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 --> 00:00:20,120 Now come along, let's look into the Bible and see what God has 8 00:00:20,120 --> 00:00:21,440 for us here today. 9 00:00:23,520 --> 00:00:27,700 To our special livestream service here this morning. 10 00:00:28,180 --> 00:00:32,940 And if you're joining us online and you're in the Delaware 11 00:00:32,940 --> 00:00:37,540 area, you understand that there's been a lot of snow and certainly 12 00:00:37,540 --> 00:00:41,340 we did everything that we could to have an in person service 13 00:00:41,340 --> 00:00:41,900 this morning. 14 00:00:41,900 --> 00:00:45,340 But out of the abundance of caution and because of the uncertainty 15 00:00:45,340 --> 00:00:49,180 of the roads, we decided to make this a live stream service. 16 00:00:49,180 --> 00:00:52,540 And so I hope that you are enjoying this day, this beautiful 17 00:00:52,540 --> 00:00:56,300 snowy morning with your family and I hope that this can be a blessing 18 00:00:56,700 --> 00:00:59,980 with us together here this morning on our live stream. 19 00:01:00,300 --> 00:01:03,300 Of course, we are in the Christmas season and I wanted to 20 00:01:03,300 --> 00:01:07,340 start out our service with a scripture reading from the book of 21 00:01:07,340 --> 00:01:09,180 Luke, Luke chapter two. 22 00:01:09,740 --> 00:01:12,540 And we are very familiar with this passage of scripture when it 23 00:01:12,540 --> 00:01:13,820 comes to the Christmas season. 24 00:01:13,820 --> 00:01:16,620 And it's going to tie all together in what we're talking about 25 00:01:16,620 --> 00:01:19,300 here this morning when it comes to a great gift that God has 26 00:01:19,300 --> 00:01:19,700 given us. 27 00:01:19,700 --> 00:01:23,160 And so in Luke chapter two it says, and it came to pass in those 28 00:01:23,160 --> 00:01:26,760 days there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the 29 00:01:26,760 --> 00:01:28,200 world should be taxed. 30 00:01:28,600 --> 00:01:32,120 And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria, 31 00:01:32,440 --> 00:01:35,400 and all went to be taxed, everyone into his own city. 32 00:01:35,400 --> 00:01:39,640 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth 33 00:01:39,640 --> 00:01:42,960 into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, 34 00:01:42,960 --> 00:01:46,800 because he was the house and lineage of David to be taxed with 35 00:01:46,800 --> 00:01:48,920 Mary, his espoused wife, being great with child. 36 00:01:48,920 --> 00:01:52,890 And so it was, that while they were there, the days were accomplished 37 00:01:52,890 --> 00:01:54,690 that she should be delivered. 38 00:01:54,850 --> 00:01:57,970 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in 39 00:01:57,970 --> 00:02:00,810 swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no 40 00:02:00,810 --> 00:02:02,050 room for them in the end. 41 00:02:02,930 --> 00:02:06,049 Verse 8 it says this, and there were in the same country shepherds 42 00:02:06,049 --> 00:02:08,770 abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 43 00:02:09,090 --> 00:02:11,970 And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of 44 00:02:11,970 --> 00:02:14,690 the Lord shown round about them, and they were sore afraid. 45 00:02:15,500 --> 00:02:18,060 And the angel said unto them, fear not, for behold, I bring you 46 00:02:18,060 --> 00:02:21,220 good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 47 00:02:21,220 --> 00:02:26,420 For unto you is born this day in the city of David, A Savior which 48 00:02:26,420 --> 00:02:27,420 is Christ the Lord. 49 00:02:28,220 --> 00:02:31,339 We'll stop there and we'll think about this morning that great 50 00:02:31,339 --> 00:02:34,100 gift that the Lord sent us in his son Jesus Christ. 51 00:02:34,100 --> 00:02:37,820 And so may God bless the reading of his word here this morning. 52 00:02:38,460 --> 00:02:42,790 May we understand those good tidings and let's open up our service 53 00:02:42,790 --> 00:02:43,990 with a word of prayer. 54 00:02:44,390 --> 00:02:46,750 Lord, I do thank you for this time that you've given us today to 55 00:02:46,750 --> 00:02:52,150 come via live stream to study your word, to worship you. 56 00:02:52,470 --> 00:02:54,990 And Lord, though this isn't necessarily the way that we plan 57 00:02:54,990 --> 00:02:55,510 this day. 58 00:02:55,510 --> 00:02:58,870 We know that your plans are greater than ours and we just pray 59 00:02:58,870 --> 00:03:01,350 that you be with those that are preparing the roads and getting 60 00:03:01,350 --> 00:03:03,350 things ready for travel there. 61 00:03:03,350 --> 00:03:07,390 But I pray that here today, though it's in a different setting, 62 00:03:07,390 --> 00:03:11,280 we I can come together as a church family and look into your 63 00:03:11,280 --> 00:03:15,480 word and thank you for the great gift of your son Jesus Christ 64 00:03:15,480 --> 00:03:17,680 and the salvation that we can find in him. 65 00:03:18,400 --> 00:03:20,880 And so we just thank you for your love and your grace. 66 00:03:20,880 --> 00:03:24,560 We thank you for the opportunity to know you in a personal 67 00:03:24,880 --> 00:03:26,160 and meaningful way. 68 00:03:26,320 --> 00:03:28,920 And Lord, I pray that you bless this time as we study your 69 00:03:28,920 --> 00:03:30,560 Word as a family this morning. 70 00:03:30,880 --> 00:03:33,480 We ask all these things in Jesus name. 71 00:03:33,480 --> 00:03:36,780 Amen there in Luke chapter two. 72 00:03:36,780 --> 00:03:42,740 It goes on to say that Jesus the Messiah would bring, as it says 73 00:03:42,740 --> 00:03:45,580 Here in verse 14, Peace, goodwill toward men. 74 00:03:45,900 --> 00:03:47,460 He'll bring peace. 75 00:03:47,460 --> 00:03:48,420 He'll bring joy. 76 00:03:48,420 --> 00:03:49,860 He'll bring hope. 77 00:03:49,860 --> 00:03:51,180 He'll bring salvation. 78 00:03:51,180 --> 00:03:54,580 And in the Christmas season, we think a lot about gifts. 79 00:03:54,580 --> 00:03:57,860 We think a lot about things that we might receive or that we 80 00:03:57,860 --> 00:03:58,380 might give. 81 00:03:58,380 --> 00:04:01,510 And even some of you are familiar with the passage of Scripture 82 00:04:01,510 --> 00:04:04,190 in the New Testament that says it's better to give than receive. 83 00:04:04,190 --> 00:04:08,350 But certainly the Christian life is all about receiving a gift. 84 00:04:08,350 --> 00:04:11,790 And that's what I want to talk to you about here this morning is 85 00:04:11,790 --> 00:04:15,190 the idea of the greatest gift that has ever been given. 86 00:04:15,830 --> 00:04:19,190 And I think maybe some of us could even think back to an awesome 87 00:04:19,190 --> 00:04:22,350 gift that we received either on a birthday or at Christmas. 88 00:04:22,350 --> 00:04:25,950 I know that I can think back to some of those that were amazing 89 00:04:25,950 --> 00:04:28,790 gifts that my parents gave me or that someone else gave me. 90 00:04:29,240 --> 00:04:31,560 And I remember those gifts and I'm thankful for those gifts. 91 00:04:31,880 --> 00:04:34,560 But the Bible says that there's this greatest gift that was 92 00:04:34,560 --> 00:04:39,080 given to us in the person and work of Jesus Christ that changes 93 00:04:39,080 --> 00:04:42,760 the world, that changes our life, that changes our eternity. 94 00:04:43,080 --> 00:04:46,560 There's a lot of passages that we can go to when it comes to this 95 00:04:46,560 --> 00:04:47,000 gift. 96 00:04:47,400 --> 00:04:51,120 We looked at Luke chapter two, it talked about Jesus coming to this 97 00:04:51,120 --> 00:04:53,400 earth as a gift for all mankind. 98 00:04:53,800 --> 00:04:56,800 Another passage of Scripture that you might have heard of before 99 00:04:56,800 --> 00:05:01,440 in Ephesians, Ephesians, chapter 2, verses 8 and 9 says, for 100 00:05:01,440 --> 00:05:06,080 by grace are you saved through faith, and then not of yourselves. 101 00:05:06,080 --> 00:05:10,560 It is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. 102 00:05:11,759 --> 00:05:14,960 So in verse number eight, it tells us here that the grace that 103 00:05:14,960 --> 00:05:18,600 God gives us and grace is simply something that someone gives 104 00:05:18,600 --> 00:05:20,160 to someone that they don't deserve. 105 00:05:20,560 --> 00:05:24,020 And so in verse eight here, it says that God gives us this grace 106 00:05:24,020 --> 00:05:25,300 and that is our salvation. 107 00:05:25,300 --> 00:05:26,700 And that salvation is a gift. 108 00:05:26,700 --> 00:05:28,020 It's not something that we earned. 109 00:05:28,500 --> 00:05:30,180 It's not something that we worked for. 110 00:05:30,420 --> 00:05:32,700 Verse 9, not of works, lest any man should boast. 111 00:05:32,700 --> 00:05:35,860 And so there's nothing that we can do in our lives that we can boast 112 00:05:35,860 --> 00:05:38,819 about when it comes to our own salvation, when it comes to our own 113 00:05:38,819 --> 00:05:39,540 good works. 114 00:05:39,620 --> 00:05:42,740 There's another passage of Scripture that uses the same word, 115 00:05:42,740 --> 00:05:44,780 gift, and that's in the Book of Romans. 116 00:05:44,780 --> 00:05:47,020 We're doing a study here in the Book of Romans. 117 00:05:47,020 --> 00:05:50,500 And so not too long ago, we were in Romans, chapter six. 118 00:05:50,920 --> 00:05:54,600 And in Romans, chapter six, we see in verse 23, the Bible says, 119 00:05:54,840 --> 00:05:58,840 for the wages or the payment of sin is death. 120 00:05:59,480 --> 00:06:01,560 Now, we've talked about what sin is in the past. 121 00:06:01,880 --> 00:06:03,240 Sin is missing the mark. 122 00:06:03,240 --> 00:06:05,200 Sin is disobeying God. 123 00:06:05,200 --> 00:06:10,000 Sin is willingly or even sometimes unwillingly breaking what 124 00:06:10,000 --> 00:06:11,640 God has called us to do in our life. 125 00:06:11,640 --> 00:06:15,160 So there's sins of commission, sins that we commit, and sins of 126 00:06:15,160 --> 00:06:18,960 omission, sins that we do when we leave off what God has called 127 00:06:18,960 --> 00:06:19,360 us to do. 128 00:06:19,360 --> 00:06:21,720 So the Bible says, for everyone has sinned and come short 129 00:06:21,720 --> 00:06:25,160 of the glory of God, so all of us deserve the wage of sin, and that 130 00:06:25,160 --> 00:06:25,680 is death. 131 00:06:26,240 --> 00:06:26,640 But. 132 00:06:27,920 --> 00:06:29,600 And that's where the story changes here. 133 00:06:29,760 --> 00:06:33,760 But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. 134 00:06:34,160 --> 00:06:38,200 And so the gift that's extended to us in salvation is is 135 00:06:38,200 --> 00:06:39,840 that gift of Jesus Christ. 136 00:06:40,560 --> 00:06:42,080 Now we're going somewhere with this. 137 00:06:42,080 --> 00:06:45,540 There's another passage of Scripture in Second Corinthians that 138 00:06:45,700 --> 00:06:48,660 I really enjoy when it talks about the idea of a gift. 139 00:06:48,740 --> 00:06:54,140 Second Corinthians, chapter 9, verse 15 says that this gift of God, 140 00:06:54,140 --> 00:06:54,460 this. 141 00:06:54,460 --> 00:06:56,740 This gift of grace that has been given to us. 142 00:06:57,300 --> 00:07:00,779 Second Corinthians, chapter 9, verse 14 talks about this exceeding 143 00:07:00,779 --> 00:07:02,340 grace of God in us. 144 00:07:02,740 --> 00:07:06,540 And then I like the way that the Apostle Paul words it here. 145 00:07:06,540 --> 00:07:10,900 He says, thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift. 146 00:07:11,460 --> 00:07:14,700 Another way that you could say that is this indescribable gift. 147 00:07:14,700 --> 00:07:18,740 I mean, we could sit here all day and we could talk about how wonderful 148 00:07:18,740 --> 00:07:21,300 the gift of God is in the gift of salvation. 149 00:07:21,620 --> 00:07:25,980 But we could still, through all of that, never, never reach the 150 00:07:25,980 --> 00:07:29,660 pinnacle of understanding completely how great God's gift is 151 00:07:29,660 --> 00:07:30,100 for us. 152 00:07:30,100 --> 00:07:34,180 But we certainly know that God gives us in many other ways the book 153 00:07:34,180 --> 00:07:34,700 of James. 154 00:07:34,700 --> 00:07:38,660 James chapter 1, verse 17, verse that we've used quite frequently 155 00:07:39,230 --> 00:07:42,350 recently in many of our studies, and that that speaks of 156 00:07:42,350 --> 00:07:45,510 every good gift, every gift that we have, not just salvation, 157 00:07:45,510 --> 00:07:47,670 even salvation being the greatest gift. 158 00:07:47,670 --> 00:07:52,710 But James chapter 1, verse 17 says, Every good gift and every perfect 159 00:07:52,710 --> 00:07:56,230 gift is from above and cometh down from the Father of lights, with 160 00:07:56,230 --> 00:08:00,030 whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. 161 00:08:01,230 --> 00:08:04,630 And so what we can understand through that passage is that every 162 00:08:04,630 --> 00:08:07,670 good thing that we have in our life comes from God. 163 00:08:07,670 --> 00:08:11,070 And so that stirs in our heart a heart of gratitude. 164 00:08:11,070 --> 00:08:14,350 It stirs in our heart a heart of praise. 165 00:08:14,990 --> 00:08:18,830 And so today I want to talk to you about a sensitive topic, because 166 00:08:18,990 --> 00:08:22,229 in times in our life where everything is coming in and we have 167 00:08:22,229 --> 00:08:26,350 all of these gifts and we can know the goodness of God. 168 00:08:26,510 --> 00:08:29,590 We're thankful for him and we praise Him. 169 00:08:29,590 --> 00:08:31,810 But there are going to be some times in our life where it's. 170 00:08:31,880 --> 00:08:35,720 It's difficult to see the blessings because of difficulties. 171 00:08:35,720 --> 00:08:38,960 And we're going to go back to our main text in the Book of Romans 172 00:08:38,960 --> 00:08:41,800 here this morning, and I hope that you're following along with 173 00:08:41,800 --> 00:08:42,040 me. 174 00:08:42,040 --> 00:08:46,280 Here in Romans chapter eight, we've been talking about the confidence 175 00:08:46,280 --> 00:08:50,920 that we can have in God, the confidence that we have in his gift. 176 00:08:50,920 --> 00:08:54,080 And we started all the way back in Romans chapter 8, verse 1. 177 00:08:54,080 --> 00:08:57,240 And it speaks of those that are in Christ Jesus. 178 00:08:58,410 --> 00:09:03,010 Have therefore now no condemnation, no more judgment for 179 00:09:03,010 --> 00:09:03,570 our sins. 180 00:09:03,570 --> 00:09:05,450 Remember, for the wages of sin is death. 181 00:09:05,770 --> 00:09:09,050 But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. 182 00:09:09,370 --> 00:09:13,530 So verse one reminds us that in Christ we can have the confidence 183 00:09:14,090 --> 00:09:16,490 to know that there's no more condemnation. 184 00:09:17,210 --> 00:09:21,250 And later on in that passage, we see that all of us have the presence 185 00:09:21,250 --> 00:09:22,810 of the Holy Spirit in our life. 186 00:09:22,810 --> 00:09:26,120 He's given us confidence by the presence of the Spirit, comfort 187 00:09:26,280 --> 00:09:27,880 in the presence of the Spirit. 188 00:09:28,920 --> 00:09:31,880 Later on he talks more about being led by the Spirit and being 189 00:09:31,880 --> 00:09:36,160 adopted into the family of God that we can cry, verse 15, Abba, 190 00:09:36,160 --> 00:09:36,600 Father. 191 00:09:37,160 --> 00:09:40,480 And so the Spirit gives us confidence, the Spirit gives us the 192 00:09:40,480 --> 00:09:43,120 opportunity to know that we are joint heirs with Christ. 193 00:09:43,120 --> 00:09:45,240 And then that brings perspective. 194 00:09:46,440 --> 00:09:49,920 Verse 18 tells us that we're going to face sufferings, we're going 195 00:09:49,920 --> 00:09:52,440 to face difficulties if we're identified in Christ. 196 00:09:52,440 --> 00:09:55,800 But he says we that those sufferings are nothing to be compared 197 00:09:55,800 --> 00:09:58,480 with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 198 00:09:58,480 --> 00:10:00,520 And so one of the other elements of the confidence of the 199 00:10:00,520 --> 00:10:04,720 gift of God is the confidence to know that one day we will be with 200 00:10:04,720 --> 00:10:05,080 Him. 201 00:10:06,200 --> 00:10:08,200 And then we fast Forward to verse 28. 202 00:10:08,200 --> 00:10:09,880 We talked about this a couple weeks ago. 203 00:10:10,040 --> 00:10:13,720 And we know that all things work together for good to them that 204 00:10:13,720 --> 00:10:16,480 love God, to them who are called according to his purpose. 205 00:10:16,480 --> 00:10:19,840 And so we have the confidence to know that no matter what the circumstance 206 00:10:19,840 --> 00:10:23,250 might be in our life, it might not seem like things are adding up. 207 00:10:23,250 --> 00:10:28,090 But God has told us and he has proven to us in the past, and he 208 00:10:28,090 --> 00:10:31,730 continues to prove to us now and will prove in the future that 209 00:10:31,730 --> 00:10:35,090 all things are going to work together for good to those who are 210 00:10:35,090 --> 00:10:38,810 in him, to those have their identity in Jesus Christ and love 211 00:10:38,810 --> 00:10:40,450 him and follow him in faith. 212 00:10:40,450 --> 00:10:43,930 And then we looked last week at verses 29 and 30. 213 00:10:44,570 --> 00:10:48,380 This, this understanding that those he did for no those that he 214 00:10:48,380 --> 00:10:53,620 has known in the past, in faith he predestinates, he, he guides 215 00:10:53,780 --> 00:10:57,700 to be conformed to the image of His Son, Jesus Christ. 216 00:10:58,500 --> 00:11:02,340 He predestines, he calls, he has a purpose, he justifies. 217 00:11:02,340 --> 00:11:06,340 And in his justification we know that we have the hope of glorification 218 00:11:06,340 --> 00:11:07,420 one day to be with Him. 219 00:11:07,420 --> 00:11:11,100 So all of that to be said to, to where we come today. 220 00:11:11,100 --> 00:11:13,860 In verse 31 he asked the question. 221 00:11:14,720 --> 00:11:17,760 He says, what shall we then say to these things? 222 00:11:17,760 --> 00:11:20,000 Meaning how do we respond to this? 223 00:11:20,880 --> 00:11:24,400 How do we respond to all the confidence that we can find in Jesus 224 00:11:24,400 --> 00:11:24,680 Christ? 225 00:11:24,680 --> 00:11:28,120 Because there's going to be certain times in our life that we 226 00:11:28,120 --> 00:11:32,200 know something, we intellectually understand it. 227 00:11:32,200 --> 00:11:35,680 But there's going to be times in our life where we don't feel that 228 00:11:35,680 --> 00:11:39,800 God is for us, that God loves us, that God's providing for us. 229 00:11:39,800 --> 00:11:46,620 And he says in verse 31, what shall we say to these things, these 230 00:11:46,620 --> 00:11:49,020 things that we might face in our life difficulties? 231 00:11:50,700 --> 00:11:52,140 What do we say to these things? 232 00:11:52,140 --> 00:11:53,700 How do we respond to these things? 233 00:11:53,700 --> 00:11:56,900 And he says this amazing phrase that I want you to take with 234 00:11:56,900 --> 00:12:01,060 you as not only something that you know in your minds, but that 235 00:12:01,060 --> 00:12:04,900 you believe in your hearts so that we can continue in that confidence. 236 00:12:04,900 --> 00:12:11,130 And he says, if God before us, who can be against us. 237 00:12:11,930 --> 00:12:13,650 What an amazing thought that is. 238 00:12:13,650 --> 00:12:17,610 What an amazing thought to know that the God of the universe, 239 00:12:18,090 --> 00:12:24,050 the One who created us, the One who has all knowing power, the 240 00:12:24,050 --> 00:12:28,450 One who is everywhere, all at once, the one who has control of 241 00:12:28,450 --> 00:12:31,450 all things in this world is for us. 242 00:12:31,770 --> 00:12:33,450 And then that question is this. 243 00:12:34,350 --> 00:12:36,990 If God is for us, who can be against us? 244 00:12:36,990 --> 00:12:40,190 And the reality is, is that there will be people who are against 245 00:12:40,190 --> 00:12:40,510 us. 246 00:12:40,510 --> 00:12:43,390 There will be circumstances that are against us. 247 00:12:43,870 --> 00:12:44,750 But the gift. 248 00:12:44,750 --> 00:12:50,350 One of the amazing aspects of the gift of God is that when he is 249 00:12:50,350 --> 00:12:55,230 on our side, there is nothing that anybody can do to separate us 250 00:12:55,230 --> 00:12:57,190 from his love, to. 251 00:12:57,190 --> 00:12:59,710 To take us away from the gift that he has given us. 252 00:12:59,710 --> 00:13:03,360 There's something that we believe as Christians, specifically 253 00:13:03,360 --> 00:13:07,240 our stripe of Christian, that is called eternal security. 254 00:13:07,400 --> 00:13:12,640 Meaning that my security in my salvation is not found in my good 255 00:13:12,640 --> 00:13:13,160 works. 256 00:13:13,480 --> 00:13:17,680 It's not found in whether or not I go to church every Sunday or 257 00:13:17,680 --> 00:13:19,080 I give enough to the church. 258 00:13:19,400 --> 00:13:24,720 My eternal security is found in the confidence of the work of 259 00:13:24,720 --> 00:13:25,480 Jesus Christ. 260 00:13:26,120 --> 00:13:29,320 It's found in the confidence that God is for me. 261 00:13:29,630 --> 00:13:33,670 And if God is for me, if I'm on His team and we know that God 262 00:13:33,670 --> 00:13:37,510 is victorious and we know that Jesus wins and that we know the rest 263 00:13:37,510 --> 00:13:41,750 of the story, then we can have the confidence to know that if no 264 00:13:41,750 --> 00:13:44,630 matter what might be the circumstance in our life, if God 265 00:13:44,630 --> 00:13:48,670 is for us, nobody can stop us when he calls us to do the works 266 00:13:48,670 --> 00:13:50,110 that he has called us to do in our life. 267 00:13:50,910 --> 00:13:54,470 And so if you were to read certain aspects of the book of Romans 268 00:13:54,470 --> 00:13:58,140 and really the whole Bible, sometimes it looks like God forgets 269 00:13:58,140 --> 00:13:58,860 about his children. 270 00:13:59,100 --> 00:14:00,980 He allows people to go through struggles. 271 00:14:00,980 --> 00:14:03,580 Think about Job, think about Joseph, think about Abraham. 272 00:14:03,740 --> 00:14:05,140 I mean, the list goes on and on. 273 00:14:05,140 --> 00:14:08,940 But at the end of the story, we know that it says here in verse 274 00:14:08,940 --> 00:14:16,140 31, if God before us, who can be against us, what an amazing gift 275 00:14:16,140 --> 00:14:16,620 that is. 276 00:14:16,620 --> 00:14:19,380 Because sometimes in our life our hearts are weak. 277 00:14:19,380 --> 00:14:21,020 Sometimes in our life, our. 278 00:14:21,020 --> 00:14:22,540 Our minds are confused. 279 00:14:22,540 --> 00:14:25,690 Sometimes in our life, physically speaking, and even sometimes 280 00:14:25,690 --> 00:14:28,890 emotionally and spiritually speaking, we feel empty, we feel 281 00:14:28,890 --> 00:14:29,250 lost. 282 00:14:29,410 --> 00:14:33,090 But it's that reminder here that God is for us. 283 00:14:34,370 --> 00:14:36,250 And a lot of people think, well, you know what? 284 00:14:36,250 --> 00:14:37,650 I know that God is for me. 285 00:14:37,890 --> 00:14:41,210 And many people in the world that don't know the Lord as their 286 00:14:41,210 --> 00:14:43,210 Savior might say, well, God loves me. 287 00:14:43,210 --> 00:14:44,450 He wants what's best for me. 288 00:14:44,610 --> 00:14:47,730 And ultimately in the concept of salvation, he does. 289 00:14:47,890 --> 00:14:49,970 But go back, who is he talking to here? 290 00:14:49,970 --> 00:14:50,850 Verse 28. 291 00:14:51,380 --> 00:14:54,180 And we know that all things work together for good to them that 292 00:14:54,180 --> 00:14:57,380 love God, to them who are called according to his purpose. 293 00:14:57,940 --> 00:14:59,220 The idea would be this. 294 00:14:59,380 --> 00:15:04,500 This confidence that we can have this gift is truly only understood 295 00:15:04,900 --> 00:15:09,780 and materialized in someone who is walking in faith, who has 296 00:15:09,780 --> 00:15:11,620 trusted in Jesus Christ as Savior. 297 00:15:11,620 --> 00:15:13,860 This is a promise for his children. 298 00:15:14,660 --> 00:15:18,580 And so there can be times in life that we can be deceived into 299 00:15:18,580 --> 00:15:21,170 thinking that God is not for us. 300 00:15:21,730 --> 00:15:23,730 But it's not about the deception. 301 00:15:23,730 --> 00:15:25,410 It's not about the distractions. 302 00:15:25,570 --> 00:15:30,130 It's about knowing in certainty the promise and the declaration 303 00:15:30,130 --> 00:15:33,610 of the Lord here that he is for us, no matter what might be the 304 00:15:33,610 --> 00:15:33,890 case. 305 00:15:35,010 --> 00:15:39,130 And so we cannot deny Jesus when it comes to his power. 306 00:15:39,130 --> 00:15:41,650 We cannot deny him in his guidance. 307 00:15:41,650 --> 00:15:44,690 We can look for other things in our life for power and guidance. 308 00:15:44,690 --> 00:15:45,610 But what does it say here? 309 00:15:45,610 --> 00:15:50,110 It says that he is the only path to know this type of confidence 310 00:15:50,110 --> 00:15:52,190 and to know this type of hope in Him. 311 00:15:53,070 --> 00:15:54,350 Now, some might still question. 312 00:15:54,350 --> 00:15:58,230 They say, well, God says he's for me, but it doesn't seem like 313 00:15:58,230 --> 00:15:58,670 he is. 314 00:16:00,270 --> 00:16:03,870 Maybe it's the classic, what has he done for me lately? 315 00:16:04,590 --> 00:16:08,150 I know that there's times in my life where I think about somebody 316 00:16:08,150 --> 00:16:10,990 or I think about something, and I have confidence in that. 317 00:16:10,990 --> 00:16:14,450 But maybe over time, my confidence has weakened. 318 00:16:15,490 --> 00:16:18,650 I know that even in my own life, I. I think about times when 319 00:16:18,650 --> 00:16:22,770 I was younger and I played sports and I had complete confidence. 320 00:16:22,850 --> 00:16:24,330 Let's say, for example, in softball. 321 00:16:24,330 --> 00:16:26,050 The balls hit out away from me. 322 00:16:26,210 --> 00:16:27,730 I can run and I can get it. 323 00:16:27,730 --> 00:16:29,010 I know I can get to that. 324 00:16:30,050 --> 00:16:33,770 There was a time when I was 18, 19, 20 years old that I had complete 325 00:16:33,770 --> 00:16:35,010 confidence that I can do that. 326 00:16:35,090 --> 00:16:37,050 Now, that's not the case. 327 00:16:37,050 --> 00:16:40,330 Sometimes my mind thinks that I can get there, but my body doesn't 328 00:16:40,330 --> 00:16:41,570 get there, and I miss the ball. 329 00:16:41,570 --> 00:16:43,990 And I. I'm losing confidence in myself. 330 00:16:43,990 --> 00:16:44,310 Why? 331 00:16:44,310 --> 00:16:48,790 Because of my lack of power, of my lack of strength, my. 332 00:16:48,790 --> 00:16:51,270 My lack of dexterity in some cases. 333 00:16:51,270 --> 00:16:55,550 And so there's times in our life where we can lose confidence 334 00:16:55,550 --> 00:16:58,110 in something because of the lack of power. 335 00:16:58,270 --> 00:17:01,790 But we know that God is all powerful. 336 00:17:02,590 --> 00:17:04,590 We know that no one can limit God. 337 00:17:05,070 --> 00:17:08,430 And we know that in this case, it says, if God be for us, who can 338 00:17:08,430 --> 00:17:08,990 be against us? 339 00:17:08,990 --> 00:17:14,390 And so we, when we are tempted to doubt, the Bible reminds us that 340 00:17:14,390 --> 00:17:16,310 we don't need to doubt Him. 341 00:17:16,310 --> 00:17:16,590 Why? 342 00:17:16,590 --> 00:17:19,870 Because God has already proven his love for us. 343 00:17:19,870 --> 00:17:25,070 And so if you are the one that is questioning or doubting whether 344 00:17:25,070 --> 00:17:29,310 or not God loves you, whether or not God is for you in the midst 345 00:17:29,630 --> 00:17:33,230 of your struggle today, let's go to verse number 32. 346 00:17:33,790 --> 00:17:40,520 Because here in verse number 32, we are told, what is the definition 347 00:17:40,520 --> 00:17:41,120 of love? 348 00:17:42,000 --> 00:17:44,240 What is the definition of sacrifice? 349 00:17:44,560 --> 00:17:46,640 How did God prove His love for us? 350 00:17:47,040 --> 00:17:52,160 We studied back in Romans, chapter 5, verse 8, that God commended 351 00:17:52,320 --> 00:17:57,480 or demonstrated his love toward us in that while we were yet 352 00:17:57,480 --> 00:17:59,440 sinners, Christ died for us. 353 00:17:59,440 --> 00:18:02,720 And so verse 32 basically says the same thing. 354 00:18:03,200 --> 00:18:09,360 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us 355 00:18:09,360 --> 00:18:15,120 all, how shall he not with him also give us all things meaning this 356 00:18:15,520 --> 00:18:21,360 God proved His love for you by giving the sacrifice of his only 357 00:18:21,440 --> 00:18:22,640 begotten Son. 358 00:18:23,520 --> 00:18:25,520 If that's not love, what is love? 359 00:18:25,920 --> 00:18:28,320 If that's not sacrifice, what is sacrifice? 360 00:18:29,050 --> 00:18:33,690 And so if we're tempted to doubt God here and now in the circumstances 361 00:18:33,690 --> 00:18:37,850 that we face, if we're tempted to doubt whether or not God is going 362 00:18:37,850 --> 00:18:42,410 to get me through this problem today, that the question of, does 363 00:18:42,410 --> 00:18:43,450 God love me today? 364 00:18:44,010 --> 00:18:45,610 Well, the answer is right here. 365 00:18:45,610 --> 00:18:46,570 Yes, he loves you. 366 00:18:46,570 --> 00:18:49,490 And the way that he proved that he loved you is that he spared 367 00:18:49,490 --> 00:18:54,570 not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all. 368 00:18:55,230 --> 00:18:58,470 And then he asked this question, how shall he not with him 369 00:18:58,470 --> 00:19:01,150 also freely give us all things meaning? 370 00:19:01,150 --> 00:19:04,790 If God showed us his love that way, he's going to show his love 371 00:19:04,790 --> 00:19:05,870 in many other ways. 372 00:19:06,830 --> 00:19:12,110 If the Father already gave the ultimate gift in Jesus Christ and 373 00:19:12,110 --> 00:19:15,590 salvation, how can we think that he won't give us gifts in the 374 00:19:15,590 --> 00:19:16,910 smaller elements of life? 375 00:19:17,790 --> 00:19:20,270 Now, it might not seem like he's working all things together 376 00:19:20,270 --> 00:19:20,950 for good, but. 377 00:19:21,100 --> 00:19:22,380 But that's the gift of God. 378 00:19:22,380 --> 00:19:24,620 The gift of God is that he is for us. 379 00:19:25,180 --> 00:19:27,900 The gift of God is that he cares about us and then he wants 380 00:19:27,900 --> 00:19:29,580 that personal relationship with us. 381 00:19:30,540 --> 00:19:33,660 He doesn't give a gift and say, well, this gift is conditional. 382 00:19:33,740 --> 00:19:36,500 So if I give you this gift, you must do this or I'm taking that 383 00:19:36,500 --> 00:19:37,020 gift back. 384 00:19:38,060 --> 00:19:41,900 The idea here is that he continues to pour out his grace upon 385 00:19:41,900 --> 00:19:42,220 us. 386 00:19:42,540 --> 00:19:46,620 It's not just a one time gift, even though salvation is a one time 387 00:19:47,110 --> 00:19:48,630 justification in faith. 388 00:19:48,950 --> 00:19:51,510 But the gifts don't stop at salvation. 389 00:19:51,510 --> 00:19:54,630 The gifts continue on in the process of sanctification. 390 00:19:55,910 --> 00:20:00,350 If I told my wife, hey, I love you on our wedding day, that might 391 00:20:00,350 --> 00:20:00,910 be the case. 392 00:20:00,910 --> 00:20:04,310 But if I don't continue to love her, I'm not the loving husband 393 00:20:04,310 --> 00:20:05,550 that I have promised to be. 394 00:20:05,550 --> 00:20:09,430 And as God has promised us his continuing love, his eternal love, 395 00:20:09,590 --> 00:20:12,150 we know that he loved us yesterday, he loves us today, and 396 00:20:12,150 --> 00:20:13,790 he'll love us tomorrow. 397 00:20:13,790 --> 00:20:15,390 And that is an amazing gift. 398 00:20:15,390 --> 00:20:19,430 That is the unspeakable gift that Paul mentions there in Second 399 00:20:19,430 --> 00:20:20,110 Corinthians. 400 00:20:20,750 --> 00:20:23,310 And so if you're tempted to doubt whether or not God loves you. 401 00:20:23,310 --> 00:20:25,230 Go back to salvation. 402 00:20:26,110 --> 00:20:29,670 Go back to what he has done for you by giving his only begotten 403 00:20:29,670 --> 00:20:31,070 Son for you. 404 00:20:31,790 --> 00:20:34,590 Now, when you see it from that perspective, when you believe in 405 00:20:34,590 --> 00:20:37,870 that perspective, then we're never tempted to doubt whether or 406 00:20:37,870 --> 00:20:41,090 not he loves us, because he has already proven that to us, and 407 00:20:41,090 --> 00:20:42,650 he continues to prove that to us. 408 00:20:43,210 --> 00:20:46,010 I want you to stay right there in Romans, chapter eight. 409 00:20:46,010 --> 00:20:48,570 And I want you to go to another passage of Scripture that 410 00:20:48,570 --> 00:20:53,730 really, really helped me when it came to this idea of, does God 411 00:20:53,730 --> 00:20:54,850 truly care about me? 412 00:20:54,850 --> 00:20:55,129 Is. 413 00:20:55,129 --> 00:20:57,530 Is God I behalf in this world? 414 00:20:57,930 --> 00:20:59,690 It's, it's a, it's a Psalm, actually. 415 00:20:59,690 --> 00:21:00,970 Psalm 118. 416 00:21:02,410 --> 00:21:06,980 Psalm 118 tells us that the Lord is on our side. 417 00:21:07,700 --> 00:21:10,860 I know that's a simple Christianity overall. 418 00:21:10,860 --> 00:21:13,420 And therefore he's petitioning for us. 419 00:21:13,420 --> 00:21:14,660 He's working for us. 420 00:21:14,740 --> 00:21:17,180 And so in Psalm 180, petitioning for us. 421 00:21:17,180 --> 00:21:18,420 He's working for us. 422 00:21:18,500 --> 00:21:23,900 And so in Psalm 118, it says this amazing thing and starts in 423 00:21:23,900 --> 00:21:27,020 verse one with, Praise, oh, give thanks unto the Lord, for He 424 00:21:27,020 --> 00:21:30,260 is good, because his mercy endureth forever. 425 00:21:31,390 --> 00:21:34,070 And so there's a reminder here that God's mercy endures. 426 00:21:34,070 --> 00:21:34,430 Why? 427 00:21:34,670 --> 00:21:37,790 Because we're tempted to think that his mercy ends. 428 00:21:38,830 --> 00:21:40,470 And, and there's repetition there. 429 00:21:40,470 --> 00:21:44,470 Every verse in those first four verses, it says, his mercy endureth 430 00:21:44,470 --> 00:21:44,910 forever. 431 00:21:45,070 --> 00:21:47,790 Let Israel now say that his mercy endureth forever. 432 00:21:47,790 --> 00:21:51,230 Let the house of Aaron now say that his mercy endureth forever. 433 00:21:51,310 --> 00:21:54,990 Let them now that fear the Lord say that his mercy endureth 434 00:21:54,990 --> 00:21:55,470 forever. 435 00:21:56,190 --> 00:22:00,320 Anytime we see that repetition in Scripture, we see the emphasis 436 00:22:00,320 --> 00:22:03,760 to be reminded of the importance of proclaiming a truth. 437 00:22:03,760 --> 00:22:07,960 And here all of us must see this importance of proclaiming the 438 00:22:07,960 --> 00:22:11,600 truth and remembering the truth that his mercy endures forever. 439 00:22:11,600 --> 00:22:15,120 It doesn't end today, it continues on. 440 00:22:16,240 --> 00:22:18,560 But verse five is something so amazing. 441 00:22:18,640 --> 00:22:18,960 The. 442 00:22:18,960 --> 00:22:22,720 The psalmist says, I called upon the Lord in distress. 443 00:22:23,360 --> 00:22:25,680 I don't know if any of you here today, when you're watching 444 00:22:25,680 --> 00:22:29,470 on your phones or your TVs or your laptops, wherever you're watching 445 00:22:29,470 --> 00:22:32,670 this or watching it or listening to it back. 446 00:22:33,470 --> 00:22:35,590 I don't know if there's, there's a place in your life where 447 00:22:35,590 --> 00:22:38,510 you can go back to and say, I remember that time that I was in 448 00:22:38,510 --> 00:22:38,990 distress. 449 00:22:39,870 --> 00:22:43,630 Maybe it's now, maybe in this current moment you are in distress. 450 00:22:44,430 --> 00:22:47,230 He says, I called upon the Lord in that time. 451 00:22:47,790 --> 00:22:48,790 And what does it say here? 452 00:22:48,790 --> 00:22:55,110 It says, the Lord answered me and set me in a large place or, or 453 00:22:55,110 --> 00:22:56,310 a Safe place, A. 454 00:22:56,390 --> 00:22:57,590 An open place. 455 00:22:59,110 --> 00:23:00,950 The Lord is on my side. 456 00:23:01,590 --> 00:23:06,510 So what's the result of knowing that the Lord is on our side? 457 00:23:06,510 --> 00:23:08,230 He says, I will not fear. 458 00:23:09,190 --> 00:23:10,270 I will not fear. 459 00:23:10,270 --> 00:23:12,310 What can man do unto me? 460 00:23:12,310 --> 00:23:17,430 Meaning this man can try to do something to me, but with God on 461 00:23:17,430 --> 00:23:18,790 my side, I won't fear. 462 00:23:18,790 --> 00:23:21,640 And there's nothing that a person can do to me when it comes 463 00:23:21,640 --> 00:23:23,080 to the eternal perspective. 464 00:23:23,240 --> 00:23:26,040 Says in verse 7, the Lord taketh my part with them that help 465 00:23:26,040 --> 00:23:26,360 me. 466 00:23:26,520 --> 00:23:29,640 Therefore shall I see my desire upon them that hate me. 467 00:23:29,640 --> 00:23:33,240 It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. 468 00:23:33,240 --> 00:23:33,800 Right there. 469 00:23:34,120 --> 00:23:38,560 Verse 8 of Psalm 118 is an awesome testimony for us when it 470 00:23:38,560 --> 00:23:42,720 comes to who are we going to trust in, what are we going to trust 471 00:23:42,720 --> 00:23:42,920 in. 472 00:23:42,920 --> 00:23:46,640 He says this, it is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence 473 00:23:46,640 --> 00:23:47,240 in man. 474 00:23:48,410 --> 00:23:52,490 When we're tempted to doubt the great gift of God here, even 475 00:23:52,490 --> 00:23:55,970 in the Christmas season, if we're tempted to doubt that the same 476 00:23:55,970 --> 00:23:59,010 God who sent Jesus Christ is the same God who's working in my 477 00:23:59,010 --> 00:24:04,490 life today, then it's easier to fall into the trap of putting 478 00:24:04,490 --> 00:24:08,010 our confidence in man to putting our confidence in this world. 479 00:24:08,010 --> 00:24:11,650 But he says, no, that's, that's nothing when it comes to the 480 00:24:11,650 --> 00:24:12,210 power of God. 481 00:24:12,210 --> 00:24:14,200 So it is better to trust in the Lord than to. 482 00:24:14,270 --> 00:24:15,630 Than to put confidence in man. 483 00:24:16,590 --> 00:24:19,670 It is better to put trust in the Lord than to put confidence in 484 00:24:19,670 --> 00:24:22,910 princes, meaning people that have worldly authority. 485 00:24:23,390 --> 00:24:27,430 Though there's times and places to appeal to different dignitaries 486 00:24:27,430 --> 00:24:31,510 and worldly authorities, ultimately a believer must completely 487 00:24:31,510 --> 00:24:34,830 and utterly appeal to the power of God. 488 00:24:36,750 --> 00:24:37,390 Verse 10. 489 00:24:37,390 --> 00:24:40,470 All nations compass me about, but in the name of the Lord will 490 00:24:40,470 --> 00:24:41,230 I destroy them. 491 00:24:41,230 --> 00:24:42,230 They compass me about. 492 00:24:42,230 --> 00:24:45,470 Yea, they compass me about, but in the name of the Lord, I will 493 00:24:45,470 --> 00:24:46,100 destroy them. 494 00:24:46,250 --> 00:24:46,490 Them. 495 00:24:48,490 --> 00:24:49,130 Verse 12. 496 00:24:49,130 --> 00:24:50,970 They compass me about like bees. 497 00:24:52,010 --> 00:24:54,050 I can really identify with that verse. 498 00:24:54,050 --> 00:24:54,810 I, I have. 499 00:24:56,090 --> 00:24:58,570 And, and this is something that I, I have to confess to you 500 00:24:58,570 --> 00:24:58,770 now. 501 00:24:58,770 --> 00:24:59,250 And it's a. 502 00:24:59,250 --> 00:25:02,490 Kind of embarrassing, but for my whole life I've had an irrational 503 00:25:02,490 --> 00:25:06,050 fear of flying bugs that can sting or bite me, okay? 504 00:25:06,050 --> 00:25:10,330 And it probably started when, when I was a little boy, a wasp blew 505 00:25:10,330 --> 00:25:12,130 in my ear and stung me inside of my ear. 506 00:25:12,130 --> 00:25:13,130 And that was a whole mess. 507 00:25:13,820 --> 00:25:16,780 And so I can really identify with the psalmist when he says, all 508 00:25:16,780 --> 00:25:20,140 the problems of this world are swarming me like bees. 509 00:25:21,020 --> 00:25:23,500 They are quenched as the fire of thorns. 510 00:25:23,580 --> 00:25:25,740 For in the name of the Lord, I will destroy them. 511 00:25:25,740 --> 00:25:30,100 So his confidence is manifested in his, in his trust that 512 00:25:30,100 --> 00:25:31,900 the Lord will take care of his struggles. 513 00:25:33,260 --> 00:25:36,940 Thou hast thrust sore at me that I might fall, but the Lord help 514 00:25:36,940 --> 00:25:38,340 me, the Lord. 515 00:25:38,340 --> 00:25:41,900 And this is what we can all take as a testimony here. 516 00:25:43,060 --> 00:25:46,900 The Lord is my strength and my song and has become my salvation. 517 00:25:47,300 --> 00:25:52,460 If God has extended salvation to us, if we believe that our eternal 518 00:25:52,460 --> 00:25:57,500 destination is sure in him, he can handle our our struggles today. 519 00:25:57,500 --> 00:26:01,660 And his strength and I love how it says in verse 14, and I think 520 00:26:01,660 --> 00:26:03,500 that we can see this this morning. 521 00:26:03,500 --> 00:26:06,020 He says, he is my strength and my song. 522 00:26:06,180 --> 00:26:08,020 Strength, meaning he is my power. 523 00:26:08,940 --> 00:26:11,580 He is my song, which means he is my praise. 524 00:26:12,060 --> 00:26:15,580 He gives me strength, he gives me power. 525 00:26:16,220 --> 00:26:17,220 He gives me song. 526 00:26:17,220 --> 00:26:18,060 He gives me praise. 527 00:26:18,060 --> 00:26:23,380 And so the outpouring of the confidence of God is that we can 528 00:26:23,380 --> 00:26:25,380 tap in and understand his strength. 529 00:26:25,380 --> 00:26:26,340 Philippians 4:13. 530 00:26:26,340 --> 00:26:30,420 I can do all things through Christ, but at the same time, his 531 00:26:30,420 --> 00:26:32,380 strength allows us to have a song. 532 00:26:33,820 --> 00:26:37,710 It's proven what God is doing through our heart is proven through 533 00:26:37,950 --> 00:26:40,510 how we praise him in the midst of the battle. 534 00:26:41,310 --> 00:26:45,310 There's more that we could go to in this passage, but essentially 535 00:26:45,310 --> 00:26:48,830 he ends in the thought of verse 28 and 29. 536 00:26:48,830 --> 00:26:52,110 He says, Thou art my God, and I will praise thee. 537 00:26:52,670 --> 00:26:54,990 Thou art my God, I will exalt thee. 538 00:26:55,390 --> 00:26:59,030 Oh, give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good, for his mercy endureth 539 00:26:59,030 --> 00:26:59,550 forever. 540 00:27:01,720 --> 00:27:03,960 What the challenge is for us here this morning is this. 541 00:27:03,960 --> 00:27:09,320 Do we trust him enough to say, I trust you in the times that make 542 00:27:09,320 --> 00:27:11,960 sense, and I trust you in the times that don't make sense. 543 00:27:12,760 --> 00:27:16,360 I'm going to give you my praise in the middle of the battle. 544 00:27:16,520 --> 00:27:19,240 I'm going to give you praise in the middle of the victory. 545 00:27:19,400 --> 00:27:21,640 I'm going to give you praise forever and ever. 546 00:27:21,640 --> 00:27:23,720 I'm going to trust in you for my strength. 547 00:27:23,880 --> 00:27:24,240 Why? 548 00:27:24,240 --> 00:27:26,200 Because I know that you are for me. 549 00:27:27,790 --> 00:27:29,750 And so let's go back to Romans, chapter 8. 550 00:27:29,750 --> 00:27:34,150 We're just going to look here at verses 31 and 32 and summarize 551 00:27:34,150 --> 00:27:35,310 our thoughts here this morning. 552 00:27:35,310 --> 00:27:39,430 Because I believe that this, these verses here, this passage of 553 00:27:39,430 --> 00:27:45,630 Scripture here can be a place that we can go to in our lives to 554 00:27:45,630 --> 00:27:48,590 give us strength when we are tempted to doubt. 555 00:27:49,870 --> 00:27:54,000 Because the Christian life is not about how we feel, feel as much 556 00:27:54,000 --> 00:27:57,080 as what we know and really, truly what we believe. 557 00:27:58,040 --> 00:28:01,840 So where do we go when we're tempted to doubt that God has gifted 558 00:28:01,840 --> 00:28:02,120 us? 559 00:28:02,520 --> 00:28:06,920 Where do we go when we're tempted to doubt whether or not God 560 00:28:06,920 --> 00:28:07,800 loves us? 561 00:28:09,320 --> 00:28:13,560 Well, we go to what His Word says we go to his promises. 562 00:28:14,440 --> 00:28:18,120 His promises are laid out right here in Romans chapter 8, and 563 00:28:18,120 --> 00:28:20,120 along with many other places in Scripture. 564 00:28:20,920 --> 00:28:25,560 But for the sake of our study, right here in Romans 8, verse 28, 565 00:28:26,040 --> 00:28:27,560 all things work together for good. 566 00:28:28,280 --> 00:28:29,520 Verse 31. 567 00:28:29,520 --> 00:28:31,880 If God be for us, who can be against us? 568 00:28:32,200 --> 00:28:35,960 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us 569 00:28:35,960 --> 00:28:39,960 all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? 570 00:28:40,760 --> 00:28:44,520 So here's a practical tool that I would extend to you as a challenge. 571 00:28:44,520 --> 00:28:46,840 And really what I have personalized in my life. 572 00:28:47,340 --> 00:28:52,340 If I am tempted to doubt whether God wants what's best for 573 00:28:52,340 --> 00:28:58,060 me, or if I'm tempted to doubt that God has stopped loving me, I 574 00:28:58,060 --> 00:29:02,100 go back to Romans chapter 8 and I read this and I ask God to 575 00:29:02,100 --> 00:29:05,260 give me faith to believe what he says. 576 00:29:05,740 --> 00:29:09,700 There's a fella in the New Testament, in the Gospels that is 577 00:29:09,700 --> 00:29:10,620 speaking to Jesus. 578 00:29:10,620 --> 00:29:15,220 And he says, lord, I believe, but help my unbelief. 579 00:29:15,220 --> 00:29:17,380 Meaning this, Lord, I want to believe. 580 00:29:17,380 --> 00:29:18,580 I'm striving to believe. 581 00:29:18,580 --> 00:29:21,340 But there's times in my life where I stumble. 582 00:29:21,340 --> 00:29:24,900 There's times in my life where I get to a place where I'm struggling 583 00:29:24,900 --> 00:29:26,820 to believe what you have said. 584 00:29:26,900 --> 00:29:29,620 And so what we see here in Romans chapter eight is this is, 585 00:29:29,860 --> 00:29:34,020 along with many other places, this is the passage that we could 586 00:29:34,020 --> 00:29:37,860 go to in our lives to be reminded that God loves us. 587 00:29:39,150 --> 00:29:42,310 And the greatest act of love, if it was the only act of love, it 588 00:29:42,310 --> 00:29:42,790 would be enough. 589 00:29:42,790 --> 00:29:46,270 The greatest act of love is that he sent his only begotten Son. 590 00:29:46,270 --> 00:29:47,950 Now, I've used this analogy before. 591 00:29:48,350 --> 00:29:52,670 I love this church and I love the people that are in this church. 592 00:29:53,230 --> 00:29:58,070 But if someone asked me to sacrifice my firstborn son, I would 593 00:29:58,070 --> 00:29:59,390 have a really hard time with that. 594 00:29:59,870 --> 00:30:03,470 Because as a human, we understand that there's certain people 595 00:30:03,470 --> 00:30:07,190 that we love beyond, beyond all comprehension. 596 00:30:07,990 --> 00:30:12,070 And the fact that God the Father would love us, those that 597 00:30:12,070 --> 00:30:15,110 sinned against him, the fact that God the Father would love us 598 00:30:15,190 --> 00:30:20,190 so much that he would send his only begotten Son to be a sacrifice 599 00:30:20,190 --> 00:30:22,950 for us that shows and proves his love. 600 00:30:22,950 --> 00:30:25,910 And so if you're tempted to doubt whether or not God loves you, 601 00:30:26,070 --> 00:30:29,750 don't go to the circumstance, even though we can go to the circumstance 602 00:30:29,830 --> 00:30:32,040 and many times see God's love. 603 00:30:32,040 --> 00:30:34,840 But there's gonna be times in our life where we don't see the full 604 00:30:34,840 --> 00:30:35,320 picture. 605 00:30:36,440 --> 00:30:39,200 So instead of looking at the circumstance that we're dealing with 606 00:30:39,200 --> 00:30:42,680 today, let's go farther and look to see what he did for us in 607 00:30:42,680 --> 00:30:46,000 the improving his love by sending his only begotten Son and 608 00:30:46,000 --> 00:30:48,960 offering us a gift of salvation, offering us the opportunity 609 00:30:48,960 --> 00:30:51,280 to be his child, to one day walk with him. 610 00:30:51,280 --> 00:30:54,520 And that's the type of confidence that is an amazing thing 611 00:30:54,680 --> 00:30:55,040 to. 612 00:30:55,040 --> 00:30:57,440 To walk in and to trust in as a believer. 613 00:30:57,750 --> 00:31:00,870 Now, there's so much more here in Romans chapter 8 that we could 614 00:31:00,870 --> 00:31:02,470 look at here today, but we won't. 615 00:31:02,950 --> 00:31:07,150 We'll save that for another time, because farther on in this 616 00:31:07,150 --> 00:31:14,270 passage, we see very, very clearly that nothing, nothing can 617 00:31:14,270 --> 00:31:15,750 separate us from the love of God. 618 00:31:16,310 --> 00:31:19,270 And so I hope that this is something that you can understand 619 00:31:19,670 --> 00:31:25,050 here today, not just with your mind, our minds, but also with our 620 00:31:25,050 --> 00:31:30,330 hearts to believe, to trust in faith that God loves us. 621 00:31:30,890 --> 00:31:35,850 And so the greatest gift that you can trust in, in this Christmas 622 00:31:35,850 --> 00:31:39,050 season is the gift of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the gift 623 00:31:39,050 --> 00:31:42,090 of grace, the gift of the love of God. 624 00:31:42,090 --> 00:31:45,570 You all know the passage of scripture, and if you don't, you 625 00:31:45,570 --> 00:31:48,090 maybe at some point in time have heard some reference to it, 626 00:31:48,410 --> 00:31:51,050 and you'll know it as I quote it, John 3:16. 627 00:31:52,030 --> 00:31:56,270 For God so loved the world, and one of the things I love to do 628 00:31:56,270 --> 00:31:58,790 is replace my name in that passage. 629 00:31:58,790 --> 00:32:03,910 And for God so loved Josh that he gave his only begotten Son, that 630 00:32:03,910 --> 00:32:07,629 whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting 631 00:32:07,629 --> 00:32:07,950 life. 632 00:32:08,590 --> 00:32:09,550 That's the gift. 633 00:32:10,110 --> 00:32:13,470 And so here in this Christmas season, let's give wonderful gifts 634 00:32:13,470 --> 00:32:14,350 to those around us. 635 00:32:14,670 --> 00:32:18,270 Let's be joyful for the gifts that we do receive from friends and 636 00:32:18,270 --> 00:32:18,590 family. 637 00:32:18,830 --> 00:32:22,950 But ultimately, in the bigger picture, let's be thankful for the 638 00:32:22,950 --> 00:32:26,190 gift of grace that God has given us, the gift of love. 639 00:32:26,590 --> 00:32:31,630 And if you've been in your life tempted to doubt, I understand 640 00:32:31,710 --> 00:32:31,990 that. 641 00:32:31,990 --> 00:32:33,150 Because let me be honest with you. 642 00:32:33,150 --> 00:32:35,550 There's been times in my life where I've been tempted to doubt. 643 00:32:36,670 --> 00:32:41,710 But the remedy to the doubt is the clarity and the truth of the 644 00:32:41,710 --> 00:32:42,230 Word of God. 645 00:32:42,230 --> 00:32:46,390 The Bible says in John 17:17, sanctify them through thy truth. 646 00:32:46,390 --> 00:32:47,710 Thy word is truth. 647 00:32:47,710 --> 00:32:48,830 You want to find truth? 648 00:32:48,830 --> 00:32:49,630 Go to the word. 649 00:32:50,270 --> 00:32:52,270 Satan is a father of lies. 650 00:32:52,590 --> 00:32:55,470 Satan is a deceiver, and he wants to do everything he possibly 651 00:32:55,470 --> 00:32:58,710 can for us to get to a place where we believe the lies around 652 00:32:58,710 --> 00:32:59,070 us. 653 00:32:59,230 --> 00:33:02,110 But what Jesus says is, no, don't go to those lies. 654 00:33:02,110 --> 00:33:03,870 Don't fall into the deception. 655 00:33:04,030 --> 00:33:07,230 Come back to the truth that we find in the Word of God. 656 00:33:08,030 --> 00:33:10,790 And so I would challenge you here this morning, as I challenge 657 00:33:10,790 --> 00:33:15,340 myself, is to go to Romans chapter 8 see this as a passage of 658 00:33:15,340 --> 00:33:15,660 scripture. 659 00:33:15,660 --> 00:33:18,900 That is a promise for those who are in Christ Jesus. 660 00:33:18,900 --> 00:33:21,700 And so the first question is, number one, are you in Christ Jesus? 661 00:33:22,500 --> 00:33:24,660 Have you trusted in him for salvation? 662 00:33:25,700 --> 00:33:29,860 If you have, then number two, are you trusting in him today for 663 00:33:29,860 --> 00:33:33,340 those daily struggles that you face, for those struggles that you 664 00:33:33,340 --> 00:33:34,420 might face tomorrow? 665 00:33:35,300 --> 00:33:37,220 We might not have all the answers, but. 666 00:33:37,530 --> 00:33:38,810 But we know the one who does. 667 00:33:39,370 --> 00:33:42,650 And I pray that here this morning, and not just this morning, 668 00:33:42,650 --> 00:33:46,490 but for all of our lives, that we can walk as Christians and, and 669 00:33:46,650 --> 00:33:51,130 that are more than just Christians who are circumstantial, 670 00:33:51,130 --> 00:33:54,250 cultural Christians, but Christians who have been transformed, 671 00:33:54,570 --> 00:33:58,650 who have understood that God has predestined us to be conformed 672 00:33:58,890 --> 00:34:05,700 to his image, that we are called, that we are justified, that 673 00:34:05,700 --> 00:34:08,660 ultimately one day we will be glorified with Him. 674 00:34:09,220 --> 00:34:13,180 And so I wanted to talk to you this morning about the gift, the 675 00:34:13,180 --> 00:34:16,180 greatest gift, that gift of Jesus Christ. 676 00:34:17,140 --> 00:34:20,060 And so think about that here this morning, pray about that, maybe 677 00:34:20,060 --> 00:34:23,260 even give a testimony to your friends and family about that great 678 00:34:23,260 --> 00:34:23,700 gift. 679 00:34:24,020 --> 00:34:27,100 Now, I know that we're online here today, but if there's any questions 680 00:34:27,100 --> 00:34:30,550 that you might have, we would certainly love to hear from you. 681 00:34:30,550 --> 00:34:34,710 You can comment on one of our videos or you can call the church 682 00:34:34,710 --> 00:34:35,470 at any point. 683 00:34:36,190 --> 00:34:39,990 We're here every Sunday, every Wednesday, and we would love to talk 684 00:34:39,990 --> 00:34:43,190 to you to help you know that Jesus loves you, to help you know 685 00:34:43,190 --> 00:34:46,350 that he proved his love for you on the cross and that you can 686 00:34:46,350 --> 00:34:50,190 trust in Jesus Christ in faith to know that he not only died on 687 00:34:50,190 --> 00:34:54,070 the cross for your sins, but he rose again on the third day and 688 00:34:54,070 --> 00:34:56,150 conquer death so that you might have life. 689 00:34:56,390 --> 00:34:59,190 And I pray that that's something that you can all consider 690 00:34:59,350 --> 00:35:02,870 here as we celebrate the Christmas season. 691 00:35:03,350 --> 00:35:05,670 Well, I'm going to go ahead and close in a word of prayer. 692 00:35:06,230 --> 00:35:10,710 After that, I will have a few announcements for you and then we 693 00:35:10,710 --> 00:35:13,030 will end our stream here this morning. 694 00:35:13,430 --> 00:35:16,630 Lord, I do thank you for this time that you've given us today, 695 00:35:17,590 --> 00:35:22,160 though in a different setting, though not the way that we planned, 696 00:35:22,160 --> 00:35:26,160 but Lord, the way that you planned us to be here worshiping 697 00:35:26,160 --> 00:35:26,480 you. 698 00:35:27,280 --> 00:35:32,880 Because of the love of Jesus, because of the sacrifice of Jesus, 699 00:35:32,880 --> 00:35:35,840 because of the great gift of your son, that unspeakable gift. 700 00:35:36,400 --> 00:35:42,400 Lord, we know that it's only through grace, only because of our 701 00:35:42,400 --> 00:35:45,800 faith in you, that we can know this gift not of works. 702 00:35:46,200 --> 00:35:48,880 And Lord, we know that what we deserve is the wage of sin. 703 00:35:48,880 --> 00:35:52,360 But you have given us that gift of everlasting life. 704 00:35:53,240 --> 00:35:54,440 So Lord, we thank you for that. 705 00:35:54,440 --> 00:35:56,520 But I also pray for those folks who are struggling now. 706 00:35:56,520 --> 00:36:00,760 They're having difficulties with seeing your love, with believing 707 00:36:00,760 --> 00:36:02,520 that you have what's best for them. 708 00:36:02,680 --> 00:36:07,240 Help them to understand and to live in the truth of your sacrifice 709 00:36:07,640 --> 00:36:10,480 and also to be thankful for those gifts that we receive above 710 00:36:10,480 --> 00:36:13,060 and beyond the gift of salvation. 711 00:36:13,060 --> 00:36:16,540 Lord, we know that every good gift comes from so Lord, I pray that 712 00:36:16,540 --> 00:36:20,940 you be with us as we go about our work this week, as we go about 713 00:36:20,940 --> 00:36:21,980 our lives this week. 714 00:36:21,980 --> 00:36:25,340 Lord, return us back safely at the appointed time. 715 00:36:25,340 --> 00:36:27,780 Lord, I pray that if anyone's traveling today that they can be 716 00:36:27,780 --> 00:36:28,780 safe on the roads. 717 00:36:29,020 --> 00:36:32,420 And Lord, I just thank you for the opportunity here today. 718 00:36:32,420 --> 00:36:37,500 Because of technology be able to still speak to your family. 719 00:36:37,990 --> 00:36:40,270 And so Lord, I just thank you for your love and your grace. 720 00:36:40,270 --> 00:36:42,230 I pray that you'd be with us in this Christmas season. 721 00:36:42,470 --> 00:36:46,150 Help us as we go about glorifying your name and we ask all 722 00:36:46,150 --> 00:36:47,230 these things in Jesus name. 723 00:36:47,230 --> 00:36:47,750 Amen. 724 00:36:49,590 --> 00:36:52,230 Thank you again for listening to the Middletown Baptist Church 725 00:36:52,230 --> 00:36:52,870 podcast. 726 00:36:53,030 --> 00:36:55,430 I hope that this sermon has been a blessing for you. 727 00:36:56,150 --> 00:36:58,350 You would like to find out more information about our church 728 00:36:58,350 --> 00:37:01,830 or this sermon, you can find us at middletownbaptistchurch.org 729 00:37:02,150 --> 00:37:04,710 or find us on Facebook or or YouTube. 730 00:37:05,430 --> 00:37:09,990 You can also email me directly at Josh Massaro at middletownbaptistchurch. 731 00:37:09,990 --> 00:37:10,390 Com. 732 00:37:10,790 --> 00:37:14,310 If you've enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe and follow 733 00:37:14,310 --> 00:37:17,190 along for future podcast and updates. 734 00:37:17,830 --> 00:37:18,710 Thank you so much. 735 00:37:18,870 --> 00:37:19,670 God Bless. 736 00:37:19,989 --> 00:37:21,270 Have a wonderful day.