 00:34:58,550 --> 00:34:59,150 He is there. 938 00:34:59,150 --> 00:35:00,190 He's the great physician. 939 00:35:00,190 --> 00:35:01,190 He's the great supplier. 940 00:35:01,670 --> 00:35:04,990 He's the one who allows us to come into struggles in our life, 941 00:35:04,990 --> 00:35:05,550 certainly. 942 00:35:05,550 --> 00:35:06,870 But then he's the one that gets. 943 00:35:06,870 --> 00:35:08,070 Us through those struggles. 944 00:35:08,630 --> 00:35:12,390 I mentioned recently at a service that, you know, I think about 945 00:35:12,470 --> 00:35:15,110 how Jesus was on that boat. 946 00:35:15,350 --> 00:35:18,630 And by the way, when I was told about Jesus being on a ship 947 00:35:18,630 --> 00:35:21,190 in the Bible, I was always thinking of like a big Mayflower 948 00:35:21,190 --> 00:35:21,590 ship. 949 00:35:21,590 --> 00:35:25,380 I was thinking of this humongous big boat that Jesus could 950 00:35:25,380 --> 00:35:27,540 go down into the different rooms and stuff. 951 00:35:27,540 --> 00:35:30,180 But if you do some research on the archeology of boats, at that 952 00:35:30,180 --> 00:35:33,180 time there were much smaller boats, so. 953 00:35:33,180 --> 00:35:37,980 So Jesus is coming to the side of the Sea of Galilee. 954 00:35:38,300 --> 00:35:39,460 It's not really a sea. 955 00:35:39,460 --> 00:35:40,140 It's as much as. 956 00:35:40,140 --> 00:35:41,020 It's a huge lake. 957 00:35:41,260 --> 00:35:42,820 And Jesus is on one side of the lake. 958 00:35:42,820 --> 00:35:44,900 And he just gets done working miracles. 959 00:35:44,900 --> 00:35:47,700 And he tells his disciples, hey, we're going to go to the other 960 00:35:47,700 --> 00:35:47,980 side. 961 00:35:48,380 --> 00:35:49,660 He makes a promise to them. 962 00:35:50,370 --> 00:35:50,530 They. 963 00:35:50,530 --> 00:35:51,050 They know. 964 00:35:51,050 --> 00:35:52,410 They believe he's the Messiah. 965 00:35:52,410 --> 00:35:53,610 They believe that he's Lord. 966 00:35:53,610 --> 00:35:55,810 And if he says he's going to get to the other side, he's going 967 00:35:55,810 --> 00:35:56,490 to get to the other side. 968 00:35:56,490 --> 00:35:58,250 And if they're with them, they're going to get to the other 969 00:35:58,250 --> 00:35:58,530 side. 970 00:35:58,530 --> 00:35:59,570 But what happens? 971 00:35:59,970 --> 00:36:01,090 They get out on the water. 972 00:36:01,250 --> 00:36:02,770 Jesus is so at peace. 973 00:36:02,770 --> 00:36:05,810 He's asleep on this little tiny boat that's out in the middle 974 00:36:05,810 --> 00:36:07,650 of the Sea of Galilee and the storm's raging. 975 00:36:07,650 --> 00:36:09,050 And what do the disciples do? 976 00:36:09,050 --> 00:36:11,090 They say, we're going to die. 977 00:36:11,810 --> 00:36:13,850 They don't trust in the promise of God. 978 00:36:13,850 --> 00:36:14,930 They think they're going to die. 979 00:36:14,930 --> 00:36:15,190 And. 980 00:36:15,260 --> 00:36:15,580 And then they. 981 00:36:15,580 --> 00:36:19,820 And then in the midst of their fear, in the midst of that storm, 982 00:36:19,820 --> 00:36:22,780 in the midst of that chaos, they don't just fear that they're 983 00:36:22,780 --> 00:36:23,220 going to die. 984 00:36:23,220 --> 00:36:24,500 Then they turn to Jesus and they. 985 00:36:24,500 --> 00:36:26,300 Say, what, you don't care that we die? 986 00:36:27,180 --> 00:36:28,980 They start to question the goodness of. 987 00:36:28,980 --> 00:36:30,380 God in the midst of the storm. 988 00:36:30,540 --> 00:36:32,140 They start to question the presence of. 989 00:36:32,140 --> 00:36:33,500 God in the midst of the storm. 990 00:36:34,220 --> 00:36:35,540 Yet we know the rest of the story. 991 00:36:35,540 --> 00:36:37,740 Jesus wakes up and he says, oh, ye of little faith. 992 00:36:37,740 --> 00:36:38,940 He says, peace be still. 993 00:36:38,940 --> 00:36:41,740 And just by his words, the whole sea calms. 994 00:36:41,740 --> 00:36:43,110 And they see the power of God. 995 00:36:43,110 --> 00:36:44,390 And then they get to the other side. 996 00:36:45,110 --> 00:36:46,790 And sometimes we look at those disciples. 997 00:36:46,790 --> 00:36:48,390 And we go, those silly disciples, they. 998 00:36:48,390 --> 00:36:49,670 They don't know what they're doing. 999 00:36:49,670 --> 00:36:50,230 Come on. 1000 00:36:50,230 --> 00:36:51,710 I would have never been that way. 1001 00:36:51,710 --> 00:36:53,110 I would have trusted in Jesus. 1002 00:36:53,510 --> 00:36:55,670 I wasn't on that little ship in the middle of the sea. 1003 00:36:55,750 --> 00:36:58,550 And I've been on a boat on the Sea of Galilee, and it's pretty. 1004 00:36:58,550 --> 00:37:00,470 Big water and it's very deep out there. 1005 00:37:00,630 --> 00:37:01,590 And they knew those. 1006 00:37:01,590 --> 00:37:02,110 Those guys. 1007 00:37:02,110 --> 00:37:04,790 Peter wasn't a guy that wasn't used. 1008 00:37:04,790 --> 00:37:05,670 To being on the water. 1009 00:37:05,830 --> 00:37:06,230 Right. 1010 00:37:06,390 --> 00:37:07,750 Those guys were on the water. 1011 00:37:07,750 --> 00:37:11,390 So there was a real circumstance around them that caused 1012 00:37:11,390 --> 00:37:15,430 them to fear and the lack of faith and the lack of understanding 1013 00:37:15,430 --> 00:37:16,270 the grace of God. 1014 00:37:16,430 --> 00:37:18,510 They doubted and they feared. 1015 00:37:18,830 --> 00:37:21,390 They feared because they didn't keep their eyes on Jesus. 1016 00:37:21,470 --> 00:37:23,270 And then we see what happens. 1017 00:37:23,270 --> 00:37:25,950 It's the vicious cycle of our sin and our flesh. 1018 00:37:26,030 --> 00:37:30,590 We look at a situation we fear, we don't trust, and then we 1019 00:37:30,590 --> 00:37:32,190 turn to God and blame him for the. 1020 00:37:32,190 --> 00:37:33,230 Situation that we're in. 1021 00:37:33,550 --> 00:37:36,110 Lord, why did you let me go through this? 1022 00:37:36,820 --> 00:37:38,900 Lord, you said you would be here, but. 1023 00:37:38,980 --> 00:37:41,060 And we begin to allow those lies. 1024 00:37:41,220 --> 00:37:43,340 That fear creates in our minds to. 1025 00:37:43,340 --> 00:37:45,220 Dictate where our belief is. 1026 00:37:45,860 --> 00:37:48,740 And it's not until the Lord comes on the scene and shows himself 1027 00:37:48,740 --> 00:37:49,020 strong. 1028 00:37:49,020 --> 00:37:53,460 That we are really convicted of the lack of faith that we do have 1029 00:37:53,460 --> 00:37:54,180 in the Lord. 1030 00:37:54,980 --> 00:37:56,900 And so it boils down to this, really. 1031 00:37:57,380 --> 00:37:59,780 It's not a matter of being exempt from the storms. 1032 00:37:59,780 --> 00:38:02,820 It's not a matter of going through situations and just having 1033 00:38:02,820 --> 00:38:03,820 no problems at hand. 1034 00:38:03,820 --> 00:38:05,500 But it's understanding the problems that we're. 1035 00:38:05,500 --> 00:38:07,620 In and then saying, lord, I know that you're going to be there 1036 00:38:07,620 --> 00:38:08,460 with me through this. 1037 00:38:09,100 --> 00:38:10,220 And that's grace. 1038 00:38:11,820 --> 00:38:15,820 You know, to define grace in the simplest form, it's this God 1039 00:38:15,980 --> 00:38:17,660 extending something to us. 1040 00:38:17,660 --> 00:38:20,460 God gifting us something that we don't deserve. 1041 00:38:22,220 --> 00:38:22,580 Some. 1042 00:38:22,580 --> 00:38:24,300 Some people have made an acronym of. 1043 00:38:24,380 --> 00:38:30,680 Of grace for the G gods and the riches at Christ's expense. 1044 00:38:31,160 --> 00:38:35,880 God extends his riches to us that we don't deserve. 1045 00:38:36,040 --> 00:38:37,800 And who's the one that paid the payment for that? 1046 00:38:37,800 --> 00:38:38,640 That was Jesus Christ. 1047 00:38:38,640 --> 00:38:42,400 The one who knew no sin became sin for us so that we might have 1048 00:38:42,400 --> 00:38:42,680 life. 1049 00:38:43,080 --> 00:38:47,040 And to summarize all of this, In Romans, chapter 11, Paul is telling 1050 00:38:47,040 --> 00:38:49,120 the people there that are doubting whether or not God is still 1051 00:38:49,120 --> 00:38:49,440 at work. 1052 00:38:49,440 --> 00:38:50,280 He's still at work. 1053 00:38:50,600 --> 00:38:52,120 Though there's many people rejecting. 1054 00:38:52,120 --> 00:38:52,920 He's still working. 1055 00:38:52,920 --> 00:38:54,280 There's still people being saved. 1056 00:38:54,610 --> 00:38:55,770 By the way, I'm one of them. 1057 00:38:55,770 --> 00:38:56,690 That's what Paul says. 1058 00:38:56,690 --> 00:38:59,330 I am testament that God's grace is still there. 1059 00:38:59,970 --> 00:39:03,650 And your testimony, if you're a believer in Jesus Christ, if God 1060 00:39:03,650 --> 00:39:06,650 has changed your life, I don't care if you were saved out of a life 1061 00:39:06,650 --> 00:39:06,850 of. 1062 00:39:06,850 --> 00:39:10,689 Crime and evil, and then now you're totally different, or you 1063 00:39:10,689 --> 00:39:11,170 were saved at. 1064 00:39:11,170 --> 00:39:14,370 The age of five and God spared you from all of that. 1065 00:39:14,370 --> 00:39:16,610 Salvation is always a miracle. 1066 00:39:16,770 --> 00:39:18,690 And oftentimes people are looking around going,. 1067 00:39:18,690 --> 00:39:22,180 I need to see a miracle to believe in the Lord, folks, the greatest 1068 00:39:22,180 --> 00:39:26,500 miracle is that he takes creation that rejected him and offers 1069 00:39:26,500 --> 00:39:28,100 a gift of grace so that we can come back. 1070 00:39:28,100 --> 00:39:29,580 And be restored to him and know. 1071 00:39:29,740 --> 00:39:32,380 Him in a personal way and have everlasting life. 1072 00:39:32,700 --> 00:39:34,460 That is the greatest miracle. 1073 00:39:34,620 --> 00:39:36,380 The greatest miracle is salvation. 1074 00:39:36,700 --> 00:39:38,900 Now, I'm always open to see miracles. 1075 00:39:38,900 --> 00:39:40,900 Around me, but what the truth is. 1076 00:39:40,900 --> 00:39:42,460 Is that remember when Jesus was low,. 1077 00:39:42,620 --> 00:39:45,340 When the guys, they came to Jesus and they lowered the guy down. 1078 00:39:45,420 --> 00:39:46,860 Some of you guys that were at our. 1079 00:39:47,190 --> 00:39:47,990 Our Bible study on. 1080 00:39:47,990 --> 00:39:50,870 On a couple Friday nights ago remember this story, but they lower 1081 00:39:50,870 --> 00:39:51,110 the. 1082 00:39:51,110 --> 00:39:54,350 The lame man down from the roof, and Jesus is like, what's harder 1083 00:39:54,350 --> 00:39:55,270 for me to do? 1084 00:39:55,430 --> 00:39:58,230 Make this guy walk or forgive him of his sins? 1085 00:39:58,870 --> 00:40:01,230 And of course, that boggled their mind because they knew that 1086 00:40:01,230 --> 00:40:03,069 God was only able to forgive him of his sins. 1087 00:40:03,069 --> 00:40:04,710 And so he says, you're forgiven of your sins. 1088 00:40:04,710 --> 00:40:06,150 And, oh, by the way, get up and walk. 1089 00:40:06,310 --> 00:40:09,750 He proves that, yes, he can heal us physically, and in many ways, 1090 00:40:09,750 --> 00:40:10,870 he will heal us physically. 1091 00:40:11,030 --> 00:40:14,010 But the greatest miracle is the fact that he can take someone 1092 00:40:14,010 --> 00:40:17,050 who is condemned in their sins and offer the gift of grace, and 1093 00:40:17,050 --> 00:40:21,610 that they believe that is a beautiful picture of God's love and 1094 00:40:21,850 --> 00:40:22,570 salvation. 1095 00:40:22,570 --> 00:40:25,850 And so what we see here is that he goes, there are still miracles 1096 00:40:25,850 --> 00:40:26,170 working. 1097 00:40:26,810 --> 00:40:28,490 There's still miracles in salvation. 1098 00:40:29,050 --> 00:40:31,930 And I hope that you believe that, Number one, I hope that you 1099 00:40:31,930 --> 00:40:34,250 believe in Jesus Christ as your Savior. 1100 00:40:34,250 --> 00:40:37,810 I hope that you've experienced that gift of grace, that you've experienced 1101 00:40:37,810 --> 00:40:40,610 that miracle, that you've received the gift of salvation, and 1102 00:40:40,610 --> 00:40:42,410 that you're resting in that gift of salvation. 1103 00:40:42,810 --> 00:40:43,650 That's an amazing thing. 1104 00:40:43,650 --> 00:40:47,570 If you have not trusted in that, the Bible doesn't give us a 1105 00:40:47,570 --> 00:40:49,210 promise that tomorrow is guaranteed. 1106 00:40:49,210 --> 00:40:50,490 Life is but a vapor. 1107 00:40:51,530 --> 00:40:52,170 It's quick. 1108 00:40:53,210 --> 00:40:53,770 And I. 1109 00:40:53,770 --> 00:40:58,330 Someone told me recently, they said, you know, Pastor Josh, be careful, 1110 00:40:58,330 --> 00:41:00,010 because life's gonna get by you really fast. 1111 00:41:00,330 --> 00:41:00,730 Okay? 1112 00:41:00,730 --> 00:41:02,010 You blink your eyes, and it's gone. 1113 00:41:02,650 --> 00:41:04,530 And I was like, yeah, yeah, I know that. 1114 00:41:04,530 --> 00:41:05,490 You know, I used to be that. 1115 00:41:05,490 --> 00:41:09,650 Guy who said to people, don't tell me that my kids are gonna grow 1116 00:41:09,650 --> 00:41:10,250 up fast. 1117 00:41:10,560 --> 00:41:11,680 I. I know, I know. 1118 00:41:11,680 --> 00:41:12,920 And then, you know what I end. 1119 00:41:12,920 --> 00:41:15,120 Up doing now that my kids are a little bit older. 1120 00:41:15,120 --> 00:41:16,560 I'm telling all the people that are having kids. 1121 00:41:16,560 --> 00:41:17,440 I'm like, it goes by quick. 1122 00:41:17,440 --> 00:41:18,880 And I'm like, I'm the same guy. 1123 00:41:18,880 --> 00:41:20,160 I'm becoming my dad. 1124 00:41:20,160 --> 00:41:22,840 I'm becoming all the people that I said I wouldn't become. 1125 00:41:22,840 --> 00:41:23,680 I'm that guy. 1126 00:41:23,680 --> 00:41:27,200 And so the reality would be this, guys, as, as a, as a pastor, 1127 00:41:27,360 --> 00:41:28,200 as, as a. 1128 00:41:28,200 --> 00:41:32,480 As a Christian, as someone who loves the Lord and loves you because 1129 00:41:32,480 --> 00:41:34,800 God's told me to love you, I'm going to tell you this. 1130 00:41:34,800 --> 00:41:35,980 Life goes by quickly. 1131 00:41:36,210 --> 00:41:37,570 Tomorrow is not guaranteed. 1132 00:41:37,970 --> 00:41:41,970 And so if you have not come to faith in Jesus Christ, trust in him 1133 00:41:41,970 --> 00:41:44,850 now, because that's the greatest decision that we can ever 1134 00:41:44,850 --> 00:41:45,170 make. 1135 00:41:45,410 --> 00:41:49,290 But secondly, if you have trusted in him, what are you trusting 1136 00:41:49,290 --> 00:41:50,930 in when it comes to your spiritual growth? 1137 00:41:52,049 --> 00:41:53,610 Are you trying to do it on your own? 1138 00:41:53,610 --> 00:41:54,930 Are you like, okay, I just got. 1139 00:41:54,930 --> 00:41:57,530 To read my Bible, and I wake up every day and I got to make sure 1140 00:41:57,530 --> 00:41:58,250 I read my Bible. 1141 00:41:58,250 --> 00:42:00,890 And we think about it so much to the fact that it becomes such 1142 00:42:00,890 --> 00:42:01,410 a burden. 1143 00:42:01,670 --> 00:42:03,790 And the Bible says that what God has called us to do is not. 1144 00:42:03,790 --> 00:42:05,510 Burdensome because he's carrying that load. 1145 00:42:07,190 --> 00:42:09,670 Have you tried to do the things that you know you should do, 1146 00:42:09,670 --> 00:42:09,870 but. 1147 00:42:09,870 --> 00:42:11,270 You keep feeling like you're failing? 1148 00:42:11,510 --> 00:42:12,630 I just can't do it. 1149 00:42:12,870 --> 00:42:14,870 Let me give you a little bit of an encouragement. 1150 00:42:14,870 --> 00:42:16,550 None of us can do it in our own strength. 1151 00:42:16,790 --> 00:42:20,110 It's every day asking the Lord to give us the grace and the mercy, 1152 00:42:20,110 --> 00:42:24,510 to help in time of need and to give him the glory when we do obey 1153 00:42:24,510 --> 00:42:27,270 him, and then when we do stumble and when we do fail, come 1154 00:42:27,270 --> 00:42:28,720 back in forgiveness. 1155 00:42:28,720 --> 00:42:31,440 And to know that he still loves us and know that he brings 1156 00:42:31,440 --> 00:42:34,000 us back into the fold when we come back with a humble spirit. 1157 00:42:34,480 --> 00:42:35,480 First John 1:9. 1158 00:42:35,480 --> 00:42:38,200 If we, if we're faithful, he's faithful just to forgive us our sins 1159 00:42:38,200 --> 00:42:39,720 and to cleanse us all unrighteousness. 1160 00:42:39,720 --> 00:42:42,800 But the key to that is if we confess our sins, if we admit our 1161 00:42:42,800 --> 00:42:43,200 sins. 1162 00:42:43,360 --> 00:42:47,640 And so the reality is, is this as, as Christians today, we don't 1163 00:42:47,640 --> 00:42:49,520 grow through our own work. 1164 00:42:49,840 --> 00:42:51,480 We don't grow the church through our own work. 1165 00:42:51,480 --> 00:42:53,120 Oh, we could grow the church by. 1166 00:42:53,120 --> 00:42:55,200 Doing a lot of different tactics and tools. 1167 00:42:55,730 --> 00:42:56,690 But at the end of the day,. 1168 00:42:56,690 --> 00:42:58,210 We want the type of growth that. 1169 00:42:58,210 --> 00:43:03,130 Is based and planted in the grace of Jesus Christ and through 1170 00:43:03,130 --> 00:43:05,650 faith and that not of ourselves, that it's a gift of God, 1171 00:43:05,650 --> 00:43:06,250 not of works. 1172 00:43:06,250 --> 00:43:10,370 Lest any man should boast if God granted us with two people in 1173 00:43:10,370 --> 00:43:14,370 2026, or if God grants us with 2,000 more people, it's all because 1174 00:43:14,370 --> 00:43:14,850 of him. 1175 00:43:15,090 --> 00:43:16,690 It's all because of Jesus Christ. 1176 00:43:18,130 --> 00:43:21,730 I look at my life and instead of saying, well, look how great I 1177 00:43:21,730 --> 00:43:21,970 am. 1178 00:43:22,330 --> 00:43:24,290 Really what it should be is Romans 5, verse 20. 1179 00:43:24,290 --> 00:43:28,930 Where sins abounds, sin abounds in our lives and in other 1180 00:43:28,930 --> 00:43:29,930 people around us lives. 1181 00:43:30,170 --> 00:43:32,890 But where sin abounds, grace abounds so much more. 1182 00:43:33,290 --> 00:43:36,490 May we have a culture, a church community of grace. 1183 00:43:36,810 --> 00:43:38,569 And by the way, as we understand. 1184 00:43:38,570 --> 00:43:39,410 The grace of God. 1185 00:43:39,410 --> 00:43:40,650 I need to put this in here. 1186 00:43:40,810 --> 00:43:46,410 When we understand the grace of God, then we are supposed to enact 1187 00:43:46,410 --> 00:43:48,010 that grace to other people around us. 1188 00:43:49,860 --> 00:43:52,260 Ephesians 4, verse 32. 1189 00:43:52,340 --> 00:43:55,060 Tender hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's 1190 00:43:55,060 --> 00:43:56,100 sake hath forgiven you. 1191 00:43:56,580 --> 00:43:59,820 So this is another ironic part of sometimes within churches is that 1192 00:43:59,820 --> 00:44:00,540 we're preaching. 1193 00:44:00,540 --> 00:44:04,179 God's grace, but then someone stumbles and we go, you're out, you're 1194 00:44:04,179 --> 00:44:07,580 done, you've messed up, I'll never forgive you, I'll never let 1195 00:44:07,580 --> 00:44:09,140 you come back in repentance. 1196 00:44:09,380 --> 00:44:12,260 But folks, if God has enacted abundant,. 1197 00:44:12,260 --> 00:44:17,150 Infinite grace upon us, we should grow in our grace toward other 1198 00:44:17,150 --> 00:44:17,470 people. 1199 00:44:18,270 --> 00:44:19,910 Giving people things that they don't deserve. 1200 00:44:19,910 --> 00:44:23,510 Giving them my time, giving them my sacrifice, giving them my 1201 00:44:23,510 --> 00:44:24,390 care, my love. 1202 00:44:24,390 --> 00:44:27,030 All the things that God has called me to do, not because of what 1203 00:44:27,030 --> 00:44:30,030 I receive, but because God has gifted me with that gift of grace. 1204 00:44:31,070 --> 00:44:34,710 So may we be those Christians that are saved by faith through the 1205 00:44:34,710 --> 00:44:38,190 grace of Jesus Christ, that we are, that we grow in grace through 1206 00:44:38,190 --> 00:44:41,810 faith in Jesus Christ and that we can enact that type of grace to 1207 00:44:41,810 --> 00:44:42,810 those around us. 1208 00:44:42,890 --> 00:44:43,650 Romans 11. 1209 00:44:43,650 --> 00:44:46,970 We're going to come back next time and continue on with the idea 1210 00:44:46,970 --> 00:44:48,530 of is Israel done? 1211 00:44:48,530 --> 00:44:50,610 Are they going to be completely wiped out? 1212 00:44:50,610 --> 00:44:52,690 Is there a role for the nation of Israel? 1213 00:44:52,690 --> 00:44:54,010 Is there a role for the church? 1214 00:44:54,170 --> 00:44:57,010 We're going to see a beautiful picture at the tail end of Romans 1215 00:44:57,010 --> 00:44:57,290 chapter. 1216 00:44:57,290 --> 00:45:00,050 11 that God has not done, that God still has a plan, that there. 1217 00:45:00,050 --> 00:45:01,330 Still is a purpose and we have. 1218 00:45:01,330 --> 00:45:05,810 A part of that purpose as the church of Jesus Christ, we are the 1219 00:45:05,810 --> 00:45:07,050 pillar and ground of truth. 1220 00:45:07,970 --> 00:45:09,250 Sometimes we think of church like we. 1221 00:45:09,250 --> 00:45:10,130 Said it earlier on. 1222 00:45:10,450 --> 00:45:12,090 Well, it's just an institution, it's just. 1223 00:45:12,090 --> 00:45:12,730 A place that we go. 1224 00:45:12,730 --> 00:45:13,970 It's a man made institution. 1225 00:45:14,210 --> 00:45:17,170 Some churches have become man made institutions,. 1226 00:45:17,250 --> 00:45:20,050 But the church itself, the biblical church, is a creation of 1227 00:45:20,050 --> 00:45:20,450 God. 1228 00:45:20,770 --> 00:45:23,410 And the Bible says that what we have here is unique. 1229 00:45:23,410 --> 00:45:26,730 It's different Let us never take for granted what we have in 1230 00:45:26,730 --> 00:45:27,410 a church community. 1231 00:45:27,890 --> 00:45:28,890 This is so exciting. 1232 00:45:28,890 --> 00:45:29,490 This isn't. 1233 00:45:29,490 --> 00:45:31,370 Think about a miracle, a miracle of salvation. 1234 00:45:31,370 --> 00:45:33,190 A miracle is also the church that. 1235 00:45:33,190 --> 00:45:36,030 We can come together with different backgrounds and different 1236 00:45:36,030 --> 00:45:39,950 cultures and different age groups and different sports teams 1237 00:45:39,950 --> 00:45:40,670 and, and different. 1238 00:45:40,910 --> 00:45:43,990 Tastes within our preferences and we can come together. 1239 00:45:43,990 --> 00:45:47,030 And Lord willing, when we're walking in the Spirit, walk as one 1240 00:45:47,030 --> 00:45:48,030 body in Christ. 1241 00:45:48,350 --> 00:45:51,470 That is a beautiful miracle that only God could create. 1242 00:45:52,350 --> 00:45:53,830 Because when we get into our own. 1243 00:45:53,830 --> 00:45:56,950 Path, it's this, okay, this section over here likes this. 1244 00:45:56,950 --> 00:45:58,390 So they're going to split off and. 1245 00:45:58,390 --> 00:45:59,030 Make their own thing. 1246 00:45:59,030 --> 00:45:59,790 And then we're going to. 1247 00:45:59,790 --> 00:46:02,250 So they're to going, that's not, that's not the picture of the 1248 00:46:02,250 --> 00:46:02,530 body. 1249 00:46:03,570 --> 00:46:06,130 The picture of the body is, is that we all come together when one 1250 00:46:06,130 --> 00:46:07,050 body part is hurting. 1251 00:46:07,050 --> 00:46:11,210 We, we come alongside of it, not because they've earned it, but 1252 00:46:11,210 --> 00:46:13,490 because of the love of God and what he has done for us. 1253 00:46:13,810 --> 00:46:15,450 And remembering, by the way, who's at. 1254 00:46:15,450 --> 00:46:16,210 The top of the body. 1255 00:46:16,690 --> 00:46:18,650 Can have a body without the head is. 1256 00:46:18,650 --> 00:46:19,410 It won't be alive. 1257 00:46:19,410 --> 00:46:21,650 And the Bible says that Jesus Christ is the head of the church. 1258 00:46:22,370 --> 00:46:25,090 And may we turn to that, May we look to that, maybe grow in that. 1259 00:46:25,250 --> 00:46:26,490 Well, I'm going to ask if you're able to. 1260 00:46:26,490 --> 00:46:27,050 To stand with me. 1261 00:46:27,050 --> 00:46:28,450 Every head bowed, every eye closed. 1262 00:46:28,450 --> 00:46:29,330 We're not going to be looking around. 1263 00:46:29,330 --> 00:46:31,890 The music's going to play here just for a few moments, and I want 1264 00:46:31,890 --> 00:46:33,410 to give you an opportunity to respond. 1265 00:46:33,890 --> 00:46:37,090 The big, the big picture today was grace. 1266 00:46:38,290 --> 00:46:39,170 It is grace. 1267 00:46:39,570 --> 00:46:41,170 What does grace mean for you? 1268 00:46:41,410 --> 00:46:43,330 How are you responding to grace? 1269 00:46:43,490 --> 00:46:45,730 How are you trusting in the grace of God? 1270 00:46:45,730 --> 00:46:47,850 How are you walking in the grace of God? 1271 00:46:47,850 --> 00:46:49,810 How are you serving in the grace of God? 1272 00:46:49,810 --> 00:46:51,570 How are you growing in the grace of God? 1273 00:46:51,570 --> 00:46:55,010 If any of those areas need to be addressed, pull it into the light 1274 00:46:55,010 --> 00:46:55,970 of the word of God. 1275 00:46:55,970 --> 00:46:58,850 Pull it into the truth and confess your sin before the Lord. 1276 00:46:59,140 --> 00:47:02,100 Confess your faults before God, not so that he can condemn you. 1277 00:47:02,100 --> 00:47:05,700 Because by the way, Romans 8:1 tells us that there's no more condemnation 1278 00:47:05,700 --> 00:47:05,860 to. 1279 00:47:05,860 --> 00:47:07,060 Them who are in Christ Jesus. 1280 00:47:07,300 --> 00:47:08,700 So it's not about condemning us. 1281 00:47:08,700 --> 00:47:11,940 It's about convicting us to a place of comfort so that we can be. 1282 00:47:11,940 --> 00:47:14,580 Effectively serving the Lord in the body of Christ. 1283 00:47:15,059 --> 00:47:17,420 So here this morning, if you need that, if you need salvation, 1284 00:47:17,420 --> 00:47:20,500 if you need to know more about growth, if you need to know more 1285 00:47:20,660 --> 00:47:22,620 about a struggle in your life, come forward and. 1286 00:47:22,620 --> 00:47:24,700 Ask the Lord to give you wisdom and grace. 1287 00:47:24,700 --> 00:47:25,620 In time of need. 1288 00:47:25,990 --> 00:47:28,310 Practice what Hebrews chapter 4 says. 1289 00:47:28,470 --> 00:47:32,790 Hebrews chapter 4, verse 16 because of your relationship with 1290 00:47:32,790 --> 00:47:36,470 Christ, you can come boldly before the throne of grace to find 1291 00:47:36,710 --> 00:47:40,110 mercy and grace to help in time of need. 1292 00:47:40,110 --> 00:47:42,150 Maybe you're in that time of need right now. 1293 00:47:42,310 --> 00:47:43,950 Come forward and ask God to give. 1294 00:47:43,950 --> 00:47:45,830 You mercy and grace as only he can. 1295 00:47:45,990 --> 00:47:48,470 Lord, I pray that you be in this time of invitation working hearts 1296 00:47:48,470 --> 00:47:48,870 and lives. 1297 00:47:49,190 --> 00:47:51,110 Help us to rest in your grace. 1298 00:47:51,680 --> 00:47:52,640 To live in faith. 1299 00:47:52,640 --> 00:47:57,400 Allow that grace to be the focus of what we do, not only by. 1300 00:47:57,400 --> 00:47:59,800 What we say, but also by how we live. 1301 00:47:59,800 --> 00:48:01,600 And so we're just thankful for your love. 1302 00:48:02,000 --> 00:48:03,080 We're thankful for this time. 1303 00:48:03,080 --> 00:48:05,040 We're thankful for those that have come in Jesus name. 1304 00:48:05,040 --> 00:48:05,400 Amen. 1305 00:48:05,400 --> 00:48:06,240 Some have already come. 1306 00:48:06,240 --> 00:48:07,840 Follow as the Lord leads here this morning. 1307 00:49:52,280 --> 00:49:54,760 Thank you again for listening to the Middletown Baptist Church 1308 00:49:54,760 --> 00:49:55,400 Podcast. 1309 00:49:55,560 --> 00:49:57,960 I hope that this sermon has been a blessing for you. 1310 00:49:58,680 --> 00:50:00,880 You would like to find to find out more information about our church 1311 00:50:00,880 --> 00:50:04,360 or this sermon, you can find us at middletownbaptistchurch.org 1312 00:50:04,680 --> 00:50:07,160 or find us on Facebook or YouTube. 1313 00:50:07,960 --> 00:50:12,400 You can also email me directly at Josh Massaroiddletownbaptistchurch 1314 00:50:12,400 --> 00:50:15,080 dot com if you've enjoyed this podcast. 1315 00:50:15,319 --> 00:50:19,640 Please subscribe and follow along for future podcast and updates. 1316 00:50:20,360 --> 00:50:21,240 Thank you so much. 1317 00:50:21,480 --> 00:50:22,200 God Bless. 1318 00:50:22,440 --> 00:50:23,800 Have a wonderful day.