WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:07.879 So, as John mentioned in his prayer, I just got back last night from our Denomination's yearly gathering in St. Louis, 00:00:08.160 --> 00:00:10.660 and I know many of you are curious and interested in what happened. 00:00:10.720 --> 00:00:13.599 I'll just give you a brief summary, which is that lots of good things happened. 00:00:14.640 --> 00:00:20.679 I'm encouraged about the future of our denomination, and I'm happy to talk about it more with you one-on-one if you'd like. 00:00:21.879 --> 00:00:26.719 Many of you know, of course, we're celebrating Independence Day, our independence from Britain, 00:00:26.859 --> 00:00:29.560 but now, of course, we also have a special relationship with Britain. 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:35.299 Our church, in a similar way, has a special relationship with Westside PCA, our sister church here in town, 00:00:35.659 --> 00:00:40.380 and it's our pleasure to welcome Davis Morgan, who's their pastor, to bring God's Word to us today. 00:00:40.460 --> 00:00:41.200 So, Davis, welcome. 00:00:44.159 --> 00:00:45.299 Greetings, Cheyenne Mountain. 00:00:45.299 --> 00:00:50.420 It is so great to be with you on this Lord's Day, on this Independence Day, 00:00:50.679 --> 00:00:56.719 to come together and to bring God's Word from Ephesians chapter 3. 00:00:56.719 --> 00:01:00.799 And so I want to invite you, if you have your bulletin there, I see the text is there for you, 00:01:01.060 --> 00:01:03.280 or if you would like to open your Bible to Ephesians 3. 00:01:04.159 --> 00:01:07.280 We, as a church, have been going through the book of Ephesians. 00:01:07.379 --> 00:01:10.599 We just wrapped up chapter 3 about a month ago or so, 00:01:11.299 --> 00:01:14.259 and we were studying the book of Ephesians to learn, as a church, 00:01:14.480 --> 00:01:16.420 just what we are called to be as a church. 00:01:16.420 --> 00:01:18.480 As Christians, our identity in Christ, 00:01:18.680 --> 00:01:24.539 our identity as being part of the body of Christ in the troubling days in which we find ourselves, 00:01:24.540 --> 00:01:29.740 the book of Ephesians was a timely word from Scripture for us, 00:01:30.080 --> 00:01:33.080 and so I pray and hope that it will be timely for you as well. 00:01:33.560 --> 00:01:36.920 So draw your attention to the reading and to the preaching of God's holy, 00:01:37.140 --> 00:01:40.640 His inspired Word that He has preserved for us as people. 00:01:41.380 --> 00:01:43.719 Ephesians 3, 1 through 13. 00:01:44.760 --> 00:01:49.920 For this reason, I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles, 00:01:49.920 --> 00:01:54.659 assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God's grace that was given to me for you, 00:01:55.200 --> 00:01:59.180 how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly. 00:01:59.680 --> 00:02:03.180 When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, 00:02:03.659 --> 00:02:06.659 which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations, 00:02:07.159 --> 00:02:11.979 as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. 00:02:11.979 --> 00:02:17.759 This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, 00:02:18.159 --> 00:02:21.139 and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. 00:02:21.859 --> 00:02:25.579 Of this gospel, I was made a minister according to the gift of God's grace, 00:02:26.179 --> 00:02:28.799 which was given to me by the working of His power. 00:02:29.379 --> 00:02:32.659 To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, 00:02:33.219 --> 00:02:39.620 this grace was given to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 00:02:39.620 --> 00:02:45.680 and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for the ages in God, 00:02:45.800 --> 00:02:49.900 who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God 00:02:49.900 --> 00:02:53.980 might be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. 00:02:54.620 --> 00:02:59.460 This was according to the eternal purpose that He realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, 00:03:00.020 --> 00:03:04.379 in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in Him. 00:03:04.920 --> 00:03:09.080 So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, 00:03:09.080 --> 00:03:10.300 which is your glory. 00:03:10.680 --> 00:03:11.780 This is the Word of God. 00:03:13.260 --> 00:03:14.180 Thanks be to Him. 00:03:14.240 --> 00:03:15.980 Let us pray for our time in His Word. 00:03:17.800 --> 00:03:19.980 Lord God, we do thank You for this time. 00:03:20.080 --> 00:03:22.740 We thank You for this Word from Ephesians 3. 00:03:23.280 --> 00:03:27.620 We thank You that we have the privilege as Your people to hear this Word. 00:03:27.680 --> 00:03:29.420 And I pray that for every one of us in this room, 00:03:29.500 --> 00:03:30.900 we would not overlook that fact, 00:03:31.240 --> 00:03:34.280 that it is a privilege to hear Your Word proclaimed. 00:03:34.280 --> 00:03:37.400 And so we ask that You would give us humble hearts, Lord. 00:03:38.080 --> 00:03:41.539 We ask that You would give us ears to hear and to understand, 00:03:42.000 --> 00:03:45.139 eyes to see and to savor the glory of Jesus, 00:03:45.819 --> 00:03:49.460 Lord, and a spirit, a spirit to respond with faith, 00:03:49.979 --> 00:03:54.240 with repentance, with joy, with comfort, 00:03:55.080 --> 00:03:57.560 Lord, with adoration and worship of You, 00:03:57.680 --> 00:03:59.099 the King of kings, the Lord of lords. 00:03:59.900 --> 00:04:02.519 And Heavenly Father, we also pray for our little theologians 00:04:02.519 --> 00:04:03.379 that are in here, Lord, 00:04:03.699 --> 00:04:04.680 our covenant children, 00:04:04.919 --> 00:04:07.740 those little ears that will be listening as well. 00:04:07.819 --> 00:04:11.240 We pray that You would give them the gift of understanding Your Word, 00:04:11.780 --> 00:04:13.180 illumination by Your spirits. 00:04:13.840 --> 00:04:15.699 You say in John 3 that, 00:04:16.279 --> 00:04:19.560 Lord, we cannot understand a single thing from heaven 00:04:19.560 --> 00:04:22.060 unless You give it to us, You grant it to us. 00:04:22.079 --> 00:04:24.319 And so we ask that You would do that by Your grace. 00:04:24.500 --> 00:04:26.019 In Jesus' name, amen. 00:04:26.019 --> 00:04:26.159 Amen. 00:04:26.160 --> 00:04:26.660 Amen. 00:04:30.060 --> 00:04:31.880 Fifty-six men signed it. 00:04:32.720 --> 00:04:36.340 Their conviction resulted in untold sufferings 00:04:36.340 --> 00:04:38.620 for themselves and for their families. 00:04:39.300 --> 00:04:40.640 Of the fifty-six men, 00:04:40.880 --> 00:04:42.480 five were captured by the British 00:04:42.480 --> 00:04:44.379 and tortured before they died. 00:04:45.080 --> 00:04:47.540 Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. 00:04:48.180 --> 00:04:50.620 Two lost their sons in the Revolutionary Army. 00:04:51.320 --> 00:04:52.800 Another had two sons captured. 00:04:52.800 --> 00:04:58.180 Nine of the fifty-six fought and died from wounds or the hardships of war. 00:04:59.379 --> 00:05:00.759 And yet if you were to ask them, 00:05:01.560 --> 00:05:02.620 was it worth it? 00:05:03.340 --> 00:05:08.280 Was the Declaration of Independence made on July 4, 1776, 00:05:08.960 --> 00:05:10.699 245 years ago, 00:05:10.699 --> 00:05:14.199 and the years of war and hardship that followed, 00:05:15.000 --> 00:05:16.719 was it all worth it in the end? 00:05:17.360 --> 00:05:20.560 Their answer would have been, unequivocally, to quote Patrick Henry, 00:05:21.159 --> 00:05:23.539 give me liberty or give me death. 00:05:24.539 --> 00:05:26.599 Without question, it was the fortitude, 00:05:27.199 --> 00:05:29.099 the resolve of those patriots 00:05:29.099 --> 00:05:32.680 that eventually led to the founding of this great nation. 00:05:32.680 --> 00:05:36.019 Indeed, that is because all things, 00:05:36.079 --> 00:05:38.699 all things in life of lasting value 00:05:38.699 --> 00:05:41.660 require great endurance. 00:05:42.379 --> 00:05:44.300 They require fortitude and resilience 00:05:44.300 --> 00:05:48.079 that comes before seeing the desired outcome. 00:05:48.980 --> 00:05:49.920 You know what that is called? 00:05:50.699 --> 00:05:52.660 The Bible calls that faith. 00:05:53.540 --> 00:05:53.879 Faith. 00:05:54.680 --> 00:05:56.540 But it is not a blind faith, 00:05:56.579 --> 00:05:58.720 as the common misconception goes. 00:05:59.340 --> 00:06:00.399 Biblical faith, friends, 00:06:00.399 --> 00:06:02.340 is not a leap into the darkness. 00:06:02.680 --> 00:06:06.240 But it is a step into the light of God's revealed will 00:06:06.240 --> 00:06:08.060 and his acts in history. 00:06:08.400 --> 00:06:11.420 And it is being swept up by that astounding story. 00:06:12.340 --> 00:06:15.379 One man who knew this perhaps better than anyone else 00:06:15.379 --> 00:06:17.060 who has ever lived on the planet 00:06:17.060 --> 00:06:18.899 was the Apostle Paul. 00:06:19.639 --> 00:06:22.379 Paul, who at one time had been Saul of Tarsus, 00:06:23.120 --> 00:06:25.420 a Pharisee, a vehement opponent, 00:06:25.639 --> 00:06:26.800 persecutor of the church, 00:06:27.120 --> 00:06:28.500 as he says in Philippians 3. 00:06:28.500 --> 00:06:33.180 It was his mission to wipe the church out from existence. 00:06:33.959 --> 00:06:37.160 And sometimes we forget that not only had Paul arrested Christians, 00:06:37.500 --> 00:06:40.319 but Paul was complicit in the murder of Christians. 00:06:40.759 --> 00:06:42.980 We know about the stoning of Stephen in Acts 7, 00:06:43.120 --> 00:06:45.819 but he says later on when he's recounting his testimony 00:06:45.819 --> 00:06:48.220 that those that were brought into Jerusalem 00:06:48.220 --> 00:06:51.980 on the charges of being traitors to the nation of Israel, 00:06:51.980 --> 00:06:55.060 Paul signed off on their execution as well. 00:06:55.860 --> 00:06:57.439 It was to this man, 00:06:57.780 --> 00:07:00.240 this man that the exalted Christ 00:07:00.240 --> 00:07:02.340 had gloriously appeared to, 00:07:02.960 --> 00:07:04.540 and he appeared to Paul 00:07:04.540 --> 00:07:05.759 to become, 00:07:05.920 --> 00:07:09.220 Paul to become Christ's chosen instrument 00:07:09.220 --> 00:07:10.660 of bringing the gospel 00:07:10.660 --> 00:07:13.840 to all of the non-Jews in the world. 00:07:14.280 --> 00:07:15.740 No matter the ethnicity, 00:07:16.160 --> 00:07:18.340 no matter the region of the known world, 00:07:18.339 --> 00:07:20.399 the Old Testament promises 00:07:20.399 --> 00:07:23.699 to the faithful descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob 00:07:23.699 --> 00:07:24.919 were now being fulfilled. 00:07:25.319 --> 00:07:26.679 The nations of the earth 00:07:26.679 --> 00:07:29.659 were indeed coming under the blessing of God 00:07:29.659 --> 00:07:31.060 through the seed of Abraham, 00:07:31.419 --> 00:07:32.639 the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:07:33.519 --> 00:07:35.799 Those who were once considered unfit 00:07:35.799 --> 00:07:37.959 and outside of the kingdom of God, 00:07:38.339 --> 00:07:39.879 God has now brought near 00:07:39.879 --> 00:07:41.319 by the blood of his son, 00:07:41.399 --> 00:07:42.419 Ephesians chapter 2. 00:07:43.039 --> 00:07:44.099 In this sense, 00:07:44.100 --> 00:07:48.620 Christianity is the most inclusive religion 00:07:48.620 --> 00:07:49.780 in the world. 00:07:50.580 --> 00:07:51.780 What I mean by that 00:07:51.780 --> 00:07:54.280 is that there is no one who is forbidden. 00:07:54.700 --> 00:07:56.740 Outwardly, there is no one who is forbidden 00:07:56.740 --> 00:07:58.920 from embracing Jesus Christ. 00:07:59.439 --> 00:08:01.640 The good news of what God has done for sinners 00:08:01.640 --> 00:08:04.100 goes out to all who were here. 00:08:04.740 --> 00:08:07.200 There is no longer Jew nor Greek, Paul says. 00:08:07.260 --> 00:08:08.900 There is no longer slave nor free, 00:08:09.120 --> 00:08:12.260 male, female, Greek, barbarian, Scythian, Roman. 00:08:12.259 --> 00:08:16.019 All are one in Christ Jesus, Galatians chapter 3. 00:08:17.240 --> 00:08:19.639 Christianity is unique in this regard 00:08:19.639 --> 00:08:21.800 in that from beginning to end, 00:08:22.360 --> 00:08:25.560 the emphasis in Christianity is on God's work. 00:08:26.000 --> 00:08:29.519 It is on his invitation to all without discrimination. 00:08:30.519 --> 00:08:31.560 God has done this. 00:08:31.639 --> 00:08:32.720 It is his work. 00:08:33.259 --> 00:08:34.720 And he graciously calls 00:08:34.720 --> 00:08:39.580 and he applies it to whomever he freely will apply it to. 00:08:39.580 --> 00:08:44.180 This is what the Apostle Paul had given his life to. 00:08:45.280 --> 00:08:46.300 And you know what it cost him? 00:08:47.320 --> 00:08:50.120 It cost him essentially everything. 00:08:51.240 --> 00:08:54.340 In the face of intense hardship and affliction, 00:08:54.920 --> 00:08:55.480 persecution, 00:08:56.560 --> 00:08:59.480 you know the list from 2 Corinthians chapter 10 00:08:59.480 --> 00:09:00.879 where he goes through. 00:09:01.379 --> 00:09:04.879 The Corinthians have the gall, 00:09:04.960 --> 00:09:06.720 they have the audacity to question 00:09:06.720 --> 00:09:08.399 the ministry of this man. 00:09:08.660 --> 00:09:09.879 They have the gall, 00:09:09.960 --> 00:09:13.080 the audacity to question his authority as an apostle. 00:09:13.720 --> 00:09:15.980 And Paul says there in 2 Corinthians 10, 00:09:16.240 --> 00:09:17.720 do you not know what I have been through? 00:09:18.379 --> 00:09:20.180 Do you not know about the beatings? 00:09:20.220 --> 00:09:21.660 Do you not know about the lashings? 00:09:21.700 --> 00:09:23.000 Do you not know about the stoning? 00:09:23.600 --> 00:09:26.060 Do you not know that I have been in danger from robbers, 00:09:26.420 --> 00:09:28.019 danger from my own countrymen, 00:09:28.360 --> 00:09:29.820 danger from the Gentiles, 00:09:30.720 --> 00:09:31.740 danger from robbers? 00:09:31.740 --> 00:09:34.060 I have spent a sleepless night at sea, 00:09:34.120 --> 00:09:34.759 he says there. 00:09:35.960 --> 00:09:37.580 And more than that, Paul says, 00:09:37.620 --> 00:09:39.419 you really want to know what keeps me up at night? 00:09:39.659 --> 00:09:42.659 It is not knowing where the other blow is coming from. 00:09:42.860 --> 00:09:44.200 You know what kept Paul up at night? 00:09:44.600 --> 00:09:48.060 It was his anxiety for the church. 00:09:48.279 --> 00:09:50.779 It was his anxiety for the churches that he had planted 00:09:50.779 --> 00:09:53.279 that they were going to go astray, 00:09:53.740 --> 00:09:57.220 that they were going to essentially deny the faith 00:09:57.220 --> 00:09:58.379 that had saved them. 00:09:59.120 --> 00:10:00.820 Paul gave his life for this. 00:10:00.820 --> 00:10:02.660 Finally, Roman imprisonment even, 00:10:02.920 --> 00:10:04.820 that will eventually lead to his martyrdom 00:10:04.820 --> 00:10:06.900 for the faith under the Roman Emperor Nero 00:10:06.900 --> 00:10:09.720 in the year 65 AD. 00:10:10.960 --> 00:10:12.379 Why do I share all that with you? 00:10:13.360 --> 00:10:14.920 The reason I share all that with you 00:10:14.920 --> 00:10:16.540 is because I have a question for you today. 00:10:18.280 --> 00:10:20.840 It is important to be reminded of these things 00:10:20.840 --> 00:10:22.000 by the Apostle Paul, 00:10:22.080 --> 00:10:23.879 and of course we could go on and on 00:10:23.879 --> 00:10:24.940 down through the ages 00:10:24.940 --> 00:10:27.340 of the voice of the martyrs of the faith, 00:10:27.340 --> 00:10:28.840 the suffering, the affliction 00:10:28.840 --> 00:10:30.000 that the church has undergone. 00:10:30.000 --> 00:10:32.159 It's important, brothers and sisters, 00:10:32.159 --> 00:10:33.240 to remember that, 00:10:33.279 --> 00:10:37.240 especially on this 4th of July independence in our country 00:10:37.240 --> 00:10:39.559 where we still enjoy the freedom to worship, 00:10:40.000 --> 00:10:42.580 freedom to gather in the name of Jesus Christ to worship. 00:10:43.679 --> 00:10:45.820 It's important for us to be reminded of this 00:10:45.820 --> 00:10:47.519 because eventually, eventually, 00:10:48.179 --> 00:10:49.580 the question will come for you. 00:10:50.659 --> 00:10:53.379 The question, is it worth it? 00:10:53.860 --> 00:10:54.639 Is it worth it? 00:10:54.639 --> 00:10:57.759 Christianity, the Bible, church, 00:10:57.919 --> 00:10:59.080 living as a Christian 00:10:59.080 --> 00:11:02.379 in an increasingly hostile and strange world 00:11:02.379 --> 00:11:03.279 that we live in now, 00:11:04.519 --> 00:11:06.319 strange and hostile to the teachings, 00:11:06.460 --> 00:11:07.699 to the beliefs of our faith. 00:11:07.840 --> 00:11:09.439 Is it worth it in the end? 00:11:10.480 --> 00:11:11.939 In the age of social media, 00:11:12.319 --> 00:11:14.220 it's become quite the public spectacle 00:11:14.220 --> 00:11:16.600 when a well-known professing Christian 00:11:16.600 --> 00:11:18.779 in the realm of pop Christianity 00:11:18.779 --> 00:11:20.360 renounces the faith 00:11:20.360 --> 00:11:22.139 and makes it known that they are 00:11:22.139 --> 00:11:24.720 on a process of deconstruction. 00:11:24.839 --> 00:11:27.299 That's how it's phrased in our day. 00:11:27.799 --> 00:11:29.179 That they are renouncing the faith. 00:11:30.299 --> 00:11:32.139 Perhaps we personally know someone 00:11:32.139 --> 00:11:33.879 who has walked away from the faith, 00:11:34.120 --> 00:11:36.179 and we are confronted with questions 00:11:36.179 --> 00:11:37.720 and doubts at the time, 00:11:37.939 --> 00:11:39.179 and we're wondering, 00:11:39.179 --> 00:11:42.459 is being a Christian really worth it? 00:11:43.679 --> 00:11:45.859 The tension is especially strong 00:11:45.859 --> 00:11:48.079 when social issues are brought up 00:11:48.079 --> 00:11:49.599 and the church's position 00:11:49.599 --> 00:11:51.799 seems completely out of step 00:11:51.799 --> 00:11:52.839 with the modern world. 00:11:53.319 --> 00:11:55.099 And the pressure to conform, 00:11:55.359 --> 00:11:56.779 the pressure to give in 00:11:56.779 --> 00:11:57.639 can leave us wondering, 00:11:57.899 --> 00:11:59.019 is it really worth it? 00:12:00.239 --> 00:12:02.739 Is it really worth being openly ridiculed 00:12:02.739 --> 00:12:04.059 in a college classroom? 00:12:04.539 --> 00:12:05.899 Is it worth being maligned 00:12:05.899 --> 00:12:08.199 and misrepresented at work? 00:12:08.200 --> 00:12:10.320 Is it worth being demonized 00:12:10.320 --> 00:12:11.379 and slandered about? 00:12:11.740 --> 00:12:13.020 Is it worth being rejected 00:12:13.020 --> 00:12:14.240 and feeling as though 00:12:14.240 --> 00:12:16.160 you are completely alone, 00:12:16.300 --> 00:12:18.240 you are isolated in your conviction? 00:12:18.720 --> 00:12:19.360 Is it worth it? 00:12:21.100 --> 00:12:23.600 The good news is that Scripture 00:12:23.600 --> 00:12:25.820 does not leave this most pressing question 00:12:25.820 --> 00:12:27.660 for us unanswered. 00:12:28.640 --> 00:12:29.860 As we'll see, 00:12:30.360 --> 00:12:32.120 we will all face adversary 00:12:32.120 --> 00:12:34.020 and trials in our lives as Christians. 00:12:35.000 --> 00:12:37.140 The question about the worthiness 00:12:37.139 --> 00:12:38.379 of the Christian faith 00:12:38.379 --> 00:12:40.379 is one that the New Testament 00:12:40.379 --> 00:12:42.199 wants us to be sure about. 00:12:44.259 --> 00:12:45.480 And that is why we have 00:12:45.480 --> 00:12:46.460 the testimony here 00:12:46.460 --> 00:12:47.480 of the Apostle Paul 00:12:47.480 --> 00:12:49.860 and the reason he says 00:12:49.860 --> 00:12:50.899 that he's willing to suffer. 00:12:52.039 --> 00:12:53.840 Paul's reason that he is willing to suffer, 00:12:54.059 --> 00:12:55.220 that is his answer 00:12:55.220 --> 00:12:56.439 to the question of, 00:12:56.980 --> 00:12:57.939 is it worth it 00:12:57.939 --> 00:12:59.319 when facing difficulties 00:12:59.319 --> 00:13:00.360 as a Christian? 00:13:01.299 --> 00:13:02.299 Now, little theologians, 00:13:02.399 --> 00:13:03.659 I see a few kids with us. 00:13:03.700 --> 00:13:05.059 Kids, if you want to follow along, 00:13:05.059 --> 00:13:07.459 I have an assignment for you kids, 00:13:07.619 --> 00:13:08.799 if it's okay with your parents. 00:13:09.539 --> 00:13:10.599 One assignment, kids, 00:13:10.639 --> 00:13:11.559 is to draw a picture 00:13:11.559 --> 00:13:12.959 of something you really love 00:13:12.959 --> 00:13:14.359 or value in your life. 00:13:14.419 --> 00:13:15.519 It could be your family, 00:13:15.659 --> 00:13:16.719 it could be your church family, 00:13:17.079 --> 00:13:18.239 it could be a favorite hobby 00:13:18.239 --> 00:13:19.819 or stuffed animal, 00:13:19.939 --> 00:13:20.699 something like that. 00:13:21.339 --> 00:13:22.519 And then here's the question, 00:13:23.399 --> 00:13:23.699 kids, 00:13:23.899 --> 00:13:25.599 that I want you to listen for. 00:13:26.439 --> 00:13:27.679 What does Paul say 00:13:27.679 --> 00:13:29.279 that we as Christians have 00:13:29.279 --> 00:13:30.859 that is beyond valuable? 00:13:31.659 --> 00:13:32.539 What are the riches 00:13:32.539 --> 00:13:33.360 that he says 00:13:33.360 --> 00:13:34.320 that we have, kids? 00:13:35.820 --> 00:13:36.960 Now, as I said earlier 00:13:36.960 --> 00:13:37.740 for the rest of us, 00:13:37.860 --> 00:13:38.720 the big question 00:13:38.720 --> 00:13:39.419 that we are attempting 00:13:39.419 --> 00:13:40.220 to answer today 00:13:40.220 --> 00:13:42.159 is the worthiness 00:13:42.159 --> 00:13:43.100 of our faith 00:13:43.100 --> 00:13:44.279 in the face of suffering 00:13:44.279 --> 00:13:45.220 and adversity. 00:13:45.879 --> 00:13:46.659 Is it worth it? 00:13:47.419 --> 00:13:48.080 I want you to keep 00:13:48.080 --> 00:13:48.940 that question in mind 00:13:48.940 --> 00:13:49.700 as we go 00:13:49.700 --> 00:13:50.680 and see if you can answer it 00:13:50.680 --> 00:13:51.580 the way that Paul does. 00:13:52.220 --> 00:13:53.440 First, I want you to look with me 00:13:53.440 --> 00:13:54.920 at verse 7 of Ephesians 3 00:13:54.920 --> 00:13:55.779 and the grace 00:13:55.779 --> 00:13:56.940 that was given to Paul. 00:13:57.539 --> 00:13:58.379 Of this gospel, 00:13:58.500 --> 00:13:58.800 he says, 00:13:58.799 --> 00:13:59.620 I was made a minister 00:13:59.620 --> 00:14:00.539 according to the gift 00:14:00.539 --> 00:14:01.339 of God's grace, 00:14:01.759 --> 00:14:02.559 which was given to me 00:14:02.559 --> 00:14:04.000 by the working of his power. 00:14:04.399 --> 00:14:04.819 To me, 00:14:04.899 --> 00:14:05.959 though I am the very least 00:14:05.959 --> 00:14:06.879 of all the saints, 00:14:07.219 --> 00:14:09.219 this grace was given. 00:14:11.319 --> 00:14:12.419 If you read the book 00:14:12.419 --> 00:14:13.099 of Ephesians, 00:14:13.219 --> 00:14:13.779 you'll notice 00:14:13.779 --> 00:14:14.599 that one thing 00:14:14.599 --> 00:14:15.699 that stands out 00:14:15.699 --> 00:14:17.000 about the apostle Paul 00:14:17.000 --> 00:14:18.879 is how deeply rooted 00:14:18.879 --> 00:14:20.740 his theology is 00:14:20.740 --> 00:14:22.559 in the grace of God. 00:14:23.459 --> 00:14:25.519 Understanding the gracious nature, 00:14:26.459 --> 00:14:27.939 the gift of God's favor 00:14:27.939 --> 00:14:28.679 towards him, 00:14:28.799 --> 00:14:29.979 the very least 00:14:29.979 --> 00:14:30.859 of all the saints. 00:14:31.120 --> 00:14:32.319 This was the foundation 00:14:32.319 --> 00:14:33.599 of Paul's theology. 00:14:34.679 --> 00:14:36.419 He knew that he did not deserve 00:14:36.419 --> 00:14:37.199 what he had gotten. 00:14:37.359 --> 00:14:37.759 If anything, 00:14:37.859 --> 00:14:38.319 he had gotten 00:14:38.319 --> 00:14:39.439 the exact opposite 00:14:39.439 --> 00:14:40.799 of what he deserved. 00:14:41.039 --> 00:14:42.199 And that's what grace is. 00:14:42.819 --> 00:14:43.299 Grace, 00:14:43.959 --> 00:14:45.659 we commonly hear it referred 00:14:45.659 --> 00:14:47.179 to as unmerited favor. 00:14:47.979 --> 00:14:48.679 But technically, 00:14:48.819 --> 00:14:49.539 what grace is 00:14:49.539 --> 00:14:51.419 is demerited favor. 00:14:51.979 --> 00:14:53.599 Meaning that all we have earned 00:14:53.599 --> 00:14:54.179 from God 00:14:54.179 --> 00:14:55.139 are demerits 00:14:55.139 --> 00:14:55.899 or penalties 00:14:55.899 --> 00:14:57.359 for our sinful condition. 00:14:58.080 --> 00:14:58.379 And yet, 00:14:58.539 --> 00:14:59.680 God still moves 00:14:59.680 --> 00:15:00.600 toward us 00:15:00.600 --> 00:15:01.480 and he acts 00:15:01.480 --> 00:15:02.060 on our behalf 00:15:02.060 --> 00:15:03.120 so that we can be forgiven, 00:15:03.539 --> 00:15:04.840 so that we can be loved, 00:15:04.960 --> 00:15:05.779 we can be redeemed, 00:15:05.919 --> 00:15:07.200 we can be reconciled 00:15:07.200 --> 00:15:07.600 to him. 00:15:08.720 --> 00:15:09.860 And while he's at it, 00:15:09.919 --> 00:15:10.480 God's grace 00:15:10.480 --> 00:15:11.840 begins to change us 00:15:11.840 --> 00:15:12.440 from within. 00:15:12.680 --> 00:15:13.860 It begins to change 00:15:13.860 --> 00:15:14.539 or transform 00:15:14.539 --> 00:15:15.399 our nature 00:15:15.399 --> 00:15:16.879 so that we become 00:15:16.879 --> 00:15:18.639 what we are in Christ, 00:15:18.759 --> 00:15:19.659 which is holy 00:15:19.659 --> 00:15:20.419 and blameless. 00:15:21.600 --> 00:15:22.080 Grace, 00:15:22.420 --> 00:15:22.800 church, 00:15:23.240 --> 00:15:24.139 brothers and sisters, 00:15:24.779 --> 00:15:25.899 grace is the only hope 00:15:25.899 --> 00:15:26.500 for you and I. 00:15:27.100 --> 00:15:27.879 As a matter of fact, 00:15:28.059 --> 00:15:29.899 grace is the only hope 00:15:29.899 --> 00:15:30.379 for our world. 00:15:30.439 --> 00:15:30.939 Did you know that? 00:15:32.179 --> 00:15:33.079 We see that 00:15:33.079 --> 00:15:34.019 in what Paul goes on 00:15:34.019 --> 00:15:34.519 to say 00:15:34.519 --> 00:15:35.419 about the wisdom 00:15:35.419 --> 00:15:35.939 of God 00:15:35.939 --> 00:15:37.259 being revealed 00:15:37.259 --> 00:15:38.579 in the eternal purpose 00:15:38.579 --> 00:15:39.340 or plan 00:15:39.340 --> 00:15:40.699 in Christ Jesus, 00:15:40.860 --> 00:15:41.399 our Lord. 00:15:42.299 --> 00:15:43.439 The reason that God 00:15:43.439 --> 00:15:44.240 has revealed that 00:15:44.240 --> 00:15:45.340 is what Paul says there 00:15:45.340 --> 00:15:46.419 to bring light 00:15:46.419 --> 00:15:47.340 to everyone, 00:15:47.679 --> 00:15:49.459 to bring this truth 00:15:49.459 --> 00:15:50.500 about God's grace 00:15:50.500 --> 00:15:51.100 to everyone, 00:15:51.379 --> 00:15:52.679 the plan of the mystery 00:15:52.679 --> 00:15:53.620 hidden for ages 00:15:53.620 --> 00:15:54.179 in God 00:15:54.179 --> 00:15:55.340 who created all things. 00:15:56.600 --> 00:15:57.440 So here's what we have 00:15:57.440 --> 00:15:57.820 to understand 00:15:57.820 --> 00:15:58.460 about grace. 00:15:59.740 --> 00:16:00.799 Grace not only 00:16:00.799 --> 00:16:02.519 saves us from sin, 00:16:02.740 --> 00:16:04.580 but it also saves us 00:16:04.580 --> 00:16:06.039 from futility. 00:16:06.600 --> 00:16:07.519 It saves us 00:16:07.519 --> 00:16:08.220 from deception. 00:16:08.700 --> 00:16:09.539 It saves us 00:16:09.539 --> 00:16:10.519 from nihilism 00:16:10.519 --> 00:16:10.960 and despair 00:16:10.960 --> 00:16:11.440 in terms of 00:16:11.440 --> 00:16:12.799 our outlook on life, 00:16:12.899 --> 00:16:13.580 our worldview. 00:16:14.279 --> 00:16:14.919 It is through 00:16:14.919 --> 00:16:16.080 the mystery of Christ 00:16:16.080 --> 00:16:17.120 that we come to know 00:16:17.120 --> 00:16:17.960 the true God 00:16:17.960 --> 00:16:19.539 and what His purpose 00:16:19.539 --> 00:16:20.560 and His plan 00:16:20.560 --> 00:16:21.419 is for the ages 00:16:21.419 --> 00:16:22.699 and that He has 00:16:22.699 --> 00:16:23.979 included us 00:16:23.979 --> 00:16:25.419 in that plan. 00:16:26.779 --> 00:16:27.159 You know, 00:16:27.179 --> 00:16:27.839 it's quite telling. 00:16:28.479 --> 00:16:29.500 It's quite telling 00:16:29.500 --> 00:16:30.319 about our society. 00:16:31.219 --> 00:16:31.779 Whereas, 00:16:32.159 --> 00:16:32.839 as a society, 00:16:32.959 --> 00:16:33.479 we've never been 00:16:33.479 --> 00:16:34.079 more affluent. 00:16:34.659 --> 00:16:35.599 We've never had 00:16:35.599 --> 00:16:36.620 more technology 00:16:36.620 --> 00:16:37.699 and capabilities 00:16:37.699 --> 00:16:38.539 at our fingertips. 00:16:39.199 --> 00:16:40.059 We've never had 00:16:40.059 --> 00:16:40.699 more freedom 00:16:40.699 --> 00:16:41.399 and pleasure. 00:16:42.740 --> 00:16:43.039 And yet, 00:16:43.120 --> 00:16:43.559 the percentage 00:16:43.559 --> 00:16:44.299 of adults 00:16:44.299 --> 00:16:45.939 identifying as lonely 00:16:45.939 --> 00:16:47.719 has never been higher 00:16:47.719 --> 00:16:48.240 in the history 00:16:48.240 --> 00:16:48.659 of our country. 00:16:48.699 --> 00:16:49.219 Did you know that? 00:16:49.220 --> 00:16:51.340 Over 50% 00:16:51.340 --> 00:16:52.139 of adults 00:16:52.139 --> 00:16:53.000 between ages 00:16:53.000 --> 00:16:54.700 18 and 49 00:16:54.700 --> 00:16:57.379 identify as being lonely. 00:16:58.759 --> 00:16:59.460 The number 00:16:59.460 --> 00:17:00.320 of prescriptions 00:17:00.320 --> 00:17:02.259 for anxiety-related 00:17:02.259 --> 00:17:02.680 stresses 00:17:02.680 --> 00:17:04.180 has also never been higher. 00:17:04.799 --> 00:17:05.380 They estimate 00:17:05.380 --> 00:17:06.700 one out of 00:17:06.700 --> 00:17:08.220 every three Americans 00:17:08.220 --> 00:17:09.660 are on medication 00:17:09.660 --> 00:17:10.480 for anxiety. 00:17:11.860 --> 00:17:13.140 Even in the age 00:17:13.140 --> 00:17:13.880 of social media, 00:17:14.000 --> 00:17:14.779 where it would seem, 00:17:14.779 --> 00:17:16.180 at least on the surface, 00:17:16.880 --> 00:17:17.620 that connecting 00:17:17.619 --> 00:17:18.979 and socializing 00:17:18.979 --> 00:17:20.199 are part of the purpose 00:17:20.199 --> 00:17:21.379 of being plugged in, 00:17:22.259 --> 00:17:23.439 studies have actually 00:17:23.439 --> 00:17:24.339 shown the opposite. 00:17:25.339 --> 00:17:26.459 That the more time 00:17:26.459 --> 00:17:27.079 you spend 00:17:27.079 --> 00:17:27.879 on social media, 00:17:28.019 --> 00:17:29.059 the more unhappy 00:17:29.059 --> 00:17:29.859 you are, actually. 00:17:30.719 --> 00:17:31.500 In her book, 00:17:31.559 --> 00:17:32.500 The Happiness Effect, 00:17:32.659 --> 00:17:33.539 how social media 00:17:33.539 --> 00:17:35.139 is driving a generation 00:17:35.139 --> 00:17:36.259 to appear perfect 00:17:36.259 --> 00:17:37.459 at any cost, 00:17:38.159 --> 00:17:39.239 author Donna Freitas, 00:17:39.519 --> 00:17:40.219 she writes, 00:17:40.559 --> 00:17:41.419 she writes this, 00:17:41.500 --> 00:17:42.699 that while sexting, 00:17:43.159 --> 00:17:43.959 cyberbullying, 00:17:43.959 --> 00:17:45.019 and narcissism 00:17:45.019 --> 00:17:46.059 are very real 00:17:46.059 --> 00:17:47.259 and present threats online, 00:17:48.139 --> 00:17:49.139 she says that 00:17:49.139 --> 00:17:50.019 the overall 00:17:50.019 --> 00:17:50.940 greatest danger 00:17:50.940 --> 00:17:51.779 for young people 00:17:51.779 --> 00:17:53.679 is that they always 00:17:53.679 --> 00:17:54.740 have to appear happy. 00:17:55.500 --> 00:17:56.319 Here's what she writes, 00:17:56.500 --> 00:17:56.720 quote, 00:17:57.240 --> 00:17:58.460 young people face 00:17:58.460 --> 00:17:59.679 enormous pressure 00:17:59.679 --> 00:18:00.419 to appear 00:18:00.419 --> 00:18:02.700 to look perfect online, 00:18:03.019 --> 00:18:04.099 not just happy, 00:18:04.259 --> 00:18:05.139 but blissful, 00:18:05.379 --> 00:18:05.879 ecstatic, 00:18:06.359 --> 00:18:08.299 and fabulously successful. 00:18:09.339 --> 00:18:10.460 Unable to achieve 00:18:10.460 --> 00:18:11.599 this impossible standard, 00:18:11.740 --> 00:18:12.440 they are anxious 00:18:12.440 --> 00:18:13.079 about letting 00:18:13.079 --> 00:18:14.000 the less-than-perfect 00:18:14.000 --> 00:18:15.259 parts of themselves 00:18:15.259 --> 00:18:16.519 become public knowledge. 00:18:17.059 --> 00:18:17.879 Far from wanting 00:18:17.879 --> 00:18:18.819 to share everything, 00:18:19.039 --> 00:18:21.019 they are brutally selective 00:18:21.019 --> 00:18:23.279 when it comes to curating 00:18:23.279 --> 00:18:24.619 their personal profiles 00:18:24.619 --> 00:18:26.700 and worry obsessively 00:18:26.700 --> 00:18:28.900 that they might unwittingly 00:18:28.900 --> 00:18:30.000 post something 00:18:30.000 --> 00:18:31.200 that could come back 00:18:31.200 --> 00:18:32.019 to haunt them 00:18:32.019 --> 00:18:33.839 the rest of their lives. 00:18:35.299 --> 00:18:37.000 That is the current state 00:18:37.000 --> 00:18:38.019 of our culture. 00:18:39.619 --> 00:18:41.140 And over against this, 00:18:41.140 --> 00:18:41.520 friends, 00:18:41.960 --> 00:18:43.980 stands the mystery 00:18:43.980 --> 00:18:46.759 of Jesus Christ. 00:18:47.759 --> 00:18:49.300 The mystery of Christ 00:18:49.300 --> 00:18:50.960 as the watershed moment 00:18:50.960 --> 00:18:52.340 of human history 00:18:52.340 --> 00:18:54.120 and the universe. 00:18:54.960 --> 00:18:55.700 This mystery, 00:18:55.940 --> 00:18:56.580 this mystery, 00:18:56.700 --> 00:18:57.620 mystery there meaning 00:18:57.620 --> 00:18:59.040 that unless God 00:18:59.040 --> 00:19:00.500 revealing it to us, 00:19:00.700 --> 00:19:01.740 unless God revealing 00:19:01.740 --> 00:19:03.240 the meaning of the incarnation, 00:19:03.720 --> 00:19:05.180 the purpose of the incarnation, 00:19:05.400 --> 00:19:07.000 it would remain hidden to us. 00:19:07.000 --> 00:19:09.400 This mystery has been revealed 00:19:09.400 --> 00:19:10.680 to you, church. 00:19:11.000 --> 00:19:11.900 It has been revealed, 00:19:11.980 --> 00:19:12.480 the purpose, 00:19:12.619 --> 00:19:14.380 the plan in Jesus Christ. 00:19:14.640 --> 00:19:16.099 It is so that you would be filled 00:19:16.099 --> 00:19:17.720 with the grace and truth 00:19:17.720 --> 00:19:18.500 that are found 00:19:18.500 --> 00:19:20.000 in Jesus Christ. 00:19:21.059 --> 00:19:22.240 And what we must see, 00:19:22.339 --> 00:19:22.980 brothers and sisters, 00:19:22.980 --> 00:19:24.519 is that this grace, 00:19:24.720 --> 00:19:25.400 this truth, 00:19:25.680 --> 00:19:26.380 you know what they are? 00:19:26.559 --> 00:19:28.019 They are the sure footing 00:19:28.019 --> 00:19:29.900 in a world of uncertainty 00:19:29.900 --> 00:19:30.779 and speculation, 00:19:31.519 --> 00:19:33.059 in a world of suffering 00:19:33.059 --> 00:19:33.779 and turmoil, 00:19:33.779 --> 00:19:35.279 of death and despair, 00:19:35.680 --> 00:19:37.299 of injustice and oppression, 00:19:37.619 --> 00:19:38.879 of war and tyranny, 00:19:39.200 --> 00:19:39.819 the grace, 00:19:40.019 --> 00:19:41.119 the knowledge revealed 00:19:41.119 --> 00:19:42.259 in Jesus Christ 00:19:42.259 --> 00:19:44.139 that penetrates 00:19:44.139 --> 00:19:45.160 the hopelessness 00:19:45.160 --> 00:19:46.039 of nihilism 00:19:46.039 --> 00:19:46.680 that our culture 00:19:46.680 --> 00:19:47.660 cannot escape from. 00:19:48.019 --> 00:19:49.420 It radiates the purpose 00:19:49.420 --> 00:19:50.099 and the end 00:19:50.099 --> 00:19:51.559 for which everything exists, 00:19:51.859 --> 00:19:53.539 the glory of the triune God. 00:19:54.299 --> 00:19:56.119 This mystery stands beneath 00:19:56.119 --> 00:19:57.119 as the foundation 00:19:57.119 --> 00:19:58.440 of our society, 00:19:58.639 --> 00:20:00.160 of America itself. 00:20:00.680 --> 00:20:02.039 It stands as the foundation 00:20:02.039 --> 00:20:03.319 of the modern world. 00:20:03.779 --> 00:20:04.639 Because it gave 00:20:04.639 --> 00:20:05.359 the modern world 00:20:05.359 --> 00:20:06.700 the preconditions 00:20:06.700 --> 00:20:07.480 that are necessary 00:20:07.480 --> 00:20:08.319 for you and I 00:20:08.319 --> 00:20:09.639 making sense of anything. 00:20:10.599 --> 00:20:11.460 It stands above 00:20:11.460 --> 00:20:13.319 as the transcendent authority 00:20:13.319 --> 00:20:14.940 that post-modernism 00:20:14.940 --> 00:20:16.480 and moral relativism, 00:20:16.639 --> 00:20:16.879 again, 00:20:16.940 --> 00:20:18.019 these are the philosophies 00:20:18.019 --> 00:20:18.680 of our culture, 00:20:18.799 --> 00:20:19.579 of our day and age. 00:20:19.839 --> 00:20:20.980 They cannot escape 00:20:20.980 --> 00:20:22.500 from the inconsistency 00:20:22.500 --> 00:20:23.639 and the contradictions 00:20:23.639 --> 00:20:25.000 that they are. 00:20:25.740 --> 00:20:26.440 But Christianity 00:20:26.440 --> 00:20:27.859 stands above 00:20:27.859 --> 00:20:29.500 and gives transcendent meaning 00:20:29.500 --> 00:20:30.960 to everything, friends. 00:20:30.960 --> 00:20:33.960 These are the most common 00:20:33.960 --> 00:20:35.180 secular worldviews 00:20:35.180 --> 00:20:36.200 that are raised up 00:20:36.200 --> 00:20:37.039 against the knowledge 00:20:37.039 --> 00:20:38.400 of Christ and His gospel. 00:20:38.759 --> 00:20:39.779 And they are everywhere 00:20:39.779 --> 00:20:40.880 in our day and age, 00:20:41.180 --> 00:20:42.559 from pop culture references 00:20:42.559 --> 00:20:44.160 and TV, film, music, 00:20:44.160 --> 00:20:45.519 to our current state 00:20:45.519 --> 00:20:46.340 of politics 00:20:46.340 --> 00:20:48.259 and the university classrooms, 00:20:49.019 --> 00:20:51.160 to the forementioned 00:20:51.160 --> 00:20:52.400 social media platforms. 00:20:52.400 --> 00:20:54.620 The point that I'm making 00:20:54.620 --> 00:20:55.759 is that we are confronted 00:20:55.759 --> 00:20:56.580 with these destructive 00:20:56.580 --> 00:20:57.360 belief systems 00:20:57.360 --> 00:21:00.040 and they have direct consequences 00:21:00.040 --> 00:21:01.100 for how people think 00:21:01.100 --> 00:21:01.680 and live. 00:21:02.500 --> 00:21:03.800 And that leaves us 00:21:03.800 --> 00:21:04.580 as a society 00:21:04.580 --> 00:21:05.900 ultimately without God 00:21:05.900 --> 00:21:06.519 and without hope. 00:21:07.980 --> 00:21:09.259 The Christian worldview, 00:21:09.460 --> 00:21:09.680 however, 00:21:10.960 --> 00:21:12.960 as here described by Paul, 00:21:14.040 --> 00:21:15.480 leaves us with boldness 00:21:15.480 --> 00:21:16.400 and access 00:21:16.400 --> 00:21:17.759 to God directly. 00:21:18.600 --> 00:21:20.200 And we see how it provides 00:21:20.200 --> 00:21:21.480 a certain confidence 00:21:21.480 --> 00:21:22.960 in the midst of suffering 00:21:22.960 --> 00:21:24.120 that he mentions 00:21:24.120 --> 00:21:25.160 at the end of verse 12 00:21:25.160 --> 00:21:25.980 and verse 13. 00:21:26.799 --> 00:21:27.519 He says there, 00:21:27.640 --> 00:21:28.460 so I ask you 00:21:28.460 --> 00:21:29.420 not to lose heart 00:21:29.420 --> 00:21:30.640 over what I am suffering 00:21:30.640 --> 00:21:31.160 for you, 00:21:31.460 --> 00:21:32.559 which is your glory. 00:21:33.299 --> 00:21:34.200 Why, Paul? 00:21:34.600 --> 00:21:36.460 Why should the Ephesian church 00:21:36.460 --> 00:21:37.360 not lose heart? 00:21:37.700 --> 00:21:38.940 How can you say that? 00:21:39.360 --> 00:21:40.519 As he says in verse 1, 00:21:40.799 --> 00:21:41.740 you're in prison. 00:21:42.000 --> 00:21:42.960 He is a prisoner. 00:21:43.920 --> 00:21:46.180 And he is unjustly in prison, 00:21:46.319 --> 00:21:47.000 we might add. 00:21:47.000 --> 00:21:50.339 Why shouldn't they lose heart? 00:21:50.539 --> 00:21:51.880 And why shouldn't we here 00:21:51.880 --> 00:21:53.019 in 2021 00:21:53.019 --> 00:21:54.299 not lose heart? 00:21:54.559 --> 00:21:55.799 What is the basis 00:21:55.799 --> 00:21:57.019 for so bold a claim? 00:21:57.660 --> 00:21:58.559 How do we know 00:21:58.559 --> 00:21:59.200 that everything 00:21:59.200 --> 00:22:00.200 you have been through, 00:22:01.079 --> 00:22:01.319 Paul, 00:22:01.420 --> 00:22:02.500 for the sake of the gospel 00:22:02.500 --> 00:22:03.180 is worth it? 00:22:04.359 --> 00:22:05.859 His answer is in verse 8 00:22:05.859 --> 00:22:06.440 and following. 00:22:07.940 --> 00:22:09.460 His answer is in verse 8 00:22:09.460 --> 00:22:09.940 and following. 00:22:11.140 --> 00:22:13.039 In spite of his unworthiness, 00:22:13.220 --> 00:22:14.500 Paul was declared worthy 00:22:14.500 --> 00:22:15.799 by grace. 00:22:15.799 --> 00:22:17.259 And it's the same 00:22:17.259 --> 00:22:18.079 for you and I today. 00:22:18.960 --> 00:22:20.779 Even though we may feel unworthy, 00:22:21.299 --> 00:22:22.319 we are declared worthy. 00:22:23.119 --> 00:22:24.819 Even though we may be plagued 00:22:24.819 --> 00:22:26.139 with guilt and shame, 00:22:27.159 --> 00:22:28.339 his mercy is more 00:22:28.339 --> 00:22:30.240 and his grace covers us. 00:22:31.180 --> 00:22:33.039 His spirit makes us alive 00:22:33.039 --> 00:22:34.319 and unites us to Jesus. 00:22:35.579 --> 00:22:36.639 And you know how it comes 00:22:36.639 --> 00:22:37.220 to you and I. 00:22:38.279 --> 00:22:39.740 It all comes to us 00:22:39.740 --> 00:22:42.440 through the unsearchable riches 00:22:42.440 --> 00:22:43.859 of Jesus. 00:22:43.859 --> 00:22:46.559 It comes to us 00:22:46.559 --> 00:22:47.299 through union 00:22:47.299 --> 00:22:48.479 with Christ. 00:22:49.559 --> 00:22:50.619 Our identity, 00:22:51.119 --> 00:22:51.799 our identity 00:22:51.799 --> 00:22:53.079 is not found 00:22:53.079 --> 00:22:54.259 out there. 00:22:54.599 --> 00:22:55.139 Our identity 00:22:55.139 --> 00:22:56.059 is found 00:22:56.059 --> 00:22:57.799 in Jesus Christ. 00:22:58.199 --> 00:22:58.879 We are holy 00:22:58.879 --> 00:22:59.500 and blameless 00:22:59.500 --> 00:23:00.019 in him. 00:23:00.859 --> 00:23:01.519 Our comfort, 00:23:01.859 --> 00:23:02.339 our comfort, 00:23:02.439 --> 00:23:03.299 what did we confess 00:23:03.299 --> 00:23:03.740 earlier? 00:23:04.000 --> 00:23:04.979 That we belong 00:23:04.979 --> 00:23:05.879 body and soul 00:23:05.879 --> 00:23:06.359 in life 00:23:06.359 --> 00:23:06.819 and in death 00:23:06.819 --> 00:23:08.039 to our faithful savior, 00:23:08.199 --> 00:23:08.879 Jesus Christ, 00:23:09.019 --> 00:23:10.240 who has paid 00:23:10.240 --> 00:23:11.119 for our salvation 00:23:11.119 --> 00:23:12.159 with his precious blood. 00:23:12.160 --> 00:23:12.200 God, 00:23:12.680 --> 00:23:13.380 our hope, 00:23:13.480 --> 00:23:13.960 our destiny, 00:23:14.120 --> 00:23:14.900 all of these 00:23:14.900 --> 00:23:15.620 are the questions 00:23:15.620 --> 00:23:16.300 that the world 00:23:16.300 --> 00:23:16.880 is searching 00:23:16.880 --> 00:23:17.920 for answers to. 00:23:18.420 --> 00:23:18.900 Christ, 00:23:19.100 --> 00:23:20.000 Christ in us, 00:23:20.160 --> 00:23:21.000 he is the hope 00:23:21.000 --> 00:23:21.500 of glory, 00:23:21.580 --> 00:23:22.180 the promise 00:23:22.180 --> 00:23:23.040 of future glory. 00:23:23.480 --> 00:23:24.160 Our destiny, 00:23:24.440 --> 00:23:25.920 it's the unsearchable riches 00:23:25.920 --> 00:23:27.180 of Jesus Christ, 00:23:27.300 --> 00:23:27.680 friends, 00:23:28.180 --> 00:23:29.519 so that in the coming ages, 00:23:29.640 --> 00:23:30.420 as Paul says 00:23:30.420 --> 00:23:31.100 in chapter 2, 00:23:31.460 --> 00:23:32.380 God might show 00:23:32.380 --> 00:23:33.080 you and I 00:23:33.080 --> 00:23:34.740 the immeasurable riches 00:23:34.740 --> 00:23:35.680 of his kindness 00:23:35.680 --> 00:23:36.400 toward us 00:23:36.400 --> 00:23:37.560 in Jesus Christ. 00:23:37.559 --> 00:23:38.899 There is no one 00:23:38.899 --> 00:23:39.440 like Jesus. 00:23:39.599 --> 00:23:40.399 There is no one 00:23:40.399 --> 00:23:41.899 like this God, 00:23:42.019 --> 00:23:42.339 friends. 00:23:43.200 --> 00:23:44.179 Paul says in verse 8, 00:23:44.240 --> 00:23:44.480 to me, 00:23:44.599 --> 00:23:45.399 this grace was given 00:23:45.399 --> 00:23:46.399 to the Gentiles 00:23:46.399 --> 00:23:46.940 to preach 00:23:46.940 --> 00:23:48.179 the unsearchable riches 00:23:48.179 --> 00:23:49.559 of Christ. 00:23:50.559 --> 00:23:51.799 The word translated 00:23:51.799 --> 00:23:52.559 unsearchable 00:23:52.559 --> 00:23:54.419 means unfathomable, 00:23:54.919 --> 00:23:56.159 incomprehensible, 00:23:56.700 --> 00:23:57.440 meaning that it is 00:23:57.440 --> 00:23:59.019 something so inscrutable 00:23:59.019 --> 00:23:59.940 and infinite 00:23:59.940 --> 00:24:01.119 that you cannot 00:24:01.119 --> 00:24:02.759 possibly fully understand 00:24:02.759 --> 00:24:04.339 or exhaust its meaning. 00:24:04.339 --> 00:24:06.819 The image is of one 00:24:06.819 --> 00:24:07.980 trying to track something 00:24:07.980 --> 00:24:09.000 back to its source 00:24:09.000 --> 00:24:10.119 but cannot be found. 00:24:10.639 --> 00:24:11.799 Another commentator said 00:24:11.799 --> 00:24:12.599 that the picture 00:24:12.599 --> 00:24:14.099 is that of a reservoir 00:24:14.099 --> 00:24:15.220 that is so deep 00:24:15.220 --> 00:24:16.240 that you cannot reach 00:24:16.240 --> 00:24:17.399 the bottom of it. 00:24:17.779 --> 00:24:18.059 Therefore, 00:24:18.199 --> 00:24:19.000 there's no limit 00:24:19.000 --> 00:24:20.379 that can be placed upon it. 00:24:21.539 --> 00:24:22.319 Brothers and sisters, 00:24:22.639 --> 00:24:22.939 church, 00:24:24.000 --> 00:24:25.319 we have these riches. 00:24:26.059 --> 00:24:26.859 You and I 00:24:26.859 --> 00:24:27.720 have these riches, 00:24:28.139 --> 00:24:29.419 these unfathomable, 00:24:29.579 --> 00:24:30.819 unsearchable riches 00:24:30.819 --> 00:24:31.980 in Jesus. 00:24:31.980 --> 00:24:34.319 And it's so that 00:24:34.319 --> 00:24:35.200 in the coming ages 00:24:35.200 --> 00:24:36.279 he might show 00:24:36.279 --> 00:24:37.200 the immeasurable riches 00:24:37.200 --> 00:24:38.279 of his grace toward us 00:24:38.279 --> 00:24:38.860 and kindness 00:24:38.860 --> 00:24:40.720 in Jesus Christ. 00:24:41.900 --> 00:24:42.779 Paul is saying 00:24:42.779 --> 00:24:44.220 that not only 00:24:44.220 --> 00:24:44.940 is our future 00:24:44.940 --> 00:24:46.140 defined by these 00:24:46.140 --> 00:24:47.140 unsearchable riches, 00:24:47.980 --> 00:24:51.200 but our present 00:24:51.200 --> 00:24:52.400 is also defined 00:24:52.400 --> 00:24:53.079 by them. 00:24:53.660 --> 00:24:54.500 Because Christianity, 00:24:54.660 --> 00:24:54.799 friends, 00:24:54.839 --> 00:24:56.120 it's not about escapism. 00:24:56.839 --> 00:24:57.799 It's not about 00:24:57.799 --> 00:24:58.759 retreating 00:24:58.759 --> 00:24:59.980 and living in a cave 00:24:59.980 --> 00:25:01.240 until that day arrives. 00:25:01.980 --> 00:25:02.500 No, 00:25:02.620 --> 00:25:03.180 Paul's whole 00:25:03.180 --> 00:25:04.120 preaching ministry, 00:25:04.339 --> 00:25:04.559 indeed, 00:25:04.839 --> 00:25:05.720 every minister 00:25:05.720 --> 00:25:06.579 who is faithful 00:25:06.579 --> 00:25:08.000 to that tradition, 00:25:08.279 --> 00:25:09.579 to the apostolic tradition 00:25:09.579 --> 00:25:10.500 in the New Testament, 00:25:10.920 --> 00:25:12.039 our preaching ministry 00:25:12.039 --> 00:25:12.960 for you 00:25:12.960 --> 00:25:14.799 is that you would know 00:25:14.799 --> 00:25:15.759 these unsearchable riches. 00:25:16.519 --> 00:25:17.360 You would know them. 00:25:18.480 --> 00:25:19.360 They are yours. 00:25:19.480 --> 00:25:20.240 They are yours 00:25:20.240 --> 00:25:21.259 here and now 00:25:21.259 --> 00:25:22.440 to face, 00:25:22.740 --> 00:25:24.240 to face 00:25:24.240 --> 00:25:25.440 the certain suffering 00:25:25.440 --> 00:25:26.120 that you will undergo 00:25:26.120 --> 00:25:26.759 in this life. 00:25:27.680 --> 00:25:28.680 The pain 00:25:28.680 --> 00:25:29.440 and the sorrow 00:25:29.440 --> 00:25:30.740 that will all come upon us 00:25:30.740 --> 00:25:31.380 at some point. 00:25:31.940 --> 00:25:32.740 The loneliness 00:25:32.740 --> 00:25:33.960 and the despair, 00:25:34.160 --> 00:25:35.000 the anxiety 00:25:35.000 --> 00:25:36.240 that fills our hearts 00:25:36.240 --> 00:25:36.920 and lives. 00:25:38.299 --> 00:25:39.160 Consider these 00:25:39.160 --> 00:25:40.160 unsearchable riches 00:25:40.160 --> 00:25:41.240 that are yours. 00:25:42.079 --> 00:25:43.660 That your heavenly Father 00:25:43.660 --> 00:25:45.059 has graciously provided 00:25:45.059 --> 00:25:45.660 for you. 00:25:46.519 --> 00:25:47.680 That your blessed, 00:25:48.079 --> 00:25:49.660 one of a kind, 00:25:50.000 --> 00:25:50.440 faithful, 00:25:50.759 --> 00:25:51.359 and merciful 00:25:51.359 --> 00:25:52.259 high priest, 00:25:52.680 --> 00:25:54.599 his ministry 00:25:54.599 --> 00:25:55.819 through the word 00:25:55.819 --> 00:25:56.759 every Lord's day, 00:25:56.940 --> 00:25:57.940 he proclaims 00:25:57.940 --> 00:25:59.100 these riches to you. 00:25:59.860 --> 00:26:00.960 That your patient 00:26:00.960 --> 00:26:02.480 and preserving Holy Spirit 00:26:02.480 --> 00:26:03.720 reminds you of 00:26:03.720 --> 00:26:05.039 and lifts your hearts 00:26:05.039 --> 00:26:05.580 to heaven 00:26:05.580 --> 00:26:07.100 even if it is just 00:26:07.100 --> 00:26:07.880 for a moment 00:26:07.880 --> 00:26:09.640 because of the spiritual struggle 00:26:09.640 --> 00:26:10.559 that you are facing 00:26:10.559 --> 00:26:12.279 and that I face. 00:26:13.380 --> 00:26:14.180 Consider these 00:26:14.180 --> 00:26:15.140 unfathomable riches 00:26:15.140 --> 00:26:15.779 now. 00:26:17.380 --> 00:26:18.860 Because of the Father, 00:26:19.320 --> 00:26:20.360 you are in Christ Jesus 00:26:20.360 --> 00:26:22.960 who became for us 00:26:22.960 --> 00:26:24.180 wisdom from God, 00:26:24.680 --> 00:26:25.100 righteousness, 00:26:25.919 --> 00:26:26.559 sanctification, 00:26:27.000 --> 00:26:27.619 and redemption 00:26:27.619 --> 00:26:29.259 so that it is written, 00:26:29.839 --> 00:26:30.659 let him who boasts 00:26:30.659 --> 00:26:31.779 boast in the Lord. 00:26:32.599 --> 00:26:33.980 Christ is our wisdom. 00:26:34.279 --> 00:26:35.219 He is our wisdom 00:26:35.219 --> 00:26:36.099 as opposed 00:26:36.099 --> 00:26:37.059 to the world's 00:26:37.059 --> 00:26:38.019 futile speculation 00:26:38.019 --> 00:26:39.779 and their leap of faith 00:26:39.779 --> 00:26:40.740 into the unknown. 00:26:41.639 --> 00:26:42.919 Christ is our righteousness 00:26:42.919 --> 00:26:43.799 as opposed 00:26:43.799 --> 00:26:45.279 to the unrighteousness 00:26:45.279 --> 00:26:46.399 and the ungodliness 00:26:46.399 --> 00:26:47.059 that lies 00:26:47.059 --> 00:26:48.240 not only out there 00:26:48.240 --> 00:26:49.879 but also lies in here. 00:26:51.500 --> 00:26:52.919 He is our sanctification. 00:26:53.720 --> 00:26:54.300 In comparison 00:26:54.300 --> 00:26:56.480 with our perversion 00:26:56.480 --> 00:26:57.840 and our uncleanness, 00:26:58.240 --> 00:26:59.600 Jesus makes us clean 00:26:59.600 --> 00:27:00.840 rather than us 00:27:00.840 --> 00:27:01.779 making him unclean. 00:27:02.740 --> 00:27:03.700 He is our redemption. 00:27:04.080 --> 00:27:04.880 He is the remedy 00:27:04.880 --> 00:27:06.180 to slavery, 00:27:06.380 --> 00:27:06.840 to sin, 00:27:07.080 --> 00:27:07.840 to bondage, 00:27:07.920 --> 00:27:09.160 to sin and unbelief. 00:27:09.920 --> 00:27:11.180 Christ is our knowledge, 00:27:11.440 --> 00:27:11.960 the answer 00:27:11.960 --> 00:27:12.759 to our ignorance 00:27:12.759 --> 00:27:13.539 about the nature 00:27:13.539 --> 00:27:14.420 of who God is 00:27:14.420 --> 00:27:15.220 and what he is like. 00:27:15.800 --> 00:27:16.940 He is our peace. 00:27:17.160 --> 00:27:18.200 He is our sufficiency. 00:27:18.660 --> 00:27:19.560 He is the answer 00:27:19.560 --> 00:27:20.680 to the old song, 00:27:21.060 --> 00:27:22.500 I can't get no satisfaction. 00:27:23.240 --> 00:27:24.380 Jesus is our peace. 00:27:24.560 --> 00:27:25.700 Jesus is our sufficiency. 00:27:27.120 --> 00:27:28.120 He is our reconciliation 00:27:28.120 --> 00:27:29.680 that stands in contrast 00:27:29.680 --> 00:27:31.039 to our propensity 00:27:31.039 --> 00:27:32.700 for conflict and division. 00:27:33.420 --> 00:27:34.060 For sin, 00:27:34.120 --> 00:27:35.060 he is our high priest 00:27:35.060 --> 00:27:36.120 that alone stands 00:27:36.120 --> 00:27:37.500 between us and God. 00:27:37.920 --> 00:27:39.259 He is able to save us 00:27:39.259 --> 00:27:39.940 to the uttermost 00:27:39.940 --> 00:27:41.160 because he alone 00:27:41.160 --> 00:27:42.019 atones for sin. 00:27:42.660 --> 00:27:43.400 For authority, 00:27:43.600 --> 00:27:44.680 Jesus is our prophet 00:27:44.680 --> 00:27:46.060 who is the final revelation 00:27:46.060 --> 00:27:46.660 from God, 00:27:46.779 --> 00:27:48.039 Hebrews chapter 1. 00:27:48.519 --> 00:27:49.320 For politics 00:27:49.320 --> 00:27:50.340 and social issues, 00:27:50.700 --> 00:27:51.620 he is our king 00:27:51.619 --> 00:27:52.579 that stands above 00:27:52.579 --> 00:27:53.579 our corruption 00:27:53.579 --> 00:27:54.699 and our hypocrisy. 00:27:55.299 --> 00:27:57.439 In every conceivable way, 00:27:57.579 --> 00:27:57.899 friends, 00:27:58.299 --> 00:28:00.000 Jesus answers the dilemma 00:28:00.000 --> 00:28:01.119 of human suffering, 00:28:01.879 --> 00:28:02.939 of human corruption, 00:28:03.359 --> 00:28:04.419 of human injustice, 00:28:04.699 --> 00:28:06.019 of human weakness. 00:28:07.479 --> 00:28:10.699 We live in a dog-eat-dog world, 00:28:11.699 --> 00:28:12.699 a world that is defined 00:28:12.699 --> 00:28:13.399 by strength, 00:28:13.500 --> 00:28:14.119 not weakness, 00:28:14.939 --> 00:28:15.479 pride, 00:28:15.579 --> 00:28:16.119 not humility, 00:28:17.000 --> 00:28:17.500 power, 00:28:18.099 --> 00:28:18.779 and privilege, 00:28:18.779 --> 00:28:19.720 not service, 00:28:20.200 --> 00:28:21.160 and self-sacrifice. 00:28:22.279 --> 00:28:23.539 Only the strong survive, 00:28:23.619 --> 00:28:24.160 they tell us. 00:28:24.879 --> 00:28:26.319 Look out only for you 00:28:26.319 --> 00:28:27.920 because you're the only one 00:28:27.920 --> 00:28:28.279 who will. 00:28:29.079 --> 00:28:30.119 You must perform 00:28:30.119 --> 00:28:31.539 and you must perform well. 00:28:32.579 --> 00:28:34.039 Don't let them see you struggling. 00:28:34.740 --> 00:28:34.960 Otherwise, 00:28:35.160 --> 00:28:36.440 they will take advantage of you 00:28:36.440 --> 00:28:38.019 and they will exploit you 00:28:38.019 --> 00:28:38.920 while doing so. 00:28:39.700 --> 00:28:40.700 If you don't perform, 00:28:40.859 --> 00:28:41.359 you're out, 00:28:41.779 --> 00:28:42.180 fired, 00:28:42.759 --> 00:28:43.299 let go, 00:28:43.460 --> 00:28:43.940 unfriended, 00:28:44.220 --> 00:28:44.559 canceled. 00:28:44.559 --> 00:28:47.940 The gospel that the world 00:28:47.940 --> 00:28:48.720 has to offer, 00:28:48.879 --> 00:28:49.079 friends, 00:28:49.139 --> 00:28:50.159 really isn't gospel. 00:28:50.539 --> 00:28:51.079 It's law. 00:28:52.619 --> 00:28:53.919 Perform or else. 00:28:54.419 --> 00:28:56.279 Agree with us or else. 00:28:56.599 --> 00:28:58.700 Be on the right side or else. 00:28:59.079 --> 00:29:01.000 Vote this way or else. 00:29:01.440 --> 00:29:03.480 Believe the right way or else. 00:29:03.919 --> 00:29:04.879 On and on it goes. 00:29:06.259 --> 00:29:07.740 The never-ending cycle 00:29:07.740 --> 00:29:08.519 of law-keeping 00:29:08.519 --> 00:29:09.919 and gracelessness, 00:29:10.359 --> 00:29:11.539 it's a world without God 00:29:11.539 --> 00:29:12.000 and without hope, 00:29:12.099 --> 00:29:12.299 friends. 00:29:12.299 --> 00:29:15.240 But this gospel, 00:29:15.899 --> 00:29:17.399 this gospel, 00:29:17.539 --> 00:29:18.440 little theologians, 00:29:19.019 --> 00:29:19.940 this book, 00:29:20.240 --> 00:29:20.879 this God, 00:29:21.000 --> 00:29:21.779 this Father, 00:29:22.200 --> 00:29:22.940 Paul says, 00:29:23.460 --> 00:29:24.159 he has brought 00:29:24.159 --> 00:29:24.839 the ministry 00:29:24.839 --> 00:29:25.799 of the apostles 00:29:25.799 --> 00:29:26.980 for the purpose 00:29:26.980 --> 00:29:29.059 to preach to you and I 00:29:29.059 --> 00:29:30.319 these unsearchable riches. 00:29:31.240 --> 00:29:32.319 So as a testimony 00:29:32.319 --> 00:29:33.180 to the rulers 00:29:33.180 --> 00:29:34.000 and authorities 00:29:34.000 --> 00:29:34.859 and the heavenly places, 00:29:35.059 --> 00:29:36.200 it has cosmic, 00:29:36.500 --> 00:29:37.879 cosmic ramifications. 00:29:38.240 --> 00:29:39.299 What we're doing right now, 00:29:39.579 --> 00:29:40.879 cosmic ramifications. 00:29:40.880 --> 00:29:43.000 That's ultimately 00:29:43.000 --> 00:29:44.060 the purpose, 00:29:44.220 --> 00:29:44.760 the reason 00:29:44.760 --> 00:29:46.000 undergirding Paul's ministry 00:29:46.000 --> 00:29:47.440 and the church's ministry, 00:29:47.560 --> 00:29:47.740 friends. 00:29:47.820 --> 00:29:49.320 What you are doing here 00:29:49.320 --> 00:29:50.240 week in and week out, 00:29:50.380 --> 00:29:51.140 it is to preach 00:29:51.140 --> 00:29:52.460 the unsearchable riches 00:29:52.460 --> 00:29:53.560 of Jesus Christ. 00:29:53.800 --> 00:29:55.060 It is to bring to light 00:29:55.060 --> 00:29:55.800 to everyone 00:29:55.800 --> 00:29:57.240 what God has done. 00:29:57.620 --> 00:29:58.920 The plan for the ages, 00:29:59.240 --> 00:30:00.580 the God who created all things, 00:30:00.760 --> 00:30:01.740 he is redeeming 00:30:01.740 --> 00:30:02.980 and he is reconciling 00:30:02.980 --> 00:30:04.440 all things to himself. 00:30:04.920 --> 00:30:06.480 And this is what the church 00:30:06.480 --> 00:30:07.860 is to testify to. 00:30:07.859 --> 00:30:10.139 We are to testify to it. 00:30:11.179 --> 00:30:12.899 The church's faithful ministry 00:30:12.899 --> 00:30:14.779 in proclaiming these riches 00:30:14.779 --> 00:30:16.099 in Jesus, 00:30:16.479 --> 00:30:18.019 which God has now revealed 00:30:18.019 --> 00:30:19.619 for the world. 00:30:20.279 --> 00:30:22.259 It testifies to the wisdom 00:30:22.259 --> 00:30:23.719 of God's plan. 00:30:25.779 --> 00:30:26.879 And incredibly, 00:30:27.039 --> 00:30:28.459 the ministry of Paul then 00:30:28.459 --> 00:30:30.159 and the continued ministry 00:30:30.159 --> 00:30:30.779 of the church 00:30:30.779 --> 00:30:33.359 in preaching this gospel, 00:30:34.119 --> 00:30:35.240 these unsearchable riches 00:30:35.240 --> 00:30:38.059 that are part of the eternal purpose 00:30:38.059 --> 00:30:38.940 and plan of God, 00:30:39.740 --> 00:30:41.779 it all comes down to, 00:30:41.960 --> 00:30:42.819 back to that question, 00:30:42.940 --> 00:30:43.599 is it worth it? 00:30:44.319 --> 00:30:45.059 Is it worth it? 00:30:45.200 --> 00:30:45.799 Is the value 00:30:45.799 --> 00:30:47.019 of the Christian faith worth it? 00:30:48.599 --> 00:30:49.319 Paul's answer, 00:30:50.599 --> 00:30:51.519 you better believe it. 00:30:53.200 --> 00:30:54.259 Don't lose heart 00:30:54.259 --> 00:30:56.039 over what I am suffering for you, 00:30:56.240 --> 00:30:57.099 which is your glory. 00:30:57.240 --> 00:30:59.359 I am suffering on behalf of you. 00:30:59.359 --> 00:31:01.720 I am the prisoner for the Lord. 00:31:01.720 --> 00:31:03.279 And I do it 00:31:03.279 --> 00:31:04.940 to bring to you 00:31:04.940 --> 00:31:05.900 the unsearchable, 00:31:06.059 --> 00:31:07.579 the unfathomable riches 00:31:07.579 --> 00:31:09.600 of the gospel of grace 00:31:09.600 --> 00:31:11.079 in Jesus Christ. 00:31:12.440 --> 00:31:13.539 In the end, friends, 00:31:13.600 --> 00:31:14.960 it really does boil down to this. 00:31:15.519 --> 00:31:16.000 Christ 00:31:16.000 --> 00:31:17.460 or chaos? 00:31:18.380 --> 00:31:19.779 Which one are you going to choose? 00:31:19.779 --> 00:31:23.319 So that when dearest friends depart 00:31:23.319 --> 00:31:24.899 and all is darkened 00:31:24.899 --> 00:31:25.819 in a veil of tears, 00:31:26.619 --> 00:31:27.960 then you shall better know 00:31:27.960 --> 00:31:28.579 his love, 00:31:28.779 --> 00:31:29.319 his heart, 00:31:29.899 --> 00:31:30.980 who come to soothe 00:31:30.980 --> 00:31:32.259 your sorrow and your fears. 00:31:33.220 --> 00:31:34.559 Be still, my soul. 00:31:35.259 --> 00:31:36.839 Your Jesus can repay 00:31:36.839 --> 00:31:38.579 from his fullness 00:31:38.579 --> 00:31:40.639 all that he takes away. 00:31:41.740 --> 00:31:42.960 Be still, my soul. 00:31:43.599 --> 00:31:45.240 The hour is hastening on 00:31:45.240 --> 00:31:47.119 when we shall forever 00:31:47.119 --> 00:31:48.000 be with the Lord, 00:31:48.000 --> 00:31:49.819 when disappointment, 00:31:50.119 --> 00:31:51.720 grief, and fear are gone. 00:31:52.380 --> 00:31:53.299 Sorrow for God 00:31:53.299 --> 00:31:55.720 loves purest joys restored. 00:31:56.779 --> 00:31:58.019 Be still, my soul, 00:31:58.680 --> 00:32:00.960 when change and tears are past. 00:32:02.160 --> 00:32:03.380 All is safe 00:32:03.380 --> 00:32:04.619 and blessed 00:32:04.619 --> 00:32:06.420 we shall meet at last. 00:32:08.119 --> 00:32:09.180 This Jesus, 00:32:09.619 --> 00:32:10.740 he is offered to you 00:32:10.740 --> 00:32:11.380 today. 00:32:12.099 --> 00:32:12.779 These riches 00:32:12.779 --> 00:32:14.140 are offered to you 00:32:14.140 --> 00:32:15.240 today. 00:32:15.799 --> 00:32:16.500 Let's pray. 00:32:16.500 --> 00:32:18.500 Lord, 00:32:18.559 --> 00:32:18.980 we thank you. 00:32:19.039 --> 00:32:19.799 We thank you for the 00:32:19.799 --> 00:32:20.700 unsearchable riches 00:32:20.700 --> 00:32:21.740 of your son 00:32:21.740 --> 00:32:23.740 that every question 00:32:23.740 --> 00:32:24.720 that we might have, 00:32:24.920 --> 00:32:25.559 every dilemma 00:32:25.559 --> 00:32:26.559 that we have caused, 00:32:27.019 --> 00:32:27.980 he is the answer. 00:32:29.500 --> 00:32:29.819 Lord, 00:32:29.920 --> 00:32:31.700 we love you 00:32:31.700 --> 00:32:32.720 and we love your son 00:32:32.720 --> 00:32:33.619 and we thank you 00:32:33.619 --> 00:32:35.579 for all that you have 00:32:35.579 --> 00:32:36.680 done for us in him. 00:32:37.099 --> 00:32:37.619 And we pray 00:32:37.619 --> 00:32:38.220 that you would, 00:32:38.900 --> 00:32:39.160 Lord, 00:32:39.279 --> 00:32:40.220 you would calm 00:32:40.220 --> 00:32:40.779 our fears, 00:32:40.940 --> 00:32:41.420 you would calm 00:32:41.420 --> 00:32:42.099 our anxiety, 00:32:42.240 --> 00:32:42.720 our worry 00:32:42.720 --> 00:32:44.259 as we look around us. 00:32:44.980 --> 00:32:45.119 Lord, 00:32:45.119 --> 00:32:46.019 maybe there are 00:32:46.019 --> 00:32:46.739 perhaps marriages 00:32:46.739 --> 00:32:47.319 in this room 00:32:47.319 --> 00:32:48.000 that are struggling. 00:32:48.699 --> 00:32:49.519 There are kids 00:32:49.519 --> 00:32:50.219 in this room 00:32:50.219 --> 00:32:50.839 who are struggling. 00:32:52.139 --> 00:32:52.539 Lord, 00:32:52.619 --> 00:32:53.079 you know us 00:32:53.079 --> 00:32:53.679 better than we know 00:32:53.679 --> 00:32:54.159 ourselves 00:32:54.159 --> 00:32:55.979 and you still 00:32:55.979 --> 00:32:56.899 call us, 00:32:57.099 --> 00:32:58.179 you call us by faith 00:32:58.179 --> 00:32:58.899 to embrace 00:32:58.899 --> 00:32:59.579 what you have done 00:32:59.579 --> 00:33:00.099 for us. 00:33:00.500 --> 00:33:01.659 I pray that that would be 00:33:01.659 --> 00:33:02.679 a source of comfort, 00:33:03.519 --> 00:33:04.779 a source of encouragement 00:33:04.779 --> 00:33:05.599 for all of us 00:33:05.599 --> 00:33:06.259 in this room. 00:33:06.659 --> 00:33:06.879 Lord, 00:33:06.919 --> 00:33:07.539 that we would go 00:33:07.539 --> 00:33:08.379 forth from here 00:33:08.379 --> 00:33:10.239 ever more 00:33:10.239 --> 00:33:11.099 convinced 00:33:11.099 --> 00:33:11.879 and confident 00:33:11.879 --> 00:33:12.919 of the riches 00:33:12.920 --> 00:33:13.580 we have in you. 00:33:13.779 --> 00:33:14.539 And it's in your son 00:33:14.539 --> 00:33:14.940 we pray. 00:33:15.180 --> 00:33:15.380 Amen. 00:33:15.380 --> 00:33:15.480 Amen.