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 00:00:23,600 --> 00:00:27,050 We've been studying the Book of Romans, and a lot of people don't 10 00:00:27,050 --> 00:00:30,970 equate the Book of Romans to the Christmas story, but we could 11 00:00:30,970 --> 00:00:33,970 say it just so happened, or that God ordained that we are just 12 00:00:34,050 --> 00:00:37,850 in the passage that I think definitively defines the type of 13 00:00:37,850 --> 00:00:40,290 love that God has for us here in Romans chapter 8. 14 00:00:40,530 --> 00:00:43,530 So I believe that God has ordained us to continue on in Romans 15 00:00:43,530 --> 00:00:47,970 8, looking at that type of love that God has displayed in offering 16 00:00:48,130 --> 00:00:49,650 His Son for us on the cross. 17 00:00:50,210 --> 00:00:54,650 Romans chapter 5, verse 8 says, But God commended or demonstrated 18 00:00:54,650 --> 00:00:58,370 his love towards us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ 19 00:00:58,370 --> 00:00:59,130 died for us. 20 00:00:59,770 --> 00:01:00,490 Think about this. 21 00:01:00,490 --> 00:01:03,930 The God of the universe sent his only begotten Son to this earth, 22 00:01:04,970 --> 00:01:09,290 not for people who were perfect, not for people who would 23 00:01:09,290 --> 00:01:12,850 always be faithful, but for people, as it says in Scripture, 24 00:01:12,850 --> 00:01:17,050 that would turn our backs against him, sin against him. 25 00:01:17,610 --> 00:01:21,330 For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son 26 00:01:21,330 --> 00:01:24,930 that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting 27 00:01:24,930 --> 00:01:25,170 life. 28 00:01:25,170 --> 00:01:28,490 That's the type of love that God has for us, that he would extend 29 00:01:28,490 --> 00:01:32,290 the gift of grace to us, the gift of salvation to us, in that 30 00:01:32,290 --> 00:01:35,210 while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 31 00:01:35,210 --> 00:01:39,610 And here In Romans chapter 8, we see the definitive passage on 32 00:01:39,610 --> 00:01:41,330 the type of love that God has for us. 33 00:01:41,330 --> 00:01:45,730 We've already talked about the sacrificial love that Jesus has bestowed 34 00:01:45,730 --> 00:01:46,330 upon us. 35 00:01:47,050 --> 00:01:49,930 The type of love that God has for us is a sacrificial love. 36 00:01:50,290 --> 00:01:52,370 It's the type of love that we're all supposed to have. 37 00:01:52,450 --> 00:01:55,810 The Greek word for that is agape, sacrifice. 38 00:01:56,610 --> 00:02:00,770 It's not self seeking, but it's selflessly giving of everything 39 00:02:01,490 --> 00:02:03,970 so that others can know that we love them. 40 00:02:04,610 --> 00:02:08,770 Truth demonstrated, love demonstrated. 41 00:02:09,090 --> 00:02:12,770 And the type of love that God had for us is that he extends that 42 00:02:12,770 --> 00:02:17,600 gift of grace and sacrifice, knowing that we would stumble, knowing 43 00:02:17,600 --> 00:02:20,680 that we would look away, but he still loved us none. 44 00:02:20,680 --> 00:02:21,920 The the the same. 45 00:02:21,920 --> 00:02:25,760 And the Bible says In Romans chapter 8, verse 31, what shall we 46 00:02:25,760 --> 00:02:26,840 say then to these things? 47 00:02:26,840 --> 00:02:29,600 If God be for us, who can be against us? 48 00:02:30,560 --> 00:02:33,080 You've ever been tempted to doubt whether or Not God is on your 49 00:02:33,080 --> 00:02:33,280 side. 50 00:02:33,280 --> 00:02:35,440 Whether or not that God cares for you. 51 00:02:35,760 --> 00:02:39,440 The Bible says we remember what he showed us in his sacrificial 52 00:02:39,440 --> 00:02:39,640 love. 53 00:02:39,640 --> 00:02:43,700 It says in verse 32, he that spared not his own son. 54 00:02:43,700 --> 00:02:48,620 Romans 8:32, he that spared not his own son, but delivered him 55 00:02:48,620 --> 00:02:49,580 up for us all. 56 00:02:49,900 --> 00:02:54,580 How shall he not with him also freely give us all things meaning 57 00:02:54,580 --> 00:02:54,860 this? 58 00:02:56,060 --> 00:02:58,819 God proved his love by sending his only begotten Son. 59 00:02:58,819 --> 00:03:03,260 And if he gave us His Son as a sacrifice because he loves us, how 60 00:03:03,260 --> 00:03:07,020 much more does he care for us in the daily matters as well? 61 00:03:08,470 --> 00:03:12,670 So 8:31 and 8:32 in Romans tells us that God loves us and that 62 00:03:12,670 --> 00:03:13,350 he's for us. 63 00:03:13,510 --> 00:03:14,470 And then it goes further. 64 00:03:14,470 --> 00:03:18,030 In verse 33 it says, who shall lay anything to the charge of God's 65 00:03:18,030 --> 00:03:18,230 elect? 66 00:03:18,230 --> 00:03:20,990 Meaning who can bring anything against those that are in Christ 67 00:03:20,990 --> 00:03:21,510 Jesus? 68 00:03:21,830 --> 00:03:23,990 There's nothing that anybody can do to us. 69 00:03:24,310 --> 00:03:24,910 They can. 70 00:03:24,910 --> 00:03:28,310 They can say things about us, or they can even persecute us. 71 00:03:28,950 --> 00:03:30,070 They can forget about us. 72 00:03:30,070 --> 00:03:31,030 They can betray us. 73 00:03:31,270 --> 00:03:32,350 They can show us hate. 74 00:03:32,350 --> 00:03:34,830 But the Bible says that what can they really do? 75 00:03:34,830 --> 00:03:35,150 Why? 76 00:03:35,150 --> 00:03:37,070 Because it is God that justifieth. 77 00:03:37,070 --> 00:03:39,150 It is God who declares us righteous. 78 00:03:39,150 --> 00:03:42,230 We don't need someone else's declaration of righteousness to help 79 00:03:42,230 --> 00:03:43,790 us remember that we are loved. 80 00:03:43,790 --> 00:03:48,350 All we do is we go back to the love that God showed us and the justification 81 00:03:48,350 --> 00:03:52,030 that he provided for us by declaring us righteous in him to 82 00:03:52,030 --> 00:03:53,470 know that he cares for us. 83 00:03:53,710 --> 00:03:56,510 Says in verse 34, who is he that condemneth? 84 00:03:57,230 --> 00:04:00,630 It is Christ that died ye rather that is risen again, who is 85 00:04:00,630 --> 00:04:04,150 even at the right hand of God, who also also maketh intercession 86 00:04:04,150 --> 00:04:04,590 for us. 87 00:04:04,590 --> 00:04:05,310 Meaning this. 88 00:04:06,290 --> 00:04:07,490 Nobody else can condemn us. 89 00:04:07,490 --> 00:04:07,810 Why? 90 00:04:07,810 --> 00:04:10,290 Because we are in Christ Jesus. 91 00:04:10,690 --> 00:04:11,970 He came to this earth. 92 00:04:12,370 --> 00:04:13,810 He lived that perfect life. 93 00:04:13,810 --> 00:04:17,650 He preached the truth of his gospel, the truth of his kingdom. 94 00:04:17,730 --> 00:04:19,530 He died on the cross for our sins. 95 00:04:19,530 --> 00:04:22,770 He rose on the third day and conquered death through the resurrection. 96 00:04:22,770 --> 00:04:26,290 And the Bible says here now that he is making intercession for 97 00:04:26,290 --> 00:04:26,610 us. 98 00:04:27,410 --> 00:04:29,690 God wants that personal relationship with us. 99 00:04:29,690 --> 00:04:33,410 And so we see the sacrificial love, but we see a personal love. 100 00:04:34,000 --> 00:04:37,920 We see a love that desires to know us and for us to know Him. 101 00:04:38,720 --> 00:04:41,680 The Bible clearly tells us that God is a God who cares about 102 00:04:41,680 --> 00:04:43,360 our every single need. 103 00:04:43,840 --> 00:04:46,000 And so if you're ever questioning whether or not God loves 104 00:04:46,000 --> 00:04:46,680 you, what do we do? 105 00:04:46,680 --> 00:04:49,760 We go back to what the Bible says about the cross. 106 00:04:50,400 --> 00:04:53,520 Just as the girl's saying here this morning, it's about the cross. 107 00:04:54,000 --> 00:04:57,520 Jesus came to show his love for us and to offer us that sacrifice 108 00:04:57,520 --> 00:04:59,040 and ultimate salvation. 109 00:05:00,060 --> 00:05:02,700 Then it says in verse 35, who shall separate us from the love of 110 00:05:02,700 --> 00:05:02,940 Christ? 111 00:05:03,020 --> 00:05:04,300 Here's a really good question. 112 00:05:04,940 --> 00:05:07,260 Can anybody separate us from the love of Christ? 113 00:05:07,420 --> 00:05:09,740 Can my neighbor separate me from the love of Christ? 114 00:05:09,820 --> 00:05:12,380 Can another church member separate me from the love of Christ? 115 00:05:12,700 --> 00:05:15,820 Can even I, as a human being, separate myself from the love of 116 00:05:15,820 --> 00:05:16,020 Christ? 117 00:05:16,020 --> 00:05:19,260 It says, who shall separate us from the love of Christ shall tribulation. 118 00:05:19,660 --> 00:05:20,700 That's trials. 119 00:05:21,260 --> 00:05:23,500 All of us at some point in our life have faced trials. 120 00:05:23,500 --> 00:05:26,460 Can a trial separate me from the love of God? 121 00:05:27,310 --> 00:05:36,670 Or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword? 122 00:05:37,630 --> 00:05:38,470 What is he doing here? 123 00:05:38,470 --> 00:05:41,270 He's basically listing all the problems that we could have in our 124 00:05:41,270 --> 00:05:41,550 life. 125 00:05:41,870 --> 00:05:42,270 He. 126 00:05:42,270 --> 00:05:44,110 He lists problems of the physical. 127 00:05:44,590 --> 00:05:46,510 He lists problems of the emotional. 128 00:05:46,670 --> 00:05:48,510 He lists problems of the spiritual. 129 00:05:48,510 --> 00:05:52,030 He says, shall any trial or tribulation, any distress or problem, 130 00:05:52,270 --> 00:05:54,460 any persecution, any famine, any. 131 00:05:54,610 --> 00:05:56,530 Any nakedness, any peril, any sword. 132 00:05:56,610 --> 00:05:59,250 Could any of these things separate us from the love of God? 133 00:05:59,250 --> 00:06:00,370 Then he goes on to say this. 134 00:06:00,450 --> 00:06:03,650 As it is written, for thy sake, we are killed all the day long, 135 00:06:04,210 --> 00:06:06,210 we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 136 00:06:06,210 --> 00:06:09,250 Meaning this, as a Christian, we will face some of these things. 137 00:06:09,730 --> 00:06:12,730 By the way, this is not a passage reminding us that, hey, you're 138 00:06:12,730 --> 00:06:13,890 not going to face these things. 139 00:06:14,050 --> 00:06:17,090 This is a passage reminding us that we might face some of these 140 00:06:17,090 --> 00:06:17,410 things. 141 00:06:17,890 --> 00:06:20,210 But the answer to it is amazing. 142 00:06:20,210 --> 00:06:23,410 And this is one of my favorite verses in all of scripture. 143 00:06:23,970 --> 00:06:28,690 He says, you might go through trials, you might go through persecution, 144 00:06:28,690 --> 00:06:32,490 you might go through distress, you might go through famine, you 145 00:06:32,490 --> 00:06:35,490 might go through peril, you might even have someone come after 146 00:06:35,490 --> 00:06:36,210 you physically. 147 00:06:36,290 --> 00:06:40,090 But he says, can that separate us from the love of God? 148 00:06:40,090 --> 00:06:42,450 Verse 37, Nay or no? 149 00:06:42,770 --> 00:06:43,810 Definitely not. 150 00:06:44,210 --> 00:06:50,700 And all these things, and all these difficult things, we are more 151 00:06:50,940 --> 00:06:52,700 than conquerors. 152 00:06:53,660 --> 00:06:54,860 More than conquerors. 153 00:06:54,860 --> 00:06:58,020 You know, the Greek word there actually literally means this, that 154 00:06:58,020 --> 00:06:59,420 you're a super conqueror. 155 00:07:00,140 --> 00:07:02,820 Well, I'm not a super conqueror in my own flesh. 156 00:07:02,820 --> 00:07:03,980 No, but it says what? 157 00:07:04,220 --> 00:07:06,700 Through him that loved us? 158 00:07:06,940 --> 00:07:07,900 Through Jesus. 159 00:07:08,140 --> 00:07:12,140 So when we place our faith in Jesus for our salvation, when we 160 00:07:12,140 --> 00:07:15,720 place our faith in what he has done for us for salvation, the Bible 161 00:07:15,720 --> 00:07:19,480 says that we are now identified in him, and therefore 162 00:07:19,640 --> 00:07:23,400 we can be more than conquerors because of our relationship with 163 00:07:23,400 --> 00:07:24,040 Jesus Christ. 164 00:07:24,200 --> 00:07:25,320 He changes things. 165 00:07:26,120 --> 00:07:26,440 He. 166 00:07:26,440 --> 00:07:26,680 He. 167 00:07:26,680 --> 00:07:31,239 He transforms us so that no longer we're defined by our trials, 168 00:07:31,239 --> 00:07:34,960 our distresses, our persecution, our famine, our. 169 00:07:34,960 --> 00:07:35,320 Our. 170 00:07:35,400 --> 00:07:38,080 As it says there, our Nakedness, which means we don't have 171 00:07:38,080 --> 00:07:42,410 anything we, physically or materially, that doesn't define us 172 00:07:42,410 --> 00:07:42,850 anymore. 173 00:07:43,090 --> 00:07:44,610 My looks don't define me. 174 00:07:44,850 --> 00:07:46,530 My past doesn't define me. 175 00:07:46,770 --> 00:07:48,370 My job doesn't define me. 176 00:07:49,010 --> 00:07:50,410 My culture doesn't define me. 177 00:07:50,410 --> 00:07:54,090 What defines me as it says here, the love of Jesus Christ defines 178 00:07:54,090 --> 00:07:54,290 me. 179 00:07:54,290 --> 00:07:56,450 My identity in him defines me. 180 00:07:56,689 --> 00:07:59,410 And then Paul says this testimony that I think all of us 181 00:08:00,210 --> 00:08:03,210 can take as a testimony if we are born again believers here this 182 00:08:03,210 --> 00:08:03,410 morning. 183 00:08:03,410 --> 00:08:08,570 He says, for I am persuaded, meaning I am convinced I'm standing 184 00:08:08,570 --> 00:08:08,810 in this. 185 00:08:08,810 --> 00:08:10,370 I'm putting my whole life in this. 186 00:08:10,450 --> 00:08:14,130 For I am persuaded that neither death, he takes it that far. 187 00:08:14,130 --> 00:08:16,050 He takes it all the way to the point of dying. 188 00:08:16,050 --> 00:08:19,810 He says, neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, 189 00:08:20,050 --> 00:08:25,130 nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor 190 00:08:25,130 --> 00:08:30,810 height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall separate us, 191 00:08:30,810 --> 00:08:33,740 shall be able to separate us from the love of God. 192 00:08:35,020 --> 00:08:35,940 What does he say here? 193 00:08:35,940 --> 00:08:38,300 He says, I'm answering the question that I asked at the very 194 00:08:38,300 --> 00:08:38,860 beginning. 195 00:08:39,260 --> 00:08:41,420 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? 196 00:08:42,220 --> 00:08:45,500 Nothing, nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. 197 00:08:45,820 --> 00:08:49,300 Not even my mistakes, not even the hate of others, not even the 198 00:08:49,300 --> 00:08:53,740 sin in this world, not even my physical problems, my material problems, 199 00:08:53,740 --> 00:08:55,060 my emotional problems. 200 00:08:55,060 --> 00:08:58,100 Because the Bible tells us that even though we go through those 201 00:08:58,100 --> 00:09:01,580 struggles, that we have a God who is with us, who cares for us, 202 00:09:01,660 --> 00:09:03,620 and who is going to make all things right one day. 203 00:09:03,620 --> 00:09:07,900 And it says, which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord, meaning we 204 00:09:07,900 --> 00:09:11,580 are not the ones that are holding us secure in our lives. 205 00:09:12,860 --> 00:09:14,220 My love is going to fail. 206 00:09:14,380 --> 00:09:15,820 My love is going to falter. 207 00:09:15,980 --> 00:09:17,540 My desire is going to falter. 208 00:09:17,540 --> 00:09:17,900 My. 209 00:09:18,300 --> 00:09:22,740 My commitment to God, though I have the best intentions, will fall 210 00:09:22,740 --> 00:09:23,020 short. 211 00:09:23,020 --> 00:09:25,820 But the Bible says that nothing falls short when it comes 212 00:09:25,820 --> 00:09:26,780 to the love of God. 213 00:09:27,430 --> 00:09:28,790 He loves us immensely. 214 00:09:29,110 --> 00:09:30,710 He loves us infinitely. 215 00:09:31,190 --> 00:09:35,030 Now, again, I have to clarify that love does not mean acceptance 216 00:09:35,030 --> 00:09:36,790 to all the wrongdoing in our life. 217 00:09:37,670 --> 00:09:39,670 Love sometimes means there's discipline. 218 00:09:39,670 --> 00:09:42,070 Love sometimes means that they're the speaking of the truth. 219 00:09:42,070 --> 00:09:44,150 Love sometimes means that there needs to be a change. 220 00:09:44,310 --> 00:09:46,630 And all of us that have children understand that. 221 00:09:46,950 --> 00:09:49,110 All of us that have children know that we can love our children, 222 00:09:49,110 --> 00:09:52,710 but at the same time not agree with bad decisions that they make. 223 00:09:53,470 --> 00:09:55,430 This is the same thing with our Father in heaven. 224 00:09:55,430 --> 00:09:56,990 He doesn't say that I love you. 225 00:09:56,990 --> 00:09:59,790 So everything's okay what you're doing, just keep doing. 226 00:09:59,950 --> 00:10:03,990 No, the Bible says that his love for us, as we look back in Romans 227 00:10:03,990 --> 00:10:08,590 8, remember what his will for us is if you go back to verse number 228 00:10:08,830 --> 00:10:12,710 29, it says, for whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate 229 00:10:12,710 --> 00:10:13,310 to be what? 230 00:10:13,390 --> 00:10:16,830 To be conformed to the image of His Son. 231 00:10:17,630 --> 00:10:21,230 So God's love means this, that he wants us to be more and more like 232 00:10:21,230 --> 00:10:25,690 Jesus, to be more and more Christlike, to experience the love 233 00:10:25,690 --> 00:10:29,170 and the forgiveness of God, and to turn into this world and to 234 00:10:29,170 --> 00:10:32,330 love those around us to the best of our ability with the love 235 00:10:32,330 --> 00:10:32,850 of Christ. 236 00:10:34,610 --> 00:10:35,490 Here this morning. 237 00:10:35,490 --> 00:10:38,370 Sometimes we might be tempted because of a certain circumstance 238 00:10:38,370 --> 00:10:41,810 in our life to question whether or not somebody loves us. 239 00:10:42,210 --> 00:10:45,330 And the reality is, is that there are people in this world that 240 00:10:45,330 --> 00:10:47,410 will stop loving us for whatever reason. 241 00:10:48,440 --> 00:10:51,560 But what the Bible does say is that we can also question whether 242 00:10:51,560 --> 00:10:52,560 or not God loves us. 243 00:10:52,560 --> 00:10:56,360 But the Bible tells us here in Romans chapter 8 and other places 244 00:10:56,520 --> 00:10:59,080 that nothing can separate us from the love of God. 245 00:10:59,640 --> 00:11:01,320 Some days I have great intentions. 246 00:11:01,880 --> 00:11:04,520 Sometimes I wake up and I say, okay, today I'm going to read my 247 00:11:04,520 --> 00:11:07,520 Bible for an hour and I'm going to pray for an hour. 248 00:11:07,520 --> 00:11:10,280 And I'm going to do all these things that I have good intentions 249 00:11:10,280 --> 00:11:10,520 with. 250 00:11:10,600 --> 00:11:13,480 But the reality is, is that because of my limitations, because 251 00:11:13,930 --> 00:11:17,250 of my inadequacies, I'm not able to do everything that I intend 252 00:11:17,250 --> 00:11:17,690 to do. 253 00:11:17,850 --> 00:11:19,250 Let's say I make a promise to you. 254 00:11:19,250 --> 00:11:21,650 I say, okay, I'm going to be at your house and I'm going to help 255 00:11:21,650 --> 00:11:23,730 you move out of your house, and I'm going to help you because, 256 00:11:23,730 --> 00:11:26,450 you know, true sacrificial love for a man that has a truck is 257 00:11:26,450 --> 00:11:29,570 that he will come and help you move something, you know, furniture 258 00:11:29,570 --> 00:11:30,169 and all that. 259 00:11:30,970 --> 00:11:34,250 I could say, I love you and I'm going to come and help you move. 260 00:11:34,970 --> 00:11:37,130 And I could have every intention in the morning to wake 261 00:11:37,130 --> 00:11:37,810 up and do that. 262 00:11:37,810 --> 00:11:41,570 But maybe my truck breaks down or maybe I'm not feeling well, or 263 00:11:41,570 --> 00:11:44,350 maybe traffic was bad, or, or maybe I didn't write it down on my 264 00:11:44,350 --> 00:11:45,830 calendar and I completely forgot. 265 00:11:45,910 --> 00:11:49,430 The reality is, is that even if as a human being, I love somebody, 266 00:11:49,510 --> 00:11:50,630 I have limitations. 267 00:11:51,750 --> 00:11:53,230 I'm inadequate. 268 00:11:53,230 --> 00:11:54,710 I, I, I'm not all knowing. 269 00:11:54,710 --> 00:11:55,990 I'm not all powerful. 270 00:11:56,630 --> 00:11:57,670 I'm not all present. 271 00:11:58,310 --> 00:12:01,710 And so even the best love that a person can show to somebody else 272 00:12:01,710 --> 00:12:02,470 is limited. 273 00:12:02,630 --> 00:12:05,190 But we worship a God who is not limited. 274 00:12:05,510 --> 00:12:07,590 We worship a God who is all powerful. 275 00:12:07,830 --> 00:12:09,750 We worship a God who is all knowing. 276 00:12:09,980 --> 00:12:12,140 We worship a God who is everywhere. 277 00:12:12,620 --> 00:12:16,060 And when he makes a promise of his love, he keeps his word. 278 00:12:16,460 --> 00:12:19,660 It might not look exactly the way that we expect it to look. 279 00:12:19,980 --> 00:12:23,340 It might not be in the timing that we're expecting it to be in. 280 00:12:23,500 --> 00:12:27,180 But the Bible says here that when he says he loves us, he proves 281 00:12:27,180 --> 00:12:28,060 that he loves us. 282 00:12:28,300 --> 00:12:31,100 And in that proving that he loves us, we know that we have security 283 00:12:31,820 --> 00:12:32,340 in Him. 284 00:12:32,340 --> 00:12:37,660 And so God's love for us is sacrificial love, but also God's 285 00:12:37,660 --> 00:12:39,340 love for us is a secure love. 286 00:12:39,980 --> 00:12:41,660 We can find security in him. 287 00:12:42,140 --> 00:12:43,660 We can find comfort in him. 288 00:12:44,220 --> 00:12:45,940 We can find our confidence in Him. 289 00:12:45,940 --> 00:12:48,740 We started out in the very beginning of Romans chapter 8. 290 00:12:48,740 --> 00:12:53,420 Looking at verse number one, there is therefore now no condemnation 291 00:12:53,420 --> 00:12:55,660 to them which are in Christ Jesus. 292 00:12:56,220 --> 00:12:58,980 When we are in Christ Jesus, we can have the confidence to know 293 00:12:58,980 --> 00:13:02,700 that there is no longer judgment, there's no more condemnation. 294 00:13:03,330 --> 00:13:05,610 And we know that the Holy Spirit now lives within us. 295 00:13:05,610 --> 00:13:08,850 The Holy Spirit then equips us to do the work that God has called 296 00:13:08,850 --> 00:13:09,410 us to do. 297 00:13:09,570 --> 00:13:12,490 But there is going to be times even when we know that there's no 298 00:13:12,490 --> 00:13:15,490 more judgment, even when we know that the Holy Spirit lives within 299 00:13:15,490 --> 00:13:19,250 us and gives us a job and gives us a purpose to live in him. 300 00:13:19,250 --> 00:13:21,250 There's going to be times when we're tempted to doubt. 301 00:13:21,250 --> 00:13:26,010 And that's why in verse number 28, he reminds us, and we know that 302 00:13:26,010 --> 00:13:28,650 all things work together for good to them that love God, to them 303 00:13:28,650 --> 00:13:31,090 who are called according to his purpose. 304 00:13:32,130 --> 00:13:35,130 We need that reminder sometimes that all things are working 305 00:13:35,130 --> 00:13:38,290 together for good, for his good, and for our good. 306 00:13:39,650 --> 00:13:41,170 And some people question that. 307 00:13:41,170 --> 00:13:42,290 I've questioned that. 308 00:13:42,530 --> 00:13:46,330 But at the end of the day, if God is who he says he is, if he is 309 00:13:46,330 --> 00:13:49,970 the One who gave us His Son, as it says in verse 32, he spared 310 00:13:49,970 --> 00:13:55,170 not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not 311 00:13:55,170 --> 00:13:58,200 with him also freely give us all things meaning? 312 00:13:58,200 --> 00:14:01,920 If he kept his word by giving us His Son, he will keep his word. 313 00:14:02,080 --> 00:14:05,760 In the struggles that we face on the day to day life, he will keep 314 00:14:05,760 --> 00:14:06,320 his word. 315 00:14:06,320 --> 00:14:10,200 When we are physically struggling, you say, well, I'm physically 316 00:14:10,200 --> 00:14:12,319 struggling right now and he's not healing me. 317 00:14:13,120 --> 00:14:14,640 Well, he certainly can heal. 318 00:14:14,960 --> 00:14:18,400 And it's not our job to decide whether or not he's good or bad because 319 00:14:18,400 --> 00:14:21,480 he hasn't healed or he has healed, all we do is trust that he 320 00:14:21,480 --> 00:14:24,960 can heal and that ultimately one day, all of us, no matter what 321 00:14:24,960 --> 00:14:28,120 we face here in this world, no matter how many struggles we face, 322 00:14:28,200 --> 00:14:31,040 no matter how many sicknesses we have, no matter how many people 323 00:14:31,040 --> 00:14:32,600 turn their backs on us one day. 324 00:14:32,600 --> 00:14:36,680 As the Bible says in verse 18, that when we get to be with our Savior 325 00:14:36,680 --> 00:14:41,000 one day we will realize that the glory of being with him supersedes 326 00:14:41,000 --> 00:14:43,960 anything that we face here in this earth by way of struggle. 327 00:14:44,280 --> 00:14:47,320 Paul says in verse 18, for I reckon that the sufferings of this 328 00:14:47,320 --> 00:14:51,090 present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which 329 00:14:51,090 --> 00:14:52,530 shall be revealed in us. 330 00:14:53,170 --> 00:14:54,330 So what does Paul tell us? 331 00:14:54,330 --> 00:14:58,570 That the love of God is not only a sacrificial love, it's not 332 00:14:58,570 --> 00:15:01,970 only a secure love, but it's also an eternal love. 333 00:15:02,530 --> 00:15:04,290 It's a love that never ends. 334 00:15:04,690 --> 00:15:08,250 It's a love that continues on not just for the here and now, but 335 00:15:08,250 --> 00:15:09,650 for all eternity. 336 00:15:09,970 --> 00:15:13,410 That we will get to experience his love forever in his presence 337 00:15:13,900 --> 00:15:14,380 one day. 338 00:15:14,700 --> 00:15:16,460 And that's what we're living for. 339 00:15:16,700 --> 00:15:20,740 If I'm living today for feeling good, how many of you would 340 00:15:20,740 --> 00:15:21,780 be disappointed by that? 341 00:15:21,780 --> 00:15:22,100 Right? 342 00:15:22,100 --> 00:15:24,700 I woke up this morning and I. I was feeling the pain, right? 343 00:15:24,780 --> 00:15:26,460 Some of you are like, hey, you're young still. 344 00:15:26,460 --> 00:15:27,820 I'm not as young as I used to be. 345 00:15:27,820 --> 00:15:28,860 That's why I keep telling people. 346 00:15:29,100 --> 00:15:30,500 And so the idea is this. 347 00:15:30,500 --> 00:15:31,900 We wake up and we feel pain. 348 00:15:31,900 --> 00:15:35,340 And sometimes we equate pain with a lack of love. 349 00:15:36,460 --> 00:15:37,940 And I'm talking about the physical here. 350 00:15:37,940 --> 00:15:40,550 But some of us understand, too, sometimes we wake up and we 351 00:15:40,550 --> 00:15:42,910 don't feel the physical pain as much as we feel that emotional 352 00:15:42,910 --> 00:15:43,350 pain. 353 00:15:43,670 --> 00:15:45,190 Maybe someone has cut us deep. 354 00:15:46,390 --> 00:15:46,830 Maybe. 355 00:15:46,830 --> 00:15:48,630 Maybe it's something that it's very hard to forgive. 356 00:15:49,990 --> 00:15:53,350 The Bible says that if we're living for everyone to love us now, 357 00:15:53,510 --> 00:15:55,669 we're missing the eternal perspective. 358 00:15:56,070 --> 00:15:58,670 If we're living for everything to feel good, right now, we're missing 359 00:15:58,670 --> 00:15:59,830 the eternal perspective. 360 00:16:00,550 --> 00:16:02,150 Some of us are spiritually hurting. 361 00:16:02,630 --> 00:16:06,150 Some of us have faced difficulty even within a Christian 362 00:16:06,150 --> 00:16:06,550 setting. 363 00:16:06,880 --> 00:16:09,880 The Bible says that if we're living for everyone to love us and 364 00:16:09,880 --> 00:16:12,080 to be perfect, we're missing the eternal perspective. 365 00:16:12,240 --> 00:16:16,520 Because we go back to verse number 36, and he says, as it is 366 00:16:16,520 --> 00:16:18,880 written, for thy sake, we are killed all the day long. 367 00:16:18,960 --> 00:16:20,880 We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 368 00:16:20,960 --> 00:16:24,680 He says, there is going to be times when we do face persecution. 369 00:16:24,680 --> 00:16:27,560 There's going to be times where we do face distress, there's 370 00:16:27,560 --> 00:16:32,440 going to be times where we do face famine and peril and all the 371 00:16:32,440 --> 00:16:34,640 things in this world that are defined as difficulties. 372 00:16:34,640 --> 00:16:38,140 But at the end of the day, we can say God is on our side. 373 00:16:38,940 --> 00:16:42,940 There's another passage of scripture that I think is so important 374 00:16:43,020 --> 00:16:50,100 for us to understand because I know that sometimes when a preacher 375 00:16:50,100 --> 00:16:56,380 preaches the love of God and the patience of God, that someone 376 00:16:56,380 --> 00:16:58,620 who's going through the struggle might say, yeah, because 377 00:16:59,100 --> 00:17:00,340 he hasn't experienced that. 378 00:17:00,340 --> 00:17:03,610 And the reality is, maybe I haven't experienced what you've experienced. 379 00:17:04,010 --> 00:17:06,530 But what we have to do is we have to go back to the word of God 380 00:17:06,530 --> 00:17:09,490 and we have to go back to examples that we have seen before 381 00:17:09,490 --> 00:17:09,850 us. 382 00:17:10,970 --> 00:17:14,850 So if anyone faced struggles, ultimately it was Jesus, right? 383 00:17:14,850 --> 00:17:15,050 We. 384 00:17:15,050 --> 00:17:15,770 We know that. 385 00:17:16,010 --> 00:17:17,690 We know that Jesus was betrayed. 386 00:17:18,010 --> 00:17:18,330 We. 387 00:17:18,330 --> 00:17:19,610 We know that Jesus was. 388 00:17:19,690 --> 00:17:20,490 Was beaten. 389 00:17:20,490 --> 00:17:24,730 We know that Jesus was betrayed by his closest friends. 390 00:17:26,890 --> 00:17:29,230 But then we see another example in. 391 00:17:29,230 --> 00:17:31,790 In Paul, right, the guy who's writing the book of Romans. 392 00:17:31,790 --> 00:17:33,110 So Paul is saying this. 393 00:17:33,270 --> 00:17:35,590 Everything is going to be okay in Christ Jesus. 394 00:17:35,910 --> 00:17:36,870 He loves you. 395 00:17:37,510 --> 00:17:38,470 And we would say, okay. 396 00:17:38,470 --> 00:17:41,190 That makes sense for a guy like Paul who maybe had everything 397 00:17:41,190 --> 00:17:42,070 going well for him. 398 00:17:42,070 --> 00:17:43,870 Maybe life was really smooth for Paul. 399 00:17:43,870 --> 00:17:45,269 Maybe you don't know the history of Paul. 400 00:17:45,269 --> 00:17:48,310 Maybe you think, well, Paul just lived the materialistic life 401 00:17:48,310 --> 00:17:51,230 of having gold and silver and people loving him. 402 00:17:51,230 --> 00:17:54,390 Well, I want you to go back to a book called Second Corinthians, 403 00:17:54,850 --> 00:17:57,970 because I just want you to see the guy who says In Romans chapter 404 00:17:57,970 --> 00:18:00,930 8 that God loves us and that nothing can separate us from the 405 00:18:00,930 --> 00:18:04,850 love of God is the same fella who went through a ton of distress 406 00:18:05,810 --> 00:18:06,810 throughout his ministry. 407 00:18:06,810 --> 00:18:12,610 And so in Second Corinthians, chapter 4, verse 8, we see a parallel 408 00:18:12,610 --> 00:18:17,370 passage to Romans 8, where we can see that the reality of difficulty 409 00:18:17,370 --> 00:18:19,210 in this world is a true thing. 410 00:18:19,210 --> 00:18:19,570 It's. 411 00:18:19,570 --> 00:18:20,130 It's there. 412 00:18:20,670 --> 00:18:24,350 But we can have something in the midst of a difficult world. 413 00:18:24,350 --> 00:18:27,070 And he says in Second Corinthians, chapter 4, verse 8, 414 00:18:27,230 --> 00:18:29,390 we are troubled on every side. 415 00:18:29,790 --> 00:18:30,990 The idea would be this. 416 00:18:31,150 --> 00:18:32,750 We've got problems all around us. 417 00:18:32,750 --> 00:18:36,070 Some of you that watch the news a lot can attest to the fact 418 00:18:36,070 --> 00:18:39,670 that we've got trouble all around us, all different types of 419 00:18:39,670 --> 00:18:40,270 struggles. 420 00:18:41,310 --> 00:18:42,670 But then what does he say? 421 00:18:43,310 --> 00:18:44,830 Yet not distressed. 422 00:18:46,120 --> 00:18:49,000 So he says, the reality is that we can have struggles all around 423 00:18:49,000 --> 00:18:53,080 us, trouble all around us, yet not distressed. 424 00:18:53,080 --> 00:18:56,200 We are perplexed, meaning humanly we are confused. 425 00:18:56,360 --> 00:18:56,760 We. 426 00:18:56,760 --> 00:18:58,320 We don't know where to turn next. 427 00:18:58,320 --> 00:19:00,520 But he says, but not in despair. 428 00:19:01,720 --> 00:19:07,320 Persecuted, but not forsaken, cast down, but not destroyed, always 429 00:19:07,480 --> 00:19:10,960 bearing about in the body of the dying of our Lord Jesus, that 430 00:19:10,960 --> 00:19:14,850 the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. 431 00:19:14,850 --> 00:19:20,210 Meaning this, as a Christian, we can go through difficulties. 432 00:19:20,370 --> 00:19:21,570 We can go through good times. 433 00:19:21,570 --> 00:19:24,610 Paul talks about good times as well, we can go through good times 434 00:19:24,610 --> 00:19:28,250 and difficult times same way with knowing that our identity is 435 00:19:28,250 --> 00:19:31,130 in Jesus Christ and knowing that nothing can separate us from 436 00:19:31,130 --> 00:19:31,650 his love. 437 00:19:32,290 --> 00:19:35,170 So what do we do when we don't feel the love of Christ in the Christmas 438 00:19:35,170 --> 00:19:38,050 season, or any season for that matter? 439 00:19:38,610 --> 00:19:40,850 He says go back to what you know about him. 440 00:19:41,170 --> 00:19:42,810 Go back to what he has demonstrated. 441 00:19:42,810 --> 00:19:45,650 He has demonstrated his love by offering his Son for you. 442 00:19:46,930 --> 00:19:50,250 We see Jesus in a manger, and that's a beautiful picture because 443 00:19:50,250 --> 00:19:50,650 it's a. 444 00:19:50,650 --> 00:19:53,410 A picture of Jesus's humility to come to this earth and be born 445 00:19:53,410 --> 00:19:55,890 in a feeding trough, because that's really what a manger is. 446 00:19:56,610 --> 00:19:59,930 Jesus wasn't born in a kingdom, at least a kingdom that 447 00:19:59,930 --> 00:20:00,650 we would describe. 448 00:20:00,650 --> 00:20:06,330 A castle with nice gold, you know, beds and walls. 449 00:20:06,330 --> 00:20:07,250 He wasn't born that way. 450 00:20:07,580 --> 00:20:09,260 He wasn't born with a crown on his head. 451 00:20:09,580 --> 00:20:12,860 He was born in a humble fashion with humble people to just 452 00:20:13,020 --> 00:20:15,100 display the type of love that God has for us. 453 00:20:15,260 --> 00:20:17,820 A humble type of love, a sacrificial type of love. 454 00:20:18,780 --> 00:20:21,420 When the Bible tells us more about that, it says that Jesus grew. 455 00:20:21,980 --> 00:20:23,180 He didn't stay in the manger. 456 00:20:23,820 --> 00:20:25,020 He became an adult. 457 00:20:25,580 --> 00:20:27,380 He ministered and he sacrificed. 458 00:20:27,380 --> 00:20:30,060 And as we said before, he died on the cross for our sins. 459 00:20:30,060 --> 00:20:32,380 But then we know that he didn't stay in the tomb. 460 00:20:32,380 --> 00:20:34,260 He conquered death through the resurrection. 461 00:20:34,260 --> 00:20:37,540 And therefore he offers that gift of grace to all of us who believe. 462 00:20:37,540 --> 00:20:40,660 That's what we go back to when we're tempted to believe that God 463 00:20:40,660 --> 00:20:41,780 doesn't love us anymore. 464 00:20:42,180 --> 00:20:44,940 That's what we turn to when we are tempted to think that God's not 465 00:20:44,940 --> 00:20:46,180 going to work things out for us. 466 00:20:46,260 --> 00:20:49,300 And so here in this Christmas season, I know for many people it 467 00:20:49,300 --> 00:20:50,420 can be a joyful time. 468 00:20:51,300 --> 00:20:54,380 But also I'm aware of the fact that sometimes holiday seasons can 469 00:20:54,380 --> 00:20:57,940 be difficult because of a loss of a loved one or maybe because of 470 00:20:57,940 --> 00:20:59,940 trauma that's happened in around that season. 471 00:21:00,310 --> 00:21:03,550 Let me tell you that no matter what has happened to you, no matter 472 00:21:03,550 --> 00:21:05,950 what you have gone through, no matter what you have lost, no matter 473 00:21:05,950 --> 00:21:08,270 what you're going through right now, the Bible says it's the 474 00:21:08,270 --> 00:21:12,110 love of God that passes all understanding, the peace of God that 475 00:21:12,110 --> 00:21:15,310 passes all understanding, that can rule our hearts and minds in 476 00:21:15,310 --> 00:21:17,430 the midst of difficult times. 477 00:21:19,110 --> 00:21:21,950 And I love his testimony here, and I hope that it's a testimony 478 00:21:21,950 --> 00:21:23,510 that we can all have in our own lives. 479 00:21:23,830 --> 00:21:25,190 Brian persuaded. 480 00:21:26,240 --> 00:21:27,920 Romans 8:38. 481 00:21:28,080 --> 00:21:31,200 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels, 482 00:21:31,200 --> 00:21:34,520 nor principalities, nor powers Nor things present, nor things to 483 00:21:34,520 --> 00:21:37,720 come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able 484 00:21:37,720 --> 00:21:41,480 to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus 485 00:21:41,480 --> 00:21:42,039 our Lord. 486 00:21:42,039 --> 00:21:43,680 The love is found in Jesus Christ. 487 00:21:44,720 --> 00:21:46,800 The sacrifice is found in Jesus Christ. 488 00:21:47,520 --> 00:21:49,600 The security is found in Jesus Christ. 489 00:21:49,760 --> 00:21:52,160 The eternality of it is found in Jesus Christ. 490 00:21:52,400 --> 00:21:56,800 And so this morning, if you want to find hope, joy, peace, comfort, 491 00:21:57,760 --> 00:22:00,640 all of the things that the Bible tells us that we can have, 492 00:22:00,720 --> 00:22:03,840 the way we find those things, the way we understand those things, 493 00:22:03,840 --> 00:22:06,600 the way we're to live those things out in our life, is to live 494 00:22:06,600 --> 00:22:11,160 a life based not only in the existence of Jesus Christ, but in 495 00:22:11,160 --> 00:22:15,840 the knowledge of who he is and the belief and faith in knowing who 496 00:22:15,840 --> 00:22:17,720 he is and what he has done for us. 497 00:22:17,720 --> 00:22:20,200 And recognizing that that, and that alone is. 498 00:22:20,270 --> 00:22:22,350 Is the only thing that can save us from our sin. 499 00:22:22,350 --> 00:22:24,630 It's the only thing that can save us from our brokenness. 500 00:22:24,630 --> 00:22:26,630 It's the only thing that can save us from despair. 501 00:22:26,630 --> 00:22:30,230 Because if we live in any other fashion, all of these other 502 00:22:30,230 --> 00:22:31,710 things define us. 503 00:22:31,790 --> 00:22:34,950 And in these things that we face, whether it be tribulation or 504 00:22:34,950 --> 00:22:39,470 distress or persecution that can conquer us, if we are not in 505 00:22:39,470 --> 00:22:39,790 Christ. 506 00:22:39,950 --> 00:22:43,310 But the Bible says that when we are in Christ, we are in verse 507 00:22:43,310 --> 00:22:47,910 37, nay, in all these things, we are more than conquerors, more 508 00:22:47,910 --> 00:22:50,470 than conquerors through him that loved us. 509 00:22:50,710 --> 00:22:54,150 And so here, this Christmas season, here in your Christian walk, 510 00:22:54,150 --> 00:22:57,270 if you want to understand what it means to be more than a conqueror, 511 00:22:57,590 --> 00:23:01,030 if you want to understand what it means to walk in confidence, no 512 00:23:01,030 --> 00:23:05,030 matter what might be going on around us in this world, in our homes, 513 00:23:05,030 --> 00:23:09,190 in our own personal life, the Bible says to be in Christ. 514 00:23:09,590 --> 00:23:10,710 What does it mean to be in Christ? 515 00:23:10,710 --> 00:23:14,760 It means to trust in him, to put our faith in the person and work 516 00:23:14,760 --> 00:23:17,440 of Jesus Christ alone for our salvation. 517 00:23:17,760 --> 00:23:19,640 If that's something that you've done, if that's something 518 00:23:19,640 --> 00:23:22,560 that you've trusted in in your own life, the Bible then tells us 519 00:23:22,560 --> 00:23:25,440 to live in that, to walk in that, to grow in that. 520 00:23:25,520 --> 00:23:29,160 And as verse 28 says, to understand that all things work together 521 00:23:29,160 --> 00:23:32,960 for good, to understand that God has a purpose for our lives, 522 00:23:33,200 --> 00:23:37,600 verse 29, to understand that God has that purpose of being conformed 523 00:23:37,600 --> 00:23:38,800 to the image of His Son. 524 00:23:40,180 --> 00:23:42,340 Someone here might say, I've been saved for 50 years. 525 00:23:43,460 --> 00:23:44,420 I've reached it. 526 00:23:44,740 --> 00:23:45,940 I'm at the pinnacle. 527 00:23:47,220 --> 00:23:47,660 Paul. 528 00:23:47,660 --> 00:23:49,380 If anyone reached the pinnacle, it was Paul. 529 00:23:49,380 --> 00:23:50,500 What did Paul say at the very end? 530 00:23:50,500 --> 00:23:51,140 Second Timothy? 531 00:23:51,140 --> 00:23:52,420 He says, I've not reached it yet. 532 00:23:52,740 --> 00:23:53,780 I Need to keep going. 533 00:23:54,180 --> 00:23:55,540 I need to keep pursuing. 534 00:23:55,700 --> 00:23:57,060 I need to be more like Christ. 535 00:23:57,860 --> 00:24:01,300 All of us, I don't care how long you've been saved, can grow 536 00:24:01,300 --> 00:24:05,090 to be more and more like our Savior by sacrificing and yielding 537 00:24:05,090 --> 00:24:08,330 to the Spirit and dying to our flesh and saying, lord, it is you. 538 00:24:08,330 --> 00:24:11,530 It is your love that I rest in, you know, for many years. 539 00:24:13,210 --> 00:24:14,370 Can I take my jacket off? 540 00:24:14,370 --> 00:24:15,450 Is that going to fix it? 541 00:24:16,810 --> 00:24:18,210 All right, taking my jacket off. 542 00:24:18,210 --> 00:24:19,530 Hopefully I don't offend any of you. 543 00:24:21,450 --> 00:24:22,810 Maybe that's what's causing it. 544 00:24:23,610 --> 00:24:25,130 I have one last thing to say here. 545 00:24:29,130 --> 00:24:31,370 You know, technology is good unless it's not working. 546 00:24:32,120 --> 00:24:34,680 Okay, really want you to follow me here on this. 547 00:24:35,320 --> 00:24:36,680 This is the last thing I promise. 548 00:24:37,800 --> 00:24:46,120 For many, many years, my goal in life was to find love, find acceptance 549 00:24:46,120 --> 00:24:46,600 in people. 550 00:24:47,479 --> 00:24:51,000 Like, where I found my value was that people would say, wow, you're, 551 00:24:51,080 --> 00:24:56,000 you're smart, you're, you're talented, you're good at whatever 552 00:24:56,000 --> 00:24:56,840 you're trying to do. 553 00:24:58,290 --> 00:25:01,010 And, and that seems like a good goal. 554 00:25:01,970 --> 00:25:06,890 But if our goal in life is to get other people to love us, we are 555 00:25:06,890 --> 00:25:11,850 going to be tempted to what we might say, compromise our ultimate 556 00:25:11,850 --> 00:25:13,530 values for the Lord and put other people. 557 00:25:13,530 --> 00:25:15,890 And essentially what we're doing is putting ourselves first. 558 00:25:17,250 --> 00:25:19,490 And really what we have to do as Christians is we have to say, 559 00:25:19,490 --> 00:25:22,210 okay, the love of another person is an amazing thing, but that 560 00:25:22,210 --> 00:25:23,570 cannot be our ultimate goal. 561 00:25:24,120 --> 00:25:27,840 Our ultimate goal must completely be in understanding the 562 00:25:27,840 --> 00:25:28,440 love of Christ. 563 00:25:28,600 --> 00:25:31,040 Not earning the love of Christ because none of us can earn the love 564 00:25:31,040 --> 00:25:34,880 of Christ, but understanding already what the love of Christ really 565 00:25:34,880 --> 00:25:38,920 is, and then resting in that, and allowing that love to change 566 00:25:38,920 --> 00:25:41,680 us so that we can be different, so that we can spread 567 00:25:41,680 --> 00:25:43,800 that type of love to other people around us. 568 00:25:44,280 --> 00:25:49,480 When we understand that trying to appease people or impress people 569 00:25:50,070 --> 00:25:54,310 or try to get people to accept us for our good gifts and our good 570 00:25:54,310 --> 00:25:58,390 talents, that's a never ending pit that will never, never satisfy. 571 00:25:58,790 --> 00:26:01,790 But when we understand the love of Christ and when we live for 572 00:26:01,790 --> 00:26:04,310 him and when we serve him, then you know what? 573 00:26:04,310 --> 00:26:08,550 That wealth is always going to be full because the love of Christ 574 00:26:08,550 --> 00:26:09,350 is abundant. 575 00:26:09,990 --> 00:26:12,910 And I'm going to tell you here today, that's the goal for all of 576 00:26:12,910 --> 00:26:13,190 us. 577 00:26:13,430 --> 00:26:16,630 To live in the love of Christ, to serve in the love of Christ, to, 578 00:26:17,020 --> 00:26:21,460 to sacrifice in the love of Christ, to serve in our communities 579 00:26:21,460 --> 00:26:24,820 in the love of Christ, to forgive one another in the love of 580 00:26:24,820 --> 00:26:25,100 Christ. 581 00:26:25,420 --> 00:26:26,420 That's what he says there. 582 00:26:26,420 --> 00:26:29,340 He says in, in the love of Christ. 583 00:26:31,740 --> 00:26:33,900 And so I want you to think about that here this morning. 584 00:26:33,900 --> 00:26:36,860 What does the love of Jesus mean to you? 585 00:26:38,140 --> 00:26:41,700 Is this something that just is nice to have to talk about at certain 586 00:26:41,700 --> 00:26:42,540 times of the year? 587 00:26:43,470 --> 00:26:46,830 Or does the love of Christ change what you believe? 588 00:26:47,470 --> 00:26:49,950 Does the love of Christ change the way that you live? 589 00:26:50,670 --> 00:26:53,470 Does the love of Christ change the way that you love others? 590 00:26:54,350 --> 00:26:57,390 And here this morning, the greatest gift that we can ever experience 591 00:26:57,470 --> 00:26:59,710 is the love of God in salvation. 592 00:27:00,270 --> 00:27:02,350 And so in the Christmas season, there's a lot of gifts that 593 00:27:02,350 --> 00:27:02,990 we could have. 594 00:27:04,270 --> 00:27:07,750 My kids have a long Christmas list, and we try to fill that list 595 00:27:07,750 --> 00:27:09,440 and make sure that they're happy. 596 00:27:09,440 --> 00:27:11,600 But at the end of the day, the greatest love that any of us can 597 00:27:11,600 --> 00:27:14,960 experience is the gift of grace that Jesus Christ extends to 598 00:27:14,960 --> 00:27:15,240 all. 599 00:27:15,560 --> 00:27:19,160 And so here this morning, I encourage you to pray about that. 600 00:27:19,960 --> 00:27:26,960 Ask God to give you clarity in your response to the greatest sacrifice 601 00:27:26,960 --> 00:27:30,360 of all, the love of Jesus Christ and the sacrifice of the cross. 602 00:27:31,720 --> 00:27:33,720 Remember his love is sacrificial. 603 00:27:33,720 --> 00:27:36,050 Remember, his love is secure. 604 00:27:36,290 --> 00:27:38,130 Remember, his love is eternal. 605 00:27:38,210 --> 00:27:41,250 And if you remember that, I. I do believe that we can have the joy 606 00:27:41,250 --> 00:27:42,690 of the Lord here this Christmas season. 607 00:27:43,330 --> 00:27:46,690 Because God intends us to live in the joy of the Lord in our lives 608 00:27:47,410 --> 00:27:48,970 doesn't mean that everything's going to be okay. 609 00:27:48,970 --> 00:27:51,890 But what it means is that we can live with confidence knowing 610 00:27:52,290 --> 00:27:53,770 that Jesus Christ is Lord. 611 00:27:53,770 --> 00:27:55,130 And anyone can do anything to me. 612 00:27:55,130 --> 00:27:55,890 Who's going to. 613 00:27:55,890 --> 00:27:58,090 Who's going to come after me, what. 614 00:27:58,090 --> 00:28:01,970 What can they do to me if God before us, who can be against us, 615 00:28:02,480 --> 00:28:05,000 that's the type of confidence that we can live in and that we can 616 00:28:05,000 --> 00:28:08,800 love in here in 2025 and into 2026. 617 00:28:08,800 --> 00:28:11,440 And ever long God allows us to live and serve Him. 618 00:28:11,840 --> 00:28:14,520 And so I'm going to tell you Romans chapter 8 is a passage of 619 00:28:14,520 --> 00:28:16,960 scripture that has changed my life. 620 00:28:18,239 --> 00:28:21,120 And I know that it's a passage of scripture that can change yours. 621 00:28:21,760 --> 00:28:25,960 If ever you're tempted to doubt his love, if ever you're tempted 622 00:28:25,960 --> 00:28:29,440 to doubt his sacrifice, if ever you're tempted to doubt your 623 00:28:29,440 --> 00:28:32,620 identity in him, go back to Romans, chapter 8. 624 00:28:32,620 --> 00:28:37,220 Read it, memorize it, study it, because it's a wonderful passage 625 00:28:37,220 --> 00:28:40,620 in reminding us the confidence that we can find in Jesus Christ. 626 00:28:41,420 --> 00:28:43,860 And so I'm going to ask if you're able to stand with me, every 627 00:28:43,860 --> 00:28:44,940 head bowed, every eye closed. 628 00:28:44,940 --> 00:28:47,580 We're going to have a time of reflection, a time of invitation. 629 00:28:48,060 --> 00:28:49,740 And it's not going to be a long invitation. 630 00:28:49,740 --> 00:28:52,220 Number one, do you need Jesus Christ as Savior this morning. 631 00:28:52,460 --> 00:28:56,350 I know it's a Christmas service, but what better time to 632 00:28:56,350 --> 00:28:59,230 trust in Jesus Christ and to know that you have forgiveness in 633 00:28:59,230 --> 00:28:59,510 him? 634 00:29:00,310 --> 00:29:03,070 The Bible says for the wages of sin is death, but the gift of 635 00:29:03,070 --> 00:29:05,910 God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. 636 00:29:06,550 --> 00:29:09,070 Maybe some of you are coming here this morning to say, I was just 637 00:29:09,070 --> 00:29:13,430 coming to listen to some music and to enjoy Christmas. 638 00:29:14,150 --> 00:29:18,190 I would be mistaken, I would be wrong if I did not present to 639 00:29:18,190 --> 00:29:19,670 you the gospel of Jesus Christ. 640 00:29:20,470 --> 00:29:23,980 God has given us all as Christians the opportunity to tell 641 00:29:23,980 --> 00:29:24,260 others. 642 00:29:24,260 --> 00:29:24,980 And here this morning. 643 00:29:24,980 --> 00:29:26,580 We've got a great group of people here. 644 00:29:26,580 --> 00:29:30,020 But the greatest news that's ever been told from the very beginning 645 00:29:30,100 --> 00:29:31,580 is the news of Jesus Christ. 646 00:29:31,580 --> 00:29:32,580 Remember the angels. 647 00:29:32,580 --> 00:29:36,940 I bring you glad tidings of great joy, good tidings of great 648 00:29:36,940 --> 00:29:38,340 joy, which shall be to all people. 649 00:29:38,899 --> 00:29:39,780 We're all people. 650 00:29:40,100 --> 00:29:41,740 So the good news this morning is this. 651 00:29:41,740 --> 00:29:42,820 Jesus loves you. 652 00:29:43,140 --> 00:29:45,660 He died on the cross for your sins and he wants you to trust in 653 00:29:45,660 --> 00:29:46,340 him this morning. 654 00:29:46,980 --> 00:29:49,220 What if you have trusted in Jesus Christ this morning? 655 00:29:49,680 --> 00:29:51,360 What does the love of God mean for you? 656 00:29:52,640 --> 00:29:55,520 Are you on that path to conforming to His Son? 657 00:29:55,520 --> 00:29:58,760 Are you on the path to understanding what it means to love 658 00:29:58,760 --> 00:29:59,840 the way that he loves? 659 00:29:59,920 --> 00:30:02,320 Are we loving sacrificially? 660 00:30:02,880 --> 00:30:06,560 Are we loving with that type of security only found in Jesus Christ? 661 00:30:07,760 --> 00:30:10,600 Maybe you're a Christian, but you're struggling on the fact that 662 00:30:10,600 --> 00:30:12,320 maybe God doesn't love me anymore. 663 00:30:12,800 --> 00:30:15,360 This is your reminder this morning that God loves you. 664 00:30:16,160 --> 00:30:19,400 This is your reminder to know that nothing can separate you from 665 00:30:19,400 --> 00:30:20,400 that love of Jesus. 666 00:30:20,640 --> 00:30:23,160 So maybe this morning you just want to come and thank him for that 667 00:30:23,160 --> 00:30:26,440 great gift of his love, that great gift of his security and his 668 00:30:26,440 --> 00:30:29,200 confidence that he extends to us, I encourage you to do so this 669 00:30:29,200 --> 00:30:29,520 morning. 670 00:30:29,840 --> 00:30:32,320 Lord, I pray that you be in this time of invitation work in hearts 671 00:30:32,320 --> 00:30:32,720 and lives. 672 00:30:32,960 --> 00:30:36,200 I pray that all those that have found the truth of Jesus can 673 00:30:36,200 --> 00:30:37,760 rest in that truth here this morning. 674 00:30:38,080 --> 00:30:41,480 I pray that we can follow you, that we can trust in you and know 675 00:30:41,480 --> 00:30:43,520 that you are a good God who cares for us. 676 00:30:44,250 --> 00:30:46,730 And I pray that we can be reminded that nothing can separate 677 00:30:46,730 --> 00:30:47,690 us from the love of Christ. 678 00:30:48,170 --> 00:30:50,890 Pray that you be in this time, in this invitation in Jesus name, 679 00:30:50,890 --> 00:30:51,290 Amen. 680 00:30:51,290 --> 00:30:53,410 We've got some people up here up front if you need to come talk 681 00:30:53,410 --> 00:30:53,850 to them. 682 00:30:53,930 --> 00:30:56,570 We can show you in the word of God what it means to know Jesus Christ. 683 00:30:56,570 --> 00:31:00,009 If you just want to come here and nail the steps and be reminded 684 00:31:00,009 --> 00:31:03,410 of that great love that God has that nobody can take away from 685 00:31:03,410 --> 00:31:05,210 you, nobody can separate you from. 686 00:31:05,450 --> 00:31:07,210 Maybe just thank him for that here this morning. 687 00:32:00,600 --> 00:32:00,840 Foreign. 688 00:32:03,640 --> 00:32:06,280 Thank you again for listening to the Middletown Baptist Church 689 00:32:06,280 --> 00:32:06,920 podcast. 690 00:32:07,160 --> 00:32:09,480 I hope that this sermon has been a blessing for you. 691 00:32:10,280 --> 00:32:12,480 You would like to find out more information about our church 692 00:32:12,480 --> 00:32:15,960 or this sermon, you can find us at middletownbaptistchurch.org 693 00:32:16,360 --> 00:32:18,760 or find us on Facebook or YouTube. 694 00:32:19,560 --> 00:32:24,000 You can also email me directly at Josh Massaroiddletownbaptistchurch 695 00:32:24,000 --> 00:32:26,680 dot com if you've enjoyed this podcast podcast. 696 00:32:26,840 --> 00:32:31,240 Please subscribe and follow along for future podcast and updates. 697 00:32:31,880 --> 00:32:32,840 Thank you so much. 698 00:32:33,080 --> 00:32:33,800 God Bless. 699 00:32:34,040 --> 00:32:35,320 Have a wonderful day.