WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:12.300 that? 1241. Good. All right. Now you all have no excuse but to turn there. Oh, 976. Okay. 00:00:14.300 --> 00:00:19.820 So if you turn to 1200 and you just get a list of like metric conversions from old ancient things, 00:00:19.859 --> 00:00:24.500 you know, you've got the wrong addition, according to Jonathan. Thanks, Jonathan. Thanks, Eric. 00:00:24.500 --> 00:00:32.079 Great. All right. Hey, we are in Ephesians chapter 1 verses 3 through 14. Let me read this text for us. 00:00:32.780 --> 00:00:33.480 Paul writes, 00:00:34.340 --> 00:00:40.519 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every 00:00:40.519 --> 00:00:45.859 spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the 00:00:45.859 --> 00:00:51.799 world that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons 00:00:51.799 --> 00:00:58.339 through Jesus Christ according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace with 00:00:58.339 --> 00:01:03.679 which he has blessed us in the beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness 00:01:03.679 --> 00:01:10.739 of our trespasses according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us in all wisdom and 00:01:10.739 --> 00:01:15.280 insight, making known to us the mystery of his will according to his purpose, which he set forth 00:01:15.280 --> 00:01:21.879 in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time to unite all things in him, things in heaven and 00:01:21.879 --> 00:01:27.379 things on earth. In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according 00:01:27.379 --> 00:01:32.260 to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the 00:01:32.260 --> 00:01:37.939 first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word 00:01:37.939 --> 00:01:43.620 of truth, the gospel of your salvation and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit. 00:01:43.620 --> 00:01:50.840 It was the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it to the praise of his glory. 00:01:53.980 --> 00:01:58.460 Well friends, imagine you're visiting a new city for the first time. Let's say it's New York City. 00:01:58.520 --> 00:02:02.000 You've never been there. You're visiting for the first time and after you do some sightseeing around 00:02:02.000 --> 00:02:06.500 town, you decide to take an elevator up to the top of one of the great skyscrapers. Maybe it's the 00:02:06.500 --> 00:02:12.020 Empire State Building or maybe it's Rockefeller Center, say, and imagine that at each floor as you go up, 00:02:12.020 --> 00:02:16.800 you could sort of take a look out the window. So, well then, you'd say maybe 10 stories up, 00:02:17.240 --> 00:02:21.700 you could look out and you could maybe see around the whole city block. And then as you went up maybe 00:02:21.700 --> 00:02:27.980 20 or 30 stories, maybe you could start to see the whole neighborhood. And then 40 or 50 stories up, 00:02:28.060 --> 00:02:32.400 maybe you could see the whole borough, maybe you could see all of Manhattan. But then as you kept 00:02:32.400 --> 00:02:40.700 going 60, 70, 80 stories up, well from there you can probably see the whole city or most of it 00:02:40.699 --> 00:02:47.599 stretching out in every direction. And from that height, you get to see things you never noticed 00:02:47.599 --> 00:02:53.500 before when you were down on the ground. You start to see how all those streets and avenues, 00:02:53.639 --> 00:02:58.219 which just felt like a jumbled mess down below, now sort of make this beautiful grid of intersecting 00:02:58.219 --> 00:03:04.419 lines and pathways. And you get to see how all those green spaces and parks, which before just sort 00:03:04.419 --> 00:03:09.299 of felt randomly tucked here and there, now they sort of dot the landscape and they add margin and they 00:03:09.300 --> 00:03:13.920 add nature to what you're seeing, almost like brushstrokes from an artist all around the city. 00:03:15.540 --> 00:03:21.219 In other words, you're able to kind of take in the whole of it from that height and the whole 00:03:21.219 --> 00:03:28.960 actually starts to become gloriously more than all of its parts. And for a moment, as you're standing 00:03:28.960 --> 00:03:36.220 up there sort of taking the whole thing in, you're in awe. It's actually a bit breathtaking 00:03:36.219 --> 00:03:42.819 to stand up there and to see the scope, to see the grandeur of this city as it kind of stretches out. 00:03:45.919 --> 00:03:52.259 Well, in our passage tonight that we just read, it's as if we've taken an elevator up, 00:03:52.259 --> 00:04:01.520 as it were, to the 80th or the 90th floor so that we can see the grand scope, not merely of some 00:04:01.520 --> 00:04:06.840 earthly city, but to see the grand scope of God's eternal plan of redemption. 00:04:10.000 --> 00:04:16.139 And when we take it in, as Paul sort of pushes us up to the heights, as we take it in from this 00:04:16.139 --> 00:04:25.460 kind of dizzying height, we're meant to be awestruck. We're meant for a moment to have our breath taken 00:04:25.459 --> 00:04:32.699 away. We're meant to be swept up in worship and praise of God. That's how this whole section begins 00:04:32.699 --> 00:04:38.579 in verse 3, right? Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now the word blessed here is 00:04:38.579 --> 00:04:46.859 just another word for praise, an expression of praise, of delight, of wonder. Blessed be this God. 00:04:46.860 --> 00:04:57.319 Now chapter 1 as a whole is actually structured very simply. Verses 3 through 14 are praise to God, 00:04:57.520 --> 00:05:03.680 and then verses 15 through 23, prayer to God. Very simple chapter. But you know, it's worth pointing 00:05:03.680 --> 00:05:10.100 out that this praise of God in verses 3 through 14, that kind of extends for like a whole column 00:05:10.100 --> 00:05:15.720 in our English Bibles. In the Greek, in the language that Paul actually wrote it in, it's actually one 00:05:15.720 --> 00:05:25.960 long, intricate sentence. It's one long, 12 verses worth of one long, unbroken, unfolding, 00:05:26.340 --> 00:05:31.960 firework display of praise to God. This is the kind of long sentence that your composition teachers 00:05:31.960 --> 00:05:37.880 would say, fail, too long, cut it up. But no, for Paul it's this long, unfolding thing. 00:05:39.480 --> 00:05:45.080 Now in the next three coming weeks, we're actually going to look a little more closely 00:05:45.079 --> 00:05:50.659 at each section of it. But you know, even if we do sort of break it down in that way in the coming 00:05:50.659 --> 00:05:58.860 weeks, I want us to see tonight that we're meant to view it all as one piece. We're meant to actually 00:05:58.860 --> 00:06:06.680 sort of take it all in together to get the kind of rooftop view of the whole thing. Because if you 00:06:06.680 --> 00:06:10.219 read the sentence in the original, as we just said, Paul almost doesn't let you stop reading. 00:06:10.220 --> 00:06:14.820 He doesn't stop the sentence. You're actually driven further and further and richer and richer 00:06:14.820 --> 00:06:21.560 until you step out onto that 80th floor observation deck and then gasp in wonder at who God is and what 00:06:21.560 --> 00:06:29.760 God has done. Now, as we sort of stand up here, viewing at this sort of skyline view of God's 00:06:29.760 --> 00:06:34.740 redemption, I think Paul wants us to see, and I think we can at least take in four things. 00:06:34.740 --> 00:06:45.840 First, something about God's nature. Second, something about God's story. Third, God's goal. 00:06:46.879 --> 00:06:55.620 And then fourth, our participation in all of this, our way in. So first, let's take a look at God's 00:06:55.620 --> 00:07:02.740 nature. Scan your eyes over the whole of this text. And although it is one long sentence, you kind of 00:07:02.740 --> 00:07:09.040 discern a three-fold structure here, do you not? Verses 3 through 6 speak mostly of the Father who 00:07:09.040 --> 00:07:15.460 chose us. Verses 7 through 10 focus on the Son who redeems and unites us. And then verses 11 through 00:07:15.460 --> 00:07:24.199 14 highlight the work of the Holy Spirit who seals us for an eternal inheritance. Father, Son, Holy Spirit. 00:07:26.060 --> 00:07:31.060 Look again closely at verse 3. It's actually right there from the start if you kind of have eyes to see it. 00:07:31.060 --> 00:07:37.459 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us in Christ the Son with 00:07:37.459 --> 00:07:42.120 every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. And most commentators will point out that the word 00:07:42.120 --> 00:07:49.220 spiritual there is actually a pointer at least to the work of the Spirit, the Holy Spirit, as verse 14 says. 00:07:51.519 --> 00:07:55.860 So you see, in the unfolding of God's grand work of redemption, 00:07:55.860 --> 00:08:06.580 we see an expression of his eternal nature as the triune God. That this one God has existed 00:08:06.580 --> 00:08:10.780 eternally in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 00:08:13.259 --> 00:08:19.800 Now, of course, if you were to grab your concordance or if you would go online and jump on Bible Gateway and 00:08:19.800 --> 00:08:23.560 do a search for the word Trinity, you would find it nowhere in your Bible. 00:08:23.560 --> 00:08:28.879 It wasn't until the third century that Christians started using that word Trinity with frequency. 00:08:30.079 --> 00:08:35.639 But it is a word that captures and summarizes a very basic biblical truth about God. 00:08:35.700 --> 00:08:39.259 So it's a very helpful word. It's a very helpful language for us to describe a biblical reality. 00:08:40.000 --> 00:08:45.580 You know, if you were able to kind of go back in time and ask the Apostle Paul or the Apostle Peter or the Apostle John 00:08:45.580 --> 00:08:48.440 and you would sort of pull them aside and say, hey, Paul, do you believe in the Trinity? 00:08:48.440 --> 00:08:53.020 Paul would probably say, what the heck is the Trinity? 00:08:54.120 --> 00:08:56.340 And then you would say, well, here's what we mean. 00:08:56.400 --> 00:09:00.120 We mean that there's one true God, but he's eternally existed in three persons, the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. 00:09:00.300 --> 00:09:03.560 And then Paul would say, oh, yeah, that's exactly what I believe. 00:09:03.620 --> 00:09:06.140 In fact, that's a pretty good way of talking about it. I wish I would have thought of that. 00:09:09.220 --> 00:09:15.100 And in fact, you know, this idea of God being by nature triune is something that Jesus himself actually taught. 00:09:15.100 --> 00:09:20.019 After his resurrection, Jesus instructs the church to go make disciples and baptize them, do you remember, 00:09:20.120 --> 00:09:23.180 in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 00:09:24.220 --> 00:09:26.340 Notice very carefully the language that Jesus uses there. 00:09:26.460 --> 00:09:32.139 In the name, singular, not names, but the name, one name, one God, 00:09:33.139 --> 00:09:36.300 but three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 00:09:38.340 --> 00:09:44.100 In fact, in the book of Ephesians, you see God's triune nature coming up actually all over the place. 00:09:44.100 --> 00:09:48.759 It's like water in the ground that just keeps seeping through all the cracks. 00:09:50.120 --> 00:09:52.259 Look down at chapter 2, verse 18. 00:09:52.440 --> 00:09:53.460 Skip ahead another chapter. 00:09:54.120 --> 00:09:55.159 So we've seen it in chapter 1. 00:09:55.220 --> 00:09:56.379 Now look at chapter 2, verse 18. 00:09:56.480 --> 00:10:01.680 Paul's speaking of our peace with God and our peace with one another that comes through the work of Jesus' cross. 00:10:02.040 --> 00:10:04.420 And he says, through him, through Jesus the Son, 00:10:04.879 --> 00:10:08.720 we both, that is Jews and Gentiles, have access in one spirit to the Father. 00:10:10.120 --> 00:10:12.920 Through the Son, by the Spirit, to the Father. 00:10:12.919 --> 00:10:19.159 And at the end of chapter 3, look at the end of chapter 3, verses 14 through 19. 00:10:19.319 --> 00:10:22.699 Paul prays now for spiritual strength and insight. 00:10:22.819 --> 00:10:25.159 And again, it's unmistakably Trinitarian. 00:10:25.919 --> 00:10:26.179 He says, 00:10:26.179 --> 00:10:42.099 And it keeps going on and on and on and on through this book. 00:10:42.839 --> 00:10:48.919 I'd actually encourage you this week, take some time, read through this whole book of Ephesians in a sitting or two, 00:10:48.919 --> 00:10:55.819 and take note of how many times you see this kind of Trinitarian shape or structure to Paul's thinking. 00:10:57.019 --> 00:10:58.379 And then note the context. 00:10:58.699 --> 00:11:00.459 What's the context in which Paul is saying? 00:11:00.539 --> 00:11:01.439 Is he talking about redemption? 00:11:01.639 --> 00:11:02.659 Is he talking about prayer? 00:11:02.779 --> 00:11:04.139 Is he talking about ethics? 00:11:04.419 --> 00:11:06.899 And you'll see that it just colors everything. 00:11:07.319 --> 00:11:12.439 That for Paul, God's nature matters for almost everything. 00:11:12.440 --> 00:11:16.340 Once you start looking for it, it's all over the place. 00:11:17.640 --> 00:11:22.760 Now, why is God's triune nature so important? 00:11:24.160 --> 00:11:25.640 Who cares, in other words? 00:11:26.320 --> 00:11:28.380 Well, there are a lot of things that we could say here. 00:11:29.000 --> 00:11:32.420 If you're looking for a good book recommendation, I'm going to recommend a book. 00:11:32.419 --> 00:11:36.979 So, this is a book by a guy named Fred Sanders called The Deep Things of God. 00:11:37.179 --> 00:11:38.919 How the Trinity Changes Everything. 00:11:39.099 --> 00:11:45.099 A friend of mine gave me this book, and I probably wouldn't have read it otherwise, but I read it, and it's really good. 00:11:45.500 --> 00:11:51.639 So, if you're looking for a good book to just start to get your toes wet in this understanding of God as Trinity, that's a good one. 00:11:51.679 --> 00:11:53.459 The Deep Things of God by Fred Sanders. 00:11:53.559 --> 00:11:55.519 He's a theologian out of Biola in California. 00:11:56.559 --> 00:11:58.740 But, let's stick to our text tonight. 00:12:00.079 --> 00:12:01.419 What is Paul doing here? 00:12:01.419 --> 00:12:03.599 He's praising God for his work of redemption. 00:12:04.899 --> 00:12:13.459 And we see here that the work of the Father, and the work of the Son, and the work of the Holy Spirit are like unbroken links in a chain. 00:12:13.519 --> 00:12:18.599 That they can't be divided, or separated, or staved off from one another. 00:12:20.979 --> 00:12:23.000 Augustine, the great church father, put it this way. 00:12:23.059 --> 00:12:26.939 He said, the external works of the Trinity are undivided. 00:12:26.940 --> 00:12:33.840 In other words, what God does in creation as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit can't be broken up into bits. 00:12:37.360 --> 00:12:40.800 What the Father does can't be cut off from what the Son does. 00:12:41.200 --> 00:12:43.660 And that can't be separated from what the Spirit does. 00:12:44.600 --> 00:12:46.340 And you see that in our text, don't you? 00:12:46.920 --> 00:12:48.020 The Father chose. 00:12:48.019 --> 00:12:52.759 But if the Father chose, then certainly the Son will redeem those that the Father chose. 00:12:53.399 --> 00:12:58.600 And if the Son has redeemed those that the Father chose, then certainly the Spirit will seal those that the Son has redeemed. 00:12:59.199 --> 00:13:01.460 They can't be broken, and they can't be divided. 00:13:02.579 --> 00:13:05.340 What the Father plans, the Son accomplishes. 00:13:05.340 --> 00:13:09.620 And what the Son accomplishes, the Spirit applies and brings it to completion. 00:13:12.120 --> 00:13:24.759 And friends, that means that God's very nature, who He is from all time, ensures that the whole of our salvation is complete. 00:13:27.399 --> 00:13:29.980 That it will be done. 00:13:29.980 --> 00:13:36.980 You know, I often have plans that never come to completion. 00:13:38.300 --> 00:13:42.600 I began a project painting the exterior of my house this summer. 00:13:43.240 --> 00:13:45.379 And it started out as a plan. 00:13:46.080 --> 00:13:49.340 I chose the wall of my house that was going to get painted. 00:13:49.960 --> 00:13:51.600 Because I knew I wasn't going to get the whole thing done. 00:13:51.639 --> 00:13:53.039 So I just picked one side. 00:13:53.920 --> 00:13:59.539 And then it took me a few weeks to go out and purchase the materials to redeem them from Sherwin-Williams to get the job done. 00:13:59.980 --> 00:14:01.920 And then I worked on it for a few weeks. 00:14:02.259 --> 00:14:03.399 And the summer got busy. 00:14:03.759 --> 00:14:05.600 And I still haven't brought that project to completion. 00:14:06.180 --> 00:14:09.100 I got the primer coat on and all the sanding done. 00:14:09.220 --> 00:14:11.620 But I still need to actually put the final coat of paint on the thing. 00:14:12.200 --> 00:14:14.620 And at this rate, I'm hoping just to get it done before Christmas. 00:14:15.159 --> 00:14:16.019 Before it snows. 00:14:16.220 --> 00:14:17.240 And then it's too cold to paint. 00:14:17.379 --> 00:14:18.000 And it won't dry. 00:14:19.440 --> 00:14:22.779 Now friends, how many of our best laid plans are like that? 00:14:24.659 --> 00:14:27.740 The best laid plans of mice and men often go wry. 00:14:27.740 --> 00:14:30.539 Wrote the Scottish poet Robert Burns. 00:14:32.860 --> 00:14:33.919 That's true of us. 00:14:34.500 --> 00:14:37.379 Often our best laid plans go wry. 00:14:39.100 --> 00:14:42.320 But friends, what's true of us is not true for God. 00:14:44.860 --> 00:14:47.440 Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 00:14:47.560 --> 00:14:49.279 The one true God. 00:14:49.399 --> 00:14:53.100 His plans will not be thwarted. 00:14:53.100 --> 00:14:54.659 They will not go awry. 00:14:56.180 --> 00:14:58.940 What he plans, he performs. 00:14:59.540 --> 00:15:02.560 And what God performs, he perfects. 00:15:02.620 --> 00:15:02.920 You see. 00:15:05.279 --> 00:15:08.540 It's in the very nature of God. 00:15:08.720 --> 00:15:10.480 In saving you, Christian. 00:15:11.019 --> 00:15:11.820 Brother and sister. 00:15:12.700 --> 00:15:15.300 It's in the very nature of God. 00:15:15.379 --> 00:15:16.120 In saving you. 00:15:16.379 --> 00:15:18.320 To save you all the way. 00:15:18.320 --> 00:15:23.020 God's not going to stop halfway and get distracted. 00:15:24.200 --> 00:15:26.580 He's not going to leave off three quarters of the way. 00:15:26.660 --> 00:15:29.840 He's not going to purchase a salvation for you in Christ. 00:15:30.140 --> 00:15:32.440 And then wait around to see if you're going to get it. 00:15:32.540 --> 00:15:36.600 He's going to make sure that it sees you the whole way home. 00:15:36.600 --> 00:15:44.360 He's not going to leave us until he's done. 00:15:45.420 --> 00:15:46.240 He cannot. 00:15:47.080 --> 00:15:48.460 It's in his very nature. 00:15:53.139 --> 00:15:55.620 Friends, I wonder if we meditated on that fact. 00:15:56.200 --> 00:16:03.340 How much of our anxiety and our worry and our fear would start to subside. 00:16:03.340 --> 00:16:07.300 To know that what God plans, he performs. 00:16:07.600 --> 00:16:09.639 And what he performs, he will perfect. 00:16:13.040 --> 00:16:14.940 Well, let's move on to the second thing that we see. 00:16:15.560 --> 00:16:18.379 As we take in this skyline view of God's redemption. 00:16:18.759 --> 00:16:19.500 What do we notice here? 00:16:19.560 --> 00:16:20.220 We notice. 00:16:21.320 --> 00:16:23.680 We notice God's story. 00:16:25.700 --> 00:16:30.100 Take a look again at the movement from father to son to Holy Spirit here. 00:16:30.100 --> 00:16:32.800 And you'll see that it's also a movement from election. 00:16:33.279 --> 00:16:35.420 Which is just another word for choosing, by the way. 00:16:35.540 --> 00:16:37.259 To elect, to choose in verse 4. 00:16:37.420 --> 00:16:39.139 It moves from election in verse 4. 00:16:39.620 --> 00:16:41.500 To redemption in verse 7. 00:16:41.779 --> 00:16:44.220 To inheritance in verse 11. 00:16:45.120 --> 00:16:47.440 Election, God chooses his people for his very own. 00:16:47.740 --> 00:16:49.340 Redemption, God sets them free. 00:16:49.480 --> 00:16:50.600 Purchasing them from slavery. 00:16:50.960 --> 00:16:52.759 And then inheritance, God gives them a home. 00:16:53.080 --> 00:16:55.300 Gives them a place where they can dwell with him forever. 00:16:56.560 --> 00:16:58.759 Where they can have this intimate relationship with him. 00:16:58.759 --> 00:17:02.840 Now, if we were to keep those three movements in mind. 00:17:03.240 --> 00:17:05.680 And we were to go back to the very beginning of the Bible. 00:17:05.980 --> 00:17:07.519 Go back to the very beginning of the Old Testament. 00:17:07.640 --> 00:17:09.140 And we were to just start reading the story. 00:17:09.240 --> 00:17:10.039 What would we find? 00:17:11.940 --> 00:17:16.099 That this is exactly the story of Old Testament Israel. 00:17:17.180 --> 00:17:18.140 God chose them. 00:17:18.799 --> 00:17:20.539 First Abraham, then Isaac, then Jacob. 00:17:20.640 --> 00:17:22.379 Then all of Jacob's family, Israel. 00:17:22.460 --> 00:17:23.220 God chose them. 00:17:24.299 --> 00:17:25.140 And then what happened? 00:17:26.299 --> 00:17:28.500 God redeemed them from slavery in Egypt. 00:17:29.759 --> 00:17:30.680 Well, that one happened. 00:17:31.480 --> 00:17:33.539 God gave them an inheritance in the promised land. 00:17:35.259 --> 00:17:37.099 God chooses and he redeems. 00:17:37.740 --> 00:17:38.740 And he gives them a home. 00:17:41.180 --> 00:17:47.039 But you know, the Old Testament was actually just the first movement of the symphony. 00:17:47.180 --> 00:17:49.359 This is a story that God's been telling from the very beginning. 00:17:49.619 --> 00:17:52.160 But in the Old Testament, we just sort of get the first movements. 00:17:52.279 --> 00:17:55.359 The first sort of melody line of the great symphony that God's telling. 00:17:55.359 --> 00:18:02.000 In the New Testament, that melody starts to just blow open into full shape. 00:18:02.719 --> 00:18:04.679 And suddenly, all the instruments are playing. 00:18:04.759 --> 00:18:05.579 And all the harmonies. 00:18:05.659 --> 00:18:07.159 And all the transpositions are added. 00:18:07.579 --> 00:18:09.439 It's being played in this higher key. 00:18:09.679 --> 00:18:11.039 With full orchestration. 00:18:11.419 --> 00:18:14.619 And suddenly, we find in the New Testament, as the gates are sort of opened up, 00:18:14.659 --> 00:18:16.299 that it wasn't just about Abraham's family. 00:18:16.299 --> 00:18:20.440 But it was about men and women from all nations. 00:18:22.440 --> 00:18:24.639 And it wasn't just about redemption from Egypt. 00:18:24.639 --> 00:18:27.579 But it was about redemption from sin and redemption from death. 00:18:28.099 --> 00:18:30.379 And it wasn't just about an inheritance in Palestine. 00:18:30.379 --> 00:18:33.440 But it was about an inheritance in the new creation. 00:18:33.519 --> 00:18:35.099 And the whole earth made new. 00:18:35.099 --> 00:18:41.819 Paul says, church, this is your story. 00:18:49.099 --> 00:18:50.719 You know, friends, whether you like it or not, 00:18:51.419 --> 00:18:54.559 you're actually living your life according to some story. 00:18:57.119 --> 00:18:58.139 There's some plot. 00:18:58.319 --> 00:19:03.379 There's some narrative that's running at a deep level in your heart 00:19:03.380 --> 00:19:07.220 that shapes your thinking and your feeling and your acting. 00:19:08.680 --> 00:19:10.260 You might not have thought of it that way. 00:19:10.600 --> 00:19:11.980 But I guarantee you it is true. 00:19:14.120 --> 00:19:17.780 Have you ever taken a moment and just examined what that story is? 00:19:19.460 --> 00:19:22.640 Have you ever taken some time to reflect and ask deep down, 00:19:22.640 --> 00:19:24.660 what is the narrative that's shaping my life? 00:19:26.300 --> 00:19:29.240 What story do I see myself a part of? 00:19:31.780 --> 00:19:33.060 Am I a collection? 00:19:33.380 --> 00:19:36.000 Of just time and chance and energy? 00:19:36.100 --> 00:19:38.580 A big pile of chemicals and stimulus and response? 00:19:39.440 --> 00:19:41.180 And is the best that I can hope to do 00:19:41.180 --> 00:19:42.720 is leave things a little better than I found them 00:19:42.720 --> 00:19:44.100 and hopefully get a little happiness 00:19:44.100 --> 00:19:46.460 before my brief spark is extinguished 00:19:46.460 --> 00:19:47.800 and we all return into nothingness? 00:19:51.020 --> 00:19:52.820 Well, that's a bit existential for most of us. 00:19:52.900 --> 00:19:54.500 That's probably not the story we think we're living by. 00:19:56.320 --> 00:19:58.500 Most of our stories are a bit more mundane, aren't they? 00:19:59.700 --> 00:20:00.660 Get a good job. 00:20:01.560 --> 00:20:02.540 Earn a decent wage. 00:20:02.539 --> 00:20:03.960 Find the right person. 00:20:04.680 --> 00:20:05.279 Live comfortably. 00:20:05.799 --> 00:20:07.220 And hopefully when my life ends, 00:20:08.259 --> 00:20:11.019 well, I don't really want to think too much about that. 00:20:16.319 --> 00:20:17.440 What's the story for you? 00:20:19.639 --> 00:20:21.940 Friends, the Bible here is inviting us 00:20:21.940 --> 00:20:24.019 into a whole new story. 00:20:24.019 --> 00:20:28.539 It's actually inviting us into God's story. 00:20:29.480 --> 00:20:33.160 The true story of everything that is 00:20:33.160 --> 00:20:36.680 that begins with God's creation 00:20:36.680 --> 00:20:38.960 and ends with God's new creation. 00:20:39.960 --> 00:20:41.460 In fact, the way Paul would tell it here, 00:20:41.539 --> 00:20:43.200 it begins in eternity past 00:20:43.200 --> 00:20:45.599 with God's burning desire 00:20:45.599 --> 00:20:47.279 to redeem his people. 00:20:47.279 --> 00:20:50.759 It begins with creation 00:20:50.759 --> 00:20:51.839 and ends in new creation. 00:20:51.839 --> 00:20:52.500 In the middle, 00:20:52.759 --> 00:20:54.139 in the middle of that story, 00:20:54.980 --> 00:20:57.279 in the face of our rebellion against God 00:20:57.279 --> 00:20:58.819 and in the face of the death and decay 00:20:58.819 --> 00:20:59.440 that it brings, 00:20:59.500 --> 00:21:00.700 this story tells us of a God 00:21:00.700 --> 00:21:03.240 who chooses and redeems 00:21:03.240 --> 00:21:05.799 at the price of the blood of his own son 00:21:05.799 --> 00:21:08.399 and who seals and secures us 00:21:08.399 --> 00:21:10.099 by the person of his own spirit. 00:21:10.099 --> 00:21:18.199 And if you lived in that story, 00:21:19.599 --> 00:21:21.819 it would begin to change 00:21:21.819 --> 00:21:23.079 your view of everything. 00:21:23.259 --> 00:21:24.079 And it wouldn't just change 00:21:24.079 --> 00:21:25.240 your view of everything again. 00:21:25.579 --> 00:21:26.859 It would change how you feel 00:21:26.859 --> 00:21:27.959 and how you think 00:21:27.959 --> 00:21:29.059 and how you act. 00:21:31.980 --> 00:21:32.699 You know, suddenly, 00:21:32.839 --> 00:21:34.299 the material world that we inhabit 00:21:34.299 --> 00:21:37.919 isn't just raw material 00:21:37.919 --> 00:21:39.539 to be used and manipulated. 00:21:39.699 --> 00:21:39.879 No. 00:21:40.099 --> 00:21:43.039 This world is a gift of God 00:21:43.039 --> 00:21:44.119 to be cared for 00:21:44.119 --> 00:21:45.399 and to be cultivated 00:21:45.399 --> 00:21:47.000 if we're living by God's story, 00:21:47.519 --> 00:21:49.279 the one true story of all that is. 00:21:50.879 --> 00:21:52.199 And suddenly, your job, 00:21:52.359 --> 00:21:53.859 your job isn't just a means 00:21:53.859 --> 00:21:54.839 of building wealth, 00:21:55.519 --> 00:21:57.679 but your job is an avenue 00:21:57.679 --> 00:21:59.599 to serve others 00:21:59.599 --> 00:22:01.599 and to play a part 00:22:01.599 --> 00:22:05.019 of shining God's kingdom 00:22:05.019 --> 00:22:05.779 into the world. 00:22:08.279 --> 00:22:09.039 And suddenly, 00:22:09.039 --> 00:22:09.819 your relationships 00:22:09.819 --> 00:22:10.940 don't just exist 00:22:10.940 --> 00:22:12.000 for a little mutual pleasure 00:22:12.000 --> 00:22:13.460 and a little mutual help, 00:22:13.460 --> 00:22:14.440 but suddenly, 00:22:14.539 --> 00:22:15.759 they become these opportunities 00:22:15.759 --> 00:22:17.759 to call forth in one another 00:22:17.759 --> 00:22:19.099 the image of God. 00:22:19.899 --> 00:22:21.279 And they become opportunities 00:22:21.279 --> 00:22:22.659 to exercise forgiveness 00:22:22.659 --> 00:22:23.980 and grace 00:22:23.980 --> 00:22:26.559 and on and on and on. 00:22:26.720 --> 00:22:27.180 Suddenly, 00:22:27.559 --> 00:22:29.399 nothing gets untouched 00:22:29.399 --> 00:22:31.019 when you begin to live 00:22:31.019 --> 00:22:33.119 into God's story. 00:22:33.119 --> 00:22:38.759 And Paul's inviting us. 00:22:38.819 --> 00:22:39.739 We're being invited 00:22:39.739 --> 00:22:41.399 to step into it 00:22:41.399 --> 00:22:43.139 and to realize 00:22:43.139 --> 00:22:44.739 how much better it is 00:22:44.739 --> 00:22:47.379 than so many of the parodies 00:22:47.379 --> 00:22:49.399 that we try to live our lives by. 00:22:53.579 --> 00:22:54.279 Third thing. 00:22:55.399 --> 00:22:56.279 Third thing we see 00:22:56.279 --> 00:22:57.319 in this skyline view 00:22:57.319 --> 00:22:58.219 of God's redemption 00:22:58.220 --> 00:23:00.279 is God's goal. 00:23:01.960 --> 00:23:02.480 Now, 00:23:02.640 --> 00:23:03.819 what's the end 00:23:03.819 --> 00:23:04.880 that God 00:23:04.880 --> 00:23:06.059 is after here? 00:23:06.339 --> 00:23:08.160 Why is God doing all this? 00:23:08.700 --> 00:23:09.920 Why does the Father, 00:23:10.059 --> 00:23:10.180 Son, 00:23:10.220 --> 00:23:10.839 and Holy Spirit 00:23:10.839 --> 00:23:12.380 choose and redeem 00:23:12.380 --> 00:23:14.019 and steal for an inheritance? 00:23:14.279 --> 00:23:15.519 What is God doing? 00:23:15.640 --> 00:23:16.880 What is his chief end, 00:23:16.940 --> 00:23:17.819 his ultimate goal 00:23:17.819 --> 00:23:18.640 in doing all this? 00:23:18.640 --> 00:23:19.440 Well, 00:23:21.680 --> 00:23:22.240 again and again 00:23:22.240 --> 00:23:23.000 it came through 00:23:23.000 --> 00:23:24.300 that refrain. 00:23:24.520 --> 00:23:25.100 Did you catch it 00:23:25.100 --> 00:23:25.900 when we read it earlier 00:23:25.900 --> 00:23:26.580 in the service? 00:23:27.600 --> 00:23:28.420 Again and again 00:23:28.420 --> 00:23:29.020 we read 00:23:29.020 --> 00:23:30.980 to the praise 00:23:30.980 --> 00:23:32.580 of his glory. 00:23:34.820 --> 00:23:35.980 To the praise 00:23:35.980 --> 00:23:37.460 of his glory. 00:23:38.900 --> 00:23:39.540 In other words, 00:23:39.680 --> 00:23:40.540 God does 00:23:40.540 --> 00:23:41.940 all things 00:23:41.940 --> 00:23:44.740 to put on display 00:23:44.740 --> 00:23:47.020 how beautiful he is. 00:23:47.019 --> 00:23:48.960 to communicate 00:23:48.960 --> 00:23:50.059 his infinite 00:23:50.059 --> 00:23:51.220 splendor 00:23:51.220 --> 00:23:52.379 to his creation. 00:23:55.720 --> 00:23:56.059 Now, 00:23:56.119 --> 00:23:56.619 at first this sounds 00:23:56.619 --> 00:23:57.119 a bit strange, 00:23:57.160 --> 00:23:57.519 doesn't it? 00:23:58.779 --> 00:23:59.619 It sounds a bit, 00:24:00.359 --> 00:24:00.720 I don't know, 00:24:00.759 --> 00:24:01.220 how would you put it? 00:24:01.279 --> 00:24:01.680 It sounds a bit 00:24:01.680 --> 00:24:02.559 kind of egocentric 00:24:02.559 --> 00:24:03.200 of God, 00:24:03.240 --> 00:24:03.579 doesn't it? 00:24:04.819 --> 00:24:05.240 I mean, 00:24:05.259 --> 00:24:05.660 think about it. 00:24:05.660 --> 00:24:06.639 If you did something 00:24:06.639 --> 00:24:07.279 noteworthy, 00:24:07.339 --> 00:24:08.240 let's say you gave 00:24:08.240 --> 00:24:09.400 a very generous donation 00:24:09.400 --> 00:24:10.160 to a charity 00:24:10.160 --> 00:24:10.779 of some kind 00:24:10.779 --> 00:24:12.240 and a news reporter 00:24:12.240 --> 00:24:13.000 found out about this 00:24:13.000 --> 00:24:13.720 and they came to your door 00:24:13.720 --> 00:24:14.299 and they asked you, 00:24:14.339 --> 00:24:14.480 hey, 00:24:14.559 --> 00:24:15.539 why did you give such this, 00:24:15.680 --> 00:24:16.259 why did you give 00:24:16.259 --> 00:24:17.339 such a generous gift? 00:24:17.579 --> 00:24:18.500 That was really amazing. 00:24:19.500 --> 00:24:20.420 What would people think 00:24:20.420 --> 00:24:21.000 if you answered 00:24:21.000 --> 00:24:21.460 and said, 00:24:22.099 --> 00:24:22.339 well, 00:24:22.519 --> 00:24:23.920 I did it to show 00:24:23.920 --> 00:24:24.960 how incredibly glorious 00:24:24.960 --> 00:24:25.460 I am? 00:24:29.859 --> 00:24:30.779 I guarantee you 00:24:30.779 --> 00:24:31.539 that social media 00:24:31.539 --> 00:24:32.400 would explode 00:24:32.400 --> 00:24:34.460 with people calling you 00:24:34.460 --> 00:24:35.279 a self-centered jerk 00:24:35.279 --> 00:24:36.279 and all sorts of other names. 00:24:37.440 --> 00:24:38.339 You would be trending 00:24:38.339 --> 00:24:38.879 on Facebook 00:24:38.879 --> 00:24:40.180 but not in a very positive way. 00:24:40.180 --> 00:24:44.840 But you see, 00:24:44.960 --> 00:24:45.160 friends, 00:24:45.240 --> 00:24:45.940 it's very different 00:24:45.940 --> 00:24:46.420 with God. 00:24:49.340 --> 00:24:50.039 And it's different 00:24:50.039 --> 00:24:50.539 with God 00:24:50.539 --> 00:24:51.100 because, 00:24:51.820 --> 00:24:53.259 well, 00:24:53.340 --> 00:24:54.279 because God is God. 00:24:57.580 --> 00:24:58.380 A number of years ago, 00:24:58.420 --> 00:24:58.920 my wife and I 00:24:58.920 --> 00:24:59.600 took a trip to Italy 00:24:59.600 --> 00:25:01.000 and in Rome, 00:25:01.060 --> 00:25:01.539 as it turns out, 00:25:01.580 --> 00:25:02.060 there are a number 00:25:02.060 --> 00:25:02.759 of museums 00:25:02.759 --> 00:25:04.019 that you have to get 00:25:04.019 --> 00:25:04.620 tickets to 00:25:04.620 --> 00:25:06.140 like weeks in advance. 00:25:06.779 --> 00:25:07.759 And even if you have 00:25:07.759 --> 00:25:08.860 a ticket to these museums, 00:25:08.859 --> 00:25:10.139 you have to wait hours 00:25:10.139 --> 00:25:11.240 in line to get in. 00:25:12.240 --> 00:25:12.599 Now, 00:25:12.719 --> 00:25:13.059 why? 00:25:15.399 --> 00:25:16.199 Some of you are thinking, 00:25:16.419 --> 00:25:17.179 I would never wait hours 00:25:17.179 --> 00:25:18.099 to see a bunch of dead art. 00:25:18.199 --> 00:25:18.919 That sounds dumb. 00:25:19.259 --> 00:25:19.959 Why do people 00:25:19.959 --> 00:25:20.779 wait hours 00:25:20.779 --> 00:25:22.679 and plan weeks, 00:25:22.879 --> 00:25:23.639 months in advance 00:25:23.639 --> 00:25:24.579 to be able to get in 00:25:24.579 --> 00:25:25.359 to see these things? 00:25:27.779 --> 00:25:29.240 Because the things inside 00:25:29.240 --> 00:25:30.919 are worthy 00:25:30.919 --> 00:25:33.199 to be beheld. 00:25:35.000 --> 00:25:36.179 Because they're beautiful 00:25:36.179 --> 00:25:38.199 and they're worthy 00:25:38.200 --> 00:25:39.319 to be taken in 00:25:39.319 --> 00:25:40.580 and experienced 00:25:40.580 --> 00:25:41.440 and enjoyed. 00:25:45.740 --> 00:25:46.380 But friends, 00:25:46.420 --> 00:25:47.259 if that's true 00:25:47.259 --> 00:25:48.819 of human works 00:25:48.819 --> 00:25:49.460 of art, 00:25:50.940 --> 00:25:51.819 of just artifacts 00:25:51.819 --> 00:25:52.779 that we've made 00:25:52.779 --> 00:25:53.580 in our finite 00:25:53.580 --> 00:25:54.600 human capacities, 00:25:55.480 --> 00:25:57.340 how much more 00:25:57.340 --> 00:25:58.779 infinitely is it true 00:25:58.779 --> 00:25:59.600 of God 00:25:59.600 --> 00:26:03.180 to see God 00:26:03.180 --> 00:26:04.120 in his beauty, 00:26:04.119 --> 00:26:07.439 to really get a glimpse 00:26:07.439 --> 00:26:09.659 of God's splendor. 00:26:12.500 --> 00:26:13.079 You know, 00:26:13.139 --> 00:26:13.679 oftentimes, 00:26:13.859 --> 00:26:14.399 the psalmist 00:26:14.399 --> 00:26:15.019 had it right. 00:26:16.479 --> 00:26:17.699 I'd rather sit 00:26:17.699 --> 00:26:19.419 in the house of God 00:26:19.419 --> 00:26:20.939 and behold the beauty 00:26:20.939 --> 00:26:21.439 of God 00:26:21.439 --> 00:26:23.139 than do anything else. 00:26:23.140 --> 00:26:24.520 God's splendor 00:26:24.520 --> 00:26:27.180 and what Paul 00:26:27.180 --> 00:26:28.120 is saying here 00:26:28.120 --> 00:26:29.600 is that God 00:26:29.600 --> 00:26:31.400 has blown 00:26:31.400 --> 00:26:32.420 open the doors 00:26:32.420 --> 00:26:34.440 and he's done 00:26:34.440 --> 00:26:34.960 something 00:26:34.960 --> 00:26:36.380 to put 00:26:36.380 --> 00:26:38.259 his heart-thrilling, 00:26:38.600 --> 00:26:39.840 his soul-satisfying 00:26:39.840 --> 00:26:40.580 glory 00:26:40.580 --> 00:26:41.580 on display 00:26:41.580 --> 00:26:43.100 for everyone 00:26:43.100 --> 00:26:43.900 to see 00:26:43.900 --> 00:26:45.200 and to savor 00:26:45.200 --> 00:26:46.420 and to know 00:26:46.420 --> 00:26:47.480 and to enjoy. 00:26:47.480 --> 00:26:50.220 So you don't need 00:26:50.220 --> 00:26:50.579 a ticket 00:26:50.579 --> 00:26:51.860 and you don't need 00:26:51.860 --> 00:26:52.559 to wait hours 00:26:52.559 --> 00:26:53.839 to get in. 00:26:57.740 --> 00:26:59.259 God's goal 00:26:59.259 --> 00:27:01.360 is the praise 00:27:01.360 --> 00:27:02.980 of his glory 00:27:02.980 --> 00:27:05.720 and that's really 00:27:05.720 --> 00:27:07.720 good news 00:27:07.720 --> 00:27:09.140 because praising 00:27:09.140 --> 00:27:10.779 God's glory, 00:27:11.460 --> 00:27:12.420 savoring his beauty, 00:27:12.880 --> 00:27:13.700 knowing his just 00:27:13.700 --> 00:27:15.579 manifold splendor, 00:27:15.680 --> 00:27:16.339 that's the thing 00:27:16.339 --> 00:27:17.539 our hearts were made for. 00:27:20.439 --> 00:27:21.279 It's what we're 00:27:21.279 --> 00:27:22.159 starving for, 00:27:22.240 --> 00:27:22.480 really. 00:27:25.599 --> 00:27:26.359 It's the thing 00:27:26.359 --> 00:27:27.059 that haunts us 00:27:27.059 --> 00:27:27.759 every time 00:27:27.759 --> 00:27:28.439 we encounter 00:27:28.439 --> 00:27:30.199 some finite beauty, 00:27:30.759 --> 00:27:32.240 whether it's 00:27:32.240 --> 00:27:33.079 beholding nature 00:27:33.079 --> 00:27:35.000 or a piece of art 00:27:35.000 --> 00:27:36.599 or taking in 00:27:36.599 --> 00:27:37.459 a breathtaking 00:27:37.459 --> 00:27:38.799 city skyline. 00:27:41.159 --> 00:27:42.679 In each of these things 00:27:42.679 --> 00:27:43.579 there's an echo 00:27:43.579 --> 00:27:44.459 of a voice 00:27:44.459 --> 00:27:45.059 that says 00:27:45.059 --> 00:27:46.159 there's a deeper 00:27:46.160 --> 00:27:47.779 beauty to be had. 00:27:48.380 --> 00:27:48.840 A beauty 00:27:48.840 --> 00:27:49.740 that won't fade 00:27:49.740 --> 00:27:50.620 and that won't 00:27:50.620 --> 00:27:51.220 grow old 00:27:51.220 --> 00:27:52.820 because behind 00:27:52.820 --> 00:27:53.540 these finite 00:27:53.540 --> 00:27:54.300 encounters 00:27:54.300 --> 00:27:55.060 with beauty 00:27:55.060 --> 00:27:56.580 stands the glory 00:27:56.580 --> 00:27:57.580 of the 00:27:57.580 --> 00:27:58.920 infinite creator. 00:28:02.420 --> 00:28:03.300 And this 00:28:03.300 --> 00:28:04.160 infinite creator 00:28:04.160 --> 00:28:04.840 has put 00:28:04.840 --> 00:28:06.180 his glory 00:28:06.180 --> 00:28:07.740 on display 00:28:07.740 --> 00:28:09.180 in redemption. 00:28:09.180 --> 00:28:09.279 salvation. 00:28:11.720 --> 00:28:12.759 And he says 00:28:12.759 --> 00:28:14.500 anyone now 00:28:14.500 --> 00:28:15.060 can come 00:28:15.060 --> 00:28:16.960 and they can 00:28:16.960 --> 00:28:17.500 drink without 00:28:17.500 --> 00:28:17.960 price. 00:28:22.240 --> 00:28:23.180 And that leads us 00:28:23.180 --> 00:28:23.900 to our last point. 00:28:25.440 --> 00:28:26.100 We've seen 00:28:26.100 --> 00:28:26.759 God's nature 00:28:26.759 --> 00:28:27.759 and God's story 00:28:27.759 --> 00:28:28.620 and God's goal 00:28:28.620 --> 00:28:29.380 but then how do we 00:28:29.380 --> 00:28:30.539 participate in all of this? 00:28:31.600 --> 00:28:32.480 What's our entry 00:28:32.480 --> 00:28:33.539 point into this 00:28:33.539 --> 00:28:34.060 thing? 00:28:34.400 --> 00:28:35.279 How do we get 00:28:35.279 --> 00:28:35.740 in? 00:28:35.740 --> 00:28:38.440 There's a new 00:28:38.440 --> 00:28:39.039 candy store 00:28:39.039 --> 00:28:39.839 on Chapel Street 00:28:39.839 --> 00:28:40.660 I forget what 00:28:40.660 --> 00:28:41.039 it's called 00:28:41.039 --> 00:28:42.120 but when I walk 00:28:42.120 --> 00:28:42.720 by it with my 00:28:42.720 --> 00:28:43.019 kids 00:28:43.019 --> 00:28:43.839 it's like a 00:28:43.839 --> 00:28:44.140 magnet 00:28:44.140 --> 00:28:44.620 and we're just 00:28:44.620 --> 00:28:45.940 stuck to the 00:28:45.940 --> 00:28:46.240 window 00:28:46.240 --> 00:28:47.319 staring at these 00:28:47.319 --> 00:28:47.819 stacks and 00:28:47.819 --> 00:28:48.240 stacks and 00:28:48.240 --> 00:28:48.799 stacks of 00:28:48.799 --> 00:28:49.620 sugary 00:28:49.620 --> 00:28:50.400 confectionery 00:28:50.400 --> 00:28:51.099 beauties. 00:28:52.680 --> 00:28:53.220 And we never 00:28:53.220 --> 00:28:53.640 go in 00:28:53.640 --> 00:28:54.740 because they'll 00:28:54.740 --> 00:28:55.180 never take a 00:28:55.180 --> 00:28:55.579 nap if they 00:28:55.579 --> 00:28:55.940 eat all that 00:28:55.940 --> 00:28:56.200 sugar 00:28:56.200 --> 00:28:57.200 but there we 00:28:57.200 --> 00:28:57.799 are sort of 00:28:57.799 --> 00:28:58.519 standing at it 00:28:58.519 --> 00:28:58.859 and it's like 00:28:58.859 --> 00:28:59.420 bright pink 00:28:59.420 --> 00:28:59.819 and we can't 00:28:59.819 --> 00:29:00.220 get away. 00:29:00.220 --> 00:29:02.839 But friends 00:29:02.839 --> 00:29:03.400 is that us 00:29:03.400 --> 00:29:03.860 with respect 00:29:03.860 --> 00:29:04.299 to God? 00:29:06.319 --> 00:29:07.460 Are we always 00:29:07.460 --> 00:29:08.059 looking through 00:29:08.059 --> 00:29:08.500 the window 00:29:08.500 --> 00:29:09.100 at God's 00:29:09.100 --> 00:29:09.559 glory and 00:29:09.559 --> 00:29:09.900 redemption? 00:29:10.900 --> 00:29:11.579 Always out 00:29:11.579 --> 00:29:12.259 on the street 00:29:12.259 --> 00:29:13.500 never partaking 00:29:13.500 --> 00:29:14.940 always just 00:29:14.940 --> 00:29:16.259 separated and 00:29:16.259 --> 00:29:16.960 one step off? 00:29:18.440 --> 00:29:19.140 What's our 00:29:19.140 --> 00:29:19.779 way in? 00:29:23.120 --> 00:29:23.880 Look again 00:29:23.880 --> 00:29:24.480 at verse 3 00:29:24.480 --> 00:29:27.220 Blessed be the 00:29:27.220 --> 00:29:27.900 God and Father 00:29:27.900 --> 00:29:28.420 of our Lord 00:29:28.420 --> 00:29:29.220 Jesus Christ 00:29:29.220 --> 00:29:30.960 who has 00:29:30.960 --> 00:29:31.980 blessed us 00:29:31.980 --> 00:29:33.059 in Christ 00:29:33.059 --> 00:29:34.660 with every 00:29:34.660 --> 00:29:35.740 spiritual 00:29:35.740 --> 00:29:36.700 blessing 00:29:36.700 --> 00:29:37.920 in the heavenly 00:29:37.920 --> 00:29:38.460 places. 00:29:40.140 --> 00:29:40.779 Now we've 00:29:40.779 --> 00:29:41.079 just been 00:29:41.079 --> 00:29:41.640 rehearsing 00:29:41.640 --> 00:29:42.740 those spiritual 00:29:42.740 --> 00:29:43.120 blessings 00:29:43.120 --> 00:29:44.220 and we're 00:29:44.220 --> 00:29:44.339 going to 00:29:44.339 --> 00:29:44.819 unpack them 00:29:44.819 --> 00:29:45.100 in the weeks 00:29:45.100 --> 00:29:45.460 to come 00:29:45.460 --> 00:29:46.079 to be chosen 00:29:46.079 --> 00:29:46.460 by the 00:29:46.460 --> 00:29:46.740 Father 00:29:46.740 --> 00:29:47.279 to be 00:29:47.279 --> 00:29:47.660 redeemed 00:29:47.660 --> 00:29:48.000 by the 00:29:48.000 --> 00:29:48.259 Son 00:29:48.259 --> 00:29:48.819 to be 00:29:48.819 --> 00:29:49.140 sealed 00:29:49.140 --> 00:29:49.519 by the 00:29:49.519 --> 00:29:49.740 Spirit 00:29:49.740 --> 00:29:50.460 to have 00:29:50.460 --> 00:29:51.120 our hearts 00:29:51.120 --> 00:29:51.839 unleashed 00:29:51.839 --> 00:29:52.160 in the 00:29:52.160 --> 00:29:52.660 praise of 00:29:52.660 --> 00:29:52.940 God's 00:29:52.940 --> 00:29:53.420 glory 00:29:53.420 --> 00:29:54.339 and how 00:29:54.339 --> 00:29:54.700 does all 00:29:54.700 --> 00:29:54.920 of that 00:29:54.920 --> 00:29:55.339 come to 00:29:55.339 --> 00:29:55.660 us? 00:29:57.400 --> 00:29:57.920 In 00:29:57.920 --> 00:29:59.039 Christ 00:29:59.039 --> 00:29:59.339 He has 00:29:59.339 --> 00:30:00.099 blessed us 00:30:00.099 --> 00:30:01.799 in Christ 00:30:01.799 --> 00:30:02.859 with every 00:30:02.859 --> 00:30:03.879 spiritual 00:30:03.879 --> 00:30:04.619 blessing 00:30:04.619 --> 00:30:05.019 in the 00:30:05.019 --> 00:30:05.299 heavenly 00:30:05.299 --> 00:30:05.720 places. 00:30:05.819 --> 00:30:06.079 In other 00:30:06.079 --> 00:30:06.240 words, 00:30:06.440 --> 00:30:07.339 all that 00:30:07.339 --> 00:30:08.359 heaven has 00:30:08.359 --> 00:30:08.799 to give, 00:30:09.139 --> 00:30:09.500 every 00:30:09.500 --> 00:30:10.019 spiritual 00:30:10.019 --> 00:30:10.359 blessing 00:30:10.359 --> 00:30:10.759 that never 00:30:10.759 --> 00:30:11.139 fades 00:30:11.139 --> 00:30:11.680 and never 00:30:11.680 --> 00:30:12.139 decays 00:30:12.139 --> 00:30:12.720 and never 00:30:12.720 --> 00:30:13.220 grows old 00:30:13.220 --> 00:30:13.759 has been 00:30:13.759 --> 00:30:14.779 gifted to 00:30:14.779 --> 00:30:15.659 us free 00:30:15.659 --> 00:30:16.279 of charge 00:30:16.279 --> 00:30:17.960 in Christ. 00:30:17.960 --> 00:30:18.039 Christ. 00:30:20.880 --> 00:30:21.079 Do you 00:30:21.079 --> 00:30:21.420 notice how 00:30:21.420 --> 00:30:21.980 many times 00:30:21.980 --> 00:30:22.740 that phrase 00:30:22.740 --> 00:30:23.460 in Christ, 00:30:23.680 --> 00:30:24.200 in Him, 00:30:24.440 --> 00:30:25.160 through Him 00:30:25.160 --> 00:30:25.980 occurs in 00:30:25.980 --> 00:30:26.460 verses 3 00:30:26.460 --> 00:30:27.019 through 14? 00:30:28.299 --> 00:30:28.620 That's almost 00:30:28.620 --> 00:30:29.160 a dozen 00:30:29.160 --> 00:30:29.860 times. 00:30:31.279 --> 00:30:31.840 In Him, 00:30:32.400 --> 00:30:33.059 in Him, 00:30:33.620 --> 00:30:34.259 in Him. 00:30:36.160 --> 00:30:37.079 Christ is 00:30:37.079 --> 00:30:38.000 the mediator, 00:30:38.600 --> 00:30:39.299 the channel 00:30:39.299 --> 00:30:39.880 of all 00:30:39.880 --> 00:30:40.620 these blessings. 00:30:40.619 --> 00:30:44.059 God hasn't 00:30:44.059 --> 00:30:44.539 left us 00:30:44.539 --> 00:30:44.939 out on the 00:30:44.939 --> 00:30:45.859 street forever 00:30:45.859 --> 00:30:46.579 staring through 00:30:46.579 --> 00:30:46.859 the window. 00:30:46.959 --> 00:30:47.059 No, 00:30:47.099 --> 00:30:47.619 He's come 00:30:47.619 --> 00:30:48.279 out to 00:30:48.279 --> 00:30:49.819 us and 00:30:49.819 --> 00:30:50.099 He's put 00:30:50.099 --> 00:30:50.659 His arm 00:30:50.659 --> 00:30:51.339 around us 00:30:51.339 --> 00:30:51.919 and He's 00:30:51.919 --> 00:30:52.659 led us 00:30:52.659 --> 00:30:53.639 personally 00:30:53.639 --> 00:30:54.459 inside and 00:30:54.459 --> 00:30:54.799 He said, 00:30:54.919 --> 00:30:55.199 welcome, 00:30:55.839 --> 00:30:56.500 it's all 00:30:56.500 --> 00:30:56.939 yours. 00:30:59.839 --> 00:31:00.399 Friend, 00:31:00.459 --> 00:31:00.819 if you are 00:31:00.819 --> 00:31:02.379 in Christ, 00:31:02.500 --> 00:31:03.159 if you have 00:31:03.159 --> 00:31:04.339 united your 00:31:04.339 --> 00:31:04.899 life to 00:31:04.899 --> 00:31:06.219 Him in 00:31:06.219 --> 00:31:06.679 faith, 00:31:06.680 --> 00:31:08.539 then you 00:31:08.539 --> 00:31:09.160 are chosen, 00:31:10.039 --> 00:31:10.580 redeemed, 00:31:11.700 --> 00:31:12.039 sealed. 00:31:12.560 --> 00:31:13.060 Every 00:31:13.060 --> 00:31:14.240 blessing 00:31:14.240 --> 00:31:15.000 in the 00:31:15.000 --> 00:31:15.400 heavenly 00:31:15.400 --> 00:31:16.400 places 00:31:16.400 --> 00:31:17.620 is yours. 00:31:19.980 --> 00:31:20.799 Not a 00:31:20.799 --> 00:31:21.500 single 00:31:21.500 --> 00:31:22.560 one 00:31:22.560 --> 00:31:23.600 has God 00:31:23.600 --> 00:31:24.000 withheld 00:31:24.000 --> 00:31:24.500 from you 00:31:24.500 --> 00:31:25.240 in His 00:31:25.240 --> 00:31:25.519 Son. 00:31:28.200 --> 00:31:28.960 Every 00:31:28.960 --> 00:31:29.680 spiritual 00:31:29.680 --> 00:31:30.060 blessing. 00:31:34.759 --> 00:31:35.539 And of 00:31:35.539 --> 00:31:35.660 course, 00:31:35.720 --> 00:31:35.960 that's so 00:31:35.960 --> 00:31:36.340 much better 00:31:36.339 --> 00:31:36.899 than every 00:31:36.899 --> 00:31:37.799 material 00:31:37.799 --> 00:31:38.419 blessing in 00:31:38.419 --> 00:31:38.819 the earthly 00:31:38.819 --> 00:31:39.259 places, 00:31:39.339 --> 00:31:39.639 isn't it? 00:31:40.179 --> 00:31:40.679 I remember 00:31:40.679 --> 00:31:41.119 studying this 00:31:41.119 --> 00:31:41.459 book quite 00:31:41.459 --> 00:31:41.839 some time 00:31:41.839 --> 00:31:42.240 ago and 00:31:42.240 --> 00:31:42.740 coming across 00:31:42.740 --> 00:31:43.220 verse 3 and 00:31:43.220 --> 00:31:43.419 thinking, 00:31:43.720 --> 00:31:44.199 that's great, 00:31:44.279 --> 00:31:44.740 every spiritual 00:31:44.740 --> 00:31:45.119 blessing in 00:31:45.119 --> 00:31:45.359 the heavenly 00:31:45.359 --> 00:31:45.799 places. 00:31:48.419 --> 00:31:49.000 What about 00:31:49.000 --> 00:31:49.480 some material 00:31:49.480 --> 00:31:50.199 blessing once 00:31:50.199 --> 00:31:50.519 in a while, 00:31:50.579 --> 00:31:50.779 right? 00:31:53.359 --> 00:31:53.839 But you 00:31:53.839 --> 00:31:53.959 know, 00:31:54.000 --> 00:31:54.419 God doesn't 00:31:54.419 --> 00:31:54.919 promise us 00:31:54.919 --> 00:31:55.659 that in 00:31:55.659 --> 00:31:55.939 Christ. 00:31:56.019 --> 00:31:56.359 He doesn't 00:31:56.359 --> 00:31:56.919 promise us 00:31:56.919 --> 00:31:57.519 material 00:31:57.519 --> 00:31:58.099 blessings in 00:31:58.099 --> 00:31:58.359 the earthly 00:31:58.359 --> 00:31:58.839 places. 00:32:01.959 --> 00:32:02.559 But what He 00:32:02.559 --> 00:32:03.359 promises us is 00:32:03.359 --> 00:32:03.799 so much 00:32:03.799 --> 00:32:04.099 better. 00:32:05.059 --> 00:32:05.980 And why is 00:32:05.980 --> 00:32:06.360 it so much 00:32:06.360 --> 00:32:06.620 better? 00:32:10.539 --> 00:32:10.860 Well, 00:32:10.900 --> 00:32:11.240 lots of 00:32:11.240 --> 00:32:11.700 reasons and 00:32:11.700 --> 00:32:11.960 we could 00:32:11.960 --> 00:32:12.400 enumerate 00:32:12.400 --> 00:32:12.740 them all, 00:32:12.839 --> 00:32:13.039 but I 00:32:13.039 --> 00:32:13.160 mean, 00:32:13.200 --> 00:32:13.440 just to 00:32:13.440 --> 00:32:13.740 get right 00:32:13.740 --> 00:32:14.120 down to 00:32:14.120 --> 00:32:14.240 it, 00:32:14.259 --> 00:32:14.599 to put it 00:32:14.599 --> 00:32:14.960 bluntly, 00:32:15.039 --> 00:32:15.259 because 00:32:15.259 --> 00:32:15.740 material 00:32:15.740 --> 00:32:16.160 blessings 00:32:16.160 --> 00:32:16.480 won't 00:32:16.480 --> 00:32:16.799 make you 00:32:16.799 --> 00:32:17.160 happy. 00:32:20.539 --> 00:32:20.860 They 00:32:20.860 --> 00:32:21.160 might for 00:32:21.160 --> 00:32:21.360 a little 00:32:21.360 --> 00:32:21.660 while, 00:32:21.819 --> 00:32:22.140 don't get 00:32:22.140 --> 00:32:22.480 me wrong, 00:32:22.579 --> 00:32:22.799 if your 00:32:22.799 --> 00:32:23.220 car breaks 00:32:23.220 --> 00:32:23.920 down, 00:32:24.599 --> 00:32:25.000 a new 00:32:25.000 --> 00:32:25.279 car will 00:32:25.279 --> 00:32:25.579 make you 00:32:25.579 --> 00:32:25.819 happy. 00:32:25.880 --> 00:32:26.120 I get 00:32:26.120 --> 00:32:26.420 that, 00:32:26.500 --> 00:32:26.720 right? 00:32:29.500 --> 00:32:29.799 They 00:32:29.799 --> 00:32:30.099 might make 00:32:30.099 --> 00:32:30.400 you happy 00:32:30.400 --> 00:32:30.720 for a little 00:32:30.720 --> 00:32:30.940 while, 00:32:30.940 --> 00:32:31.220 but not 00:32:31.220 --> 00:32:31.640 for long, 00:32:32.320 --> 00:32:33.100 not in a 00:32:33.100 --> 00:32:33.360 lasting 00:32:33.360 --> 00:32:33.680 way. 00:32:35.700 --> 00:32:35.980 And of 00:32:35.980 --> 00:32:36.140 course, 00:32:36.200 --> 00:32:36.620 God isn't 00:32:36.620 --> 00:32:37.340 against 00:32:37.340 --> 00:32:38.100 material 00:32:38.100 --> 00:32:38.539 blessings. 00:32:41.299 --> 00:32:41.920 He wants 00:32:41.920 --> 00:32:42.180 us to 00:32:42.180 --> 00:32:42.660 care about 00:32:42.660 --> 00:32:43.240 economic 00:32:43.240 --> 00:32:44.080 injustice. 00:32:44.240 --> 00:32:44.500 He wants 00:32:44.500 --> 00:32:44.759 us to 00:32:44.759 --> 00:32:45.440 care about 00:32:45.440 --> 00:32:45.880 the poor. 00:32:46.880 --> 00:32:47.200 It's not 00:32:47.200 --> 00:32:47.400 what this 00:32:47.400 --> 00:32:47.740 verse is 00:32:47.740 --> 00:32:48.059 about. 00:32:50.180 --> 00:32:50.759 But friends, 00:32:50.860 --> 00:32:51.380 you and I 00:32:51.380 --> 00:32:52.080 both know 00:32:52.080 --> 00:32:53.759 that if your 00:32:53.759 --> 00:32:54.500 bank account 00:32:54.500 --> 00:32:55.299 is full 00:32:55.299 --> 00:32:56.380 and your 00:32:56.380 --> 00:32:57.059 heart is 00:32:57.059 --> 00:32:57.500 empty, 00:32:57.500 --> 00:32:58.660 that you 00:32:58.660 --> 00:32:59.380 would cash 00:32:59.380 --> 00:32:59.980 out the 00:32:59.980 --> 00:33:00.559 bank account 00:33:00.559 --> 00:33:01.059 in an 00:33:01.059 --> 00:33:01.980 instant to 00:33:01.980 --> 00:33:02.420 fix your 00:33:02.420 --> 00:33:02.680 empty 00:33:02.680 --> 00:33:03.000 heart. 00:33:05.220 --> 00:33:05.940 You would 00:33:05.940 --> 00:33:06.579 cash it 00:33:06.579 --> 00:33:07.359 out in an 00:33:07.359 --> 00:33:08.359 instant to 00:33:08.359 --> 00:33:08.940 find someone 00:33:08.940 --> 00:33:09.559 who loves 00:33:09.559 --> 00:33:10.779 you and 00:33:10.779 --> 00:33:11.299 who looks 00:33:11.299 --> 00:33:11.720 at you 00:33:11.720 --> 00:33:12.599 with all 00:33:12.599 --> 00:33:12.880 of your 00:33:12.880 --> 00:33:13.880 flaws and 00:33:13.880 --> 00:33:14.779 chooses you 00:33:14.779 --> 00:33:16.460 and who 00:33:16.460 --> 00:33:16.759 would lay 00:33:16.759 --> 00:33:17.099 down their 00:33:17.099 --> 00:33:17.660 life for 00:33:17.660 --> 00:33:18.740 you and 00:33:18.740 --> 00:33:18.980 who would 00:33:18.980 --> 00:33:19.700 stick by 00:33:19.700 --> 00:33:20.000 you to 00:33:20.000 --> 00:33:20.279 the end 00:33:20.279 --> 00:33:20.559 no matter 00:33:20.559 --> 00:33:21.299 how many 00:33:21.299 --> 00:33:21.720 times you 00:33:21.720 --> 00:33:22.200 screw up. 00:33:23.779 --> 00:33:24.460 You would 00:33:24.460 --> 00:33:25.359 cash out 00:33:25.359 --> 00:33:25.740 your bank 00:33:25.740 --> 00:33:26.420 account in 00:33:26.420 --> 00:33:27.259 a second 00:33:27.259 --> 00:33:27.759 for someone 00:33:27.759 --> 00:33:28.299 like that. 00:33:31.319 --> 00:33:31.539 And don't 00:33:31.539 --> 00:33:31.759 you see, 00:33:31.839 --> 00:33:31.920 friends, 00:33:31.960 --> 00:33:32.799 that's exactly 00:33:32.799 --> 00:33:33.740 what God 00:33:33.740 --> 00:33:34.140 has done 00:33:34.140 --> 00:33:34.619 for you 00:33:34.619 --> 00:33:35.859 in Christ. 00:33:37.579 --> 00:33:38.180 He has 00:33:38.180 --> 00:33:38.759 looked at 00:33:38.759 --> 00:33:39.000 you, 00:33:39.480 --> 00:33:39.759 he has 00:33:39.759 --> 00:33:40.519 loved you, 00:33:40.940 --> 00:33:41.200 he has 00:33:41.200 --> 00:33:41.940 bled and 00:33:41.940 --> 00:33:42.400 died for 00:33:42.400 --> 00:33:42.700 you, 00:33:42.879 --> 00:33:43.299 and he 00:33:43.299 --> 00:33:43.879 has promised 00:33:43.879 --> 00:33:44.200 to be 00:33:44.200 --> 00:33:44.879 with you 00:33:44.879 --> 00:33:45.480 to the 00:33:45.480 --> 00:33:46.180 very end 00:33:46.180 --> 00:33:46.879 and let 00:33:46.879 --> 00:33:47.700 nothing 00:33:47.700 --> 00:33:48.460 tear you 00:33:48.460 --> 00:33:48.779 away. 00:33:52.500 --> 00:33:53.079 And you 00:33:53.079 --> 00:33:53.579 know now 00:33:53.579 --> 00:33:54.339 in him, 00:33:55.619 --> 00:33:56.299 whether you 00:33:56.299 --> 00:33:57.079 have material 00:33:57.079 --> 00:33:57.759 blessings or 00:33:57.759 --> 00:33:58.179 not, 00:33:58.500 --> 00:33:59.240 your heart 00:33:59.240 --> 00:34:00.919 is full. 00:34:03.919 --> 00:34:04.579 And that 00:34:04.579 --> 00:34:05.000 means that 00:34:05.000 --> 00:34:05.240 if you 00:34:05.240 --> 00:34:06.059 get material 00:34:06.059 --> 00:34:06.460 blessings, 00:34:06.899 --> 00:34:08.019 they won't 00:34:08.019 --> 00:34:08.539 rule you. 00:34:09.599 --> 00:34:10.340 And if you 00:34:10.340 --> 00:34:10.779 don't get 00:34:10.779 --> 00:34:11.019 them, 00:34:11.679 --> 00:34:12.340 it doesn't 00:34:12.340 --> 00:34:12.819 crush you. 00:34:14.179 --> 00:34:14.920 You're free 00:34:14.920 --> 00:34:16.880 because you 00:34:16.880 --> 00:34:17.179 have every 00:34:17.179 --> 00:34:17.579 spiritual 00:34:17.579 --> 00:34:18.039 blessing in 00:34:18.039 --> 00:34:18.400 the heavenly 00:34:18.400 --> 00:34:18.940 places. 00:34:18.940 --> 00:34:22.519 every 00:34:22.519 --> 00:34:23.059 spiritual 00:34:23.059 --> 00:34:23.720 blessing in 00:34:23.720 --> 00:34:24.119 the heavenly 00:34:24.119 --> 00:34:25.980 places in 00:34:25.980 --> 00:34:27.720 Christ 00:34:27.720 --> 00:34:28.760 Jesus our 00:34:28.760 --> 00:34:29.119 Lord. 00:34:32.400 --> 00:34:33.039 Friends, 00:34:33.139 --> 00:34:33.880 are you in 00:34:33.880 --> 00:34:34.340 him? 00:34:36.539 --> 00:34:37.500 Or are you 00:34:37.500 --> 00:34:38.460 still outside 00:34:38.460 --> 00:34:39.360 looking in? 00:34:39.360 --> 00:34:42.780 God has 00:34:42.780 --> 00:34:44.200 unleashed from 00:34:44.200 --> 00:34:44.700 heaven. 00:34:44.700 --> 00:34:46.620 We've been 00:34:46.620 --> 00:34:47.680 staring out the 00:34:47.680 --> 00:34:48.420 80th floor 00:34:48.420 --> 00:34:49.960 observation tower 00:34:49.960 --> 00:34:51.640 out at God's 00:34:51.640 --> 00:34:52.059 plan of 00:34:52.059 --> 00:34:52.440 redemption, 00:34:53.039 --> 00:34:53.680 and there's 00:34:53.680 --> 00:34:54.420 God's nature, 00:34:54.620 --> 00:34:54.920 and there's 00:34:54.920 --> 00:34:55.800 God's story, 00:34:55.980 --> 00:34:56.420 and there's 00:34:56.420 --> 00:34:57.240 God's goal, 00:34:57.340 --> 00:34:57.640 but at the 00:34:57.640 --> 00:34:57.960 end of the 00:34:57.960 --> 00:34:58.140 day, 00:34:58.200 --> 00:34:58.820 it all comes 00:34:58.820 --> 00:35:00.380 down on 00:35:00.380 --> 00:35:01.460 this razor's 00:35:01.460 --> 00:35:02.320 edge that 00:35:02.320 --> 00:35:03.019 is pointed 00:35:03.019 --> 00:35:03.980 directly at 00:35:03.980 --> 00:35:04.480 each one of 00:35:04.480 --> 00:35:04.599 us. 00:35:04.680 --> 00:35:05.000 Are you 00:35:05.000 --> 00:35:06.380 in him? 00:35:07.199 --> 00:35:07.920 God has 00:35:07.920 --> 00:35:09.099 unleashed from 00:35:09.099 --> 00:35:10.340 heaven every 00:35:10.340 --> 00:35:11.920 spiritual blessing 00:35:11.920 --> 00:35:12.599 in Christ. 00:35:12.659 --> 00:35:13.099 There's not a 00:35:13.099 --> 00:35:14.539 single one he's 00:35:14.539 --> 00:35:15.400 withheld right 00:35:15.400 --> 00:35:15.940 there in his 00:35:15.940 --> 00:35:16.199 son. 00:35:19.039 --> 00:35:19.820 And all you 00:35:19.820 --> 00:35:20.440 have to do 00:35:20.440 --> 00:35:22.780 is lay down 00:35:22.780 --> 00:35:24.079 your pride and 00:35:24.079 --> 00:35:24.599 lay down your 00:35:24.599 --> 00:35:26.079 despair and 00:35:26.079 --> 00:35:26.840 trust in him 00:35:26.840 --> 00:35:29.159 and take hold 00:35:29.159 --> 00:35:29.559 of him. 00:35:32.199 --> 00:35:33.079 And suddenly 00:35:33.079 --> 00:35:33.820 God's goal 00:35:33.820 --> 00:35:34.440 becomes the 00:35:34.440 --> 00:35:34.900 thrill of your 00:35:34.900 --> 00:35:35.980 heart and 00:35:35.980 --> 00:35:36.740 God's story 00:35:36.740 --> 00:35:37.420 becomes your 00:35:37.420 --> 00:35:40.539 story and 00:35:40.539 --> 00:35:41.300 God's nature 00:35:41.300 --> 00:35:41.920 becomes the 00:35:41.920 --> 00:35:42.440 one that you 00:35:42.440 --> 00:35:42.700 get to 00:35:42.700 --> 00:35:43.760 commune with 00:35:43.760 --> 00:35:44.920 for all 00:35:44.920 --> 00:35:45.420 eternity. 00:35:49.220 --> 00:35:49.920 Blessed be 00:35:49.920 --> 00:35:50.440 the God and 00:35:50.440 --> 00:35:51.019 Father of our 00:35:51.019 --> 00:35:51.460 Lord Jesus 00:35:51.460 --> 00:35:52.099 Christ who 00:35:52.099 --> 00:35:52.960 has blessed 00:35:52.960 --> 00:35:53.800 us in Christ 00:35:53.800 --> 00:35:54.780 with every 00:35:54.780 --> 00:35:56.280 spiritual blessing 00:35:56.280 --> 00:35:57.700 in the heavenly 00:35:57.700 --> 00:35:58.260 places. 00:35:59.760 --> 00:36:00.519 Let's pray. 00:36:04.900 --> 00:36:09.480 God, thank you 00:36:09.480 --> 00:36:10.059 tonight that we 00:36:10.059 --> 00:36:10.760 can draw near to 00:36:10.760 --> 00:36:12.240 you and call 00:36:12.240 --> 00:36:12.539 you our 00:36:12.539 --> 00:36:14.760 Father because 00:36:14.760 --> 00:36:15.300 of our Lord 00:36:15.300 --> 00:36:16.119 Jesus Christ 00:36:16.119 --> 00:36:17.579 and because of 00:36:17.579 --> 00:36:18.099 your spirit. 00:36:20.599 --> 00:36:21.559 Lord, help us 00:36:21.559 --> 00:36:24.019 tonight to 00:36:24.019 --> 00:36:24.720 really believe 00:36:24.720 --> 00:36:25.380 these things that 00:36:25.380 --> 00:36:25.980 you tell us in 00:36:25.980 --> 00:36:26.420 your word. 00:36:28.119 --> 00:36:29.079 And give us, 00:36:29.119 --> 00:36:29.760 as Paul will 00:36:29.760 --> 00:36:30.500 pray later in 00:36:30.500 --> 00:36:30.960 this letter, 00:36:30.960 --> 00:36:32.000 give us 00:36:32.000 --> 00:36:33.000 strength in 00:36:33.000 --> 00:36:33.559 our inner 00:36:33.559 --> 00:36:34.260 being by 00:36:34.260 --> 00:36:34.780 your Holy 00:36:34.780 --> 00:36:35.599 Spirit to 00:36:35.599 --> 00:36:36.800 really grasp 00:36:36.800 --> 00:36:38.960 Jesus in 00:36:38.960 --> 00:36:39.980 all of the 00:36:39.980 --> 00:36:40.679 manifold, 00:36:41.420 --> 00:36:42.099 unrelenting 00:36:42.099 --> 00:36:43.480 love that you've 00:36:43.480 --> 00:36:44.119 given us in 00:36:44.119 --> 00:36:44.539 Christ. 00:36:47.159 --> 00:36:48.960 God, wake up 00:36:48.960 --> 00:36:49.699 our hearts 00:36:49.699 --> 00:36:51.000 because they're 00:36:51.000 --> 00:36:51.740 so sleepy. 00:36:53.099 --> 00:36:53.800 Remind us 00:36:53.800 --> 00:36:54.199 because we're 00:36:54.199 --> 00:36:55.159 so forgetful. 00:36:55.159 --> 00:36:58.599 Lord, even 00:36:58.599 --> 00:36:59.139 for some of 00:36:59.139 --> 00:36:59.379 us here 00:36:59.379 --> 00:37:00.679 tonight, call 00:37:00.679 --> 00:37:01.440 us forth from 00:37:01.440 --> 00:37:02.079 death into 00:37:02.079 --> 00:37:02.519 life. 00:37:04.259 --> 00:37:05.099 For those who 00:37:05.099 --> 00:37:05.960 are far off, 00:37:06.059 --> 00:37:06.659 God, bring 00:37:06.659 --> 00:37:07.259 them near. 00:37:09.460 --> 00:37:10.119 Bring them 00:37:10.119 --> 00:37:10.539 near in 00:37:10.539 --> 00:37:12.859 Christ so 00:37:12.859 --> 00:37:13.379 that we might 00:37:13.379 --> 00:37:14.920 live to the 00:37:14.920 --> 00:37:15.879 praise of 00:37:15.879 --> 00:37:16.440 your glory. 00:37:16.440 --> 00:37:18.440 Amen.