WEBVTT

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 This is God's inspired, inerrant, infallible, clear, sufficient word for us as people.

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! Matthew 28, verse 20.

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 Jesus Christ telling his apostles,

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 Teach my disciples to obey everything I have commanded.

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 And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.

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 All right, now let's begin at verse 18 and get this passage in its context.

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 Jesus came and spoke to them, saying,

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 All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.

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 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations,

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 baptizing them in the name of the Father,

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 and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,

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 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you.

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 And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.

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 Amen.

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 The word of God for the people of God.

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 Thanks be to God. Please be seated.

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 Let's pray.

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 Lord, we praise you. All power and authority are yours.

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 You rule over all things, from your throne in heaven,

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 from the right hand of God the Father Almighty.

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 And yet, Lord, you've poured out your Spirit in a powerful way upon your church.

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 And your Spirit brings the presence of God

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 to be with your church, even to the end of the age.

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 And we praise you that this includes the generation we are part of right now,

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 that we have this promise that you are with us.

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 Lord, we pray that your Spirit will minister your word,

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 your truth to your people.

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 We pray that you please help the preacher.

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 Please guard the ears of your people.

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 Please help me, Lord, as you helped in the preparation.

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 Help me now to proclaim Christ.

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 And all that you have commanded us to obey,

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 with joy, with love, because you first loved us.

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 That your name will be exalted.

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 That all those who belong to you, Lord,

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 will willingly give themselves to you in your day of power.

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 And that your Spirit will apply your truth gently,

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 patiently, in your own timing,

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 to each one that you have made to hear your words.

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 We pray this for Christ's sake. Amen.

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 Amen.

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 Well, the first four years of our marriage,

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 Andrea and I moved to São Paulo, Brazil.

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 And we are two American citizens with American passports,

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 voting by ballot from the foreign country.

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 We're expats.

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 And while we were there,

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 a little bit unexpectedly,

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 we had our first child.

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 So Andrea went into labor on the opening night of Carnaval,

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 9 p.m.

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 And what could sometimes take two hours to get to the hospital,

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 the taxi driver did it in 40 minutes.

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 By God's grace, all the lights were green,

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 and we made it safely.

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 But once this happened,

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 we had to take a step with the American government

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 from a hospital in Brazil.

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 And it was to apply for a consular certificate of birth abroad.

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 The reason this is fresh on my mind is because we're trying to renew an expired passport

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 from Brazil, and this is one of the documents needed.

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 Consular certificate of birth abroad.

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 Every nation has embassies,

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 like one big embassy in another foreign country.

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 But then off of those embassies are smaller offices in other cities that are not the capital.

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 They're called consulates.

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 Consulates.

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 So when I say consulate, you can picture an embassy as well.

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 Our country, the United States of America,

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 has the responsibility of safeguarding and helping its citizens on foreign soils.

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 The U.S. paid, maybe you shouldn't know this as taxpayer,

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 they paid $2 million to an American school there to fortify the perimeter,

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 to make the walls higher, to add cameras and stuff like that,

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 to keep the American citizens abroad safe.

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 And while we were there, as an expat,

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 the consulate taught us what the American law commands.

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 We were not forced to get the certificate of birth abroad.

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 We wanted it,

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 and it would be negligent not to get that for our son.

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 We voluntarily filled out the application

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 and happily gave the required proof,

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 submitted it, and waited to see whether or not it would be approved.

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 When we did get it, we were very happy,

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 not because we were afraid of losing the citizenship that was already ours

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 and by extension his,

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 but because it is a great privilege of the citizenship we already enjoy.

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 This is a limited analogy for the theme of today.

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 Christians are citizens of the kingdom of heaven.

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 That's what we are called in the Bible.

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 And we're even sent out into this world as ambassadors.

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 So I picked a very catchy topic, very popular,

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 and here's the title of the sermon.

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 Submitting to a local church, commanded or optional.

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 So maybe you're rightfully wondering why this topic, why now?

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 Maybe you're questioning pastoral prudence.

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 Is this even wise?

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 As I mentioned, there are a few reasons for this.

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 One is, or going down that paragraph in our confession of faith,

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 and this was once a more common understanding among mature Christians,

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 but it's been systematically undermined by wrong teaching

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 and consumer church models.

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 That's the reality for our country.

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 Is it urgent to teach about submitting to a local church?

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 It's as urgent as obedience to Christ is urgent.

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 It's as urgent as the spiritual health of a soul is urgent.

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 It's as urgent as the strength of a congregation is urgent.

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 A church is an embassy of heaven.

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 We're charged by Christ in the verse we just read for today

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 to teach his disciples to obey all that he has commanded.

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 All the privileges and all the duties of belonging to his kingdom.

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 Most of us come from backgrounds where this has not been taught at all.

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 The emphasis in many churches today is on making converts,

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 having someone sign a card or raise their hand,

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 not making disciples, which is what Christ commanded.

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 This consumer approach to church focuses more on tickling ears

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 rather than teaching people to obey all that he has commanded.

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 And what we're left with is we walk away thinking God is a God

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 that we approach however we want,

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 and we worship God on our terms

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 rather than a God who calls his disciples

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 to do what he has commanded as the king of kings.

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 So I want to walk through five questions on this topic.

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 My goal is to teach and to persuade you

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 of what the Bible says

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 and then how this one local church

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 does our best to carry it out at this time.

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 So the first question we need to reckon is this.

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 Is obedience to Christ optional?

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 Is obedience to Christ optional?

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 King Jesus calls you and me to obey him.

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 Look again at verse 18.

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 The reason is because all authority has been given.

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 The person of Jesus Christ,

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 having accomplished his mission,

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 receives now from the Father

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 special authority over his church

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 and his advancing spiritual kingdom on earth.

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 And what does he command with that authority?

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 Verse 19.

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 Make disciples.

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 Teaching them to obey.

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 Look at verse 20.

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 How much do we obey?

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 Obey all that I have commanded.

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 If you claim to be a disciple of Jesus Christ,

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 obeying him is not optional.

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 And this is not the first time we hear this declared to us.

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 Luke 6, 46.

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 Jesus himself said,

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 Why do you call me Lord, Lord,

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 and not do the things which I say?

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 John 14, 21.

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 He who has my commands and keeps them,

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 it is he who loves me.

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 John 15, 14.

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 You are my friends if you do whatever I command you.

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 See, Jesus is a good king.

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 And he loves us too much to leave us without instructions,

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 without a clear path of following as his disciple.

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 1 John 2, 3.

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 Now by this we know that we know him if we keep his commandments.

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 So this is a call to Christian obedience.

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 The reason it's unpopular is because it often gets mixed with legalism.

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 When a Christian obeys, it's out of gratitude.

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 It's a reflex because he first loved me.

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 It's not, I do this so that he will love me.

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 No, he loved me so much, he freely saved me.

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 It's a joy now to obey him.

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 Our confession of faith has wonderful clarity about this

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 to guard us from all kinds of wrong teaching about obedience as a Christian.

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 Chapter 16, paragraph 2 says,

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 These are good works of obedience to Christ,

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 done in obedience to God's commands,

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 not adding on or inventing our own rules,

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 but they are the fruits and evidences of a true and lively faith.

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 It's the evidence of a lively faith when we obey Christ.

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 So is obedience to Christ optional?

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 Not if he's the king of your life.

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 Now, we don't obey him perfectly,

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 and his spirit is so gentle, so patient with us.

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 The purpose of making this point clear is simply to put us in our place.

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 We are disciples,

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 and we learn over years patiently by the gentle work of the spirit to obey Christ.

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 And we don't get to pick and choose.

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 When his spirit brings a conviction on us from his word,

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 we obey him.

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 With his help, with his power,

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 imperfectly, but more and more.

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 Second question,

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 How do disciples of Christ learn to obey him?

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 How do disciples of Christ learn to obey him?

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 Look at verse 20 again.

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 He's telling his apostles,

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 He's telling his apostles,

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 along with the congregation that will soon receive the Holy Spirit

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 and become the early church in Jerusalem,

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 teach them to obey.

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 So disciples of Christ must learn,

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 and we learn by being taught to obey Christ.

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 We must learn through his word,

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 through his spirit,

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 and through his church.

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 We are to declare the word of God with authority.

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 How often do we teach God's people what he has commanded?

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 Always, in season, out of season,

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 preaching the full counsel to his people

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 and letting the spirit apply it.

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 Colossians 1, 28,

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 We preach him, Jesus Christ,

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 his person, his work, his promises,

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 and all he has commanded us to obey,

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 warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom

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 that we may present everyone mature in Christ Jesus.

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 That's the charge on the teachers within a church.

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 Keep preaching Christ,

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 warning everyone, teaching everyone,

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 helping everyone grow slowly decades toward maturity in Christ.

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 You notice how Christ is the unifying theme

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 of our teaching and of our maturing.

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 Acts 20, 27,

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 For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God.

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 So when we teach God's people to obey Christ,

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 what is this encompass?

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 What all is included?

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 A quick summary is this.

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 It's going to include God's moral law,

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 what he's already made very clear.

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 Christians need to know what is pleasing to God,

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 how to love God the way God tells us to love him,

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 and how to love neighbor the way he tells us to love neighbor.

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 That's given to us in the Ten Commandments.

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 In addition to that, as disciples of Christ,

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 we learn what's called the positive laws or positive commands,

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 simply meaning these are in addition to the moral law

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 that God has given in a special way to his church.

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 And this includes baptism, the Lord's Supper, and prayer.

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 Well, these are the ordinances for the church that we learn to obey.

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 Now, how do we exercise these teachings?

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 And you see how the list is pretty short.

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 That's what we do.

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 How do we exercise it, though?

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 Well, it gets worked out in three different spheres, as we've seen.

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 So let me refresh your memory.

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 The first sphere, we're all born into it, is a family.

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 The second sphere is we're born in a land, a state, a nation.

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 And then finally, if God is gracious to you,

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 you are also put into a local church.

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 Now, the New Testament uses commands relating to each of these three spheres.

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 We're told to submit, slash obey, and honor.

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 And those are the three spheres.

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 Think about how our obedience to Christ is exercised in each of those three.

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 Home, state, and church.

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 Let's use an example we can all relate to.

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 Let's say a child is an orphan living on the streets somewhere in the southern hemisphere.

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 They get lovingly adopted into a home,

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 and they're just so happy all the time,

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 but they're doing these cartwheels on their way to the dinner table.

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 The family says, wash your hands before you share this meal.

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 You're going to be touching and passing,

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 and you're going to put whatever germs were on this floor

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 onto the food that we're all going to be eating here.

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 So that's a rule.

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 In this household, now that you are our child, you belong here,

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 wash your hands before the dinner table.

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 That's not legalism for the family to give that rule.

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 It's a good, loving law for the good of the child and the whole family.

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 And the child would joyfully learn slowly over time and perfectly to obey.

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 And by obeying in the family setting,

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 the child is exercising obedience to Christ ultimately.

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 It's a sphere in which we get to practice that.

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 Submitting to Christ, obeying my parents in the Lord as it is pleasing.

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 This also is applied to us in the book of Romans relating to the federal government

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 or the national government.

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 The government's given the sword.

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 Family doesn't have a sword or an army.

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 The church doesn't have a sword or an army.

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 That's given to the government.

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 And the laws of the land are given for the good of those who are walking uprightly.

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 And so obey the laws of the land.

00:15:22.379 --> 00:15:24.480
 Jesus said, give to Caesar what is Caesar's.

00:15:24.919 --> 00:15:26.579
 So in obedience to Christ,

00:15:26.580 --> 00:15:30.580
 ultimately, no matter my feelings about the president or the governor of my state,

00:15:30.780 --> 00:15:35.520
 I'm submitting to the land where I live, where he's put me at this time.

00:15:37.300 --> 00:15:41.139
 And when you submit to the land, sometimes the laws might not make sense

00:15:41.139 --> 00:15:43.639
 or you might not like them or they may need to be updated.

00:15:44.080 --> 00:15:47.180
 But it's still important that we learn to obey Christ in them.

00:15:48.040 --> 00:15:52.640
 I learned recently that in Arizona, it's still illegal, according to the internet.

00:15:53.140 --> 00:15:54.140
 I'm sure it's very reliable.

00:15:54.139 --> 00:15:59.100
 In Arizona, it's illegal for a donkey to sleep in a bathtub.

00:16:00.639 --> 00:16:06.480
 I guess in the 1920s, there was a donkey that used to always go sleep in this tub

00:16:06.480 --> 00:16:09.600
 and it got swept away by a flood.

00:16:09.960 --> 00:16:12.899
 And then all the government had to spend money to go rescue this donkey,

00:16:13.399 --> 00:16:14.199
 carried off far away.

00:16:14.600 --> 00:16:18.899
 In Connecticut, for a pickle to be legally considered a pickle,

00:16:19.159 --> 00:16:20.580
 it must be able to bounce.

00:16:21.299 --> 00:16:22.960
 So you're going to put it on a counter there.

00:16:22.960 --> 00:16:24.420
 You have to be able to bounce the pickle.

00:16:25.500 --> 00:16:29.040
 And it was a food safety measure because if it's mushy, it won't bounce

00:16:29.040 --> 00:16:30.220
 and you shouldn't be able to sell it.

00:16:30.800 --> 00:16:32.660
 See, these are laws of the land.

00:16:33.040 --> 00:16:35.220
 If I live in Connecticut, I have to follow that law.

00:16:35.700 --> 00:16:38.879
 If I live in Arizona, I have to follow that law too if I own a donkey.

00:16:40.000 --> 00:16:43.139
 Now, the third sphere is the church and those same verbs are used.

00:16:43.139 --> 00:16:46.779
 Hebrews 13, 17, obey your elders.

00:16:47.500 --> 00:16:49.799
 Obey not all the elders out there in all the churches,

00:16:49.919 --> 00:16:52.460
 just like you don't have to obey all the parents out there.

00:16:52.759 --> 00:16:53.840
 You obey your parents.

00:16:54.480 --> 00:16:57.620
 1 Timothy 5, 17, let the elders who rule well.

00:16:57.620 --> 00:17:01.000
 And so those same terms, ruling, obey,

00:17:01.519 --> 00:17:05.539
 and the response of a Christian is to exercise obedience to Christ

00:17:05.539 --> 00:17:06.859
 in each of those spheres.

00:17:07.500 --> 00:17:11.180
 It does not give anyone in those positions of authority,

00:17:11.460 --> 00:17:13.259
 government, home, or church,

00:17:13.779 --> 00:17:16.500
 a license to lord over this authority.

00:17:16.680 --> 00:17:18.460
 Instead, it should make you tremble in your boots.

00:17:18.900 --> 00:17:21.039
 You're giving account to Christ in the home,

00:17:21.240 --> 00:17:24.319
 on behalf of the state, or within a church.

00:17:24.319 --> 00:17:29.819
 But our part as Christians is to submit ourselves to Christ

00:17:29.819 --> 00:17:34.720
 and obey and exercise that in each of those spheres in the Lord.

00:17:35.139 --> 00:17:38.679
 We learn to obey Christ by being taught this

00:17:38.679 --> 00:17:42.220
 and by giving the practice in three different spheres.

00:17:43.359 --> 00:17:47.720
 Third question, how ought churches uphold obedience to Christ?

00:17:48.480 --> 00:17:52.319
 How ought churches uphold obedience to Christ?

00:17:52.319 --> 00:17:55.359
 Obedience to Christ is not optional.

00:17:56.700 --> 00:17:59.439
 Obedience to the king of kings is very important.

00:18:00.099 --> 00:18:01.899
 And his spirit is in the churches.

00:18:02.240 --> 00:18:04.339
 We Christians have the Holy Spirit in us.

00:18:04.419 --> 00:18:05.859
 And when we gather in his name,

00:18:05.960 --> 00:18:08.259
 it's the glory of his name that we care about.

00:18:08.740 --> 00:18:11.579
 So we have a very big responsibility

00:18:11.579 --> 00:18:13.899
 to uphold obedience to Christ.

00:18:14.439 --> 00:18:17.039
 In fact, some of you found this church eventually,

00:18:17.139 --> 00:18:18.439
 not because this church is perfect,

00:18:18.440 --> 00:18:20.440
 but because you were in another church

00:18:20.440 --> 00:18:23.340
 that was neglecting to uphold obedience to Christ

00:18:23.340 --> 00:18:24.539
 in very public ways.

00:18:26.400 --> 00:18:28.519
 All right, our responsibility as a church,

00:18:29.940 --> 00:18:32.400
 imperfectly, with all of our limits,

00:18:32.960 --> 00:18:36.680
 we have the duty to do our best

00:18:36.680 --> 00:18:40.380
 to have earth, the church on earth,

00:18:40.460 --> 00:18:42.539
 be a reflection of the kingdom of heaven.

00:18:42.539 --> 00:18:47.539
 It's our responsibility to close out certain things

00:18:47.539 --> 00:18:50.039
 and to open up the church to others.

00:18:51.259 --> 00:18:54.399
 Now, this teaching, I'm going to argue,

00:18:54.519 --> 00:18:55.440
 I hope to persuade you,

00:18:55.480 --> 00:18:57.359
 it's necessarily contained in scripture

00:18:57.359 --> 00:18:59.960
 that churches must be cautious

00:18:59.960 --> 00:19:02.180
 about who is admitted

00:19:02.180 --> 00:19:04.759
 or who is admitted to join the church

00:19:04.759 --> 00:19:09.220
 and who has access to the privileges of a church.

00:19:09.220 --> 00:19:11.819
 You can turn to Acts 9 if you like.

00:19:11.920 --> 00:19:13.220
 I'm going to read it kind of quickly.

00:19:13.740 --> 00:19:15.539
 Otherwise, you can write it down and study it later.

00:19:16.140 --> 00:19:18.579
 Acts chapter 9, verse 26 and 27.

00:19:20.519 --> 00:19:22.220
 Saul got saved,

00:19:22.420 --> 00:19:24.940
 the man who was going around killing the Christians.

00:19:25.779 --> 00:19:27.380
 God later renames him Paul,

00:19:27.480 --> 00:19:29.180
 so that's what I'll refer to him as.

00:19:30.200 --> 00:19:31.819
 And Acts 9, 26 tells us

00:19:31.819 --> 00:19:34.559
 that Paul had come to Jerusalem again now

00:19:34.559 --> 00:19:37.180
 after getting saved and being discipled.

00:19:37.180 --> 00:19:41.200
 And he tried to join the disciples there in Jerusalem.

00:19:41.620 --> 00:19:42.560
 Well, that's good.

00:19:42.660 --> 00:19:43.600
 That's what Christians do.

00:19:43.720 --> 00:19:45.279
 They join other Christians.

00:19:45.500 --> 00:19:47.120
 They find one another

00:19:47.120 --> 00:19:49.560
 and participate in the assembly.

00:19:51.240 --> 00:19:53.720
 But they were all afraid of him.

00:19:54.120 --> 00:19:55.200
 Now, listen to this part.

00:19:55.740 --> 00:19:58.700
 And did not believe that he was a disciple.

00:19:59.519 --> 00:20:03.039
 So the church in Jerusalem is closing out Paul,

00:20:03.840 --> 00:20:05.820
 who's going to become the Apostle Paul,

00:20:05.819 --> 00:20:07.460
 through whom we get most of the New Testament.

00:20:08.240 --> 00:20:10.319
 And they have authority as a local church

00:20:10.319 --> 00:20:12.679
 to say, not so quick, buddy.

00:20:13.439 --> 00:20:15.339
 Don't presume upon this congregation.

00:20:16.439 --> 00:20:18.960
 Don't come in and mingle

00:20:18.960 --> 00:20:21.000
 and act as though you already are here,

00:20:21.039 --> 00:20:22.879
 because first, we have a responsibility

00:20:22.879 --> 00:20:25.460
 to uphold obedience to Christ.

00:20:25.579 --> 00:20:26.799
 Do you belong to Christ?

00:20:27.779 --> 00:20:29.079
 We need to discern that,

00:20:29.119 --> 00:20:30.460
 and it was right for them to do that.

00:20:30.460 --> 00:20:34.079
 The church was practicing due diligence

00:20:34.079 --> 00:20:35.860
 and testing.

00:20:36.000 --> 00:20:37.660
 Okay, he made a profession of faith.

00:20:37.759 --> 00:20:38.700
 Do we receive that?

00:20:40.000 --> 00:20:42.420
 Now, this is so beautiful and humbling

00:20:42.420 --> 00:20:43.900
 how Paul then turns around,

00:20:44.480 --> 00:20:46.120
 and he actually warns and equips

00:20:46.120 --> 00:20:47.100
 the other local churches

00:20:47.100 --> 00:20:48.519
 to do the exact same thing.

00:20:49.500 --> 00:20:51.400
 In 1 Corinthians 5.11, he says,

00:20:51.400 --> 00:20:52.560
 I have written to you now,

00:20:52.680 --> 00:20:54.300
 local church in Corinth,

00:20:54.920 --> 00:20:57.080
 not to keep company with anyone

00:20:57.080 --> 00:20:57.860
 named a brother,

00:20:58.220 --> 00:20:59.780
 so they made a profession of faith

00:20:59.780 --> 00:21:03.360
 who is, in the present continual sense,

00:21:04.440 --> 00:21:05.759
 living in sin

00:21:05.759 --> 00:21:08.980
 that misrepresents the name of Christ.

00:21:08.980 --> 00:21:10.519
 And Paul says to the church,

00:21:10.759 --> 00:21:13.540
 not even to eat with such a person.

00:21:14.380 --> 00:21:15.759
 A letter to the local church

00:21:15.759 --> 00:21:17.800
 referring to sharing a meal together,

00:21:17.799 --> 00:21:20.039
 it would include both the fellowship meal

00:21:20.039 --> 00:21:21.980
 that was their custom and our custom,

00:21:22.379 --> 00:21:23.379
 and in a special way,

00:21:23.440 --> 00:21:24.180
 the Lord's Supper,

00:21:24.659 --> 00:21:25.919
 which is one of the sacraments

00:21:25.919 --> 00:21:27.059
 Christ instituted.

00:21:28.279 --> 00:21:29.740
 And the same caution is repeated

00:21:29.740 --> 00:21:32.000
 in the book of Jude, for example.

00:21:32.079 --> 00:21:32.740
 He says there are those

00:21:32.740 --> 00:21:34.279
 who will creep in unnoticed,

00:21:34.379 --> 00:21:36.759
 and otherwise they'll pay lip service

00:21:36.759 --> 00:21:37.379
 to Christ,

00:21:37.919 --> 00:21:39.359
 but they will very soon,

00:21:39.419 --> 00:21:40.119
 you'll be able to tell

00:21:40.119 --> 00:21:42.139
 they are spots on your feasts.

00:21:42.259 --> 00:21:43.799
 In other ways, they don't love Christ.

00:21:44.919 --> 00:21:46.339
 The feast or the Lord's Supper,

00:21:46.339 --> 00:21:48.159
 the meal that a church shares,

00:21:48.740 --> 00:21:50.579
 that is not for wolves

00:21:50.579 --> 00:21:53.679
 that are in there to destroy God's lambs.

00:21:54.819 --> 00:21:56.139
 You see how the pattern

00:21:56.139 --> 00:21:57.259
 and the teaching in Scripture,

00:21:57.980 --> 00:21:59.759
 it says there is a clear line

00:21:59.759 --> 00:22:01.559
 between the church and the world.

00:22:02.839 --> 00:22:04.139
 And most of the churches

00:22:04.139 --> 00:22:05.159
 that we've all come from

00:22:05.159 --> 00:22:06.699
 and experienced and spent years in

00:22:06.699 --> 00:22:08.119
 do a really good job

00:22:08.119 --> 00:22:10.059
 of blurring those lines, don't they?

00:22:12.259 --> 00:22:14.519
 In Scripture, you as a church

00:22:14.519 --> 00:22:15.460
 have the responsibility,

00:22:15.740 --> 00:22:17.680
 hand such a one over to Satan.

00:22:17.799 --> 00:22:18.319
 In other words,

00:22:18.579 --> 00:22:19.700
 if you're not in the church,

00:22:20.019 --> 00:22:21.339
 you are in the world,

00:22:21.460 --> 00:22:22.440
 the dominion of Satan,

00:22:22.859 --> 00:22:23.680
 so that you'll see

00:22:23.680 --> 00:22:25.000
 how miserable it is out there.

00:22:25.259 --> 00:22:27.259
 It's a parched desert wilderness.

00:22:28.039 --> 00:22:29.339
 Find your way back to Christ

00:22:29.339 --> 00:22:30.500
 in his church.

00:22:31.099 --> 00:22:32.539
 But it's one or the other.

00:22:32.639 --> 00:22:34.220
 The lines between the church

00:22:34.220 --> 00:22:36.420
 and the world are not blurry.

00:22:36.420 --> 00:22:38.580
 And this is an authority

00:22:38.580 --> 00:22:41.680
 that the church rightly has to exercise.

00:22:43.420 --> 00:22:44.700
 This has been tested

00:22:44.700 --> 00:22:46.180
 in every generation.

00:22:46.340 --> 00:22:48.180
 I'll give you one famous example.

00:22:48.400 --> 00:22:50.920
 Switzerland, 1553.

00:22:52.500 --> 00:22:54.340
 There was a rowdy group

00:22:54.340 --> 00:22:56.620
 of people who paid lip service to Christ

00:22:56.620 --> 00:22:57.740
 but were not true believers

00:22:57.740 --> 00:22:58.960
 called the Libertines.

00:22:59.620 --> 00:23:01.700
 They lived openly immoral lives,

00:23:01.820 --> 00:23:03.160
 but they insisted on their right

00:23:03.160 --> 00:23:04.700
 to keep taking the Lord's Supper

00:23:04.700 --> 00:23:07.220
 at the Reformed Church in Geneva.

00:23:08.120 --> 00:23:09.279
 Reformed meaning Protestant,

00:23:09.580 --> 00:23:10.200
 not Catholic,

00:23:10.380 --> 00:23:11.980
 and putting themselves under Scripture,

00:23:12.480 --> 00:23:13.680
 doing their best to work it out.

00:23:15.299 --> 00:23:17.220
 When the Geneva Civil Authority

00:23:17.220 --> 00:23:19.660
 ordered Calvin to admit them to the table,

00:23:19.819 --> 00:23:21.019
 John Calvin refused,

00:23:21.539 --> 00:23:23.500
 insisting in the authority of the church alone

00:23:23.500 --> 00:23:24.480
 to fence the table

00:23:24.480 --> 00:23:27.460
 from those who remain unrepentant.

00:23:29.360 --> 00:23:31.460
 And then came the one Lord's Day

00:23:31.460 --> 00:23:32.539
 where it all came to a head.

00:23:32.539 --> 00:23:33.339
 The Libertines,

00:23:33.839 --> 00:23:36.079
 with swagger and with their swords,

00:23:36.700 --> 00:23:37.960
 ready to go on their belts,

00:23:38.819 --> 00:23:40.659
 took the front seat of the church.

00:23:42.460 --> 00:23:43.579
 Calvin stood up there,

00:23:44.659 --> 00:23:46.579
 preached through a passage of the Bible,

00:23:46.960 --> 00:23:51.700
 and then he walked down from the pulpit,

00:23:53.119 --> 00:23:54.200
 laid out the Lord's Supper,

00:23:54.200 --> 00:23:57.680
 and invited the church to take it.

00:23:59.019 --> 00:24:00.220
 Well, the Libertines

00:24:00.220 --> 00:24:02.519
 stood up in force,

00:24:02.860 --> 00:24:04.180
 and all were walking forward,

00:24:04.840 --> 00:24:07.440
 and Calvin slammed his arms and hands

00:24:07.440 --> 00:24:09.240
 down on the table of the Lord's Supper,

00:24:10.319 --> 00:24:13.000
 covering up the bread and the wine,

00:24:13.120 --> 00:24:13.799
 and he said,

00:24:13.799 --> 00:24:15.419
 These hands you may crush,

00:24:15.919 --> 00:24:17.599
 these arms you may lop off,

00:24:18.220 --> 00:24:19.759
 my life you may take,

00:24:19.940 --> 00:24:21.299
 my blood is yours,

00:24:21.480 --> 00:24:22.240
 you may shed it,

00:24:22.460 --> 00:24:24.419
 but you shall never force me

00:24:24.419 --> 00:24:27.460
 to give holy things to the profaned,

00:24:27.599 --> 00:24:30.379
 and dishonor the table of my God.

00:24:33.799 --> 00:24:35.200
 It's the Lord's table,

00:24:35.720 --> 00:24:37.259
 and the lines between the world

00:24:37.259 --> 00:24:39.339
 and the church are not blurry.

00:24:39.339 --> 00:24:42.220
 About a hundred years later,

00:24:42.339 --> 00:24:45.139
 Benjamin Keech wrote something similar,

00:24:45.299 --> 00:24:46.740
 To admit the profane

00:24:46.740 --> 00:24:48.779
 is to pollute the sanctuary.

00:24:49.379 --> 00:24:51.339
 The church is a garden enclosed.

00:24:51.599 --> 00:24:53.000
 It is not a common field

00:24:53.000 --> 00:24:54.579
 for all to roam in,

00:24:54.959 --> 00:24:56.099
 but a place for those

00:24:56.099 --> 00:24:57.699
 who have given themselves

00:24:57.699 --> 00:24:58.679
 first to the Lord,

00:24:59.059 --> 00:25:00.019
 and then to us,

00:25:00.059 --> 00:25:00.980
 that's quoting scripture,

00:25:01.139 --> 00:25:02.619
 by the will of God.

00:25:05.599 --> 00:25:08.779
 Well, this is a much higher view

00:25:08.779 --> 00:25:09.779
 of the church,

00:25:10.539 --> 00:25:12.160
 and of the authority of the church,

00:25:12.579 --> 00:25:13.680
 and of the sacraments

00:25:13.680 --> 00:25:14.440
 than most of us

00:25:14.440 --> 00:25:15.980
 have ever heard taught.

00:25:17.240 --> 00:25:18.680
 And that's the first step.

00:25:19.079 --> 00:25:20.460
 We teach clearly

00:25:20.460 --> 00:25:22.460
 about what we believe

00:25:22.460 --> 00:25:24.039
 Christ has commanded.

00:25:25.259 --> 00:25:27.859
 If a person does not yet

00:25:27.859 --> 00:25:29.240
 receive this teaching

00:25:29.240 --> 00:25:30.059
 or this truth,

00:25:31.119 --> 00:25:34.619
 has not yet been convinced of this,

00:25:35.279 --> 00:25:36.359
 or taken steps,

00:25:36.359 --> 00:25:39.119
 it's understandable

00:25:39.119 --> 00:25:40.639
 that this is going to take time,

00:25:41.439 --> 00:25:43.019
 first time to be taught this.

00:25:43.159 --> 00:25:44.559
 I'm going to have to think about that.

00:25:44.599 --> 00:25:45.459
 I'm going to have to weigh that

00:25:45.459 --> 00:25:47.019
 against all the other teaching

00:25:47.019 --> 00:25:47.719
 I've sat under.

00:25:49.219 --> 00:25:50.379
 The other possibility

00:25:50.379 --> 00:25:51.199
 is that a person

00:25:51.199 --> 00:25:52.899
 has never received

00:25:52.899 --> 00:25:54.599
 redeeming grace yet.

00:25:55.879 --> 00:25:58.399
 And it's lack of submission

00:25:58.399 --> 00:26:00.139
 to Christ manifesting

00:26:00.139 --> 00:26:01.779
 in lack of submission

00:26:01.779 --> 00:26:03.079
 to one of the spheres

00:26:03.079 --> 00:26:04.099
 in which he gives it

00:26:04.099 --> 00:26:05.139
 to practice it.

00:26:06.000 --> 00:26:06.559
 We don't know

00:26:06.559 --> 00:26:07.379
 the person's heart.

00:26:07.719 --> 00:26:08.799
 Only God does.

00:26:09.379 --> 00:26:10.159
 So we teach.

00:26:12.240 --> 00:26:13.519
 And we do our best

00:26:13.519 --> 00:26:15.519
 to elevate in our own minds

00:26:15.519 --> 00:26:16.679
 what God has said

00:26:16.679 --> 00:26:17.539
 about his church.

00:26:20.059 --> 00:26:22.000
 We must lovingly emphasize

00:26:22.000 --> 00:26:22.899
 that membership

00:26:22.899 --> 00:26:23.959
 is the only way

00:26:23.959 --> 00:26:24.919
 for a church to know

00:26:24.919 --> 00:26:26.139
 who the flock is,

00:26:26.839 --> 00:26:27.719
 who will elders

00:26:27.719 --> 00:26:29.279
 give account to Christ for,

00:26:29.839 --> 00:26:31.679
 who are they to care for,

00:26:31.680 --> 00:26:33.880
 who is voluntarily

00:26:33.880 --> 00:26:35.620
 wanting discipleship

00:26:35.620 --> 00:26:36.299
 in this church.

00:26:37.460 --> 00:26:38.720
 The church has a duty,

00:26:38.840 --> 00:26:39.200
 I believe,

00:26:39.299 --> 00:26:40.840
 to still block

00:26:40.840 --> 00:26:42.840
 those who are openly,

00:26:43.240 --> 00:26:44.120
 you know,

00:26:44.180 --> 00:26:45.440
 showing a hatred for God

00:26:45.440 --> 00:26:46.660
 and a disregard for him.

00:26:48.140 --> 00:26:49.000
 But only God

00:26:49.000 --> 00:26:49.880
 can change the heart.

00:26:50.259 --> 00:26:51.120
 And until he does,

00:26:51.200 --> 00:26:51.880
 we keep teaching.

00:26:52.320 --> 00:26:53.220
 We don't compromise

00:26:53.220 --> 00:26:54.480
 the standard of the church.

00:26:55.759 --> 00:26:57.259
 We proclaim his truth,

00:26:57.360 --> 00:26:58.039
 and we do this

00:26:58.039 --> 00:26:59.000
 in a loving way.

00:26:59.000 --> 00:27:00.579
 Now, I've mentioned

00:27:00.579 --> 00:27:01.359
 church membership,

00:27:02.359 --> 00:27:03.220
 and that's another one

00:27:03.220 --> 00:27:03.880
 that's come under

00:27:03.880 --> 00:27:05.319
 a lot of attacks

00:27:05.319 --> 00:27:06.339
 and been undermined

00:27:06.339 --> 00:27:06.880
 by many.

00:27:07.859 --> 00:27:09.119
 So that's the fourth question

00:27:09.119 --> 00:27:10.160
 we need to wrestle with.

00:27:10.859 --> 00:27:11.460
 As churches

00:27:11.460 --> 00:27:13.039
 uphold obedience to Christ,

00:27:13.140 --> 00:27:14.180
 that's non-negotiable,

00:27:14.759 --> 00:27:15.619
 is the concept

00:27:15.619 --> 00:27:16.720
 of church membership

00:27:16.720 --> 00:27:18.680
 necessarily contained

00:27:18.680 --> 00:27:19.400
 in Scripture?

00:27:20.119 --> 00:27:21.579
 I'm choosing my words carefully.

00:27:21.680 --> 00:27:23.140
 I'm referring to the concept,

00:27:23.539 --> 00:27:23.900
 in other words,

00:27:23.960 --> 00:27:24.539
 the principles

00:27:24.539 --> 00:27:26.140
 that we use now

00:27:26.140 --> 00:27:27.220
 in this term membership,

00:27:27.220 --> 00:27:29.299
 are those principles,

00:27:29.500 --> 00:27:30.299
 that concept,

00:27:30.880 --> 00:27:32.240
 necessarily contained.

00:27:33.200 --> 00:27:34.420
 Can we walk away

00:27:34.420 --> 00:27:34.700
 and say,

00:27:34.819 --> 00:27:35.680
 that's not in the Bible,

00:27:35.920 --> 00:27:36.680
 you can't do it,

00:27:36.860 --> 00:27:37.740
 or you shouldn't do it.

00:27:38.079 --> 00:27:39.759
 If it's necessarily contained,

00:27:40.519 --> 00:27:41.839
 then we should submit

00:27:41.839 --> 00:27:43.180
 to the Lord in that.

00:27:44.980 --> 00:27:45.640
 Well, one line

00:27:45.640 --> 00:27:46.460
 of interpretation

00:27:46.460 --> 00:27:48.559
 that's very new

00:27:48.559 --> 00:27:50.120
 the last 30 years or so,

00:27:50.440 --> 00:27:52.460
 which is most common today,

00:27:53.420 --> 00:27:55.180
 has listened to teachers like,

00:27:55.299 --> 00:27:56.640
 and I'm going to mention names,

00:27:56.640 --> 00:27:58.320
 because their quotes

00:27:58.320 --> 00:27:59.240
 are out there on the internet.

00:28:00.200 --> 00:28:01.380
 We've listened to teachers,

00:28:01.640 --> 00:28:02.500
 and this is a line

00:28:02.500 --> 00:28:03.360
 of interpretation.

00:28:03.860 --> 00:28:04.640
 Francis Chan,

00:28:05.520 --> 00:28:05.980
 he said,

00:28:06.040 --> 00:28:07.520
 you can't find the term

00:28:07.520 --> 00:28:08.380
 church membership

00:28:08.380 --> 00:28:09.100
 in the Bible.

00:28:09.960 --> 00:28:10.720
 Here's another one.

00:28:10.880 --> 00:28:11.540
 Chuck Smith,

00:28:11.640 --> 00:28:12.680
 on behalf of the

00:28:12.680 --> 00:28:13.900
 Calvary Chapel movement,

00:28:14.420 --> 00:28:15.180
 we don't have

00:28:15.180 --> 00:28:16.620
 a formal membership

00:28:16.620 --> 00:28:18.220
 because we don't find

00:28:18.220 --> 00:28:20.100
 any scriptural basis for it.

00:28:20.600 --> 00:28:21.800
 That's the end of his quote.

00:28:21.799 --> 00:28:24.180
 Well, both of these

00:28:24.180 --> 00:28:26.339
 are presenting

00:28:26.339 --> 00:28:27.220
 invalid

00:28:27.220 --> 00:28:28.960
 arguments

00:28:28.960 --> 00:28:29.680
 and uncertain

00:28:29.680 --> 00:28:30.339
 conclusions.

00:28:31.859 --> 00:28:33.099
 There's a fallacy

00:28:33.099 --> 00:28:33.940
 called term

00:28:33.940 --> 00:28:34.700
 concept

00:28:34.700 --> 00:28:35.480
 fallacy.

00:28:36.159 --> 00:28:36.680
 So,

00:28:36.779 --> 00:28:37.740
 it's true that you can

00:28:37.740 --> 00:28:38.379
 go to the Bible

00:28:38.379 --> 00:28:39.299
 or your app

00:28:39.299 --> 00:28:40.019
 and put in

00:28:40.019 --> 00:28:40.919
 the term

00:28:40.919 --> 00:28:41.879
 church membership

00:28:41.879 --> 00:28:42.639
 and you won't get

00:28:42.639 --> 00:28:43.119
 any hits.

00:28:43.980 --> 00:28:45.180
 You can also put in

00:28:45.180 --> 00:28:45.500
 the word

00:28:45.500 --> 00:28:46.019
 trinity

00:28:46.019 --> 00:28:47.559
 and you won't get

00:28:47.559 --> 00:28:47.980
 any hits.

00:28:47.980 --> 00:28:49.420
 or the word

00:28:49.420 --> 00:28:50.559
 eternal state

00:28:50.559 --> 00:28:51.120
 which is

00:28:51.120 --> 00:28:52.819
 or like

00:28:52.819 --> 00:28:54.279
 intermediate state,

00:28:54.400 --> 00:28:54.500
 you know,

00:28:54.559 --> 00:28:55.140
 so the body

00:28:55.140 --> 00:28:56.200
 is buried

00:28:56.200 --> 00:28:56.660
 and the soul

00:28:56.660 --> 00:28:57.220
 is with Christ.

00:28:57.319 --> 00:28:57.960
 What do we call that?

00:28:58.059 --> 00:28:58.559
 Well, that term

00:28:58.559 --> 00:28:58.960
 is not

00:28:58.960 --> 00:29:00.720
 in the words

00:29:00.720 --> 00:29:01.579
 but the concept

00:29:01.579 --> 00:29:02.519
 is undeniable.

00:29:03.819 --> 00:29:04.539
 Another concept

00:29:04.539 --> 00:29:05.920
 is moral law.

00:29:06.279 --> 00:29:07.079
 You won't find that

00:29:07.079 --> 00:29:08.420
 but it's necessarily

00:29:08.420 --> 00:29:09.480
 contained in scripture.

00:29:10.240 --> 00:29:11.140
 Covenant of grace.

00:29:11.240 --> 00:29:12.120
 These are all examples.

00:29:12.259 --> 00:29:12.339
 I mean,

00:29:12.400 --> 00:29:13.180
 if you're to do away

00:29:13.180 --> 00:29:14.160
 with all the terms

00:29:14.160 --> 00:29:15.240
 that have been helpful

00:29:15.240 --> 00:29:16.180
 over the centuries

00:29:16.180 --> 00:29:17.200
 for the church

00:29:17.200 --> 00:29:18.680
 because of that fallacy

00:29:18.680 --> 00:29:19.580
 you're going to

00:29:19.580 --> 00:29:20.519
 end up with a very

00:29:20.519 --> 00:29:22.080
 shallow religion

00:29:22.080 --> 00:29:23.460
 and really

00:29:23.460 --> 00:29:24.140
 it's misleading.

00:29:25.000 --> 00:29:26.000
 And here's a third one.

00:29:26.740 --> 00:29:27.480
 David Platt

00:29:27.480 --> 00:29:28.539
 actually published

00:29:28.539 --> 00:29:29.259
 this in a book.

00:29:29.580 --> 00:29:29.880
 Quote,

00:29:30.460 --> 00:29:31.120
 we have taken

00:29:31.120 --> 00:29:32.220
 the command of Christ

00:29:32.220 --> 00:29:33.319
 to make disciples

00:29:33.319 --> 00:29:34.720
 and we have

00:29:34.720 --> 00:29:35.940
 mutated it,

00:29:36.080 --> 00:29:36.200
 okay,

00:29:36.279 --> 00:29:37.480
 dropping in a negative term,

00:29:38.039 --> 00:29:38.680
 mutated it

00:29:38.680 --> 00:29:39.580
 into a command

00:29:39.580 --> 00:29:41.340
 to make church members.

00:29:42.400 --> 00:29:43.440
 I've not read his book,

00:29:43.580 --> 00:29:44.279
 don't plan to

00:29:44.279 --> 00:29:45.019
 and I don't know

00:29:45.019 --> 00:29:46.059
 what his experiences

00:29:46.059 --> 00:29:47.159
 was that made him

00:29:47.159 --> 00:29:47.639
 write that.

00:29:48.440 --> 00:29:49.440
 But he's confusing

00:29:49.440 --> 00:29:50.079
 categories.

00:29:51.299 --> 00:29:51.779
 He's saying

00:29:51.779 --> 00:29:53.299
 discipleship is what counts.

00:29:53.419 --> 00:29:53.480
 Well,

00:29:53.519 --> 00:29:54.559
 discipleship is

00:29:54.559 --> 00:29:55.879
 personal communion

00:29:55.879 --> 00:29:56.940
 with God

00:29:56.940 --> 00:29:57.940
 through Jesus Christ.

00:29:58.139 --> 00:29:58.419
 Amen.

00:29:59.659 --> 00:30:00.059
 Amen.

00:30:00.440 --> 00:30:01.480
 That's what matters most.

00:30:02.419 --> 00:30:02.899
 Membership

00:30:02.899 --> 00:30:04.099
 are the orderly steps

00:30:04.099 --> 00:30:05.480
 a local church

00:30:05.480 --> 00:30:06.619
 wisely sets up

00:30:06.619 --> 00:30:07.879
 out of love for Christ.

00:30:08.059 --> 00:30:08.579
 It's a totally

00:30:08.579 --> 00:30:09.359
 different category.

00:30:10.419 --> 00:30:11.059
 And he's setting up

00:30:11.059 --> 00:30:11.839
 a false dilemma

00:30:11.839 --> 00:30:12.639
 between the two.

00:30:13.039 --> 00:30:14.039
 As if you can't be

00:30:14.039 --> 00:30:15.079
 a genuine disciple

00:30:15.079 --> 00:30:15.579
 of Jesus

00:30:15.579 --> 00:30:16.440
 and also

00:30:16.440 --> 00:30:17.680
 take the steps

00:30:17.680 --> 00:30:18.720
 your local church

00:30:18.720 --> 00:30:19.299
 has laid out

00:30:19.299 --> 00:30:20.159
 to become a member

00:30:20.159 --> 00:30:21.059
 in obedience

00:30:21.059 --> 00:30:22.000
 to Jesus Christ.

00:30:22.579 --> 00:30:23.220
 I would argue

00:30:23.220 --> 00:30:23.859
 mature members

00:30:23.859 --> 00:30:24.960
 will joyfully do that.

00:30:25.960 --> 00:30:26.940
 We need to be aware

00:30:26.940 --> 00:30:28.339
 of these teachings.

00:30:28.599 --> 00:30:29.139
 I'm not saying

00:30:29.139 --> 00:30:29.879
 anything about them

00:30:29.879 --> 00:30:30.379
 as people.

00:30:30.779 --> 00:30:31.460
 Never met them.

00:30:31.519 --> 00:30:32.299
 I believe they are

00:30:32.299 --> 00:30:34.299
 probably sincere Christians.

00:30:34.859 --> 00:30:36.119
 But these teachings

00:30:36.119 --> 00:30:36.879
 I think are

00:30:36.879 --> 00:30:38.359
 have been very detrimental.

00:30:39.420 --> 00:30:40.519
 I think many of us

00:30:40.519 --> 00:30:41.420
 have been misled.

00:30:41.420 --> 00:30:42.379
 I think those

00:30:42.379 --> 00:30:43.839
 teachings are unwise.

00:30:44.039 --> 00:30:45.759
 It can really hurt

00:30:45.759 --> 00:30:47.039
 a person's maturing

00:30:47.039 --> 00:30:47.940
 in the faith.

00:30:48.899 --> 00:30:49.700
 Imagine if you said

00:30:49.700 --> 00:30:50.839
 that in another sphere.

00:30:50.940 --> 00:30:52.159
 Don't pay all your taxes

00:30:52.159 --> 00:30:52.839
 to the government.

00:30:53.480 --> 00:30:54.379
 That's just immature

00:30:54.379 --> 00:30:55.180
 and unwise

00:30:55.180 --> 00:30:55.799
 and detrimental

00:30:55.799 --> 00:30:57.159
 to your becoming

00:30:57.159 --> 00:30:58.059
 a full-fledged

00:30:58.059 --> 00:30:59.460
 responsible adult.

00:30:59.940 --> 00:31:00.539
 Or the same

00:31:00.539 --> 00:31:01.119
 in the household

00:31:01.119 --> 00:31:02.319
 with what your parents

00:31:02.319 --> 00:31:02.799
 are asking.

00:31:04.639 --> 00:31:05.700
 And I've certainly

00:31:05.700 --> 00:31:07.339
 seen this as an effect

00:31:07.339 --> 00:31:08.259
 on local churches.

00:31:09.019 --> 00:31:10.019
 There's a much better

00:31:10.019 --> 00:31:11.420
 line of interpretation

00:31:11.420 --> 00:31:13.500
 that's time-tested,

00:31:13.960 --> 00:31:14.440
 stable,

00:31:15.140 --> 00:31:16.200
 and it humbly

00:31:16.200 --> 00:31:17.080
 trusts what God's

00:31:17.080 --> 00:31:18.120
 Spirit has made clear

00:31:18.120 --> 00:31:18.900
 by His Word

00:31:18.900 --> 00:31:19.720
 to His church

00:31:19.720 --> 00:31:20.860
 over the centuries.

00:31:22.320 --> 00:31:23.019
 John Owen

00:31:23.019 --> 00:31:24.779
 didn't even prove this.

00:31:24.920 --> 00:31:25.500
 He simply

00:31:25.500 --> 00:31:26.779
 observed it.

00:31:27.160 --> 00:31:27.460
 He said,

00:31:27.880 --> 00:31:28.660
 Christ commands,

00:31:29.220 --> 00:31:29.880
 they bind

00:31:29.880 --> 00:31:31.080
 every faithful believer

00:31:31.080 --> 00:31:31.779
 to join

00:31:31.779 --> 00:31:32.580
 and voluntarily

00:31:32.580 --> 00:31:33.400
 submit himself

00:31:33.400 --> 00:31:34.620
 to a single congregation

00:31:34.620 --> 00:31:35.900
 that displays

00:31:35.900 --> 00:31:36.320
 the mark

00:31:36.320 --> 00:31:37.120
 of a true church.

00:31:37.480 --> 00:31:38.440
 Preaching the Word,

00:31:39.240 --> 00:31:40.400
 administering the sacraments,

00:31:40.400 --> 00:31:41.540
 and discipline.

00:31:43.120 --> 00:31:43.780
 These principles

00:31:43.780 --> 00:31:44.519
 are evident

00:31:44.519 --> 00:31:45.180
 in the Word,

00:31:45.340 --> 00:31:46.280
 clear in themselves,

00:31:46.540 --> 00:31:47.460
 owned by virtually

00:31:47.460 --> 00:31:48.720
 everyone who claims

00:31:48.720 --> 00:31:49.780
 to desire

00:31:49.780 --> 00:31:50.519
 the reformation

00:31:50.519 --> 00:31:51.120
 of the church.

00:31:51.519 --> 00:31:52.180
 Neither the Bible

00:31:52.180 --> 00:31:53.120
 nor church history

00:31:53.120 --> 00:31:54.220
 gives a valid basis

00:31:54.220 --> 00:31:55.340
 for rejecting this.

00:31:56.259 --> 00:31:56.840
 That's the end

00:31:56.840 --> 00:31:57.580
 of Owen's quote.

00:31:58.300 --> 00:31:59.000
 And then he goes on

00:31:59.000 --> 00:31:59.860
 to say what a joy

00:31:59.860 --> 00:32:00.500
 and what a blessing

00:32:00.500 --> 00:32:01.320
 it is to enjoy

00:32:01.320 --> 00:32:02.420
 life in a church

00:32:02.420 --> 00:32:03.060
 and the fellowship.

00:32:03.720 --> 00:32:04.780
 But he's simply saying

00:32:04.780 --> 00:32:05.980
 this is what the church

00:32:05.980 --> 00:32:07.120
 has received

00:32:07.120 --> 00:32:07.880
 and we should

00:32:07.880 --> 00:32:08.600
 continue with.

00:32:08.599 --> 00:32:10.719
 So what is the criteria

00:32:10.719 --> 00:32:11.579
 if we're going to test

00:32:11.579 --> 00:32:12.899
 whether these principles

00:32:12.899 --> 00:32:14.259
 are necessarily contained

00:32:14.259 --> 00:32:15.259
 in Scripture?

00:32:15.819 --> 00:32:17.000
 From our own confession

00:32:17.000 --> 00:32:17.439
 of faith,

00:32:17.539 --> 00:32:19.339
 we have this language

00:32:19.339 --> 00:32:20.379
 that is very helpful.

00:32:21.559 --> 00:32:22.779
 We must obey

00:32:22.779 --> 00:32:23.939
 whatever is

00:32:23.939 --> 00:32:25.339
 either expressly

00:32:25.339 --> 00:32:25.879
 set down,

00:32:25.959 --> 00:32:26.639
 that means the words

00:32:26.639 --> 00:32:27.579
 are clearly stated

00:32:27.579 --> 00:32:28.559
 for everyone to read

00:32:28.559 --> 00:32:29.559
 and get right away,

00:32:29.759 --> 00:32:31.879
 or necessarily contained.

00:32:32.379 --> 00:32:34.799
 So using that criteria,

00:32:35.319 --> 00:32:36.199
 let's test it

00:32:36.199 --> 00:32:38.199
 one part at a time.

00:32:38.200 --> 00:32:40.900
 is the term membership

00:32:40.900 --> 00:32:42.420
 necessarily contained

00:32:42.420 --> 00:32:43.400
 in Scripture?

00:32:45.620 --> 00:32:46.259
 Yes.

00:32:46.720 --> 00:32:48.340
 Membership is a metaphor

00:32:48.340 --> 00:32:50.220
 that God himself

00:32:50.220 --> 00:32:51.559
 gives us in his word.

00:32:51.720 --> 00:32:52.920
 Colossians 1.18,

00:32:53.100 --> 00:32:53.840
 Jesus Christ

00:32:53.840 --> 00:32:55.000
 is the head

00:32:55.000 --> 00:32:56.120
 of the body,

00:32:56.740 --> 00:32:57.259
 the church.

00:32:58.299 --> 00:33:00.160
 1 Corinthians 12.17,

00:33:00.720 --> 00:33:02.360
 you are the body of Christ

00:33:02.360 --> 00:33:04.940
 and members individually.

00:33:04.940 --> 00:33:07.820
 So the term membership

00:33:07.820 --> 00:33:08.620
 is a good one.

00:33:08.700 --> 00:33:09.140
 We can't do,

00:33:09.279 --> 00:33:09.779
 we can't find

00:33:09.779 --> 00:33:10.900
 a more biblical term

00:33:10.900 --> 00:33:11.640
 and that's what

00:33:11.640 --> 00:33:12.420
 the church has used.

00:33:12.559 --> 00:33:13.400
 Might as well keep it.

00:33:14.059 --> 00:33:15.000
 Is the requirement

00:33:15.000 --> 00:33:15.779
 for membership

00:33:15.779 --> 00:33:17.080
 necessarily contained?

00:33:17.580 --> 00:33:18.320
 The criteria

00:33:18.320 --> 00:33:20.220
 for opening the doors

00:33:20.220 --> 00:33:21.200
 and welcoming members

00:33:21.200 --> 00:33:22.160
 or saying,

00:33:22.240 --> 00:33:22.380
 no,

00:33:22.880 --> 00:33:23.920
 we're not going to open

00:33:23.920 --> 00:33:25.440
 membership to this person

00:33:25.440 --> 00:33:26.220
 at this time.

00:33:27.220 --> 00:33:28.220
 What's the requirement?

00:33:28.460 --> 00:33:29.440
 Matthew 10.32,

00:33:29.440 --> 00:33:30.660
 Jesus said,

00:33:30.759 --> 00:33:32.059
 whoever confesses me

00:33:32.059 --> 00:33:33.360
 before men,

00:33:34.660 --> 00:33:36.259
 him I will also confess

00:33:36.259 --> 00:33:37.279
 before my Father

00:33:37.279 --> 00:33:38.480
 who is in heaven.

00:33:39.920 --> 00:33:41.400
 You can look at Acts 2,

00:33:41.480 --> 00:33:42.460
 we read it in Sunday School,

00:33:42.600 --> 00:33:44.880
 Acts 2.41 and 47.

00:33:45.420 --> 00:33:46.320
 Those who gladly

00:33:46.320 --> 00:33:47.840
 received his word,

00:33:47.920 --> 00:33:48.360
 how do we know

00:33:48.360 --> 00:33:49.320
 they received his word?

00:33:50.160 --> 00:33:51.019
 Repent, believe,

00:33:51.220 --> 00:33:51.880
 they have faith.

00:33:52.320 --> 00:33:53.340
 They were then baptized

00:33:53.339 --> 00:33:54.919
 and that day

00:33:54.919 --> 00:33:56.439
 about 3,000 souls

00:33:56.439 --> 00:33:57.959
 were added to them

00:33:57.959 --> 00:33:59.339
 and the Lord added

00:33:59.339 --> 00:34:01.199
 to the church daily

00:34:01.199 --> 00:34:03.539
 those who were being saved.

00:34:04.319 --> 00:34:05.199
 The Greek word here

00:34:05.199 --> 00:34:06.240
 is the Lord added

00:34:06.240 --> 00:34:08.119
 to the church,

00:34:08.579 --> 00:34:09.380
 te ekklesia,

00:34:10.179 --> 00:34:10.880
 the assembly.

00:34:11.480 --> 00:34:13.079
 It's a definite article

00:34:13.079 --> 00:34:14.880
 indicating a specific group

00:34:14.880 --> 00:34:15.519
 here,

00:34:15.840 --> 00:34:16.519
 the local church

00:34:16.519 --> 00:34:17.159
 in Jerusalem.

00:34:18.119 --> 00:34:19.119
 They were added

00:34:19.119 --> 00:34:19.920
 to a concrete,

00:34:20.259 --> 00:34:20.900
 visible group

00:34:20.900 --> 00:34:21.420
 of believers

00:34:21.420 --> 00:34:22.880
 who were baptized,

00:34:22.880 --> 00:34:24.300
 devoted to the teaching,

00:34:24.640 --> 00:34:25.000
 fellowship,

00:34:25.579 --> 00:34:26.800
 breaking of bread and prayer,

00:34:27.119 --> 00:34:27.860
 who met daily

00:34:27.860 --> 00:34:28.440
 in the temple

00:34:28.440 --> 00:34:29.340
 and in homes

00:34:29.340 --> 00:34:31.260
 and who grew numerically

00:34:31.260 --> 00:34:32.640
 as new converts

00:34:32.640 --> 00:34:33.599
 joined them.

00:34:34.500 --> 00:34:35.500
 So the requirement

00:34:35.500 --> 00:34:36.200
 is the same.

00:34:36.519 --> 00:34:37.559
 Shouldn't add on to that,

00:34:38.119 --> 00:34:39.000
 shouldn't introduce

00:34:39.000 --> 00:34:39.900
 preparationism

00:34:39.900 --> 00:34:40.840
 or all these other things

00:34:40.840 --> 00:34:41.960
 but if you make

00:34:41.960 --> 00:34:42.980
 a credible profession

00:34:42.980 --> 00:34:43.500
 of faith

00:34:43.500 --> 00:34:44.860
 and we see

00:34:44.860 --> 00:34:45.760
 the fruit of the spirit,

00:34:45.900 --> 00:34:46.280
 you're joining,

00:34:46.539 --> 00:34:47.740
 you're being part

00:34:47.740 --> 00:34:48.240
 of the worship,

00:34:48.380 --> 00:34:49.019
 you've been baptized,

00:34:49.260 --> 00:34:50.680
 you should be welcomed

00:34:50.680 --> 00:34:51.780
 into a local church.

00:34:52.880 --> 00:34:54.720
 2 Corinthians 8.5

00:34:54.720 --> 00:34:56.360
 gives us an insight

00:34:56.360 --> 00:34:57.140
 into the question

00:34:57.140 --> 00:34:58.700
 about the vows.

00:34:59.320 --> 00:35:01.200
 When you become a member,

00:35:01.340 --> 00:35:02.099
 you stand up here

00:35:02.099 --> 00:35:02.940
 and you make vows

00:35:02.940 --> 00:35:04.180
 to a local congregation,

00:35:04.640 --> 00:35:05.920
 not to all the churches

00:35:05.920 --> 00:35:06.400
 out there

00:35:06.400 --> 00:35:07.480
 but to this group

00:35:07.480 --> 00:35:08.460
 of believers.

00:35:09.420 --> 00:35:10.220
 Are those vows

00:35:10.220 --> 00:35:11.460
 to become a member

00:35:11.460 --> 00:35:12.260
 within the bounds

00:35:12.260 --> 00:35:12.760
 of scripture?

00:35:13.700 --> 00:35:14.980
 2 Corinthians 8.5

00:35:14.980 --> 00:35:15.920
 tells us that

00:35:15.920 --> 00:35:16.680
 these believers

00:35:16.680 --> 00:35:17.579
 in a church

00:35:17.579 --> 00:35:18.559
 gave themselves

00:35:18.559 --> 00:35:20.320
 first to the Lord

00:35:20.320 --> 00:35:21.940
 and then by the will

00:35:21.940 --> 00:35:23.119
 of God to us.

00:35:23.519 --> 00:35:24.559
 It was the will of God

00:35:24.559 --> 00:35:25.139
 that believers

00:35:25.139 --> 00:35:26.420
 give themselves

00:35:26.420 --> 00:35:28.539
 to a local church

00:35:28.539 --> 00:35:29.380
 and the local church

00:35:29.380 --> 00:35:30.159
 knew that they had

00:35:30.159 --> 00:35:30.860
 given themselves

00:35:30.860 --> 00:35:31.759
 to them.

00:35:32.239 --> 00:35:33.539
 Ephesians 5.21,

00:35:34.219 --> 00:35:35.099
 we're told to submit

00:35:35.099 --> 00:35:35.880
 to one another

00:35:35.880 --> 00:35:37.119
 in the fear

00:35:37.119 --> 00:35:38.000
 of the Lord

00:35:38.000 --> 00:35:40.320
 and build each other up

00:35:40.320 --> 00:35:41.019
 through singing,

00:35:41.179 --> 00:35:41.659
 through prayer,

00:35:41.900 --> 00:35:42.340
 our worship,

00:35:42.460 --> 00:35:43.239
 our life together.

00:35:44.000 --> 00:35:44.539
 But what about

00:35:44.539 --> 00:35:45.320
 the process

00:35:45.320 --> 00:35:46.239
 for membership?

00:35:46.239 --> 00:35:47.359
 Is that within

00:35:47.359 --> 00:35:47.939
 the bounds

00:35:47.939 --> 00:35:48.939
 of scripture?

00:35:49.639 --> 00:35:50.379
 Because everything

00:35:50.379 --> 00:35:51.299
 I've said so far

00:35:51.299 --> 00:35:52.500
 is expressly set down.

00:35:52.619 --> 00:35:53.399
 All of those things

00:35:53.399 --> 00:35:54.199
 we don't get

00:35:54.199 --> 00:35:55.059
 to wiggle out of.

00:35:56.119 --> 00:35:56.819
 Now the process

00:35:56.819 --> 00:35:57.379
 for membership

00:35:57.379 --> 00:35:58.539
 is going to look

00:35:58.539 --> 00:35:59.259
 different in different

00:35:59.259 --> 00:35:59.719
 cultures,

00:35:59.899 --> 00:36:00.500
 different settings,

00:36:00.659 --> 00:36:01.359
 different needs

00:36:01.359 --> 00:36:02.319
 and there's one

00:36:02.319 --> 00:36:03.079
 simple rule

00:36:03.079 --> 00:36:04.139
 for this.

00:36:05.139 --> 00:36:06.459
 1 Corinthians 14.4

00:36:06.459 --> 00:36:07.359
 Let all things

00:36:07.359 --> 00:36:08.939
 be done decently

00:36:08.939 --> 00:36:10.579
 and in order.

00:36:12.039 --> 00:36:12.859
 And so if a church

00:36:12.859 --> 00:36:14.479
 is doing these steps

00:36:14.479 --> 00:36:15.239
 as best they can,

00:36:15.239 --> 00:36:16.299
 these non-negotiables

00:36:16.299 --> 00:36:17.839
 decently and in order,

00:36:18.339 --> 00:36:18.899
 then that's like

00:36:18.899 --> 00:36:20.379
 a parent reasonably

00:36:20.379 --> 00:36:21.239
 saying we all

00:36:21.239 --> 00:36:21.859
 wash our hands

00:36:21.859 --> 00:36:23.019
 before we share

00:36:23.019 --> 00:36:23.739
 a meal together.

00:36:24.179 --> 00:36:25.119
 It's reasonable

00:36:25.119 --> 00:36:26.399
 and it's orderly.

00:36:28.299 --> 00:36:29.859
 Well, I've given you

00:36:29.859 --> 00:36:30.779
 my best shot at it.

00:36:31.500 --> 00:36:32.159
 The principles

00:36:32.159 --> 00:36:33.419
 of church membership,

00:36:34.139 --> 00:36:35.299
 I hope I've persuaded you,

00:36:35.379 --> 00:36:36.279
 they are necessarily

00:36:36.279 --> 00:36:38.079
 contained in scripture.

00:36:38.579 --> 00:36:39.599
 If they were not,

00:36:39.659 --> 00:36:40.279
 we should regret,

00:36:40.399 --> 00:36:41.099
 we should reject

00:36:41.099 --> 00:36:41.639
 the statement

00:36:41.639 --> 00:36:42.500
 from our confession

00:36:42.500 --> 00:36:43.000
 of faith.

00:36:43.000 --> 00:36:44.059
 We should change

00:36:44.059 --> 00:36:45.139
 our constitution

00:36:45.139 --> 00:36:46.219
 in a lot of places.

00:36:46.800 --> 00:36:48.019
 We should change out

00:36:48.019 --> 00:36:49.119
 our training handouts

00:36:49.119 --> 00:36:50.159
 and we should put

00:36:50.159 --> 00:36:50.760
 different authors

00:36:50.760 --> 00:36:51.579
 on our book table.

00:36:53.559 --> 00:36:54.960
 It's more than a good

00:36:54.960 --> 00:36:56.119
 and necessary consequence.

00:36:56.820 --> 00:36:58.500
 It's expressly set down

00:36:58.500 --> 00:37:00.460
 and necessarily contained.

00:37:00.880 --> 00:37:01.840
 What Christ commands

00:37:01.840 --> 00:37:02.500
 us to obey,

00:37:02.980 --> 00:37:04.039
 it's given to us

00:37:04.039 --> 00:37:04.840
 in his word

00:37:04.840 --> 00:37:07.340
 and Christ's disciples

00:37:07.340 --> 00:37:09.159
 are told to be taught,

00:37:09.340 --> 00:37:10.139
 to learn,

00:37:10.139 --> 00:37:11.779
 to obey all he has

00:37:11.779 --> 00:37:12.759
 commanded.

00:37:13.579 --> 00:37:15.259
 Reformed churches,

00:37:15.460 --> 00:37:15.960
 those who have put

00:37:15.960 --> 00:37:17.219
 themselves under God's word,

00:37:17.299 --> 00:37:18.420
 have consistently taught

00:37:18.420 --> 00:37:19.119
 this same thing

00:37:19.119 --> 00:37:20.500
 for over 500 years,

00:37:20.859 --> 00:37:21.719
 which our confession

00:37:21.719 --> 00:37:22.619
 of faith expresses

00:37:22.619 --> 00:37:24.199
 in one sentence

00:37:24.199 --> 00:37:24.679
 or two

00:37:24.679 --> 00:37:25.559
 or three.

00:37:25.900 --> 00:37:26.299
 It's three.

00:37:27.119 --> 00:37:27.659
 It's this.

00:37:28.799 --> 00:37:29.619
 Second confession,

00:37:29.859 --> 00:37:30.900
 Second London Confession

00:37:30.900 --> 00:37:31.839
 26, 12.

00:37:32.299 --> 00:37:33.039
 All believers

00:37:33.039 --> 00:37:35.019
 are obligated

00:37:35.019 --> 00:37:36.059
 to join themselves

00:37:36.059 --> 00:37:37.719
 to local churches

00:37:37.719 --> 00:37:38.980
 when and where

00:37:38.980 --> 00:37:40.159
 they have opportunity.

00:37:41.139 --> 00:37:41.419
 Likewise,

00:37:41.699 --> 00:37:42.679
 all who are admitted

00:37:42.679 --> 00:37:43.559
 to the privileges

00:37:43.559 --> 00:37:44.839
 of a church

00:37:44.839 --> 00:37:46.219
 are also subject

00:37:46.219 --> 00:37:47.299
 to the discipline

00:37:47.299 --> 00:37:48.659
 and government of it

00:37:48.659 --> 00:37:50.619
 according to the rule

00:37:50.619 --> 00:37:51.719
 of Christ.

00:37:53.399 --> 00:37:54.579
 So long as it's

00:37:54.579 --> 00:37:55.199
 in the Lord,

00:37:55.419 --> 00:37:56.439
 children obey their parents.

00:37:56.539 --> 00:37:57.179
 So long as it's

00:37:57.179 --> 00:37:57.779
 in the Lord,

00:37:58.219 --> 00:37:59.099
 Christians submit

00:37:59.099 --> 00:37:59.839
 to one another

00:37:59.839 --> 00:38:01.099
 in a local church.

00:38:02.419 --> 00:38:03.239
 That's the end

00:38:03.239 --> 00:38:03.639
 of the quote

00:38:03.639 --> 00:38:04.419
 from our confession.

00:38:05.119 --> 00:38:06.319
 So I believe

00:38:06.319 --> 00:38:07.219
 we can say this.

00:38:07.719 --> 00:38:08.679
 Membership

00:38:08.679 --> 00:38:10.319
 gives us good order

00:38:10.319 --> 00:38:12.339
 and formalizes

00:38:12.339 --> 00:38:13.519
 the way Christians

00:38:13.519 --> 00:38:14.659
 shall participate

00:38:14.659 --> 00:38:16.139
 in the biblical duties,

00:38:16.779 --> 00:38:17.599
 biblical fellowship,

00:38:18.099 --> 00:38:18.980
 and privileges

00:38:18.980 --> 00:38:20.919
 within their local congregation.

00:38:21.919 --> 00:38:22.819
 The privileges

00:38:22.819 --> 00:38:23.379
 of belonging

00:38:23.379 --> 00:38:24.000
 to a church

00:38:24.000 --> 00:38:26.019
 means full participation.

00:38:27.819 --> 00:38:28.839
 A church needs you.

00:38:29.939 --> 00:38:30.639
 Local churches

00:38:30.639 --> 00:38:31.759
 need believers.

00:38:33.059 --> 00:38:33.939
 We need to be

00:38:33.939 --> 00:38:35.039
 vitally connected

00:38:35.039 --> 00:38:35.599
 and to know

00:38:35.599 --> 00:38:36.219
 that the commitment

00:38:36.219 --> 00:38:36.739
 is real.

00:38:36.739 --> 00:38:38.559
 the privileges

00:38:38.559 --> 00:38:39.439
 also include

00:38:39.439 --> 00:38:40.619
 the Lord's Supper,

00:38:41.399 --> 00:38:43.039
 the one another's

00:38:43.039 --> 00:38:44.119
 and caring for one another,

00:38:44.239 --> 00:38:45.179
 especially those

00:38:45.179 --> 00:38:46.159
 who are of the household

00:38:46.159 --> 00:38:46.779
 of the faith.

00:38:47.919 --> 00:38:48.959
 Full participation

00:38:48.959 --> 00:38:49.839
 in fellowship,

00:38:51.279 --> 00:38:52.000
 the ability

00:38:52.000 --> 00:38:53.879
 to guide the congregation,

00:38:54.079 --> 00:38:54.739
 to call out

00:38:54.739 --> 00:38:55.519
 wrong teaching

00:38:55.519 --> 00:38:56.319
 and false teaching,

00:38:56.739 --> 00:38:57.639
 to confirm

00:38:57.639 --> 00:38:58.739
 when God is raising up

00:38:58.739 --> 00:38:59.319
 a servant,

00:38:59.799 --> 00:39:00.399
 an officer,

00:39:00.400 --> 00:39:02.579
 to uphold the truth

00:39:02.579 --> 00:39:03.200
 and the peace,

00:39:03.200 --> 00:39:04.740
 to support other churches

00:39:04.740 --> 00:39:05.519
 who need us

00:39:05.519 --> 00:39:06.320
 to be strong

00:39:06.320 --> 00:39:07.619
 as a congregation,

00:39:07.619 --> 00:39:09.220
 to have a part

00:39:09.220 --> 00:39:10.960
 in an orderly way,

00:39:11.160 --> 00:39:12.380
 even of church discipline

00:39:12.380 --> 00:39:13.280
 if it's needed,

00:39:13.280 --> 00:39:14.920
 and then certainly

00:39:14.920 --> 00:39:15.619
 restoration

00:39:15.619 --> 00:39:17.340
 when God brings repentance.

00:39:17.340 --> 00:39:19.600
 Well,

00:39:19.620 --> 00:39:20.640
 that's the fourth question.

00:39:21.340 --> 00:39:22.280
 The concept of church

00:39:22.280 --> 00:39:22.720
 membership

00:39:22.720 --> 00:39:24.120
 is necessarily

00:39:24.120 --> 00:39:25.140
 contained in scripture.

00:39:26.079 --> 00:39:27.100
 And here's the final

00:39:27.100 --> 00:39:28.300
 question for today

00:39:28.300 --> 00:39:28.840
 that I hope

00:39:28.840 --> 00:39:30.300
 encourages you

00:39:30.300 --> 00:39:30.660
 and me.

00:39:31.720 --> 00:39:32.620
 By what power

00:39:32.620 --> 00:39:33.620
 do we learn

00:39:33.620 --> 00:39:34.200
 to obey

00:39:34.200 --> 00:39:35.300
 all that Christ

00:39:35.300 --> 00:39:36.059
 has commanded?

00:39:36.720 --> 00:39:37.400
 This is really

00:39:37.400 --> 00:39:38.300
 the sweetest part.

00:39:38.860 --> 00:39:40.019
 To be honest with you,

00:39:40.059 --> 00:39:40.980
 I love you all so much

00:39:40.980 --> 00:39:41.620
 and the first part

00:39:41.620 --> 00:39:42.420
 was hard for me

00:39:42.420 --> 00:39:43.280
 to preach

00:39:43.280 --> 00:39:44.280
 up to this point.

00:39:44.280 --> 00:39:45.720
 It's a joy

00:39:45.720 --> 00:39:46.900
 to encourage you

00:39:46.900 --> 00:39:47.540
 with these final

00:39:47.540 --> 00:39:48.380
 words from Christ.

00:39:48.760 --> 00:39:49.420
 Please look again

00:39:49.420 --> 00:39:50.080
 at verse 20.

00:39:51.460 --> 00:39:52.280
 By what power

00:39:52.280 --> 00:39:53.400
 do Christians

00:39:53.400 --> 00:39:54.400
 learn to obey

00:39:54.400 --> 00:39:55.220
 all that Christ

00:39:55.220 --> 00:39:56.220
 has commanded us?

00:39:57.460 --> 00:39:58.760
 He says in verse 20,

00:39:58.920 --> 00:39:59.160
 Lo,

00:39:59.660 --> 00:40:01.100
 I am with you

00:40:01.100 --> 00:40:01.760
 always.

00:40:04.180 --> 00:40:05.019
 Your version

00:40:05.019 --> 00:40:05.519
 might say,

00:40:05.640 --> 00:40:06.880
 look or behold.

00:40:07.540 --> 00:40:08.320
 I love that

00:40:08.320 --> 00:40:09.360
 old English,

00:40:09.580 --> 00:40:09.800
 Lo,

00:40:09.940 --> 00:40:10.540
 I am with you

00:40:10.540 --> 00:40:10.940
 always.

00:40:11.720 --> 00:40:12.220
 The dictionary

00:40:12.220 --> 00:40:13.240
 of 1828

00:40:13.240 --> 00:40:14.060
 helps us

00:40:14.059 --> 00:40:14.759
 that word

00:40:14.759 --> 00:40:15.480
 means look,

00:40:16.239 --> 00:40:16.539
 see,

00:40:17.119 --> 00:40:17.639
 behold,

00:40:18.159 --> 00:40:18.539
 observe.

00:40:19.340 --> 00:40:20.539
 It excites

00:40:20.539 --> 00:40:21.559
 particular attention

00:40:21.559 --> 00:40:22.279
 to what's coming

00:40:22.279 --> 00:40:23.480
 next and Jesus

00:40:23.480 --> 00:40:23.860
 says,

00:40:24.279 --> 00:40:25.139
 I am with you

00:40:25.139 --> 00:40:25.539
 church,

00:40:25.960 --> 00:40:26.920
 always even

00:40:26.920 --> 00:40:27.739
 to the end

00:40:27.739 --> 00:40:28.599
 of the age.

00:40:30.099 --> 00:40:30.840
 Obeying Christ

00:40:30.840 --> 00:40:31.739
 is calling people

00:40:31.739 --> 00:40:33.019
 to orderly

00:40:33.019 --> 00:40:34.119
 church practices

00:40:34.119 --> 00:40:35.279
 out of a

00:40:35.279 --> 00:40:35.980
 response of

00:40:35.980 --> 00:40:36.400
 gratitude.

00:40:37.519 --> 00:40:38.239
 It's not

00:40:38.239 --> 00:40:38.840
 do this

00:40:38.840 --> 00:40:39.360
 in order to

00:40:39.360 --> 00:40:39.759
 make sure

00:40:39.759 --> 00:40:40.079
 you get

00:40:40.079 --> 00:40:40.900
 eternal life.

00:40:41.699 --> 00:40:41.940
 No,

00:40:42.019 --> 00:40:42.360
 it's you're

00:40:42.360 --> 00:40:43.079
 already alive

00:40:43.079 --> 00:40:43.659
 in Christ

00:40:43.659 --> 00:40:44.539
 because he

00:40:44.539 --> 00:40:45.219
 first loved

00:40:45.219 --> 00:40:45.480
 you.

00:40:46.359 --> 00:40:46.920
 And he

00:40:46.920 --> 00:40:47.500
 does call

00:40:47.500 --> 00:40:48.099
 you and me

00:40:48.099 --> 00:40:48.619
 to obey

00:40:48.619 --> 00:40:49.619
 him out

00:40:49.619 --> 00:40:49.960
 of love

00:40:49.960 --> 00:40:50.539
 for Christ.

00:40:50.759 --> 00:40:51.359
 John 14,

00:40:51.500 --> 00:40:51.859
 15,

00:40:52.239 --> 00:40:52.920
 if you love

00:40:52.920 --> 00:40:53.099
 me,

00:40:53.139 --> 00:40:53.539
 you keep

00:40:53.539 --> 00:40:54.359
 my commands.

00:40:55.719 --> 00:40:56.039
 Obeying

00:40:56.039 --> 00:40:56.480
 Christ,

00:40:56.679 --> 00:40:57.359
 it's not

00:40:57.359 --> 00:40:58.039
 even possible

00:40:58.039 --> 00:40:58.480
 by our

00:40:58.480 --> 00:40:59.119
 own power.

00:40:59.899 --> 00:41:00.079
 Jesus

00:41:00.079 --> 00:41:00.359
 says,

00:41:00.359 --> 00:41:01.039
 I am

00:41:01.039 --> 00:41:01.420
 with you

00:41:01.420 --> 00:41:01.819
 always.

00:41:02.960 --> 00:41:03.500
 We can

00:41:03.500 --> 00:41:04.019
 obey him

00:41:04.019 --> 00:41:05.139
 because he

00:41:05.139 --> 00:41:05.559
 gives us

00:41:05.559 --> 00:41:06.059
 the power

00:41:06.059 --> 00:41:06.799
 to do so.

00:41:07.359 --> 00:41:07.699
 Remember

00:41:07.699 --> 00:41:08.440
 John 15,

00:41:08.519 --> 00:41:08.819
 5,

00:41:08.960 --> 00:41:09.420
 Jesus said,

00:41:09.519 --> 00:41:09.960
 apart from

00:41:09.960 --> 00:41:10.179
 me,

00:41:10.440 --> 00:41:10.839
 you can

00:41:10.840 --> 00:41:11.079
 do

00:41:11.079 --> 00:41:11.600
 nothing.

00:41:12.340 --> 00:41:12.980
 John 15,

00:41:13.079 --> 00:41:13.300
 10,

00:41:13.440 --> 00:41:13.860
 if you

00:41:13.860 --> 00:41:14.660
 keep my

00:41:14.660 --> 00:41:15.079
 commands,

00:41:15.180 --> 00:41:15.460
 you will

00:41:15.460 --> 00:41:16.019
 abide in

00:41:16.019 --> 00:41:16.500
 my love,

00:41:16.840 --> 00:41:17.519
 just as I

00:41:17.519 --> 00:41:18.100
 have kept

00:41:18.100 --> 00:41:19.100
 my father's

00:41:19.100 --> 00:41:20.200
 commands and

00:41:20.200 --> 00:41:20.940
 abide in

00:41:20.940 --> 00:41:21.600
 his love.

00:41:22.059 --> 00:41:22.500
 He says,

00:41:22.660 --> 00:41:23.420
 I am with

00:41:23.420 --> 00:41:24.120
 you always.

00:41:24.600 --> 00:41:25.260
 You can

00:41:25.260 --> 00:41:25.780
 abide in

00:41:25.780 --> 00:41:25.960
 me.

00:41:26.320 --> 00:41:27.000
 You will

00:41:27.000 --> 00:41:27.579
 abide in

00:41:27.579 --> 00:41:27.780
 me.

00:41:27.780 --> 00:41:28.640
 I purchased

00:41:28.640 --> 00:41:29.420
 you to

00:41:29.420 --> 00:41:30.420
 abide in

00:41:30.420 --> 00:41:30.740
 me.

00:41:31.940 --> 00:41:32.440
 And obeying

00:41:32.440 --> 00:41:32.760
 Christ,

00:41:32.880 --> 00:41:33.220
 it's not

00:41:33.220 --> 00:41:33.960
 burdensome.

00:41:35.220 --> 00:41:36.120
 It's learning

00:41:36.120 --> 00:41:37.160
 to walk

00:41:37.160 --> 00:41:37.660
 with him

00:41:37.659 --> 00:41:38.579
 as one

00:41:38.579 --> 00:41:38.859
 that's

00:41:38.859 --> 00:41:39.259
 yoked

00:41:39.259 --> 00:41:39.859
 to him.

00:41:40.799 --> 00:41:41.099
 It's

00:41:41.099 --> 00:41:41.339
 his

00:41:41.339 --> 00:41:41.799
 power

00:41:41.799 --> 00:41:42.500
 and it's

00:41:42.500 --> 00:41:42.679
 his

00:41:42.679 --> 00:41:43.099
 guidance

00:41:43.099 --> 00:41:43.420
 with

00:41:43.420 --> 00:41:43.619
 each

00:41:43.619 --> 00:41:44.059
 step.

00:41:45.299 --> 00:41:45.759
 1 John

00:41:45.759 --> 00:41:46.059
 5,

00:41:46.139 --> 00:41:46.339
 3,

00:41:46.440 --> 00:41:46.899
 for this

00:41:46.899 --> 00:41:47.279
 is the

00:41:47.279 --> 00:41:47.679
 love of

00:41:47.679 --> 00:41:47.980
 God

00:41:47.980 --> 00:41:48.679
 that we

00:41:48.679 --> 00:41:49.019
 keep

00:41:49.019 --> 00:41:49.239
 his

00:41:49.239 --> 00:41:49.819
 commands.

00:41:50.399 --> 00:41:50.539
 His

00:41:50.539 --> 00:41:50.980
 commands

00:41:50.980 --> 00:41:51.719
 are not

00:41:51.719 --> 00:41:52.399
 burdensome.

00:41:53.719 --> 00:41:54.000
 Obeying

00:41:54.000 --> 00:41:54.539
 Christ is

00:41:54.539 --> 00:41:55.339
 only possible

00:41:55.339 --> 00:41:55.779
 by his

00:41:55.779 --> 00:41:56.159
 power.

00:41:57.480 --> 00:41:57.779
 Paul

00:41:57.779 --> 00:41:58.179
 understood

00:41:58.179 --> 00:41:58.440
 this.

00:41:58.539 --> 00:41:58.920
 Colossians

00:41:58.920 --> 00:41:59.159
 1,

00:41:59.239 --> 00:41:59.619
 29,

00:42:00.179 --> 00:42:00.519
 he said,

00:42:00.699 --> 00:42:01.239
 I toil

00:42:01.239 --> 00:42:02.239
 struggling

00:42:02.239 --> 00:42:02.719
 with all

00:42:02.719 --> 00:42:03.000
 his

00:42:03.000 --> 00:42:03.420
 energy

00:42:03.420 --> 00:42:04.079
 that he

00:42:04.079 --> 00:42:04.739
 powerfully

00:42:04.739 --> 00:42:05.059
 works

00:42:05.059 --> 00:42:05.359
 in

00:42:05.359 --> 00:42:05.619
 me.

00:42:05.619 --> 00:42:08.420
 Jesus

00:42:08.420 --> 00:42:08.880
 calls

00:42:08.880 --> 00:42:09.119
 you

00:42:09.119 --> 00:42:09.259
 and

00:42:09.259 --> 00:42:09.420
 me

00:42:09.420 --> 00:42:09.639
 to

00:42:09.639 --> 00:42:10.059
 obey

00:42:10.059 --> 00:42:10.579
 in

00:42:10.579 --> 00:42:10.799
 an

00:42:10.799 --> 00:42:11.219
 orderly

00:42:11.219 --> 00:42:11.519
 way

00:42:11.519 --> 00:42:12.500
 what

00:42:12.500 --> 00:42:13.319
 his

00:42:13.319 --> 00:42:13.679
 church

00:42:13.679 --> 00:42:13.880
 has

00:42:13.880 --> 00:42:14.079
 laid

00:42:14.079 --> 00:42:14.279
 out

00:42:14.279 --> 00:42:14.480
 for

00:42:14.480 --> 00:42:14.699
 you.

00:42:15.699 --> 00:42:15.960
 The

00:42:15.960 --> 00:42:16.179
 church

00:42:16.179 --> 00:42:16.599
 teaches

00:42:16.599 --> 00:42:17.019
 us

00:42:17.019 --> 00:42:17.920
 but

00:42:17.920 --> 00:42:18.079
 we

00:42:18.079 --> 00:42:18.339
 must

00:42:18.339 --> 00:42:18.719
 obey

00:42:18.719 --> 00:42:19.460
 voluntarily.

00:42:20.839 --> 00:42:21.460
 This

00:42:21.460 --> 00:42:21.739
 is the

00:42:21.739 --> 00:42:21.980
 end of

00:42:21.980 --> 00:42:22.099
 it.

00:42:22.420 --> 00:42:22.539
 The

00:42:22.539 --> 00:42:22.699
 only

00:42:22.699 --> 00:42:23.099
 authority

00:42:23.099 --> 00:42:23.259
 a

00:42:23.259 --> 00:42:23.519
 minister

00:42:23.519 --> 00:42:23.859
 has

00:42:23.859 --> 00:42:24.019
 is

00:42:24.019 --> 00:42:24.739
 declarative.

00:42:26.359 --> 00:42:26.599
 You

00:42:26.599 --> 00:42:26.839
 must

00:42:26.839 --> 00:42:27.079
 obey

00:42:27.079 --> 00:42:27.539
 Christ

00:42:27.539 --> 00:42:28.380
 voluntarily.

00:42:29.739 --> 00:42:29.960
 Every

00:42:29.960 --> 00:42:30.400
 Christian

00:42:30.400 --> 00:42:31.039
 joyfully

00:42:31.039 --> 00:42:31.719
 submits

00:42:31.719 --> 00:42:31.719


00:42:31.719 --> 00:42:32.259
 to!

00:42:33.119 --> 00:42:33.679
 Is

00:42:33.679 --> 00:42:34.099
 joined

00:42:34.099 --> 00:42:34.519
 to!

00:42:34.519 --> 00:42:35.599
 and

00:42:35.599 --> 00:42:35.980
 commits

00:42:35.980 --> 00:42:36.460
 themselves

00:42:36.460 --> 00:42:36.880
 to!

00:42:36.880 --> 00:42:37.480
 A

00:42:37.480 --> 00:42:37.780
 local

00:42:37.780 --> 00:42:38.259
 church

00:42:38.259 --> 00:42:39.019
 not

00:42:39.019 --> 00:42:39.440
 because

00:42:39.440 --> 00:42:39.739
 we're

00:42:39.739 --> 00:42:40.199
 afraid

00:42:40.199 --> 00:42:40.719
 we might

00:42:40.719 --> 00:42:41.179
 lose

00:42:41.179 --> 00:42:41.480
 our

00:42:41.480 --> 00:42:42.119
 citizenship

00:42:42.119 --> 00:42:42.599
 in

00:42:42.599 --> 00:42:42.900
 heaven

00:42:42.900 --> 00:42:43.860
 but

00:42:43.860 --> 00:42:44.259
 because

00:42:44.259 --> 00:42:44.719
 it is

00:42:44.719 --> 00:42:44.880
 a

00:42:44.880 --> 00:42:45.219
 great

00:42:45.219 --> 00:42:45.659
 privilege

00:42:45.659 --> 00:42:45.880
 of

00:42:45.880 --> 00:42:46.039
 the

00:42:46.039 --> 00:42:46.500
 citizenship

00:42:46.500 --> 00:42:46.860
 we

00:42:46.860 --> 00:42:47.239
 already

00:42:47.239 --> 00:42:48.139
 enjoy

00:42:48.139 --> 00:42:48.820
 in

00:42:48.820 --> 00:42:49.199
 Christ's

00:42:49.199 --> 00:42:49.500
 kingdom.

00:42:50.860 --> 00:42:51.940
 2 Corinthians

00:42:51.940 --> 00:42:52.300
 8

00:42:52.300 --> 00:42:52.739
 5

00:42:52.739 --> 00:42:53.280
 We

00:42:53.280 --> 00:42:53.679
 give

00:42:53.679 --> 00:42:54.159
 ourselves

00:42:54.159 --> 00:42:54.539
 first

00:42:54.539 --> 00:42:54.900
 to the

00:42:54.900 --> 00:42:55.239
 Lord

00:42:55.239 --> 00:42:55.920
 and

00:42:55.920 --> 00:42:56.340
 then

00:42:56.340 --> 00:42:57.039
 by

00:42:57.039 --> 00:42:57.259
 the

00:42:57.259 --> 00:42:57.460
 will

00:42:57.460 --> 00:42:57.639
 of

00:42:57.639 --> 00:42:57.960
 God

00:42:57.960 --> 00:42:58.759
 to

00:42:58.759 --> 00:42:59.000
 his

00:42:59.000 --> 00:42:59.460
 church.

00:42:59.980 --> 00:43:00.480
 Ephesians

00:43:00.480 --> 00:43:00.800
 5

00:43:00.800 --> 00:43:01.280
 21

00:43:01.280 --> 00:43:01.560
 we

00:43:01.560 --> 00:43:01.980
 submit

00:43:01.980 --> 00:43:02.220
 to

00:43:02.220 --> 00:43:02.420
 one

00:43:02.420 --> 00:43:02.800
 another

00:43:02.800 --> 00:43:03.640
 in

00:43:03.640 --> 00:43:03.820
 the

00:43:03.820 --> 00:43:04.100
 fear

00:43:04.100 --> 00:43:04.280
 of

00:43:04.280 --> 00:43:04.600
 God.

00:43:07.820 --> 00:43:08.340
 Submitting

00:43:08.340 --> 00:43:08.560
 to

00:43:08.560 --> 00:43:08.880
 local

00:43:08.880 --> 00:43:09.240
 church

00:43:09.240 --> 00:43:09.400
 is

00:43:09.400 --> 00:43:09.560
 our

00:43:09.560 --> 00:43:09.720
 way

00:43:09.720 --> 00:43:09.880
 of

00:43:09.880 --> 00:43:10.180
 saying

00:43:10.180 --> 00:43:10.460
 I

00:43:10.460 --> 00:43:10.640
 am

00:43:10.640 --> 00:43:10.940
 part

00:43:10.940 --> 00:43:11.100
 of

00:43:11.100 --> 00:43:11.460
 this

00:43:11.460 --> 00:43:12.240
 spiritual

00:43:12.240 --> 00:43:12.740
 family

00:43:12.740 --> 00:43:13.260
 and

00:43:13.260 --> 00:43:13.420
 I

00:43:13.420 --> 00:43:13.740
 invite

00:43:13.740 --> 00:43:13.960
 you

00:43:13.960 --> 00:43:14.160
 all

00:43:14.160 --> 00:43:14.420
 to

00:43:14.420 --> 00:43:14.660
 hold

00:43:14.660 --> 00:43:14.820
 me

00:43:14.820 --> 00:43:14.980
 to

00:43:14.980 --> 00:43:15.140
 the

00:43:15.140 --> 00:43:15.580
 standard

00:43:15.580 --> 00:43:16.160
 of

00:43:16.160 --> 00:43:16.300
 the

00:43:16.300 --> 00:43:16.680
 gospel.

00:43:16.679 --> 00:43:17.299
 I

00:43:17.299 --> 00:43:17.519
 do

00:43:17.519 --> 00:43:17.779
 so

00:43:17.779 --> 00:43:18.419
 joyfully

00:43:18.419 --> 00:43:19.579
 voluntarily

00:43:19.579 --> 00:43:20.279
 in

00:43:20.279 --> 00:43:20.679
 obedience

00:43:20.679 --> 00:43:21.019
 to

00:43:21.019 --> 00:43:21.419
 Christ

00:43:21.419 --> 00:43:22.379
 because

00:43:22.379 --> 00:43:22.739
 God

00:43:22.739 --> 00:43:23.059
 first

00:43:23.059 --> 00:43:23.359
 loved

00:43:23.359 --> 00:43:23.619
 me

00:43:23.619 --> 00:43:24.239
 and

00:43:24.239 --> 00:43:24.500
 because

00:43:24.500 --> 00:43:24.699
 the

00:43:24.699 --> 00:43:24.879
 Holy

00:43:24.879 --> 00:43:25.299
 Spirit

00:43:25.299 --> 00:43:25.519
 has

00:43:25.519 --> 00:43:25.739
 made

00:43:25.739 --> 00:43:25.919
 me

00:43:25.919 --> 00:43:26.359
 willing

00:43:26.359 --> 00:43:27.199
 and

00:43:27.199 --> 00:43:27.419
 because

00:43:27.419 --> 00:43:27.619
 I

00:43:27.619 --> 00:43:27.839
 want

00:43:27.839 --> 00:43:28.059
 to

00:43:28.059 --> 00:43:28.559
 joyfully

00:43:28.559 --> 00:43:29.279
 enjoy

00:43:29.279 --> 00:43:30.679
 all

00:43:30.679 --> 00:43:30.819
 of

00:43:30.819 --> 00:43:31.159
 Christ's

00:43:31.159 --> 00:43:31.599
 blessings

00:43:31.599 --> 00:43:32.679
 and

00:43:32.679 --> 00:43:32.839
 the

00:43:32.839 --> 00:43:33.179
 privilege

00:43:33.179 --> 00:43:33.359
 of

00:43:33.359 --> 00:43:33.739
 belonging

00:43:33.739 --> 00:43:34.480
 to

00:43:34.480 --> 00:43:34.779
 him

00:43:34.779 --> 00:43:35.199
 here

00:43:35.199 --> 00:43:35.799
 with

00:43:35.799 --> 00:43:36.039
 you.

00:43:38.299 --> 00:43:38.879
 May

00:43:38.879 --> 00:43:39.019
 we

00:43:39.019 --> 00:43:39.319
 rely

00:43:39.319 --> 00:43:39.539
 on

00:43:39.539 --> 00:43:39.899
 Christ

00:43:39.899 --> 00:43:40.179
 may

00:43:40.179 --> 00:43:40.339
 we

00:43:40.339 --> 00:43:40.779
 abide

00:43:40.779 --> 00:43:41.159
 in

00:43:41.159 --> 00:43:41.339
 his

00:43:41.339 --> 00:43:41.719
 power.

00:43:43.799 --> 00:43:44.399
 If

00:43:44.399 --> 00:43:44.519
 you

00:43:44.519 --> 00:43:44.639
 have

00:43:44.639 --> 00:43:45.059
 questions

00:43:45.059 --> 00:43:45.359
 about

00:43:45.359 --> 00:43:45.659
 this

00:43:45.659 --> 00:43:45.799
 or

00:43:45.799 --> 00:43:45.940
 what

00:43:45.940 --> 00:43:46.119
 this

00:43:46.119 --> 00:43:46.339
 looks

00:43:46.339 --> 00:43:46.559
 like

00:43:46.559 --> 00:43:46.699
 in

00:43:46.699 --> 00:43:46.960
 different

00:43:46.960 --> 00:43:47.579
 situations

00:43:47.579 --> 00:43:47.860
 I

00:43:47.860 --> 00:43:48.159
 know

00:43:48.159 --> 00:43:48.739
 it

00:43:48.739 --> 00:43:48.980
 can

00:43:48.980 --> 00:43:49.139
 be

00:43:49.139 --> 00:43:49.380
 very

00:43:49.380 --> 00:43:50.000
 complicated

00:43:50.000 --> 00:43:50.219
 it

00:43:50.219 --> 00:43:50.380
 can

00:43:50.380 --> 00:43:50.779
 feel

00:43:50.779 --> 00:43:51.420
 very

00:43:51.420 --> 00:43:51.880
 difficult

00:43:51.880 --> 00:43:52.759
 I

00:43:52.759 --> 00:43:53.139
 promise

00:43:53.139 --> 00:43:53.380
 I

00:43:53.380 --> 00:43:53.519
 will

00:43:53.519 --> 00:43:53.840
 never

00:43:53.840 --> 00:43:54.940
 individually

00:43:54.940 --> 00:43:55.460
 put

00:43:55.460 --> 00:43:55.679
 any

00:43:55.679 --> 00:43:56.059
 negative

00:43:56.059 --> 00:43:56.460
 pressure

00:43:56.460 --> 00:43:56.699
 on

00:43:56.699 --> 00:43:56.900
 you

00:43:56.900 --> 00:43:57.980
 but

00:43:57.980 --> 00:43:58.099
 I

00:43:58.099 --> 00:43:58.480
 also

00:43:58.480 --> 00:43:58.940
 give

00:43:58.940 --> 00:43:59.039
 me

00:43:59.039 --> 00:43:59.279
 account

00:43:59.279 --> 00:43:59.460
 to

00:43:59.460 --> 00:43:59.739
 Christ

00:43:59.739 --> 00:44:00.000
 as

00:44:00.000 --> 00:44:00.139
 a

00:44:00.139 --> 00:44:00.460
 minister

00:44:00.460 --> 00:44:01.199
 I

00:44:01.199 --> 00:44:01.920
 can't

00:44:01.920 --> 00:44:02.259
 stop

00:44:02.259 --> 00:44:03.000
 declaring

00:44:03.000 --> 00:44:03.820
 what

00:44:03.820 --> 00:44:04.000
 he

00:44:04.000 --> 00:44:04.159
 has

00:44:04.159 --> 00:44:04.360
 shown

00:44:04.360 --> 00:44:04.559
 me

00:44:04.559 --> 00:44:04.779
 and

00:44:04.779 --> 00:44:05.119
 what's

00:44:05.119 --> 00:44:05.299
 my

00:44:05.299 --> 00:44:05.679
 conviction

00:44:05.679 --> 00:44:05.980
 from

00:44:05.980 --> 00:44:06.219
 his

00:44:06.219 --> 00:44:06.500
 word

00:44:06.500 --> 00:44:08.139
 we

00:44:08.139 --> 00:44:08.559
 trust

00:44:08.559 --> 00:44:08.980
 lo

00:44:08.980 --> 00:44:09.639
 Jesus

00:44:09.639 --> 00:44:10.079
 Christ

00:44:10.079 --> 00:44:10.299
 is

00:44:10.299 --> 00:44:10.539
 with

00:44:10.539 --> 00:44:10.880
 us

00:44:10.880 --> 00:44:11.400
 always

00:44:11.400 --> 00:44:12.340
 even

00:44:12.340 --> 00:44:13.019
 to

00:44:13.019 --> 00:44:13.219
 the

00:44:13.219 --> 00:44:13.400
 end

00:44:13.400 --> 00:44:13.519
 of

00:44:13.519 --> 00:44:13.659
 the

00:44:13.659 --> 00:44:13.940
!

00:44:13.940 --> 00:44:14.739
 let's

00:44:14.739 --> 00:44:14.960
 pray

00:44:14.960 --> 00:44:16.280
 father

00:44:16.280 --> 00:44:16.480
 we

00:44:16.480 --> 00:44:16.780
 thank

00:44:16.780 --> 00:44:16.980
 you

00:44:16.980 --> 00:44:17.639
 for

00:44:17.639 --> 00:44:17.820
 how

00:44:17.820 --> 00:44:18.000
 you

00:44:18.000 --> 00:44:18.240
 rule

00:44:18.240 --> 00:44:18.460
 over

00:44:18.460 --> 00:44:18.639
 your

00:44:18.639 --> 00:44:19.019
 people

00:44:19.019 --> 00:44:19.420
 and

00:44:19.420 --> 00:44:19.559
 your

00:44:19.559 --> 00:44:19.960
 church

00:44:19.960 --> 00:44:20.619
 for

00:44:20.619 --> 00:44:20.760
 how

00:44:20.760 --> 00:44:20.880
 you

00:44:20.880 --> 00:44:20.960
 are

00:44:20.960 --> 00:44:21.079
 a

00:44:21.079 --> 00:44:21.260
 good

00:44:21.260 --> 00:44:21.619
 shepherd

00:44:21.619 --> 00:44:22.300
 how

00:44:22.300 --> 00:44:22.440
 you

00:44:22.440 --> 00:44:22.619
 go

00:44:22.619 --> 00:44:22.920
 after

00:44:22.920 --> 00:44:23.159
 that

00:44:23.159 --> 00:44:23.539
 lost

00:44:23.539 --> 00:44:23.860
 lamb

00:44:23.860 --> 00:44:24.019
 and

00:44:24.019 --> 00:44:24.139
 you

00:44:24.139 --> 00:44:24.440
 bring

00:44:24.440 --> 00:44:25.019
 that

00:44:25.019 --> 00:44:25.159
 one

00:44:25.159 --> 00:44:25.480
 back

00:44:25.480 --> 00:44:25.639
 to

00:44:25.639 --> 00:44:25.800
 your

00:44:25.800 --> 00:44:26.159
 flock

00:44:26.159 --> 00:44:26.279
!

00:44:56.159 --> 00:44:56.779
 for

00:44:56.779 --> 00:44:57.079
 Christ

00:44:57.079 --> 00:44:57.399
 we

00:44:57.399 --> 00:44:57.599
 pray

00:44:57.599 --> 00:44:58.239
 amen