WEBVTT

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 rebuilding their lives and rebuilding their community around the Word of God and seeing

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 how God is rebuilding them after a season of failure, really, but giving them hope and

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 direction for the future.

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 This morning we're looking at chapter 10, and I'm going to read the second half of chapter

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 10.

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 I'm going to start at verse 28.

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 The first half is a long list of names, and I won't read that, but let me read the second

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 half of chapter 10, starting at verse 28.

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 If you're looking in the Pew Bible, it's page 377, Nehemiah 10.

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 Let's read beginning at verse 28.

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 The rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the temple servants,

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 and all who have separated themselves from the peoples of the lands to the law of God,

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 their wives, their sons, their daughters, all who have knowledge and understanding, join

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 with their brothers, their nobles, and enter into a curse and an oath to walk in God's

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 law that was given by Moses, the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments

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 of the Lord, our Lord, and His rules and His statutes.

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 We will not give our daughters to the peoples of the land or take their daughters for our

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 sons, and if the peoples of the land bring in goods or any grain on the Sabbath day to

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 sell, we will not buy from them on the Sabbath or on a holy day.

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 And we will forgo the crops of the seventh year and the exaction of every debt.

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 We also take on ourselves the obligation to give yearly a third part of the shekel for

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 the service of the house of our God, for the showbread, the regular grain offering, the

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 regular burnt offering, the Sabbaths, the new moons, the appointed feasts, the holy things,

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 and the sin offerings to make atonement for Israel and for all the work of the house of

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 our God.

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 We, the priests, the Levites, and the people have likewise cast lots for the wood offering

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 to bring it into the house of our God according to our Father's houses, at times appointed year

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 by year to burn on the altar of the Lord our God as it is written in the law.

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 We obligate ourselves to bring the first fruits of our ground and the first fruits of all

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 fruit of every tree year by year to the house of the Lord, also to bring to the house of

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 our God to the priests who minister in the house of our God the firstborn of our sons and

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 our cattle as is written in the law and the firstborn of our herds and our flocks.

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 And to bring the first of our dough and our contributions, the first of every tree, the wine and the oil,

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 to the priests, to the chambers of the house of our God, and to bring to the Levites the

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 tithes from our ground, for it is the Levites who collect the tithes in all our towns where

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 we labor.

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 And the priest, the son of Aaron, shall be with the Levites when the Levites receive the

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 tithes.

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 And the Levites shall bring up the tithes to the house of our God, to the chambers of the

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 storehouse, for the people of Israel and the sons of Levi shall bring the contribution

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 of grain, wine, and oil to the chambers where the vessels of the sanctuary are, as well

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 as the priests who minister and the gatekeepers and the singers.

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 We will not neglect the house of our God.

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 In the winter of 1723, the 19-year-old Jonathan Edwards drew up a list of resolutions, personal

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 commitments to living a God-centered life in harmony with others.

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 And he began by stating his general goal, resolved, to do whatever I think to be most to God's

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 glory and my own good, whatever I think to be my duty and most for the good of mankind

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 in general.

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 Whatever difficulties I meet with, how many and how great whatsoever, to live with all

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 my might while I do live.

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 But he didn't just commit himself to sort of lofty general ideals.

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 He went on to detail what such a life would look like.

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 So here are some of his more specific commitments.

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 He resolved not to do certain things, never to do anything out of revenge, never to do anything

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 which I should be afraid to do if it were the last hour of my life.

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 Not to give way to that listlessness or complacency which unbends and relaxes my mind from being

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 fully and fixedly set on God.

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 He actually wrote that in July, right?

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 That's sort of how you feel on a summer day, listless, right?

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 No energy.

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 And he says, I don't want to give into that state spiritually.

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 I want to be vigorously pursuing God.

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 Then he says, never to speak anything but the pure and simple truth.

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 And then positively, here are some things that he resolved to do positively, to study the

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 scriptures steadily, constantly, and frequently.

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 When I feel pain, to think of the pains of martyrdom and of hell.

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 You can avoid self-pity that way.

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 After afflictions have passed, to ask, how am I the better for them?

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 And what should I have learned from them?

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 To let the knowledge of others' failings prove only an occasion of confessing my own sins to God.

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 To examine carefully and constantly what one thing causes me to doubt God's love and to

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 direct all my forces against it.

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 To read over these resolutions once a week.

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 He developed these over the course of his life.

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 He eventually had 70 of these resolutions, which he intended to read over once a week and

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 sort of gradually added to and refined over the course of his life.

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 Now, I wonder what's your reaction to a list like this?

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 Now, my guess is most of us don't have a list like this, that we read through every week and

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 refine over the course of our lives.

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 Maybe we do New Year's resolutions, but, you know, if it's July, or sorry, it's August now,

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 and if you're still on your New Year's resolution, boy, you're doing pretty well.

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 Right?

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 Most of us have forgotten what our New Year's resolutions were this year if we even made them.

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 Or maybe we've tried diets and exercise regimes and self-help books and goal setting,

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 and they might be helpful for a time.

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 They're not always particularly God-centered, but, you know, eventually we get restless, right?

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 We're sort of on the lookout for the next new system, right?

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 The keto diet, or whatever is the next new thing that can help us become the person that

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 we want to be.

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 Now, maybe we've tried these things, and we've sort of recognized that our own willpower and

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 resolve is insufficient.

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 And maybe we've found a real relief in knowing that Jesus has done for us what we could not

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 do for ourselves.

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 We rejoice that it's by the obedience of Christ and not by our own that we're made right with

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 God, and that is a glorious truth.

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 You know, if you're not a Christian, this is absolutely key to understanding Christianity.

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 Many people think that Christianity is a list of rules and tasks and requirements that we

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 need to check off or at least prove that we're trying our hardest, and if we're really trying

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 our hardest all of the time, then God will forgive us because we're not going to be perfect,

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 but Christianity is really about trying your hardest to be a good person.

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 That's actually not true.

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 Christianity says that Jesus Christ has come to earth to do what we could not do for ourselves

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 as corrupt and flawed human beings.

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 He has lived a life of faithful obedience to God.

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 And then on the cross, He died the death that sinners like us deserve.

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 He died in our place and He rose from the dead so that we could be connected with Him and made

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 right with God through Him.

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 That's what it means to be a Christian is to trust in Jesus' work on our behalf and to rest

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 in Him exclusively and completely.

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 But, you know, if you have come to rest and trust in Jesus and find our deepest identity

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 in Him, how do we live united with Christ day by day?

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 Now, the passage I just read from Nehemiah is a list of resolutions that God's people in

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 the Old Testament made and entered into as a community.

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 And, you know, these resolutions were not just an exercise of their own willpower to say,

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 we're going to just do this.

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 They're not a misguided attempt to earn God's favor.

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 No, these resolutions were and are part of a proper response to God's Word.

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 As we've seen over the last two weeks, chapters 8 through 10 of Nehemiah are a unit focusing

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 on the people's response to the Word of God.

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 In chapter 8, we saw they responded with joy because God's Word tells us about His grace

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 and mercy and power and mighty deeds on our behalf.

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 And so, they have joy in chapter 8.

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 And then in chapter 9, we saw they responded with sorrow because God's Word revealed their

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 sin and their failures.

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 And yet, in the midst of their sin and failures, they saw even more clearly God's mercy.

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 And so, God's mercy in chapter 9 leads them to do what they do in chapter 10, which is

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 recommit themselves, resolve to walk in obedience to God's commands.

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 Now, you can see this if you read the last verse of chapter 9, verse…

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 Chapter 9, verse 38, which says, because of all this…

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 In other words, because of God's mercy, which is the main theme of chapter 9, as we heard

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 last week, we make a firm covenant.

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 That is, a firm agreement in writing.

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 And we're signing our names to it.

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 So, everything we're looking at today in chapter 10 is because of God's mercy that we saw last

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 week so beautifully in chapter 9.

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 And what we'll see this morning is above all else, this.

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 Because of God's mercy, God's people resolve to obey His commands.

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 And I want us to look at this in two parts.

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 I want us to look at the resolutions of God's people in the Old Testament here in Nehemiah

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 10, and then we're going to look at the resolutions of God's people in the New Testament in Romans

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 12, which we read earlier in the service.

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 So, here's the resolutions of God's people here in the Old Testament in Nehemiah's time

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 when they were resettling the land, they had rebuilt the city and the temple, and they

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 were resolving to go forward together, right?

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 They gathered, they heard God's word, and they were reminded of God's mercy.

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 But they didn't just say, hey, that's really nice.

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 Our God is a merciful God.

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 Now we can go back home and feel good inside.

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 And we can each sort of float along and do whatever we feel like doing or whatever seems

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 right to each of us in our own eyes.

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 No.

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 They said, we need to take decisive action together.

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 This is serious business.

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 We need to write down exactly what we're committing to and sign our names to it, just like we would

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 do with any other definite plan, with any other binding agreement, with any other important

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 thing in life.

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 Make it official.

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 Now, verse 1 to 27, we see the people who sign their names.

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 I won't read through all of them.

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 Let me just make a few brief comments.

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 It starts with the civil authorities in verse 1, Nehemiah, the governor, and Zedekiah, who

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 is probably his assistant.

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 Then we have the priests in chapter…in verse 2 through 8.

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 Most of those are the names of priestly families.

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 So Ezra is not listed there by name.

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 Some people have said, well, why isn't Ezra there since he's such an important figure in

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 chapter 8?

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 Well, he's part of Sarai's household, the first priest listed in chapter 2.

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 So he would have been included in that household.

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 Verse 9 to 13, we see the Levites who were sort of the assistants to the priests, several

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 of whom had interpreted and explained God's word to the people in chapter 8.

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 And then verse 14 to 27, we see the chiefs or the leaders of the people.

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 Most of those names appear in Ezra 2 in the list of exiles who returned at the beginning,

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 or in Nehemiah 3, the list of those who were rebuilding the walls.

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 So that list sort of comes from those two places.

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 And then in verse 28, we see it wasn't just the leaders, wasn't just the religious leaders,

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 wasn't just the civil authorities, wasn't just the chiefs of the people.

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 It was the whole community was behind this.

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 Now that last phrase is an interesting phrase because in Ezra 6, chapter 20…

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 Ezra chapter 6, verse 21, an almost identical phrase appears.

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 And there, it clearly refers to people who were not originally Israelites, but they were

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 from the surrounding nations, but they had left behind their idols, and they had committed

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 to obey the law of God and worship the one true God.

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 And so they had been included with the people of Israel.

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 So it's possible, I think, quite likely that verse 28 refers to such people as well.

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 And then verse 29, we see their general overarching commitment to walk in God's law that was given

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 by Moses and observe and do all the commandments of the Lord.

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 So they commit themselves to obey not just some of God's commands, but all of them.

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 That's their big commitment to obey everything God has said to us.

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 But then verse 30 to 39, they make some very specific commitments in three areas.

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 First, in the area of family, in verse 30, they commit to building their families on a common

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 spiritual foundation where husband and wife share a primary spiritual loyalty.

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 Their time, in verse 31, they commit to orient their time around the Sabbath rhythms that God

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 had commanded His people to observe in the Old Testament.

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 And then their money, in verse 32 to 39, they commit to financially support the ongoing

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 operations of the temple.

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 Verse 39 concludes, we will not neglect the house of our God.

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 But you know, you might ask, why these three areas in particular?

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 Like, why are they specifically getting into all this detail, especially about all the offerings

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 and everything else?

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 I think they're basically doing three things in this list.

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 First, they're correcting past failures.

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 So, at the end of Ezra, we saw how some of the returned exiles had married people who were

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 loyal to other gods, who were worshiping idols.

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 And Nick preached a sermon on that passage, Ezra 9 and 10, and we saw that.

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 Or in Nehemiah 5, we saw how some of the Israelite leaders had been exacting interest on debts,

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 even to the point of forcing others in the community to sell themselves and their children into slavery.

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 And Nehemiah was outraged when he saw that happening and said, no, this is wrong.

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 So, in some ways, the commitments we see here are corrective measures in response to past

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 and even recent failures.

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 But they're also not just correcting past failures, but resisting present temptations.

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 These habits were costly and countercultural habits.

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 They were areas where obeying God would set them apart from the surrounding world.

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 And they were areas where they would have felt some pressure to conform to the prevailing norms.

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 You know, for example, take these, verse 31, the commands about the Sabbath.

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 The peoples around them did not observe the weekly Sabbath, the weekly day of rest,

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 or the annual holy days.

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 But God had commanded His people in the Old Testament to observe those days and set them apart.

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 You might say, why?

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 Why were they so important?

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 The reason was so that every week and every year, they'd remember and show to the world

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 the story of God's salvation.

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 So, there were three annual feasts.

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 The first one was the Passover.

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 And the Passover is all about God has saved us.

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 He rescued us from slavery in Egypt.

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 The second one was Pentecost.

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 And on Pentecost, they remembered God has spoken to us and given us His instructions in the law.

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 And the third one was tabernacles.

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 And they celebrated God has come to stay with us.

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 And so, by setting apart those days and not doing their regular business on those days,

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 they were communicating to the world what God has done for us, saving us, speaking to us,

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 and staying with us.

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 That is more important than anything else in the whole world.

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 And so, they were…

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 That was God's intention that they would show the world that everything God has done for us

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 is the most important thing in life.

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 But, you know, if they took those days and just went about their normal business

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 and pretended the day didn't really matter, what would they be saying to the world?

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 They'd be saying everything God has done for us is no more important than getting a good deal

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 on some food and clothes.

00:17:22.839 --> 00:17:25.099
 All right?

00:17:25.159 --> 00:17:29.220
 The other thing you see is that every seventh year, they were also supposed to give their fields a break

00:17:29.220 --> 00:17:33.099
 to let them be freely available for the poor and sojourners to glean from.

00:17:33.179 --> 00:17:37.339
 They were also supposed to give a break to anyone in the community who had fallen into debt.

00:17:38.299 --> 00:17:42.019
 Every seventh year, the debts among fellow Israelites would be canceled.

00:17:42.619 --> 00:17:47.819
 It was sort of a reset button to give people an opportunity for a new start.

00:17:47.819 --> 00:17:52.359
 But, you know, all these things were costly and countercultural practices.

00:17:52.539 --> 00:17:53.740
 Nobody else did them.

00:17:54.519 --> 00:17:56.099
 Nobody else observed these feasts.

00:17:56.220 --> 00:17:58.339
 Nobody else canceled debts every seventh year.

00:17:58.720 --> 00:18:01.259
 They were costly and they were countercultural.

00:18:01.599 --> 00:18:08.700
 And there was all kinds of pressure on these returned exiles to just blend in with everybody else around them.

00:18:08.700 --> 00:18:12.480
 So, they're correcting past failures.

00:18:12.640 --> 00:18:14.259
 They're resisting present temptations.

00:18:14.420 --> 00:18:18.680
 And the third thing they do is they're addressing future uncertainties.

00:18:19.299 --> 00:18:27.380
 So, in Nehemiah's time, God's people were facing some new challenges as they were sort of heading into uncharted territory.

00:18:28.360 --> 00:18:29.240
 Now, you might say, how?

00:18:29.240 --> 00:18:39.579
 Well, prior to the exile, the kings of Israel and Judah had taken an active role in supporting the work of the temple both financially and administratively.

00:18:39.640 --> 00:18:44.140
 So, if you read Chronicles, you'll see that King Solomon got the temple built.

00:18:45.059 --> 00:18:48.980
 King Joash and King Hezekiah repaired the temple when it had fallen into disrepair.

00:18:49.900 --> 00:18:57.019
 Asa and Jehoshaphat and Josiah provided offerings, initiated capital campaigns when money was needed, and organized the Levites.

00:18:57.019 --> 00:19:06.379
 So, the kings had taken leadership in seeing that the temple work was funded and organized and supported.

00:19:07.460 --> 00:19:08.759
 Then the exile happened.

00:19:08.980 --> 00:19:09.839
 The temple's destroyed.

00:19:10.559 --> 00:19:11.639
 Then they returned to the land.

00:19:11.819 --> 00:19:12.599
 They rebuild the temple.

00:19:12.819 --> 00:19:15.519
 We've just seen that in Ezra and Nehemiah and the city.

00:19:15.639 --> 00:19:16.879
 But there's no king.

00:19:18.559 --> 00:19:20.700
 So, who's going to support the temple?

00:19:21.859 --> 00:19:22.339
 Right?

00:19:22.859 --> 00:19:25.940
 The way it used to happen ain't going to happen anymore.

00:19:27.019 --> 00:19:34.119
 And Nehemiah the governor doesn't have enough, doesn't have all the revenue that King Solomon had to take care of it on his own.

00:19:35.079 --> 00:19:36.019
 So, what do they do?

00:19:36.859 --> 00:19:40.940
 They say, we are going to commit to do this together.

00:19:41.079 --> 00:19:44.400
 And they spell out the details in verses 32 to 39.

00:19:44.759 --> 00:19:47.400
 That long list of offerings that I read.

00:19:48.279 --> 00:19:50.259
 So, they make an annual offering.

00:19:50.720 --> 00:19:52.200
 They say, we're all going to make an annual offering.

00:19:52.319 --> 00:19:53.259
 Now, that was a new thing.

00:19:53.259 --> 00:19:55.099
 It wasn't required in the law of Moses.

00:19:56.559 --> 00:20:02.500
 Moses talked about the tax whenever a census would happen, but didn't specify how often the census would happen.

00:20:03.019 --> 00:20:04.799
 Then they say, well, we need wood, right?

00:20:04.839 --> 00:20:06.119
 Because we need to keep the fire burning.

00:20:06.299 --> 00:20:10.720
 So, we've got to figure out a way that we make sure we've got enough wood there.

00:20:10.799 --> 00:20:15.319
 Because otherwise, the fire is going to go out and then can't offer any sacrifices and can't do our thing.

00:20:15.700 --> 00:20:16.940
 So, they make a rotation.

00:20:16.940 --> 00:20:20.920
 Everybody has to sign up for a week, right?

00:20:21.299 --> 00:20:26.279
 And then verse 35 to 39, they spell out the details of all the offerings.

00:20:26.440 --> 00:20:33.460
 Who they're for, when they get collected, where they get collected, who takes them to the temple, etc., etc.

00:20:33.460 --> 00:20:44.660
 So, they're taking the principles found in the law of Moses and then they're applying them to new challenges and new circumstances that they're facing.

00:20:45.440 --> 00:20:47.279
 So, they're correcting past failures.

00:20:47.440 --> 00:20:51.900
 They're resisting present temptations and they're addressing future uncertainties.

00:20:52.019 --> 00:20:59.279
 Those are the three things that they are doing and they're doing it all because of God's mercy to them.

00:20:59.279 --> 00:21:06.139
 Now, the question you're probably asking is, so what?

00:21:06.220 --> 00:21:08.039
 What does this mean for us?

00:21:09.559 --> 00:21:09.879
 Right?

00:21:10.079 --> 00:21:15.279
 In many ways, our situation is very different from the people in Nehemiah's day.

00:21:15.359 --> 00:21:17.799
 We're not living in Jerusalem after the exile.

00:21:17.920 --> 00:21:23.220
 We don't have a physical temple where God has specifically promised to meet with us.

00:21:23.220 --> 00:21:31.319
 We don't have the same rules about Sabbath days, holy days, Sabbath years, grain offerings, burnt offerings, sin offerings, wood offerings, first fruits, etc., etc., etc.

00:21:32.980 --> 00:21:36.360
 We're not bound to obey everything in the law of Moses.

00:21:36.480 --> 00:21:36.980
 Now, why?

00:21:38.240 --> 00:21:41.120
 Because Jesus Christ has come.

00:21:42.140 --> 00:21:45.279
 And Jesus came as the fulfillment of the law.

00:21:45.620 --> 00:21:47.860
 He is our true temple.

00:21:48.660 --> 00:21:49.319
 What was the temple?

00:21:49.319 --> 00:21:53.980
 The temple is the place where God and humanity meet and are reconciled.

00:21:54.939 --> 00:21:59.720
 Now, Jesus is the one in whom God and humanity meet and are reconciled.

00:21:59.799 --> 00:22:02.179
 Through Him, we're reconciled with God.

00:22:02.819 --> 00:22:08.559
 He's our high priest, our representative and advocate before God, and He has given us a new covenant,

00:22:08.819 --> 00:22:16.740
 a better way for us to approach God with freedom and confidence because of His own blood shed on the cross.

00:22:16.740 --> 00:22:20.059
 A sacrifice for the forgiveness of our sins.

00:22:21.799 --> 00:22:31.640
 So, in Jesus, we see God's mercy so much more clearly, so much more fully and gloriously than anyone ever did in the Old Testament.

00:22:31.640 --> 00:22:41.400
 And so, the mercy of God that we see in Jesus doesn't lead us to obey God less than the people did in the Old Testament.

00:22:41.580 --> 00:22:49.100
 No, God's mercy in Jesus empowers us for deeper, more wholehearted, more lasting obedience to God,

00:22:49.360 --> 00:22:51.940
 all in light of who Jesus is and what He has done.

00:22:51.940 --> 00:22:57.940
 So, what we see is God's people in the New Testament also make resolutions.

00:22:58.180 --> 00:23:00.920
 That's our second point I want to look at this morning.

00:23:01.080 --> 00:23:09.840
 Turn with me to Romans 12 because I want to camp out there what we read earlier for the rest of our time this morning.

00:23:09.839 --> 00:23:12.839
 Romans 12, verses 1 and 2.

00:23:13.339 --> 00:23:23.720
 I want to focus on these verses as an example of the New Testament Christians resolving to obey God.

00:23:23.819 --> 00:23:24.599
 So, Paul begins,

00:23:24.699 --> 00:23:28.839
 I appeal to you, therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God.

00:23:29.519 --> 00:23:33.559
 Note how Paul starts with the mercies of God.

00:23:33.559 --> 00:23:41.980
 Everything Paul says in Romans 12, 1 and 2 and the rest of the book all starts with the amazing, unending mercies of God.

00:23:42.079 --> 00:23:43.819
 That's the first 11 chapters of Romans.

00:23:43.899 --> 00:23:52.299
 If you read Romans 1 to 11, it's all about the bondage and futility and hopelessness of our sin

00:23:52.299 --> 00:23:59.119
 and the majesty and mercy and salvation of God in Jesus Christ.

00:23:59.119 --> 00:24:04.939
 So, everything Paul says here is because of God's mercy.

00:24:06.319 --> 00:24:07.279
 Then he goes on.

00:24:08.639 --> 00:24:15.579
 Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

00:24:17.099 --> 00:24:21.459
 And in that phrase, Paul is correcting past failures.

00:24:21.639 --> 00:24:25.879
 He's actually, what we're going to see is Paul's doing the same three things that Nehemiah did.

00:24:25.880 --> 00:24:31.440
 Correcting past failures, resisting present temptations, and addressing future uncertainties.

00:24:32.420 --> 00:24:34.560
 Now, how is he correcting past failures?

00:24:34.720 --> 00:24:40.420
 Well, if you look back in Romans 6, verse 19, Paul says this.

00:24:41.500 --> 00:24:47.660
 You once presented your members, that is the parts of your body,

00:24:48.520 --> 00:24:53.520
 as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness.

00:24:53.519 --> 00:24:56.740
 And now, what does Paul say?

00:24:57.319 --> 00:25:02.700
 Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God.

00:25:04.440 --> 00:25:11.139
 Paul says, present the same body, which was once an instrument of sin, to God,

00:25:11.519 --> 00:25:14.220
 so that it would be an instrument of holiness.

00:25:16.019 --> 00:25:20.700
 You know, this is one reason why Christian baptism is such an amazing gift.

00:25:20.700 --> 00:25:24.100
 Because what happens when you get baptized?

00:25:25.259 --> 00:25:28.759
 When you get baptized, your whole body gets dunked in the water.

00:25:28.980 --> 00:25:30.360
 Or maybe you got sprinkled.

00:25:30.640 --> 00:25:31.299
 That's all right.

00:25:31.960 --> 00:25:34.480
 But the dunking is a great image, right?

00:25:36.420 --> 00:25:37.559
 Because you're immersed.

00:25:37.559 --> 00:25:46.679
 God is saying to you, your very own body, that may have been an instrument of all kinds of sin,

00:25:47.720 --> 00:25:50.259
 that may have been the recipient of all kinds of shame,

00:25:50.940 --> 00:25:53.399
 is now joined to the body of Jesus, your Savior.

00:25:54.419 --> 00:25:57.599
 He's saying, I have washed you clean by the blood of Christ.

00:25:57.839 --> 00:25:59.099
 I have set you apart.

00:25:59.200 --> 00:26:00.500
 I've called you my child.

00:26:00.839 --> 00:26:04.619
 Beloved, I have covered your shame and clothed you with honor and glory.

00:26:04.619 --> 00:26:11.619
 You are mine, and your very own body is a temple in which my Holy Spirit dwells.

00:26:13.139 --> 00:26:16.439
 Paul says, your bodies are members of Christ himself.

00:26:19.399 --> 00:26:25.579
 As holy as the temple was in the Old Testament, our bodies are today.

00:26:27.359 --> 00:26:29.319
 Isn't that an amazing gift?

00:26:29.319 --> 00:26:36.359
 I mean, in one sense, you could say that the whole of the Christian life is living into the truth

00:26:36.359 --> 00:26:38.740
 of what your baptism represents.

00:26:40.839 --> 00:26:44.220
 You're a new creation in Christ Jesus, so live that way.

00:26:46.859 --> 00:26:49.379
 Now, along these lines, let me ask this question.

00:26:50.899 --> 00:26:58.899
 Are there old habits that you need to resolve to put to death by the power of Christ Jesus?

00:26:59.319 --> 00:27:08.259
 Compulsive behaviors, downward thought spirals, emotions that go out of control.

00:27:10.259 --> 00:27:14.079
 You know, change doesn't always come quickly in these areas.

00:27:17.079 --> 00:27:21.500
 Sometimes we can do better for a while, then we slip back into the same old patterns.

00:27:21.500 --> 00:27:28.059
 Matt Spith's teaching Sunday school about restoring damaged relationships, and this morning he was saying,

00:27:28.339 --> 00:27:32.400
 restoring damaged relationships is almost always a process.

00:27:34.539 --> 00:27:40.180
 It doesn't happen all at once, normally.

00:27:40.180 --> 00:27:47.080
 One of Jonathan Edwards' resolutions was this,

00:27:47.720 --> 00:27:56.200
 never to give up, nor to relax my fight with my corruptions, however unsuccessful I may be.

00:27:57.220 --> 00:27:58.220
 Isn't that interesting?

00:28:00.000 --> 00:28:04.799
 You know, some of us think about Jonathan Edwards and Christians like him in the past

00:28:04.799 --> 00:28:08.659
 as these spiritual giants, these heroes, and we think,

00:28:08.779 --> 00:28:10.980
 I could never attain to their level.

00:28:13.379 --> 00:28:15.740
 Sometimes people write books about them as if they were,

00:28:17.079 --> 00:28:18.980
 living at levels unattainable.

00:28:20.159 --> 00:28:22.879
 But you know, Jonathan Edwards didn't see himself that way.

00:28:24.480 --> 00:28:28.059
 He knew that he had flaws and failures,

00:28:28.059 --> 00:28:31.179
 like every Christian does.

00:28:32.759 --> 00:28:34.259
 But what he said is,

00:28:34.339 --> 00:28:35.899
 I'm going to keep on fighting.

00:28:37.179 --> 00:28:39.279
 I'm going to keep on repenting.

00:28:40.079 --> 00:28:42.919
 And keep on trying to change humbly,

00:28:43.019 --> 00:28:46.339
 depending on God for the grace I need each day.

00:28:47.960 --> 00:28:49.779
 And isn't that what we all need to do?

00:28:51.279 --> 00:28:53.279
 To not give up the fight.

00:28:54.519 --> 00:28:55.000
 You know what?

00:28:55.000 --> 00:28:58.579
 It doesn't usually work well to fight those battles by yourself.

00:29:01.099 --> 00:29:04.200
 That's why God has called us into the body of Christ.

00:29:06.500 --> 00:29:10.380
 The first thing Paul talks about after Romans 12, 1-2,

00:29:10.440 --> 00:29:12.640
 is he talks about the body of Christ.

00:29:13.839 --> 00:29:16.099
 You're part of something bigger than yourself.

00:29:16.240 --> 00:29:18.960
 The way that you live out a Christian life

00:29:18.960 --> 00:29:22.980
 is in the context of the community of faith.

00:29:25.000 --> 00:29:28.339
 So, find at least one or two other Christians who you trust.

00:29:28.500 --> 00:29:29.700
 Share your struggle with them

00:29:29.700 --> 00:29:32.160
 so they can be praying and encouraging you

00:29:32.160 --> 00:29:33.359
 and walking with you.

00:29:34.460 --> 00:29:36.500
 So, correcting past failures.

00:29:36.660 --> 00:29:40.500
 Second, Paul is urging us to resist present temptations.

00:29:40.700 --> 00:29:43.180
 Don't be conformed to this world

00:29:43.180 --> 00:29:44.980
 or to the pattern of this age,

00:29:45.039 --> 00:29:47.700
 but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

00:29:48.240 --> 00:29:49.980
 One paraphrase puts it this way.

00:29:49.980 --> 00:29:54.839
 Don't let the world around you squeeze you into its own mold,

00:29:55.160 --> 00:29:59.539
 but let God remold your minds from the inside out.

00:30:00.839 --> 00:30:02.079
 And again, later on in Romans,

00:30:02.220 --> 00:30:04.860
 Paul gets more specific about what this looks like.

00:30:05.279 --> 00:30:07.220
 So, I just want to take two examples

00:30:07.220 --> 00:30:11.079
 of what Paul says in the rest of chapter 12

00:30:11.079 --> 00:30:13.079
 that I think are notable.

00:30:13.079 --> 00:30:15.240
 First, notice what Paul says in verse 9.

00:30:15.419 --> 00:30:15.799
 He says,

00:30:15.960 --> 00:30:18.659
 Abhor or hate what is evil.

00:30:19.159 --> 00:30:20.740
 Cling to what is good.

00:30:20.819 --> 00:30:22.139
 Hold fast to what is good.

00:30:22.379 --> 00:30:22.960
 In other words,

00:30:23.059 --> 00:30:26.599
 Paul wants Christians to see right and wrong clearly,

00:30:27.000 --> 00:30:30.079
 to have clear and distinct moral standards,

00:30:31.099 --> 00:30:32.480
 not to be wishy-washy,

00:30:33.619 --> 00:30:35.579
 not to join in celebrating everything

00:30:35.579 --> 00:30:37.359
 that the world currently promotes,

00:30:37.599 --> 00:30:40.099
 but to recognize things for what they really are,

00:30:40.179 --> 00:30:42.559
 to embrace what is good and true and beautiful,

00:30:42.559 --> 00:30:46.519
 and to resist what's distorted and deceptive and harmful.

00:30:46.839 --> 00:30:47.659
 In other words,

00:30:47.940 --> 00:30:49.940
 Christians are to be committed to holiness.

00:30:51.779 --> 00:30:54.159
 But then look at what he says in verse 13.

00:30:55.940 --> 00:30:58.460
 Seek to show hospitality.

00:31:00.200 --> 00:31:01.279
 What's hospitality?

00:31:02.240 --> 00:31:06.019
 It's being welcoming and generous and open-hearted.

00:31:06.019 --> 00:31:09.119
 Now, at first you might think,

00:31:09.740 --> 00:31:13.900
 well, Paul means we should show hospitality to fellow Christians.

00:31:14.740 --> 00:31:16.920
 Doesn't the first half of verse 13 say,

00:31:17.059 --> 00:31:18.639
 contribute to the needs of the saints?

00:31:21.220 --> 00:31:23.220
 But we can't limit it that way.

00:31:24.319 --> 00:31:25.940
 Let's go on to verse 17.

00:31:26.119 --> 00:31:26.960
 Paul keeps going,

00:31:27.319 --> 00:31:27.900
 and he says,

00:31:28.000 --> 00:31:29.559
 Repay no one evil for evil.

00:31:29.559 --> 00:31:31.139
 Then verse 19,

00:31:31.259 --> 00:31:31.559
 he says,

00:31:31.639 --> 00:31:33.220
 Never avenge yourselves.

00:31:33.440 --> 00:31:34.359
 And verse 20,

00:31:34.960 --> 00:31:35.879
 sort of the climax,

00:31:36.019 --> 00:31:37.059
 To the contrary,

00:31:37.319 --> 00:31:38.879
 if your enemy is hungry,

00:31:39.399 --> 00:31:40.000
 feed him.

00:31:41.359 --> 00:31:42.559
 If he's thirsty,

00:31:43.039 --> 00:31:44.919
 give him something to drink.

00:31:46.119 --> 00:31:47.139
 For by so doing,

00:31:47.220 --> 00:31:48.940
 you will heap burning coals on his head.

00:31:49.419 --> 00:31:51.519
 Do not be overcome by evil,

00:31:51.619 --> 00:31:53.220
 but overcome evil with good.

00:31:53.220 --> 00:31:55.180
 You see,

00:31:55.279 --> 00:31:57.380
 Christians are to be committed to holiness

00:31:57.380 --> 00:32:00.779
 more than anyone else in the world,

00:32:00.940 --> 00:32:02.400
 and hospitality

00:32:02.400 --> 00:32:04.799
 more than anyone else in the world.

00:32:05.100 --> 00:32:06.059
 That's what Paul's saying.

00:32:07.059 --> 00:32:07.519
 And you know,

00:32:07.579 --> 00:32:08.640
 the world has a category

00:32:08.640 --> 00:32:11.140
 for people who are committed to holiness,

00:32:11.380 --> 00:32:12.660
 who are moral sticklers,

00:32:12.960 --> 00:32:14.500
 and who avoid and despise

00:32:14.500 --> 00:32:16.400
 everyone who doesn't live up to their standards.

00:32:17.640 --> 00:32:19.339
 And the world also has a category

00:32:19.339 --> 00:32:20.900
 for people who are just open,

00:32:21.559 --> 00:32:22.579
 always accepting,

00:32:22.579 --> 00:32:23.799
 always affirming,

00:32:23.939 --> 00:32:24.799
 always approving

00:32:24.799 --> 00:32:26.679
 of whoever you define yourself to be,

00:32:26.939 --> 00:32:28.500
 whatever path you choose to follow.

00:32:30.319 --> 00:32:30.759
 But you know,

00:32:30.819 --> 00:32:32.339
 the world doesn't have a category

00:32:32.339 --> 00:32:33.059
 for people

00:32:33.059 --> 00:32:35.879
 who are deeply committed to holiness

00:32:35.879 --> 00:32:38.839
 and disarmingly hospitable and humble.

00:32:40.000 --> 00:32:42.639
 When you see a person like that,

00:32:43.279 --> 00:32:45.539
 who knows what is right and wrong,

00:32:45.639 --> 00:32:47.639
 who isn't afraid to call a spade a spade,

00:32:47.919 --> 00:32:49.619
 who doesn't compromise,

00:32:50.740 --> 00:32:52.099
 who lives a distinct life,

00:32:52.099 --> 00:32:54.959
 and yet who is open-hearted and generous

00:32:54.959 --> 00:32:56.719
 and meets people where they are.

00:32:58.339 --> 00:33:00.359
 When you see someone like that,

00:33:00.980 --> 00:33:04.179
 you're seeing the Holy Spirit of God

00:33:04.179 --> 00:33:05.839
 at work in them.

00:33:07.459 --> 00:33:07.980
 You know,

00:33:08.039 --> 00:33:08.779
 that kind of attitude

00:33:08.779 --> 00:33:10.139
 doesn't just come naturally

00:33:10.139 --> 00:33:11.779
 or through willpower.

00:33:12.099 --> 00:33:14.539
 It comes through the renewal of our minds,

00:33:14.639 --> 00:33:16.279
 letting God shape our attitudes

00:33:16.279 --> 00:33:17.059
 and perspectives

00:33:17.059 --> 00:33:19.720
 according to Jesus himself.

00:33:21.079 --> 00:33:21.619
 So,

00:33:21.700 --> 00:33:22.819
 correcting past failures,

00:33:23.019 --> 00:33:24.379
 resisting present temptations,

00:33:24.519 --> 00:33:24.920
 and third,

00:33:25.039 --> 00:33:25.879
 Paul's urging us

00:33:25.879 --> 00:33:28.220
 to address future uncertainties.

00:33:28.799 --> 00:33:30.599
 Look at the end of verse 2.

00:33:31.319 --> 00:33:32.379
 So that by testing,

00:33:33.160 --> 00:33:34.139
 you may discern

00:33:34.139 --> 00:33:36.180
 what is the will of God,

00:33:36.240 --> 00:33:37.319
 what is good and acceptable

00:33:37.319 --> 00:33:38.240
 and perfect.

00:33:38.559 --> 00:33:38.720
 Now,

00:33:38.779 --> 00:33:39.579
 notice those words,

00:33:39.740 --> 00:33:41.480
 testing and discerning.

00:33:41.480 --> 00:33:43.980
 Every time and place

00:33:43.980 --> 00:33:45.220
 presents different challenges

00:33:45.220 --> 00:33:46.940
 and different opportunities

00:33:46.940 --> 00:33:47.920
 for God's people.

00:33:48.319 --> 00:33:48.559
 And so,

00:33:48.640 --> 00:33:49.740
 there needs to be a process

00:33:49.740 --> 00:33:51.759
 of testing and discerning together.

00:33:53.200 --> 00:33:54.880
 What does it look like

00:33:54.880 --> 00:33:56.059
 here and now

00:33:56.059 --> 00:33:59.120
 to reflect God's unchanging character

00:33:59.120 --> 00:34:01.839
 and His good and perfect will?

00:34:01.839 --> 00:34:04.919
 One of the areas

00:34:04.919 --> 00:34:06.519
 where I think

00:34:06.519 --> 00:34:07.659
 we need to be actively

00:34:07.659 --> 00:34:09.380
 testing and discerning

00:34:09.380 --> 00:34:10.480
 together

00:34:10.480 --> 00:34:12.440
 what is God's

00:34:12.440 --> 00:34:13.860
 good and pleasing will

00:34:13.860 --> 00:34:16.079
 is in how we use technology.

00:34:17.960 --> 00:34:19.199
 When I was in college,

00:34:19.460 --> 00:34:20.639
 not that long ago,

00:34:20.719 --> 00:34:21.779
 I didn't have a cell phone

00:34:21.779 --> 00:34:22.920
 for the first two years.

00:34:23.679 --> 00:34:24.960
 And I wasn't weird.

00:34:25.340 --> 00:34:26.519
 At least I wasn't weird

00:34:26.519 --> 00:34:27.219
 because of that.

00:34:28.259 --> 00:34:28.500
 Now,

00:34:28.599 --> 00:34:29.099
 today,

00:34:30.159 --> 00:34:30.420
 right,

00:34:30.460 --> 00:34:31.679
 it's almost unthinkable

00:34:31.679 --> 00:34:32.859
 to not have a smartphone

00:34:32.859 --> 00:34:35.019
 and to not have it with you

00:34:35.019 --> 00:34:36.879
 and on 24 hours a day,

00:34:36.960 --> 00:34:37.719
 seven days a week.

00:34:38.759 --> 00:34:40.579
 The world is changing fast.

00:34:41.219 --> 00:34:41.440
 Yes,

00:34:41.460 --> 00:34:42.219
 I'm starting to sound

00:34:42.219 --> 00:34:42.980
 like an old person.

00:34:44.079 --> 00:34:44.480
 Right?

00:34:45.500 --> 00:34:46.839
 We're facing opportunities

00:34:46.839 --> 00:34:47.599
 and challenges

00:34:47.599 --> 00:34:48.859
 that previous generations

00:34:48.859 --> 00:34:49.419
 of Christians

00:34:49.419 --> 00:34:50.980
 did not face.

00:34:52.059 --> 00:34:52.299
 And so,

00:34:52.339 --> 00:34:53.379
 we need to ask ourselves,

00:34:53.519 --> 00:34:54.199
 what are the goods

00:34:54.199 --> 00:34:55.279
 that we should embrace

00:34:55.279 --> 00:34:57.159
 and what are the evils

00:34:57.159 --> 00:34:58.079
 that we should resist?

00:34:59.480 --> 00:34:59.759
 Now,

00:34:59.819 --> 00:35:00.539
 technology brings

00:35:00.539 --> 00:35:01.299
 plenty of benefits

00:35:01.300 --> 00:35:02.700
 that we can gladly embrace,

00:35:03.039 --> 00:35:03.620
 the opportunity

00:35:03.620 --> 00:35:04.460
 to stay connected

00:35:04.460 --> 00:35:05.460
 with friends and family

00:35:05.460 --> 00:35:07.320
 who are geographically far away,

00:35:07.420 --> 00:35:08.560
 the volume of information

00:35:08.560 --> 00:35:10.000
 readily available to us,

00:35:10.300 --> 00:35:11.000
 even the ability

00:35:11.000 --> 00:35:11.880
 to read the Bible

00:35:11.880 --> 00:35:12.900
 on your phone

00:35:12.900 --> 00:35:13.800
 or have it read aloud

00:35:13.800 --> 00:35:14.380
 to you,

00:35:14.539 --> 00:35:15.019
 easily,

00:35:15.220 --> 00:35:15.580
 anywhere,

00:35:15.680 --> 00:35:16.160
 for free.

00:35:17.580 --> 00:35:17.740
 Some,

00:35:18.080 --> 00:35:18.980
 you know,

00:35:19.019 --> 00:35:20.280
 we hardly even notice

00:35:20.280 --> 00:35:21.480
 how remarkable

00:35:21.480 --> 00:35:22.780
 those things are.

00:35:22.780 --> 00:35:25.600
 But there are benefits

00:35:25.600 --> 00:35:27.440
 and there are pitfalls.

00:35:28.860 --> 00:35:30.260
 You can access pornography

00:35:30.260 --> 00:35:31.080
 on your phone

00:35:31.080 --> 00:35:31.760
 just as easily

00:35:31.760 --> 00:35:32.480
 as you can access

00:35:32.480 --> 00:35:32.960
 the Bible.

00:35:34.160 --> 00:35:35.100
 And even if you're not

00:35:35.100 --> 00:35:35.920
 looking at anything

00:35:35.920 --> 00:35:36.519
 inappropriate,

00:35:37.519 --> 00:35:38.440
 the phone can become

00:35:38.440 --> 00:35:39.420
 an escape mechanism.

00:35:40.240 --> 00:35:41.660
 Whenever you feel stressed

00:35:41.660 --> 00:35:42.380
 or bored

00:35:42.380 --> 00:35:44.140
 or annoyed

00:35:44.140 --> 00:35:45.340
 at real people,

00:35:45.740 --> 00:35:46.600
 you go to the phone.

00:35:46.599 --> 00:35:48.719
 It can work

00:35:48.719 --> 00:35:49.880
 just like any other addiction.

00:35:52.119 --> 00:35:53.119
 And as we're staying

00:35:53.119 --> 00:35:53.960
 connected with people

00:35:53.960 --> 00:35:55.119
 who are far away

00:35:55.119 --> 00:35:56.219
 and with news

00:35:56.219 --> 00:35:57.119
 from around the world,

00:35:57.219 --> 00:35:57.980
 what about the person

00:35:57.980 --> 00:35:59.179
 sitting right next to you?

00:36:00.940 --> 00:36:02.400
 Did you not even notice them?

00:36:04.400 --> 00:36:05.759
 We need to ask ourselves

00:36:05.759 --> 00:36:06.519
 these questions

00:36:06.519 --> 00:36:09.259
 and discern together

00:36:09.259 --> 00:36:10.559
 what does it look like

00:36:10.559 --> 00:36:13.019
 to live faithfully

00:36:13.019 --> 00:36:16.519
 in this present world?

00:36:17.639 --> 00:36:18.599
 I want to recommend

00:36:18.599 --> 00:36:19.219
 two books

00:36:19.219 --> 00:36:20.360
 that can help us

00:36:20.360 --> 00:36:21.759
 that can stimulate

00:36:21.759 --> 00:36:22.539
 our conversation

00:36:22.539 --> 00:36:23.179
 and our thinking

00:36:23.179 --> 00:36:24.059
 in these areas.

00:36:24.179 --> 00:36:24.799
 So one is called

00:36:24.799 --> 00:36:25.920
 The Tech Wise Family

00:36:25.920 --> 00:36:27.500
 by Andy Crouch.

00:36:28.079 --> 00:36:28.559
 So especially

00:36:28.559 --> 00:36:29.320
 if you're a parent,

00:36:29.900 --> 00:36:30.860
 that one is really

00:36:30.860 --> 00:36:31.460
 worth reading.

00:36:32.880 --> 00:36:34.119
 And then the second one

00:36:34.119 --> 00:36:34.719
 is called

00:36:34.719 --> 00:36:35.779
 The Common Rule,

00:36:36.500 --> 00:36:37.579
 Habits of Purpose

00:36:37.579 --> 00:36:39.460
 for an Age of Distraction.

00:36:40.559 --> 00:36:41.360
 It's a,

00:36:41.539 --> 00:36:42.460
 these are both

00:36:42.460 --> 00:36:43.980
 really good books.

00:36:44.059 --> 00:36:44.920
 This is sort of like

00:36:44.920 --> 00:36:45.840
 spiritual disciplines

00:36:45.840 --> 00:36:47.239
 for a technological age.

00:36:47.279 --> 00:36:48.059
 Like how do you

00:36:48.059 --> 00:36:49.599
 cultivate habits

00:36:49.599 --> 00:36:50.139
 that help you

00:36:50.139 --> 00:36:51.039
 love God

00:36:51.039 --> 00:36:51.940
 and love your neighbor

00:36:51.940 --> 00:36:54.519
 in this world

00:36:54.519 --> 00:36:55.199
 that we live in?

00:36:56.279 --> 00:36:57.420
 So I have a copy of each.

00:36:57.539 --> 00:36:58.579
 If you really want to read it,

00:36:58.799 --> 00:37:00.380
 then come up to me

00:37:00.380 --> 00:37:01.619
 and if you're first,

00:37:01.679 --> 00:37:02.159
 you'll get it.

00:37:02.539 --> 00:37:03.420
 And if you're not,

00:37:03.500 --> 00:37:04.239
 you can buy it down

00:37:04.239 --> 00:37:04.880
 on the bookstall.

00:37:05.500 --> 00:37:06.639
 This one isn't here today,

00:37:06.699 --> 00:37:07.579
 but it'll be here next week.

00:37:10.559 --> 00:37:11.079
 So Paul,

00:37:11.239 --> 00:37:11.860
 like Nehemiah,

00:37:11.940 --> 00:37:12.679
 urges us

00:37:12.679 --> 00:37:14.940
 to correct past failures,

00:37:15.199 --> 00:37:17.460
 to resist present temptations,

00:37:17.579 --> 00:37:19.340
 to address future uncertainties.

00:37:20.719 --> 00:37:22.340
 And as we conclude this morning,

00:37:22.940 --> 00:37:23.840
 we want to come back

00:37:23.840 --> 00:37:25.860
 to the basis of it all

00:37:25.860 --> 00:37:27.519
 is the mercy of God.

00:37:28.099 --> 00:37:28.820
 Let me close

00:37:28.820 --> 00:37:30.039
 with the prayer

00:37:30.039 --> 00:37:31.519
 that Jonathan Edwards

00:37:31.519 --> 00:37:33.239
 begins his resolutions with.

00:37:33.239 --> 00:37:36.279
 being sensible

00:37:36.279 --> 00:37:37.739
 that we are unable

00:37:37.739 --> 00:37:38.619
 to do anything

00:37:38.619 --> 00:37:39.679
 without God's help.

00:37:40.539 --> 00:37:41.819
 We do humbly

00:37:41.819 --> 00:37:42.559
 entreat him

00:37:42.559 --> 00:37:43.459
 by his grace

00:37:43.459 --> 00:37:45.039
 to enable us

00:37:45.039 --> 00:37:46.299
 to keep these resolutions

00:37:46.299 --> 00:37:48.059
 so far

00:37:48.059 --> 00:37:49.139
 as they are agreeable

00:37:49.139 --> 00:37:49.919
 to his will

00:37:49.919 --> 00:37:51.599
 for Christ's sake.

00:37:52.559 --> 00:37:53.119
 Amen.

00:37:56.299 --> 00:37:57.599
 Well, we're going to continue

00:37:57.599 --> 00:37:58.259
 this morning

00:37:58.259 --> 00:37:58.939
 by celebrating

00:37:58.939 --> 00:38:00.159
 the Lord's Supper.

00:38:00.159 --> 00:38:01.699
 Um,

00:38:01.699 --> 00:38:01.759
 and,