WEBVTT

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 Well, good morning. It's good to see you all here. As we are in our summer months, if you find yourselves overwhelmed with heat, you can move up.

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 There are a couple of seats in the front in the fan zone, kind of like the splash zone at SeaWorld.

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 And so you'll get a little bit extra wind. And also, downstairs, if you go out here and downstairs, there is air conditioning and live stream.

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 If that will help you, stay with us for the next little while as we look into God's Word together.

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 You know, I used to have in my dresser two broken watches. Technically, they were called Folexes.

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 Maybe you're familiar with this. A Folex is something you can buy on the street, probably in New York.

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 I purchased mine in China. They cost about $8, not the thousands of dollars that real Rolexes cost.

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 And they reveal themselves by their workmanship and by where they come from.

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 I have actually seen and been in a real Rolex shop once in Switzerland.

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 And if you have seen the true thing, they are amazing.

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 Their workmanship, their beauty, their style, their quality, truly amazing.

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 But the Folexes are not that.

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 And the first time I bought them, I thought, maybe I'm getting a deal.

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 Maybe this is kind of like slightly shoddy workmanship, but maybe this is pretty close.

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 Not so.

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 It broke before I got home.

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 And the second time I bought it, I knew exactly what I was getting.

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 But I thought, this is fun. Why not?

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 But it raises a question, how do you know the difference?

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 How do you know the difference between a Folex and a Rolex?

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 Well, where it was made and the character and quality of its work.

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 And this is a question that's been asked not only if watches, fake and real,

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 but throughout the history of the church, it's a question that the church is asked about

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 what is the true nature of a Christian?

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 What do you look for so you can distinguish between what is fake and what is real?

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 It's asked by those outside the church who look at the church and the breadth of people

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 who claim the name of Christ and wonder what is real here?

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 Because there's a breadth of all sorts of things.

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 And it's asked within the church, as people want to know for themselves,

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 how can I know that I truly am a Christian?

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 How can I get some kind of assurance or confidence that my Christianity is really what the Bible says?

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 Well, it's to this that our passage speaks to this morning.

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 We're in the letter of 1 John.

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 John, that's at the end of your Bible, right before Revelation, page 960 is where we're going to be today.

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 And as you know, John is writing to a church at the end of the first century or near the end of the first century.

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 And what he's writing about is how to give confidence in the face of some other believers,

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 other teachers who were showing and demonstrating something different than what they had seen or heard from the beginning.

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 Last week we looked at it.

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 We saw that true Christians are those whose doctrine about Jesus is true,

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 that we know and understand who Jesus is rightly.

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 And this was in response to those who seem to be trying to mislead the church about the nature of Jesus.

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 Well, let's go ahead and look at the passage today to see what John adds to our understanding

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 of what true Christianity is meant to look like.

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 So, 1 John, we're going to start in chapter 2, verse 28, and we'll go through chapter 3, verse 10.

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 Let's read along together.

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 And now, little children, abide in him so that when he appears, we may have confidence

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 and not shrink back from him in shame at his coming.

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 If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.

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 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God.

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 And so we are.

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 The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

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 Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared,

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 and we know that when he appears, we shall be like him because we shall see him as he is.

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 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

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 Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness.

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 Sin is lawlessness.

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 And you know that he appeared to take away sins, and in him there is no sin.

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 No one who abides in him keeps on sinning.

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 No one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him.

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 Little children, let no one deceive you.

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 Whoever practices righteousness is righteous as he is righteous.

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 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil.

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 For the devil has been sinning from the beginning.

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 The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.

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 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him.

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 And he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God.

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 By this, it is evident who are the children of God and who are the children of the devil.

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 Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God,

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 nor is the one who does not love his brothers.

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 Let's pray together.

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 Lord Jesus, we ask for your help this morning.

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 Lord, let us receive this word from you with understanding in our mind.

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 Lord, with gladness in our hearts and with willingness in our spirit.

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 Lord, to follow you and to heed this word and to sit under it as it teaches us and instructs us and leads us.

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 Lord, I pray for your help this morning.

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 You would help me that I might speak your word clearly.

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 And Lord, together we might honor you by sitting under it together.

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 We pray this in Jesus' name.

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 Amen.

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 So where does the confidence come from to know that we are true Christians?

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 Well, there are three things.

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 The three things, and here's my attempt at an outline.

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 We'll see how it flies, but I think it'll work.

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 The first one is the confidence that true Christians have that they are children of God.

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 That's the first thing we're going to look at.

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 Second thing that John says is that there is a character that true Christians must demonstrate.

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 And thirdly, that there is a champion that true Christians trust.

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 So there's a confidence, a character, and a champion.

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 There's your outline if you're a note taker.

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 Hopefully we'll be able to walk through the passage together today.

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 First of all, then, in the first part of this passage, what is the confidence?

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 The confidence that Christians can have is that they are truly children of God.

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 Why does this come up?

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 Well, in verse 28, John starts by saying,

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 Now, little children, abide in him so that when he appears you may have confidence and not shrink back.

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 John is looking ahead to a day of judgment and to a day of return where Jesus is going to come back to the earth,

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 and he's going to call all people to account.

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 And what he's saying is, I want you to have confidence on that day that you will be able to stand before him and not be ashamed.

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 Now, why does he talk about shame here?

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 Well, there could be a number of different things, but I think the shame he envisions here is actually different than guilt.

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 Guilt would be being brought before a judge in a courtroom, right, where our transgressions, here's the law,

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 you have broken the law, and you receive a judgment and a penalty for it.

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 But I think the shame here is actually something different.

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 It's the shame that we feel rightly when we recognize that we have let down those that we love.

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 So if you're a student and you have to go home and confess that your teacher caught you cheating on a test

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 or copying your friend's answers on their homework, and you have to face those parents, you feel shame.

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 When you've made a promise to someone, whether it be marriage or in a work context or others,

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 and then you've broken that promise, and you have to go and face the one who you've broken that promise with.

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 This is the shame that John envisions that sinners will have when we stand before a holy God.

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 He who is perfect in goodness and beautiful in his majesty, when we stand before him,

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 when we know ourselves, there is this fear.

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 But John says, I tell you, there is a way that we can stand before him where we will not feel that shame.

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 How is it?

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 It is that we are children of God.

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 This is the whole part of this section from 28 through 3.3.

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 This is the thrust of it.

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 You see it in chapter 3, verse 1 so clearly.

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 Behold what manner of love the Father has shown to us, that we should be called children of God.

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 And let's be clear about what he's talking about here.

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 He's not talking about a creator-creation relationship.

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 Sometimes we talk about humanity, all of humanity as children of God.

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 Aren't we all children of God?

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 And at one level, that's recognizing that we're created in God's image.

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 And so rightly, all of creation in some way is a reflection of God.

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 But here there's something more specific.

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 This is about God's elected, adopted children.

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 The one that he has chosen to rescue out of sin and fallenness and make them his own.

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 And the doctrine of adoption that we, because of our sin, have been alienated from God

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 and have been rejected from him and are not a part of his family.

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 And yet God has come to us and called us into his family through Jesus Christ.

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 And at the core of that calling back in and that adoption is this amazing doctrine

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 that we are born anew into his family.

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 Because that spiritual alienation is also a spiritual death.

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 And when God comes to us through the gospel and invites us into a living relationship with Jesus,

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 he makes us born again.

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 This is what Mina read earlier from John 3, a famous passage about Nicodemus.

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 How must I enter the kingdom of God?

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 You must be born again.

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 What does that mean?

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 It means that God's spirit working in us brings alive what was dead in us spiritually

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 so that we can actually know and relate to God.

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 And as God does this, he brings us into his family and he says,

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 you are now my special children.

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 And in my love, I have imparted to you in this spiritual reawakening,

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 this spiritual rebirth, a new nature

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 so that you are now no longer an alien from me,

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 but you are now like me.

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 We are born then into his family so that we might be like him.

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 And this is the thing that John is threading all these massive theological themes together

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 to say that when we become children of God,

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 we are then meant to bear a family resemblance.

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 I've been told that I resemble my father in a number of ways,

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 not only in physical appearance, but in my mannerisms, in my disposition.

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 My brothers and sister-in-laws, my sister-in-laws especially,

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 because you know sister-in-laws are always really,

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 they've got a good radar for stuff like this.

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 They're like, you're like your dad.

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 I'm like, really?

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 Okay.

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 But it's true.

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 But so in my family, there's this family resemblance

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 that has been passed down from my dad to me.

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 And this is what God is doing.

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 As he makes us born again, he then calls us into remaking us

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 so that we are going to be reflective of him and his character,

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 and particularly in this context, in his moral character.

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 This is what we see in verse 29.

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 If we know that he is righteous,

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 then we will be, everyone who practices righteousness like God,

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 will demonstrate that God has made him born again

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 into this kind of righteousness.

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 And in verse 3 of chapter 3, you see it again.

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 And as we know that he is pure,

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 then his children purify himself.

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 That is, we move away from the defiling things

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 and towards the goodness of God and his character.

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 And this is the hope and the confidence

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 that John wants to give true Christians.

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 That we could be called children of God

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 because this work that God is doing in us

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 is producing something that is visible.

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 And he's doing this, I think,

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 and we'll explore this a little more in a bit,

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 but he's doing this because it seems that

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 some of those who had left the community

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 but were still claiming the name of Christ

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 were saying, I can claim to be a child of God,

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 and it doesn't matter how I live.

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 I can live no matter how I want.

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 And John is saying, that is deception.

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 That is not true.

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 And in order to bring this to bear more clearly,

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 he then, as we move on to our second point,

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 he then brings a contrast into focus.

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 This is what we see in verses 4 through 10.

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 Most clearly, he makes a contrast,

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 and he's very black and white in his language.

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 It's shocking, striking, and fearful sometimes

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 how John speaks.

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 But he says, you are either a child of God

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 or you are a child of the devil.

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 And if you've been at Trinity a lot,

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 you know this is not language that we usually use around here

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 because it's shocking and it's sort of,

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 it feels extreme.

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 And if you're visiting today, know that this isn't.

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 But this is what John is actually saying here.

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 He says there are two kinds of people.

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 How does he say this?

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 Well, it's at the core of it, right, is in verses 8 and 9.

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 And he says you can tell the nature of a person

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 by their character and their actions.

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 Verse 8 and 9 says this,

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 whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil,

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 for the devil has been sinning from the beginning.

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 And the reason the Son of God appeared

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 was to destroy the works of the devil.

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 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning,

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 for God's seed abides in him.

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 He cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God.

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 So the contrast here is very stark, right?

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 If sin is characteristic of your living,

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 then you are like the devil.

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 And look, John defines sinning particularly in this context, right?

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 Verses 5, he says sin is lawlessness.

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 What does that mean?

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 A spirit of independence, of freedom from any authority, right?

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 And he might be thinking violating the law of Moses

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 in the Old Testament,

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 but I think his picture is actually larger than that.

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 It's a fundamental spirit of rebellion against God

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 as our ruler and judge and creator

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 to whom we are accountable.

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 It is a rejection that he is the one

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 that defines good and evil, right and wrong in the world.

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 And the sin here is the practice of

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 regularly rejecting God, taking this role in our lives.

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 And when we reject God in that way,

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 the DNA that emerges through our actions,

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 what we see is the same thing we see in the devil

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 because that's what he did from the beginning.

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 He rebelled against God.

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 He enticed humans to rebel against God.

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 And this is his fundamental character,

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 is to reject and rebel against God.

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 And so this is what John is saying.

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 And he makes a contrast then.

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 In verses 7 and 8, he then said,

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 or in, I'm sorry, in verse 9,

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 he makes the contrast negatively.

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 If you keep on sinning, you can't be born of God

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 because this spirit of rebellion

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 is contrary to the DNA of the person

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 who has the seed of God in him.

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 Now, some of you are like biologists

00:17:46.839 --> 00:17:48.420
 and know far better than me.

00:17:48.639 --> 00:17:51.480
 But a particular plant, seed,

00:17:51.700 --> 00:17:54.619
 can only produce a particular kind of plant.

00:17:54.619 --> 00:17:57.059
 If I plant a marigold seed,

00:17:57.259 --> 00:17:59.220
 I'm not going to get a chrysanthemum.

00:17:59.379 --> 00:18:01.599
 I'm going to get a marigold, right?

00:18:01.599 --> 00:18:06.259
 And so when God plants a seed in his children

00:18:06.259 --> 00:18:08.299
 by making them born again,

00:18:09.299 --> 00:18:12.159
 that seed of God is going to produce

00:18:12.159 --> 00:18:15.079
 godly action and character.

00:18:16.119 --> 00:18:18.799
 So to be born of God is to submit to

00:18:18.799 --> 00:18:20.500
 rather than reject God's rule.

00:18:20.759 --> 00:18:23.639
 It's to gladly embrace his determinations

00:18:23.639 --> 00:18:24.500
 and his ways.

00:18:25.000 --> 00:18:26.919
 To be his children is not a duty

00:18:26.919 --> 00:18:29.740
 of rules we have to keep so we don't get spanked,

00:18:29.740 --> 00:18:32.539
 but a delight so that we might please him.

00:18:34.180 --> 00:18:36.059
 And it's not an independent spirit

00:18:36.059 --> 00:18:37.599
 of I want to do my own thing,

00:18:37.700 --> 00:18:39.059
 but a joyous dependence.

00:18:39.660 --> 00:18:41.799
 God, show me how I might live

00:18:41.799 --> 00:18:45.140
 so that I might flourish and glorify you.

00:18:45.980 --> 00:18:48.339
 And to keep on sinning, John reminds us,

00:18:48.339 --> 00:18:50.500
 is to inhabit a practice of rebellion

00:18:50.500 --> 00:18:53.740
 is the opposite of this spirit.

00:18:53.740 --> 00:18:58.359
 Just like a maple tree cannot create acorns

00:18:58.359 --> 00:19:00.640
 and a corn stalk cannot make radishes,

00:19:01.200 --> 00:19:04.000
 so someone born of God

00:19:04.000 --> 00:19:07.859
 cannot produce this spirit of rebellion.

00:19:09.079 --> 00:19:10.099
 Remember Jesus said,

00:19:10.180 --> 00:19:13.140
 a tree is known by its fruit.

00:19:13.740 --> 00:19:16.039
 So John brings this contrast to bear,

00:19:16.240 --> 00:19:17.559
 and it's really stark.

00:19:18.039 --> 00:19:19.960
 And if we're listening carefully,

00:19:20.079 --> 00:19:22.720
 we should start to be afraid, right?

00:19:22.720 --> 00:19:25.420
 How do we respond to this?

00:19:25.680 --> 00:19:27.019
 How do we think about this?

00:19:27.079 --> 00:19:29.539
 Because if we're honest with ourselves,

00:19:30.140 --> 00:19:31.779
 we're all finding ourselves

00:19:31.779 --> 00:19:33.960
 not in the children of God category,

00:19:34.079 --> 00:19:34.940
 but somewhere else.

00:19:34.980 --> 00:19:36.420
 And what are we gonna do with this?

00:19:37.120 --> 00:19:39.880
 Three applications for this major point

00:19:39.880 --> 00:19:41.640
 before we move on to our third point.

00:19:41.980 --> 00:19:44.579
 First, we need to be careful not to be deceived.

00:19:44.799 --> 00:19:46.100
 This is what he says in verse seven.

00:19:46.500 --> 00:19:47.660
 Don't be deceived.

00:19:47.660 --> 00:19:52.000
 Character and the actions are the ultimate test

00:19:52.000 --> 00:19:56.000
 of who we are in our nature, okay?

00:19:56.220 --> 00:19:59.080
 And anyone who teaches that I can reject God

00:19:59.080 --> 00:20:00.759
 and still be God's children,

00:20:01.040 --> 00:20:03.360
 that I can live in rebellion against him

00:20:03.360 --> 00:20:05.460
 and still be rightly related to him,

00:20:07.060 --> 00:20:08.440
 this is falsehood.

00:20:08.960 --> 00:20:11.460
 And it is the hypocrisy that we hate

00:20:11.460 --> 00:20:12.820
 or should hate,

00:20:12.819 --> 00:20:14.419
 and that the world hates

00:20:14.419 --> 00:20:15.980
 when they see it in the church.

00:20:20.319 --> 00:20:22.460
 So we need to not be deceived

00:20:22.460 --> 00:20:25.439
 by this teaching that is prevalent,

00:20:25.619 --> 00:20:26.439
 not only today,

00:20:26.519 --> 00:20:27.339
 but in the first century.

00:20:27.439 --> 00:20:28.039
 John Stott,

00:20:28.879 --> 00:20:31.500
 the great British commentator and pastor,

00:20:31.659 --> 00:20:32.519
 wrote this about it.

00:20:32.519 --> 00:20:34.279
 The heretics seem to have taught

00:20:34.279 --> 00:20:35.859
 that the enlightened Christian,

00:20:36.399 --> 00:20:38.059
 that to the enlightened Christian,

00:20:38.220 --> 00:20:39.319
 questions of morality

00:20:39.319 --> 00:20:40.559
 were a matter of indifference.

00:20:40.559 --> 00:20:45.240
 Now, today, our sins are excused

00:20:45.240 --> 00:20:47.079
 either by euphemisms like,

00:20:47.259 --> 00:20:49.000
 oh, I have personality problems,

00:20:49.220 --> 00:20:51.500
 or by a plea of cultural relativity.

00:20:51.679 --> 00:20:53.240
 Well, is it really that bad?

00:20:53.859 --> 00:20:57.279
 In contrast to such underestimates of sin,

00:20:57.740 --> 00:21:00.879
 John declares it is not just a negative failure

00:21:00.879 --> 00:21:04.619
 of missing the mark or unrighteousness,

00:21:04.679 --> 00:21:07.119
 but it is essentially an active rebellion

00:21:07.119 --> 00:21:09.500
 against God's known will.

00:21:10.559 --> 00:21:14.539
 Those who say that God's will has shifted,

00:21:15.119 --> 00:21:17.220
 that his standards have changed,

00:21:17.659 --> 00:21:19.480
 that sin isn't sin,

00:21:19.799 --> 00:21:21.279
 and that God will accept us

00:21:21.279 --> 00:21:22.980
 no matter what,

00:21:23.399 --> 00:21:24.700
 no matter how we live,

00:21:24.779 --> 00:21:26.000
 no matter what we do,

00:21:26.480 --> 00:21:27.960
 this is not truth.

00:21:28.159 --> 00:21:29.059
 This is deception.

00:21:30.200 --> 00:21:31.819
 So we need to hear this.

00:21:31.819 --> 00:21:34.519
 Now, again,

00:21:34.960 --> 00:21:37.240
 if you're not afraid yet,

00:21:37.339 --> 00:21:38.700
 you should be, right?

00:21:39.000 --> 00:21:40.519
 Let us examine ourselves

00:21:40.519 --> 00:21:42.659
 because John wants us to hear this

00:21:42.659 --> 00:21:44.500
 and to know this standard,

00:21:45.500 --> 00:21:47.879
 and one of the ways we might respond

00:21:47.879 --> 00:21:49.059
 is to find ourselves

00:21:49.059 --> 00:21:50.859
 in judgment of other people.

00:21:52.059 --> 00:21:53.619
 That our response is to sit back

00:21:53.619 --> 00:21:54.939
 and look at this passage and say,

00:21:55.059 --> 00:21:56.319
 oh, well, now I know

00:21:56.319 --> 00:21:57.539
 who the real Christians are

00:21:57.539 --> 00:21:58.480
 because it's me

00:21:58.480 --> 00:22:01.539
 and, well, he looks really good

00:22:01.539 --> 00:22:02.859
 and I think she looks really good

00:22:02.859 --> 00:22:03.579
 and the rest of you,

00:22:03.980 --> 00:22:04.779
 yeah, probably not.

00:22:05.399 --> 00:22:06.920
 And we have this spirit

00:22:06.920 --> 00:22:08.579
 and this desire to judge.

00:22:08.720 --> 00:22:09.139
 And look,

00:22:09.779 --> 00:22:11.539
 there's something right about this.

00:22:11.599 --> 00:22:12.920
 I want to be careful with this

00:22:12.920 --> 00:22:14.200
 because when our church,

00:22:14.359 --> 00:22:14.759
 for instance,

00:22:14.859 --> 00:22:16.339
 when we baptize people,

00:22:16.559 --> 00:22:19.319
 we do so upon their profession of faith,

00:22:19.319 --> 00:22:21.379
 but we affirm that we see

00:22:21.379 --> 00:22:23.079
 the seed of God planted in them

00:22:23.079 --> 00:22:23.839
 bearing fruit.

00:22:24.299 --> 00:22:25.319
 And when we bring someone

00:22:25.319 --> 00:22:26.059
 into membership,

00:22:26.399 --> 00:22:28.659
 we affirm their profession of faith

00:22:28.659 --> 00:22:29.419
 in Jesus Christ

00:22:29.419 --> 00:22:30.799
 partly on the basis

00:22:30.799 --> 00:22:33.039
 of what we see in their lives.

00:22:33.299 --> 00:22:35.480
 If someone is actively rebelling

00:22:35.480 --> 00:22:36.659
 against God and says,

00:22:36.819 --> 00:22:38.099
 I want to be a member of the church,

00:22:38.359 --> 00:22:39.159
 we would say,

00:22:39.500 --> 00:22:40.099
 we love you,

00:22:40.179 --> 00:22:41.799
 but we're going to call you to repent

00:22:41.799 --> 00:22:43.319
 before we can bring you

00:22:43.319 --> 00:22:43.980
 into membership.

00:22:44.839 --> 00:22:46.159
 And if there's no repentance,

00:22:46.439 --> 00:22:47.759
 then we can't affirm

00:22:47.759 --> 00:22:49.779
 that God's seed is producing

00:22:49.779 --> 00:22:51.279
 this righteousness in you.

00:22:52.779 --> 00:22:54.460
 Now, having said all that,

00:22:54.799 --> 00:22:56.599
 let us hear C.S. Lewis

00:22:56.599 --> 00:22:58.720
 because he has a great word for us.

00:22:59.339 --> 00:22:59.740
 He says,

00:22:59.799 --> 00:23:01.500
 human beings judge one another

00:23:01.500 --> 00:23:03.259
 by their external actions.

00:23:03.519 --> 00:23:04.440
 God judges them

00:23:04.440 --> 00:23:05.740
 by their moral choices.

00:23:06.319 --> 00:23:07.819
 When a neurotic person

00:23:07.819 --> 00:23:10.299
 who has a pathological horror of cats

00:23:10.299 --> 00:23:12.759
 forces himself to pick up a cat

00:23:12.759 --> 00:23:13.900
 for some good reason,

00:23:14.359 --> 00:23:15.400
 it is quite possible

00:23:15.400 --> 00:23:16.779
 that in God's eyes,

00:23:16.779 --> 00:23:18.539
 he has shown more courage

00:23:18.539 --> 00:23:20.619
 than a healthy man may have shown

00:23:20.619 --> 00:23:22.460
 in winning the Victoria Cross.

00:23:23.019 --> 00:23:24.720
 And when a man who has been perverted

00:23:24.720 --> 00:23:26.200
 from his youth

00:23:26.200 --> 00:23:27.379
 and taught that cruelty

00:23:27.379 --> 00:23:29.279
 is the right thing

00:23:29.279 --> 00:23:32.119
 does a little tiny kindness

00:23:32.119 --> 00:23:34.660
 or refrains from some cruelty

00:23:34.660 --> 00:23:35.740
 that he might have committed

00:23:35.740 --> 00:23:37.879
 and thereby perhaps risks

00:23:37.879 --> 00:23:40.259
 being sneered at by his companions,

00:23:40.700 --> 00:23:42.359
 he may in God's eyes

00:23:42.359 --> 00:23:44.339
 be doing more than you and I

00:23:44.339 --> 00:23:47.240
 would do if we give up life itself

00:23:47.240 --> 00:23:48.299
 for a friend.

00:23:49.500 --> 00:23:51.459
 So this is the humility.

00:23:52.679 --> 00:23:54.199
 You hear what C.S. Lewis is saying?

00:23:54.740 --> 00:23:56.359
 Recognize that we don't all start

00:23:56.359 --> 00:23:57.299
 at the same place

00:23:57.299 --> 00:23:58.759
 and what we see on the outside

00:23:58.759 --> 00:24:02.119
 is not always the true growth

00:24:02.119 --> 00:24:04.339
 of that spiritual seed in someone.

00:24:04.859 --> 00:24:06.419
 And depending on where we started,

00:24:06.559 --> 00:24:08.419
 we might look really good on the outside

00:24:08.420 --> 00:24:10.720
 and yet our hearts are not good.

00:24:11.000 --> 00:24:12.920
 Or we might look a little rough

00:24:12.920 --> 00:24:13.700
 around the edges

00:24:13.700 --> 00:24:15.600
 but our hearts are good.

00:24:15.860 --> 00:24:17.380
 So we want to be careful

00:24:17.380 --> 00:24:19.060
 with how we hear this

00:24:19.060 --> 00:24:22.300
 and yet we do want to hear

00:24:22.300 --> 00:24:23.360
 the exhortation

00:24:23.360 --> 00:24:26.120
 and the standard that John is saying.

00:24:26.519 --> 00:24:28.320
 We've got to see fruit

00:24:28.320 --> 00:24:29.880
 of God's seed in us

00:24:29.880 --> 00:24:32.600
 to know that we can be true Christians.

00:24:33.080 --> 00:24:34.080
 And this brings us

00:24:34.080 --> 00:24:35.940
 to the very crux of the crisis

00:24:35.940 --> 00:24:38.340
 that this passage ought to bring to us.

00:24:38.580 --> 00:24:40.200
 Because in 1 John 1,

00:24:40.720 --> 00:24:41.740
 he told us,

00:24:42.380 --> 00:24:43.720
 if you claim to have no sin,

00:24:43.820 --> 00:24:44.440
 you lie

00:24:44.440 --> 00:24:46.039
 and the truth is not in you.

00:24:46.500 --> 00:24:48.460
 If you claim that you have not sinned,

00:24:48.700 --> 00:24:49.920
 you deceive yourself.

00:24:51.559 --> 00:24:52.720
 And now John says,

00:24:52.720 --> 00:24:53.740
 if you have sin,

00:24:53.799 --> 00:24:55.240
 you can't be a child of God.

00:24:56.100 --> 00:24:57.440
 Well, what is it, John?

00:24:57.600 --> 00:24:59.220
 How do we do these things?

00:24:59.480 --> 00:25:00.420
 Well, two things

00:25:00.420 --> 00:25:01.539
 to bring us together

00:25:01.539 --> 00:25:02.360
 so that we can see

00:25:02.360 --> 00:25:03.900
 that John is not actually speaking

00:25:03.900 --> 00:25:05.480
 out of both sides of his mouth

00:25:05.480 --> 00:25:06.220
 but he is speaking

00:25:06.220 --> 00:25:07.559
 in each context

00:25:07.559 --> 00:25:10.059
 towards a common truth, right?

00:25:10.380 --> 00:25:12.279
 First, in this passage,

00:25:12.400 --> 00:25:13.900
 there is a repeated emphasis

00:25:13.900 --> 00:25:15.240
 not on sin

00:25:15.240 --> 00:25:17.140
 but on sinning, right?

00:25:17.380 --> 00:25:19.500
 So the verbs often indicate

00:25:19.500 --> 00:25:20.660
 ongoing action,

00:25:20.860 --> 00:25:22.420
 continuous presence, right?

00:25:22.759 --> 00:25:24.960
 And so what he is talking about

00:25:24.960 --> 00:25:26.579
 primarily here

00:25:26.579 --> 00:25:28.339
 is not a single act

00:25:28.339 --> 00:25:29.860
 or a single thought

00:25:29.860 --> 00:25:31.039
 but a pattern,

00:25:31.500 --> 00:25:32.160
 an attitude,

00:25:32.860 --> 00:25:33.819
 a character trait.

00:25:33.819 --> 00:25:35.899
 Right?

00:25:36.460 --> 00:25:36.859
 Again,

00:25:37.019 --> 00:25:38.259
 the big picture

00:25:38.259 --> 00:25:40.000
 is a question of rebellion

00:25:40.000 --> 00:25:42.159
 versus submission to God

00:25:42.159 --> 00:25:43.279
 and his law

00:25:43.279 --> 00:25:45.200
 and moving towards

00:25:45.200 --> 00:25:47.019
 and it's a question

00:25:47.019 --> 00:25:48.740
 and here's what John

00:25:48.740 --> 00:25:49.799
 would want to say to us.

00:25:49.899 --> 00:25:51.319
 If we are complacent

00:25:51.319 --> 00:25:52.740
 in the face of our sin

00:25:52.740 --> 00:25:55.119
 when we excuse it

00:25:55.119 --> 00:25:56.939
 rather than hating it,

00:25:57.200 --> 00:25:58.519
 when we are comfortable

00:25:58.519 --> 00:25:59.799
 in our sin,

00:26:00.240 --> 00:26:01.639
 when we are unwilling to,

00:26:01.640 --> 00:26:03.140
 as Jesus says,

00:26:03.540 --> 00:26:04.780
 pluck out our eye

00:26:04.780 --> 00:26:06.880
 in order to stop sinning,

00:26:07.880 --> 00:26:09.900
 if we find ourselves

00:26:09.900 --> 00:26:12.200
 defensively denying sin

00:26:12.200 --> 00:26:13.780
 when others graciously

00:26:13.780 --> 00:26:15.160
 pointed out to us,

00:26:16.640 --> 00:26:19.460
 these are some of the warning signs

00:26:19.460 --> 00:26:22.020
 that we have these patterns

00:26:22.020 --> 00:26:23.580
 so embedded in us

00:26:23.580 --> 00:26:25.300
 that we have taken hold of

00:26:25.300 --> 00:26:27.360
 a spirit of not submission

00:26:27.359 --> 00:26:28.500
 but rebellion.

00:26:29.279 --> 00:26:30.379
 John is not calling

00:26:30.379 --> 00:26:32.179
 for sinless perfection here.

00:26:32.279 --> 00:26:33.219
 I don't believe.

00:26:33.819 --> 00:26:35.000
 Chapter 1 would tell us

00:26:35.000 --> 00:26:35.699
 very clearly

00:26:35.699 --> 00:26:36.439
 that's not true

00:26:36.439 --> 00:26:37.779
 but he is saying

00:26:37.779 --> 00:26:39.279
 what is your trajectory?

00:26:40.399 --> 00:26:42.139
 What direction are you headed?

00:26:42.500 --> 00:26:44.240
 Are you headed towards God

00:26:44.240 --> 00:26:46.519
 and continually being refined

00:26:46.519 --> 00:26:48.099
 and as things become clear,

00:26:48.500 --> 00:26:49.359
 you repent of them

00:26:49.359 --> 00:26:50.279
 and you change?

00:26:50.740 --> 00:26:52.059
 There is a sense in which

00:26:52.059 --> 00:26:52.979
 it is true

00:26:52.979 --> 00:26:54.219
 that we are always going

00:26:54.219 --> 00:26:54.819
 to be sinners

00:26:54.819 --> 00:26:55.899
 this side of heaven

00:26:55.900 --> 00:26:57.680
 so that we will not be perfect

00:26:57.680 --> 00:26:58.320
 and yet,

00:26:58.600 --> 00:26:59.900
 we should never say,

00:27:00.180 --> 00:27:01.259
 but that makes it okay

00:27:01.259 --> 00:27:02.740
 for me to sin in this way

00:27:02.740 --> 00:27:05.420
 because John would say,

00:27:05.759 --> 00:27:06.759
 no, don't you see?

00:27:07.080 --> 00:27:08.060
 This is contrary

00:27:08.060 --> 00:27:09.420
 to the very DNA

00:27:09.420 --> 00:27:11.040
 of who you are.

00:27:12.740 --> 00:27:14.580
 A Christian must be moving

00:27:14.580 --> 00:27:16.259
 towards righteousness

00:27:16.259 --> 00:27:18.440
 and it is the direction

00:27:18.440 --> 00:27:19.200
 that we are headed

00:27:19.200 --> 00:27:20.500
 that is most important

00:27:20.500 --> 00:27:23.960
 and as we hear this word,

00:27:23.960 --> 00:27:24.720
 for those of us

00:27:24.720 --> 00:27:25.840
 who are in a battle

00:27:25.840 --> 00:27:26.740
 against sin,

00:27:26.980 --> 00:27:28.720
 a particular thing right now

00:27:28.720 --> 00:27:29.579
 that you're fighting

00:27:29.579 --> 00:27:30.460
 that right now

00:27:30.460 --> 00:27:31.120
 the Holy Spirit

00:27:31.120 --> 00:27:32.240
 is bringing to your mind

00:27:32.240 --> 00:27:32.519
 going,

00:27:32.960 --> 00:27:33.640
 oh my gosh,

00:27:34.059 --> 00:27:34.880
 my deceit,

00:27:35.160 --> 00:27:35.920
 my anger,

00:27:36.160 --> 00:27:36.960
 my pride,

00:27:37.160 --> 00:27:38.160
 my selfishness,

00:27:38.720 --> 00:27:40.539
 my pornography,

00:27:40.740 --> 00:27:41.559
 whatever it is,

00:27:41.559 --> 00:27:42.700
 it's coming to mind

00:27:42.700 --> 00:27:44.120
 and you're thinking,

00:27:44.240 --> 00:27:44.480
 okay,

00:27:44.559 --> 00:27:45.900
 he gave me a little room

00:27:45.900 --> 00:27:46.779
 to be okay

00:27:46.779 --> 00:27:48.480
 with being in battle.

00:27:49.240 --> 00:27:50.539
 Here's what we need to do.

00:27:51.059 --> 00:27:52.859
 Never use this passage

00:27:52.859 --> 00:27:55.099
 and this idea of trajectory

00:27:55.099 --> 00:27:58.279
 to let you be complacent.

00:27:58.720 --> 00:28:00.960
 You need to fight against sin.

00:28:01.460 --> 00:28:03.420
 It needs to include lamenting

00:28:03.420 --> 00:28:04.559
 of your fallenness.

00:28:04.680 --> 00:28:06.680
 It needs to include confessing

00:28:06.680 --> 00:28:08.460
 as we saw in chapter one.

00:28:08.700 --> 00:28:10.299
 It needs to include repentance,

00:28:10.899 --> 00:28:11.700
 turning away,

00:28:12.000 --> 00:28:12.920
 changing your life,

00:28:13.099 --> 00:28:14.259
 changing your mind

00:28:14.259 --> 00:28:16.119
 and drawing on the resources

00:28:16.119 --> 00:28:18.279
 that God has given us

00:28:18.279 --> 00:28:21.139
 to move towards the things of God.

00:28:22.299 --> 00:28:24.299
 We should always hate sin

00:28:24.299 --> 00:28:25.879
 as a foreign invader

00:28:25.879 --> 00:28:27.160
 for those of us

00:28:27.160 --> 00:28:28.539
 who are truly in Christ.

00:28:30.319 --> 00:28:31.759
 But it's more than that

00:28:31.759 --> 00:28:32.940
 and this brings us

00:28:32.940 --> 00:28:33.879
 to our third point.

00:28:34.160 --> 00:28:36.299
 As we fight this battle against sin,

00:28:36.539 --> 00:28:38.099
 as we see this trajectory,

00:28:38.579 --> 00:28:39.299
 how do we know

00:28:39.299 --> 00:28:40.720
 that we are children of God?

00:28:40.879 --> 00:28:42.779
 Because we have a champion

00:28:42.779 --> 00:28:45.779
 in which true Christians trust in.

00:28:46.500 --> 00:28:47.399
 Verse five,

00:28:47.400 --> 00:28:48.820
 look with me at it again.

00:28:49.660 --> 00:28:50.759
 You know that he,

00:28:50.960 --> 00:28:51.720
 that is Jesus,

00:28:52.019 --> 00:28:55.240
 appeared to take away sin

00:28:55.240 --> 00:28:57.340
 and in him there is no sin.

00:28:57.880 --> 00:28:59.660
 When Jesus Christ came,

00:28:59.780 --> 00:29:02.660
 he came as the only sinless human.

00:29:03.120 --> 00:29:04.380
 Though he was fully human,

00:29:04.700 --> 00:29:05.780
 he had no sin

00:29:05.780 --> 00:29:07.540
 and he perfectly obeyed his father

00:29:07.540 --> 00:29:08.600
 in every way

00:29:08.600 --> 00:29:10.060
 and his perfect obedience

00:29:10.060 --> 00:29:11.800
 showed his true nature.

00:29:12.280 --> 00:29:13.280
 He was unstained

00:29:13.280 --> 00:29:14.900
 by the sin of Adam and Eve

00:29:14.900 --> 00:29:18.060
 so that he might be our savior

00:29:18.060 --> 00:29:19.840
 and that through his life

00:29:19.840 --> 00:29:21.000
 on our behalf,

00:29:21.160 --> 00:29:22.120
 through his death

00:29:22.120 --> 00:29:24.420
 in replacement for us

00:29:24.420 --> 00:29:26.280
 and in through his resurrection

00:29:26.280 --> 00:29:29.680
 displaying his perfection,

00:29:30.160 --> 00:29:35.600
 he then comes to take away our sin.

00:29:36.460 --> 00:29:38.360
 His life, death, and resurrection

00:29:38.360 --> 00:29:39.660
 for true Christians

00:29:39.660 --> 00:29:41.280
 erases the record

00:29:41.279 --> 00:29:44.059
 so that when we go into the police station

00:29:44.059 --> 00:29:45.539
 to say what's on his rap sheet,

00:29:45.700 --> 00:29:46.859
 there's nothing there

00:29:46.859 --> 00:29:48.240
 because Christ has taken

00:29:48.240 --> 00:29:50.139
 all of those things for us

00:29:50.139 --> 00:29:52.240
 and given us his sheet

00:29:52.240 --> 00:29:53.700
 which is all righteousness.

00:29:55.319 --> 00:29:56.660
 Jesus through his life,

00:29:56.799 --> 00:29:57.599
 death, and resurrection

00:29:57.599 --> 00:30:00.220
 has also washed us clean

00:30:00.220 --> 00:30:01.920
 though the stain of sin

00:30:01.920 --> 00:30:03.039
 from Adam and Eve

00:30:03.039 --> 00:30:05.480
 would continue to pull our hearts

00:30:05.480 --> 00:30:06.559
 towards rebellion

00:30:06.559 --> 00:30:08.200
 and away from God.

00:30:08.200 --> 00:30:11.000
 He has washed us clean from that.

00:30:11.420 --> 00:30:12.299
 White as snow

00:30:12.299 --> 00:30:13.500
 and removed from us

00:30:13.500 --> 00:30:15.240
 our sins as far as the east

00:30:15.240 --> 00:30:16.200
 is from the west

00:30:16.200 --> 00:30:18.039
 and this is what happens

00:30:18.039 --> 00:30:19.759
 when he plants his seed

00:30:19.759 --> 00:30:21.759
 and then he calls us

00:30:21.759 --> 00:30:24.400
 to be who he has made us now

00:30:24.400 --> 00:30:25.140
 in Christ.

00:30:25.680 --> 00:30:27.840
 This was the purpose of his work

00:30:27.840 --> 00:30:29.580
 that sin would not continue

00:30:29.580 --> 00:30:30.539
 but it would end.

00:30:30.880 --> 00:30:32.200
 That the devil who comes

00:30:32.200 --> 00:30:33.840
 to encourage sin and rebellion

00:30:33.840 --> 00:30:35.779
 would ultimately be seen

00:30:35.779 --> 00:30:37.299
 to be the defeated one

00:30:37.299 --> 00:30:39.099
 not the victorious one

00:30:39.099 --> 00:30:40.539
 and that God himself

00:30:40.539 --> 00:30:41.579
 would be lifted up

00:30:41.579 --> 00:30:43.819
 in the midst of his whole creation

00:30:43.819 --> 00:30:45.960
 as the glorious savior

00:30:45.960 --> 00:30:48.200
 as the truly righteous one

00:30:48.200 --> 00:30:49.460
 and his people

00:30:49.460 --> 00:30:52.599
 would be a reflection of this

00:30:52.599 --> 00:30:54.399
 in his world.

00:30:57.240 --> 00:30:58.659
 This is our champion

00:30:58.659 --> 00:31:00.399
 and this is our hope

00:31:00.399 --> 00:31:02.519
 because when we see him

00:31:02.519 --> 00:31:03.599
 we know that sin

00:31:03.599 --> 00:31:05.599
 does not have the ultimate power

00:31:05.599 --> 00:31:06.539
 that the devil

00:31:06.539 --> 00:31:08.519
 does not have control over us

00:31:08.519 --> 00:31:09.480
 but instead

00:31:09.480 --> 00:31:11.500
 when the gospel seed

00:31:11.500 --> 00:31:12.959
 takes root in our hearts

00:31:12.959 --> 00:31:15.219
 we now have a new nature

00:31:15.219 --> 00:31:16.619
 to be born again

00:31:16.619 --> 00:31:18.480
 and we will see this

00:31:18.480 --> 00:31:20.439
 in the midst of our battle

00:31:20.439 --> 00:31:21.719
 we will see this

00:31:21.719 --> 00:31:23.659
 by growth in righteousness.

00:31:25.099 --> 00:31:26.659
 Now you guys have heard me

00:31:26.659 --> 00:31:27.419
 say this before

00:31:27.419 --> 00:31:28.740
 one of the amazing things

00:31:28.740 --> 00:31:30.099
 that happens in saints

00:31:30.099 --> 00:31:32.559
 is that as we go along in life

00:31:32.559 --> 00:31:34.679
 the older we get

00:31:34.679 --> 00:31:36.079
 the more righteous

00:31:36.079 --> 00:31:37.599
 we should become

00:31:37.599 --> 00:31:38.779
 and the more aware

00:31:38.779 --> 00:31:39.619
 of our sin

00:31:39.619 --> 00:31:40.440
 we become

00:31:40.440 --> 00:31:41.579
 at the same time.

00:31:42.079 --> 00:31:43.059
 So when you ask

00:31:43.059 --> 00:31:43.839
 the older saints

00:31:43.839 --> 00:31:44.700
 in the midst of us

00:31:44.700 --> 00:31:45.759
 they're not going to tell you

00:31:45.759 --> 00:31:46.740
 how perfect they are

00:31:46.740 --> 00:31:47.720
 they're going to tell you

00:31:47.720 --> 00:31:48.339
 how much more

00:31:48.339 --> 00:31:49.339
 they see their sin

00:31:49.339 --> 00:31:50.440
 and yet

00:31:50.440 --> 00:31:51.899
 when you look at their life

00:31:51.899 --> 00:31:52.740
 the fruit of it

00:31:52.740 --> 00:31:53.599
 you will see

00:31:53.599 --> 00:31:54.480
 they have become

00:31:54.480 --> 00:31:55.559
 increasingly righteous

00:31:55.559 --> 00:31:57.379
 they are less selfish

00:31:57.379 --> 00:31:58.379
 they are less

00:31:58.379 --> 00:32:00.119
 they're more

00:32:00.119 --> 00:32:02.240
 giving and sacrificial

00:32:02.240 --> 00:32:03.420
 they are more patient

00:32:03.420 --> 00:32:04.759
 they are less angry

00:32:04.759 --> 00:32:06.099
 etc. etc.

00:32:07.019 --> 00:32:08.759
 And this is what we should see

00:32:08.759 --> 00:32:09.880
 is growth

00:32:09.880 --> 00:32:11.359
 in both of these things

00:32:11.359 --> 00:32:12.779
 so a true saint

00:32:12.779 --> 00:32:14.400
 will be more aware

00:32:14.400 --> 00:32:15.180
 of their sinfulness

00:32:15.180 --> 00:32:15.960
 and yet

00:32:15.960 --> 00:32:18.240
 produce more of the fruit

00:32:18.240 --> 00:32:18.940
 of the seed

00:32:18.940 --> 00:32:19.839
 that God has planted

00:32:19.839 --> 00:32:20.279
 in them

00:32:20.279 --> 00:32:21.799
 this is what John

00:32:21.799 --> 00:32:22.640
 is looking for

00:32:22.640 --> 00:32:23.099
 and he's saying

00:32:23.099 --> 00:32:24.519
 this is what we should

00:32:24.519 --> 00:32:25.380
 be looking for

00:32:25.380 --> 00:32:26.680
 and if you want

00:32:26.680 --> 00:32:27.599
 the confidence

00:32:27.599 --> 00:32:30.859
 the confidence

00:32:30.859 --> 00:32:32.919
 of true Christianity

00:32:32.919 --> 00:32:34.599
 look for that

00:32:34.599 --> 00:32:36.219
 look for that

00:32:36.219 --> 00:32:37.319
 gospel dynamic

00:32:37.319 --> 00:32:38.980
 look for the seed

00:32:38.980 --> 00:32:39.679
 of God

00:32:39.679 --> 00:32:41.199
 in one born again

00:32:41.199 --> 00:32:42.679
 producing fruit

00:32:42.679 --> 00:32:43.719
 someone who's

00:32:43.719 --> 00:32:45.219
 battling against sin

00:32:45.219 --> 00:32:46.119
 someone who's

00:32:46.119 --> 00:32:47.419
 humbled by their weakness

00:32:47.419 --> 00:32:48.339
 and yet someone

00:32:48.339 --> 00:32:49.579
 who is being conformed

00:32:49.579 --> 00:32:50.219
 more and more

00:32:50.219 --> 00:32:51.959
 so that they're like Jesus

00:32:51.960 --> 00:32:53.960
 because Jesus

00:32:53.960 --> 00:32:55.519
 came to make us

00:32:55.519 --> 00:32:58.059
 his brothers

00:32:58.059 --> 00:32:58.740
 and sisters

00:32:58.740 --> 00:33:00.340
 under our heavenly

00:33:00.340 --> 00:33:00.880
 father

00:33:00.880 --> 00:33:01.779
 born again

00:33:01.779 --> 00:33:03.120
 into the family

00:33:03.120 --> 00:33:03.779
 of God

00:33:03.779 --> 00:33:05.319
 behold what manner

00:33:05.319 --> 00:33:05.940
 of love

00:33:05.940 --> 00:33:07.980
 the father

00:33:07.980 --> 00:33:08.799
 has shown us

00:33:08.799 --> 00:33:10.220
 that we should be called

00:33:10.220 --> 00:33:11.660
 children of God

00:33:11.660 --> 00:33:13.680
 let's pray

00:33:13.680 --> 00:33:18.860
 Lord Jesus

00:33:18.860 --> 00:33:19.460
 we thank you

00:33:19.460 --> 00:33:20.259
 for this word

00:33:20.259 --> 00:33:22.640
 Lord we confess

00:33:22.640 --> 00:33:24.060
 as we come to you

00:33:24.060 --> 00:33:24.940
 before it

00:33:24.940 --> 00:33:28.259
 God we are not perfect

00:33:28.259 --> 00:33:31.400
 and Lord we pray

00:33:31.400 --> 00:33:32.160
 for you

00:33:32.160 --> 00:33:33.980
 oh Lord

00:33:33.980 --> 00:33:34.580
 will you

00:33:34.580 --> 00:33:36.019
 by your spirit

00:33:36.019 --> 00:33:37.360
 strengthen

00:33:37.360 --> 00:33:39.060
 gird us up

00:33:39.060 --> 00:33:39.759
 to fight

00:33:39.759 --> 00:33:40.620
 against sin

00:33:40.620 --> 00:33:42.000
 help us

00:33:42.000 --> 00:33:43.100
 to lay hold

00:33:43.099 --> 00:33:43.859
 of the seed

00:33:43.859 --> 00:33:44.559
 of the gospel

00:33:44.559 --> 00:33:45.539
 and the new life

00:33:45.539 --> 00:33:46.059
 that you have

00:33:46.059 --> 00:33:46.740
 given us

00:33:46.740 --> 00:33:47.759
 Lord

00:33:47.759 --> 00:33:48.599
 so that we might

00:33:48.599 --> 00:33:49.539
 not become

00:33:49.539 --> 00:33:50.379
 complacent

00:33:50.379 --> 00:33:51.179
 or weary

00:33:51.179 --> 00:33:52.000
 in fighting

00:33:52.000 --> 00:33:53.559
 against sin

00:33:53.559 --> 00:33:54.179
 but rather

00:33:54.179 --> 00:33:54.559
 Lord

00:33:54.559 --> 00:33:55.539
 that our trajectory

00:33:55.539 --> 00:33:56.679
 would be always

00:33:56.679 --> 00:33:57.779
 towards you

00:33:57.779 --> 00:33:59.279
 pleasing you

00:33:59.279 --> 00:34:00.059
 honoring you

00:34:00.059 --> 00:34:01.259
 doing what is right

00:34:01.259 --> 00:34:03.659
 Lord we pray

00:34:03.659 --> 00:34:04.459
 as a church

00:34:04.459 --> 00:34:05.119
 that

00:34:05.119 --> 00:34:06.599
 Lord we might

00:34:06.599 --> 00:34:08.440
 pursue this fight

00:34:08.440 --> 00:34:09.599
 with humility

00:34:09.599 --> 00:34:11.619
 with grace

00:34:11.619 --> 00:34:12.900
 and with

00:34:12.900 --> 00:34:13.619
 stubborn

00:34:13.619 --> 00:34:14.880
 steadfastness

00:34:14.880 --> 00:34:17.019
 Lord

00:34:17.019 --> 00:34:17.599
 that we would

00:34:17.599 --> 00:34:18.199
 not be

00:34:18.199 --> 00:34:19.059
 like the world

00:34:19.059 --> 00:34:19.739
 that does not

00:34:19.739 --> 00:34:20.199
 know us

00:34:20.199 --> 00:34:20.859
 because they did

00:34:20.859 --> 00:34:21.519
 not know him

00:34:21.519 --> 00:34:23.380
 but that this church

00:34:23.380 --> 00:34:24.079
 would be

00:34:24.079 --> 00:34:25.339
 reflective

00:34:25.339 --> 00:34:27.339
 of you

00:34:27.339 --> 00:34:29.119
 and the seed

00:34:29.119 --> 00:34:29.559
 that you have

00:34:29.559 --> 00:34:29.900
 planted

00:34:29.900 --> 00:34:30.779
 in us

00:34:30.779 --> 00:34:31.599
 in the gospel

00:34:31.599 --> 00:34:34.239
 Lord I thank you

00:34:34.239 --> 00:34:35.579
 for this word

00:34:35.579 --> 00:34:36.679
 may we be encouraged

00:34:36.679 --> 00:34:37.559
 by it today

00:34:37.559 --> 00:34:39.440
 we pray in Jesus name

00:34:39.440 --> 00:34:40.440
 Amen

00:34:41.619 --> 00:34:43.500
 That means

00:34:43.500 --> 00:34:59.480
 to be

00:35:02.960 --> 00:35:03.719
 we pray

00:35:03.719 --> 00:35:05.000
 enough

00:35:05.619 --> 00:35:06.880
 to be