WEBVTT

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 Father, we confess before you that there are texts in your word that terrify us.

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 And we also confess before you, Father, that there are promises in your word that frighten us.

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 Because your promises, Father, seem to be too big and don't seem to have the qualifications that we're comfortable with.

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 So, Father, we confess before you that there are both promises and other texts which just frighten us.

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 That we want to edit or that we want to remove.

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 We ask, Father, that your Holy Spirit would still our mind and still our hearts and still our wills.

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 So that we might receive your word.

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 And we ask, Father, that your word would enter deep within us.

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 And by your grace, as your word enters deep into our lives,

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 may our lives bring forth much fruit that brings you glory.

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 And this we ask in Jesus' name, your Son and our Savior. Amen.

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 Please be seated.

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 So, I've already given you a bit of a warning that in a couple of minutes I'm going to deal with,

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 I think, I can't remember who said this, but it's a text of terror.

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 Predestination. A text of terror.

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 And I can also say that I, in fact, we're going to look at a text of terror.

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 We're going to look at predestination two weeks in a row.

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 And I'm going to say more about it next week than this.

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 Because next week, in Romans 9, there's a real in-your-face text.

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 Where God gets right up and close and in our face.

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 It's the text, if those of you are familiar with the Bible,

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 What right does the clay have to say to the potter, what on earth are you doing with me?

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 Like, it's a really in-your-face text.

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 So we're going to look at it a little bit more next week, but we're going to look at it a bit today.

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 And just one other thing before we get into the text, Romans chapter 8.

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 I ask your prayers for me.

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 As you know, one of the ministries of our church is a ministry called Church on Wednesday.

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 And it's always good if you pray for that ministry.

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 Please pray for it every day if you can.

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 And I'm not just asking for your prayers because I speak two Wednesdays from now on the 24th.

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 I'm asking your special prayers because we'll be right in the university center,

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 the heart of the university, where people can wander by.

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 And I get to preach on wives, submit to your husbands.

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 And, of course, you know that's a very popular idea at the University of Ottawa campus.

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 They have faculties for it and everything.

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 No, you know I'm joking.

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 So it's my great honor to talk about that and slaves as well.

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 And it's really to Daniel's credit and Church on Wednesday's credit that when we,

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 they preach through books of the Bible and that means also dealing with harder texts.

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 And I will do that two Wednesdays from now.

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 So I ask your prayers for that, that God would be honored and glorified,

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 that I won't do anything to mess things up.

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 But I also, that I won't want, I'll just speak, try to make it clear what it is that the Bible is saying.

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 So let's look at this, this text of terror.

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 But before we get to the text of terror, about God foreknowing us, about him predestining us,

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 about him calling us, justifying us, and glorifying us,

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 we like the justifying bit and the glorifying bit.

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 The other three things causes a little bit of problems and we wish we could edit it out.

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 Many Christians do.

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 Before we get to that, the Bible talks about prayer.

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 And talks about prayer in a very, very, very, very, very helpful way.

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 Romans chapter 8, verses 26 to 27.

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 Likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weakness.

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 For we do not know what to pray for as we ought,

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 but the Holy Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.

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 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit,

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 because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

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 Now just sort of, we're going to just pause here for a second.

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 I don't know what you're like with prayer.

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 You know, at the 8 o'clock service, I thought to myself,

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 how would I sort of score my prayer life right now?

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 Maybe I'd give myself a C.

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 I don't know.

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 Maybe as soon as I say C, God is up there groaning and going,

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 oh, George, you're not even close to a C.

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 But here's the thing.

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 One thing I do know is that there's been times in my Christian life

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 when I want to pray that it seems as if I only have one of two brains in my head.

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 One brain is like a hummingbird that's been chugging Red Bull.

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 And my thoughts just flit constantly all over the place,

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 and I can't stay focused in my prayers at all.

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 My mind just races all over the place on everything except on what I should be praying about.

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 And then there's other times when I go to pray,

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 and it's as if my brain has been replaced with a bear's brain who's hibernating.

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 And I can't get past a few sentences of prayer before I'm going,

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 I'm just falling asleep.

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 We're going completely blank.

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 And I guess compared to those seasons of my life when my brain is like that,

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 I'm doing all right in my prayers.

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 But here's the thing about this particular text.

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 I don't know if you noticed what Paul said in this text.

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 It was something that really jumps out at you.

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 It's verse, look at 26 again.

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 Likewise, the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness,

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 for we do not know what to pray for.

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 Just pause there for a second.

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 Paul says we.

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 He's including himself.

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 Now just think about this for a second.

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 Paul is going to end up dying a martyr's death rather than denying Jesus.

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 Paul is the person who brought the gospel to Europe.

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 Paul is a person who did, who was the very first person to speak about Jesus in a pagan empire all over the Mediterranean.

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 Paul is the guy that God chose to help write part of the Bible.

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 Paul.

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 Like, if there, and in 1 Corinthians he says he speaks in tongues more than anybody else,

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 and he wishes we could all speak in tongues as much as him.

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 And Paul says he doesn't know how to pray.

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 Now doesn't that take a little bit of a load off of you?

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 If you're having problems praying, like if Paul's having problems praying,

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 like is it any, you know, I don't want to put you down.

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 Yeah, come to Church of the Messiah.

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 George is going to put you down.

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 I don't want to put you down.

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 But it's a little, it takes a little bit of a load off of us to know that Paul had problems praying.

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 That he in fact describes himself with you and me,

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 that we do not know what to pray for as we ought.

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 Like that's actually helpful.

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 It takes a bit of a load off of our minds,

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 that we have to be these types of spiritual athletes,

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 or that we have to feel certain ways,

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 or we have to pump ourselves up with praise songs

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 to be able to be in the zone to pray,

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 or maybe you pump yourself up with Bach,

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 or I don't know what it is,

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 but whatever, you have to pump yourself up,

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 you have to screw up your willpower to be able to pray.

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 Anyway, Paul here says that we don't know how to pray.

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 And what is also so helpful here in the text

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 is that the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness.

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 That God doesn't look down at you and me and says,

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 gosh, George is pathetic at prayer.

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 You'd think at his age,

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 and after all these years that he was ordained,

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 that he'd be a lot better at it, you know?

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 The Father's not saying that to the Son,

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 and just sort of despising me or despising you,

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 the Father knows that we can't pray very well.

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 And because the Father knows that we can't pray very well,

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 the Holy Spirit doesn't mock us in our weakness,

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 scorn us in our weakness,

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 abandon us in our weakness,

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 deride us in our weakness,

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 insult us in our weakness.

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 He helps us in our weakness.

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 And then,

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 we do not know what to pray for as we ought,

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 but the Holy Spirit himself

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 intercedes for us with groanings

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 too deep for words.

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 Now, some people use this to refer to speaking in tongues.

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 There's other passages that speak about speaking in tongues,

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 but this isn't one of them.

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 It literally means wordless groanings.

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 So it's hard to get from wordless groanings

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 to speaking in tongues, actually.

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 Like, it's sort of the opposite.

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 But what it does mean in here

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 is the groaning too deep for words

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 is a way of trying to capture

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 that it isn't just that the Holy Spirit

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 is like some little,

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 you know, like the Tibetan Buddhist prayer wheels,

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 and they just sort of, you know,

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 there's this mechanical thing

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 that just goes round and round and round,

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 and it's as if it's prayer.

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 Well, the Holy Spirit here

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 isn't like just a disinterested mechanical prayer wheel

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 that's just going,

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 praying for George, praying for George,

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 praying for George, praying for George.

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 It's not like that at all.

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 Well, the groanings, wordless groanings,

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 is an image of emotional connection,

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 that the Holy Spirit, in a sense,

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 is emotionally involved in our lives,

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 and that he's not only just helping us.

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 I once, when we used to own a church building,

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 I came out of the building,

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 and there was a street person.

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 It was a cold day,

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 almost as cold as this cold night,

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 and the street person had fallen in the garden.

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 He wasn't supposed to be there,

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 but he was lying on the ground,

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 and he couldn't move.

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 And so I did two things.

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 First, I ran in,

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 and I was able to find some old,

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 some blankets and stuff,

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 and I put the blankets on them,

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 and then I called 911,

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 and an ambulance came.

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 And I, it was sort of a bit hard to find,

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 so I was out in the street

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 so I could flag down the ambulance,

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 and I flagged down the ambulance when it came.

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 It's so funny.

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 The ambulance drivers said,

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 I said, I'm the one who called me.

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 They said, where is it?

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 And I said, here.

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 It's just down here,

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 and they're walking along,

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 and the guy's saying,

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 bleepity, bleepity, bleep,

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 not another bleepity, bleepity, bleep.

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 You can guess what bleepity, bleep means.

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 Street person.

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 I, bleepity, bleep,

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 hate picking up these bleepity, bleep street people.

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 This is what he's saying.

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 He says, I was hoping to go home to have dinner,

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 and now this is another hour out of my life

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 because, anyway,

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 he was giving me this big, long rant

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 for these 200 meters

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 as we're walking to where the street person is.

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 Now, fortunately,

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 as soon as he saw the street person,

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 him and his partner,

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 he was very kind.

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 But his heart wasn't very kind.

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 I knew what his heart was like.

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 His heart hated doing this,

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 but at least he was kind and professional with words

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 when he was with the street person.

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 So what the Bible's saying here

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 is that the Holy Spirit's not interceding for us like that.

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 He's not interceding for us in a mechanical way.

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 He's not interceding for us in a heartless way.

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 In a sense, he's emotionally connected

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 and involved in what we're going through.

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 So likewise, the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness,

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 for we do not know what to pray for as we ought,

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 but the Spirit himself intercedes for us

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 with groanings too deep for words.

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 And he, that's referring to God,

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 God, who searches hearts,

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 knows what is the mind of the Spirit.

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 And here it says,

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 because, or it can also be for,

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 for the Spirit intercedes for the saints

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 according to the will of God.

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 This is another great comfort.

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 We never have to worry in the Christian life

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 that God has these plans

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 and the Holy Spirit has these plans,

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 that God the Father is,

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 he's sort of really hard,

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 he's like a really mean and nasty God

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 that writes Ten Commandments

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 and has high standards,

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 and the Holy Spirit is warm and fuzzy,

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 and the Holy Spirit and the Father

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 have to have a bit of an argument

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 about what's going on.

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 No.

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 It's not like that at all.

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 The Father knows what's going on in our lives.

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 The Father knows the mind of the Spirit.

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 The Spirit's heart is for us and with us.

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 And the Holy Spirit is always interceding for us.

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 As you sit here right now,

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 and maybe some of you are sitting here right now,

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 your life is a horrible mess,

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 maybe you're feeling unbelievably depressed,

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 maybe you feel like you're all alone,

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 that nobody knows, nobody cares,

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 but the Holy Spirit, even now,

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 is interceding for you.

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 If you're in Jesus,

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 the Holy Spirit is interceding for you.

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 You never have to pray alone.

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 You're never praying alone.

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 And that's what the Bible is telling us here.

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 So here's the thing.

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 Andrew, if you could put up the first thing,

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 and what I've done this morning,

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 some of you who are used to coming here,

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 sometimes my points are in the forms of prayers.

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 And if you don't have time to write these down,

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 they'll be on the webpage once Shirley gets back from holidays.

00:13:25.940 --> 00:13:27.620
 They'll be on the webpage Tuesday or Wednesday.

00:13:28.720 --> 00:13:33.920
 And, you know, one of my roles is just to try to help myself to learn how to pray

00:13:33.920 --> 00:13:35.240
 and help you to learn how to pray.

00:13:35.800 --> 00:13:38.460
 And rather than just putting down an abstract type of point,

00:13:38.460 --> 00:13:40.460
 I've put it in the form of a prayer.

00:13:42.360 --> 00:13:46.860
 Heavenly Father, please grow in me a humble, trusting knowing

00:13:46.860 --> 00:13:48.759
 that I am weak,

00:13:49.200 --> 00:13:52.100
 but the Holy Spirit always intercedes for me.

00:13:53.180 --> 00:13:55.800
 Like, I want to encourage you to sometimes pray

00:13:55.800 --> 00:13:57.740
 in acknowledgement that you're weak.

00:13:57.740 --> 00:14:03.799
 I know that we don't like to show weakness to our friends

00:14:03.799 --> 00:14:05.180
 and maybe to our family.

00:14:05.940 --> 00:14:09.120
 One of the persistent hard parts in marriages for men

00:14:09.120 --> 00:14:12.340
 is that men don't like to share their weakness with their wives.

00:14:13.360 --> 00:14:15.799
 It's one of the things that makes wives wonder

00:14:15.799 --> 00:14:18.240
 whether their husbands trust them and love them

00:14:18.240 --> 00:14:20.340
 because they don't want to share that they're weak.

00:14:21.240 --> 00:14:24.580
 The wife can see that the husband's struggling with something,

00:14:24.580 --> 00:14:29.580
 and yet the husband won't share with his wife

00:14:29.580 --> 00:14:33.220
 what it is that he's struggling with and is overwhelming him.

00:14:33.360 --> 00:14:35.780
 It's often a cause of marital problems.

00:14:37.600 --> 00:14:41.300
 And sometimes we Christians feel that we have to just always come to the Father

00:14:41.300 --> 00:14:42.960
 with our strengths, but listen,

00:14:43.600 --> 00:14:45.940
 this text is reminding us that we need to know

00:14:45.940 --> 00:14:48.500
 that God knows we're crappy prayers.

00:14:50.040 --> 00:14:51.560
 You don't have to zip that out.

00:14:51.640 --> 00:14:52.379
 Oh, Andrew's not here.

00:14:52.680 --> 00:14:53.080
 Crappy.

00:14:53.080 --> 00:14:55.240
 It means sometimes we're crappy prayers.

00:14:56.400 --> 00:14:58.920
 And so this text is encouraging you and me to say,

00:14:59.100 --> 00:15:01.800
 Heavenly Father, please grow in me a humble, trusting,

00:15:02.000 --> 00:15:03.759
 knowing that I am weak,

00:15:04.080 --> 00:15:07.360
 but the Holy Spirit always intercedes for me.

00:15:08.580 --> 00:15:11.300
 Now, just before we get to this whole thing

00:15:11.300 --> 00:15:14.000
 about predestination and God foreknowing us,

00:15:14.480 --> 00:15:15.879
 we have this other text,

00:15:15.940 --> 00:15:18.000
 and it's very interesting that on one hand,

00:15:18.340 --> 00:15:20.540
 we don't like the doctrine of predestination,

00:15:20.539 --> 00:15:27.240
 but often this next verse is on posters and on cups and on fridge magnets.

00:15:28.319 --> 00:15:33.799
 And on one hand, lots of us love it because it makes us feel that we can do anything,

00:15:33.939 --> 00:15:35.279
 that we can accomplish anything.

00:15:35.399 --> 00:15:38.559
 It gives us this positive spirit and this positive attitude.

00:15:38.559 --> 00:15:42.899
 And for those of us who aren't as positively inclined in life,

00:15:43.000 --> 00:15:44.339
 we hate texts like this,

00:15:44.339 --> 00:15:46.399
 although you can never say that you hate a text in the Bible.

00:15:46.879 --> 00:15:50.339
 But what we do is we don't get fridge magnets like this.

00:15:51.119 --> 00:15:54.339
 And when we go to a house that has fridge magnets like this,

00:15:54.479 --> 00:15:57.739
 we sort of roll our eyes at fridge magnets like this

00:15:57.740 --> 00:16:00.560
 because we have more of a sense of the tragedy of life

00:16:00.560 --> 00:16:04.019
 and the weakness of life

00:16:04.019 --> 00:16:06.840
 and how things just often all seem to fall apart.

00:16:07.480 --> 00:16:10.379
 And so this same text encourages fridge magnets

00:16:10.379 --> 00:16:12.740
 and the same text in our culture

00:16:12.740 --> 00:16:17.259
 encourages lots of eye-rolling up to the ceiling.

00:16:17.840 --> 00:16:18.879
 And it's verse 28.

00:16:19.019 --> 00:16:20.019
 It goes like this.

00:16:21.460 --> 00:16:23.539
 Some of you optimist types didn't realize

00:16:23.539 --> 00:16:25.919
 that your fridge magnets are causing people to go,

00:16:26.039 --> 00:16:27.459
 oh, good grief.

00:16:28.319 --> 00:16:29.639
 At least not in public.

00:16:29.779 --> 00:16:30.519
 It's after they leave.

00:16:30.639 --> 00:16:32.039
 Oh, good grief.

00:16:32.139 --> 00:16:33.639
 Did you see all those fridge magnets?

00:16:33.879 --> 00:16:34.120
 Anyway.

00:16:37.240 --> 00:16:38.879
 It's fine for optimists to find that out

00:16:38.879 --> 00:16:40.099
 about some other Christians, right?

00:16:40.240 --> 00:16:41.639
 Anyway, here's verse 28

00:16:41.639 --> 00:16:44.599
 without eye-rolling or overly being optimistic

00:16:44.599 --> 00:16:49.379
 like you're the top 1% sales agent in the world for real estate.

00:16:50.000 --> 00:16:51.559
 And we know, verse 28,

00:16:51.559 --> 00:16:53.659
 and we know that for those who love God,

00:16:53.739 --> 00:16:55.359
 all things work together for good

00:16:55.359 --> 00:16:57.959
 for those who are called according to his purpose.

00:16:58.639 --> 00:17:00.119
 It's a great verse to memorize.

00:17:01.379 --> 00:17:03.219
 The big problem with this verse

00:17:03.219 --> 00:17:05.799
 is that usually we just want to memorize this verse

00:17:05.799 --> 00:17:08.059
 and we never read verses 29 and 30.

00:17:08.940 --> 00:17:11.240
 And part of the reason we don't read verses 29 and 30

00:17:11.240 --> 00:17:13.200
 is because we don't like this whole idea of God

00:17:13.200 --> 00:17:16.299
 foreknowing and predestining things.

00:17:16.299 --> 00:17:20.019
 But actually, verse 28 only makes sense

00:17:20.019 --> 00:17:22.259
 if you read verse 29 and 30.

00:17:22.339 --> 00:17:23.919
 We're just going to look at verse 29 right now

00:17:23.919 --> 00:17:27.379
 and it can be seen because the word for is there in verse 29.

00:17:27.500 --> 00:17:30.460
 In other words, 28 assumes you're going to keep reading

00:17:30.460 --> 00:17:32.720
 at least to verse 29 if not verse 30.

00:17:33.099 --> 00:17:35.180
 So let's look at verses 28 through 29

00:17:35.180 --> 00:17:36.180
 when you read them all together.

00:17:36.180 --> 00:17:38.680
 And we know that for those who love God,

00:17:38.779 --> 00:17:40.600
 all things work together for good

00:17:40.600 --> 00:17:43.080
 for those who are called according to his purpose.

00:17:43.500 --> 00:17:45.019
 For those whom he foreknew,

00:17:45.480 --> 00:17:48.880
 he also predestined to be conformed

00:17:48.880 --> 00:17:50.519
 to the image of his son

00:17:50.519 --> 00:17:54.039
 in order that he might be the firstborn

00:17:54.039 --> 00:17:56.120
 among many brothers and sisters.

00:17:58.799 --> 00:17:59.440
 Ah.

00:18:00.779 --> 00:18:04.500
 So when you look at that text with verses 29 and 30,

00:18:04.500 --> 00:18:08.539
 you'll see that all things work together for good

00:18:08.539 --> 00:18:13.660
 for those who have put their faith and trust in Jesus.

00:18:14.099 --> 00:18:16.200
 It's not saying that all things work together

00:18:16.200 --> 00:18:17.279
 for good for everybody.

00:18:21.720 --> 00:18:24.759
 Like, it couldn't just be a business logo.

00:18:25.319 --> 00:18:26.059
 Business logo.

00:18:28.019 --> 00:18:30.460
 And that's a bit of a frightening thought for some of you,

00:18:30.559 --> 00:18:32.279
 for all of us, I guess, to a certain extent.

00:18:32.279 --> 00:18:34.740
 I'm not going to say that much about it

00:18:34.740 --> 00:18:37.319
 other than to just lay it there.

00:18:37.420 --> 00:18:39.660
 It's not a statement that the world

00:18:39.660 --> 00:18:41.500
 is unfolding the way it should

00:18:41.500 --> 00:18:43.859
 and that everybody is going to just have

00:18:43.859 --> 00:18:45.339
 everything work out for them.

00:18:49.180 --> 00:18:51.420
 It's referring to those who are in Jesus.

00:18:52.099 --> 00:18:56.480
 And it's saying that God is making you

00:18:56.480 --> 00:18:57.660
 to be like Jesus.

00:18:59.019 --> 00:19:02.299
 And that as God is making you to be like Jesus,

00:19:02.799 --> 00:19:04.920
 all things work together for good.

00:19:07.140 --> 00:19:09.980
 Bible is not talking about your circumstances.

00:19:10.980 --> 00:19:14.440
 You can't take this text to take it to mean

00:19:14.440 --> 00:19:17.920
 that, you know, guys who are single,

00:19:18.120 --> 00:19:20.039
 that God's going to give you a trophy wife

00:19:20.039 --> 00:19:21.500
 with trophy kids

00:19:21.500 --> 00:19:24.259
 and a job that gets you seven figures.

00:19:24.900 --> 00:19:26.359
 And I'm not counting the pennies.

00:19:26.740 --> 00:19:27.640
 I'm just the dollars.

00:19:28.339 --> 00:19:31.539
 And that the senators are going to win the Stanley Cup

00:19:31.539 --> 00:19:33.640
 and all sorts of other things

00:19:33.640 --> 00:19:35.240
 are just going to work out the way that they should.

00:19:35.299 --> 00:19:37.200
 It's not talking that God is going to

00:19:37.200 --> 00:19:40.299
 make circumstances work in your life

00:19:40.299 --> 00:19:42.380
 in such a way that in the eyes of the world,

00:19:42.539 --> 00:19:44.180
 everything about you is a great success.

00:19:44.180 --> 00:19:46.339
 That's not what the text is talking about at all.

00:19:46.339 --> 00:19:48.759
 Now, the Bible here isn't forbidding you

00:19:48.759 --> 00:19:50.359
 to pray about your circumstances.

00:19:50.599 --> 00:19:52.079
 There's lots of texts, not this one,

00:19:52.159 --> 00:19:53.559
 but there's lots of texts to tell you

00:19:53.559 --> 00:19:55.220
 that you should pray about your circumstances.

00:19:55.579 --> 00:19:56.799
 The Bible is not telling you

00:19:56.799 --> 00:19:58.439
 not to pray about your circumstances.

00:19:58.879 --> 00:20:01.099
 But what the Bible here is talking about

00:20:01.099 --> 00:20:03.819
 is that for those who are in Christ Jesus,

00:20:04.720 --> 00:20:07.159
 the things that are going on in your life

00:20:07.159 --> 00:20:09.599
 are under God's sovereign control

00:20:09.599 --> 00:20:12.959
 and God is using the things in your life

00:20:12.959 --> 00:20:14.439
 to make you more like Jesus.

00:20:16.339 --> 00:20:17.740
 That can include tragedy.

00:20:18.859 --> 00:20:21.579
 In fact, it will include tragedy.

00:20:24.199 --> 00:20:26.659
 And it will include times of brokenness.

00:20:27.959 --> 00:20:29.699
 It might involve being unemployed.

00:20:31.399 --> 00:20:34.319
 It might involve having a really hard time

00:20:34.319 --> 00:20:35.899
 with your kids or your family.

00:20:37.759 --> 00:20:41.859
 And it's not telling you

00:20:41.859 --> 00:20:43.519
 that all of your circumstances,

00:20:43.699 --> 00:20:46.119
 it's not telling you to have rose-colored glasses.

00:20:46.339 --> 00:20:51.819
 But it's actually a profoundly hopeful text.

00:20:53.599 --> 00:20:55.500
 You know, there's that serenity prayer

00:20:55.500 --> 00:20:56.579
 that really comes out of this.

00:20:56.699 --> 00:20:58.079
 I'm going to probably get it mixed up

00:20:58.079 --> 00:20:59.220
 because I should have written it down.

00:20:59.319 --> 00:20:59.599
 But, you know,

00:20:59.639 --> 00:21:01.759
 Lord, grant me the courage to deal,

00:21:01.980 --> 00:21:04.039
 to change the things in my life I need to change

00:21:04.039 --> 00:21:07.619
 and the serenity to accept the things

00:21:07.619 --> 00:21:08.959
 which I cannot change

00:21:08.959 --> 00:21:10.599
 and the wisdom to know the difference.

00:21:10.599 --> 00:21:13.179
 And that's really fitting in with this text.

00:21:15.819 --> 00:21:19.379
 But everything that's going on in your life,

00:21:19.519 --> 00:21:22.019
 God is using in a good way

00:21:22.019 --> 00:21:25.159
 to make you more like Jesus.

00:21:25.559 --> 00:21:28.019
 And sometimes we need to just look at the circumstances

00:21:28.019 --> 00:21:29.000
 in our life and say,

00:21:29.079 --> 00:21:30.679
 well, Father, are you humbling me?

00:21:31.059 --> 00:21:32.980
 About some way are you teaching me patience?

00:21:32.980 --> 00:21:35.240
 But we know that whatever it is,

00:21:35.319 --> 00:21:37.460
 that it is infallibly,

00:21:37.700 --> 00:21:39.200
 in an unbroken way,

00:21:39.960 --> 00:21:41.700
 not by George's word,

00:21:41.779 --> 00:21:43.019
 but by the Bible's word,

00:21:43.120 --> 00:21:44.640
 in an unbroken way,

00:21:44.960 --> 00:21:46.980
 it is making you more like Jesus

00:21:46.980 --> 00:21:51.640
 and it will culminate in you being like Jesus.

00:21:51.640 --> 00:21:54.640
 I'm not saying that on my authority.

00:21:54.780 --> 00:21:55.700
 I have no authority.

00:21:55.880 --> 00:21:56.920
 I'm saying that's what the text...

00:21:56.920 --> 00:21:58.160
 Listen to the text again.

00:21:59.300 --> 00:22:01.920
 And we know that for those who love God,

00:22:02.560 --> 00:22:05.180
 all things work together for good

00:22:05.180 --> 00:22:07.680
 for those who are called according to his purpose,

00:22:07.820 --> 00:22:10.000
 for those whom God foreknew,

00:22:10.500 --> 00:22:12.640
 God also predestined to be conformed

00:22:13.240 --> 00:22:14.560
 to the image of his Son,

00:22:14.780 --> 00:22:17.660
 conformed to the image and likeness of his Son

00:22:17.660 --> 00:22:19.620
 in order that he, that's Jesus,

00:22:19.619 --> 00:22:22.500
 might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.

00:22:24.039 --> 00:22:25.879
 If you could put up the next point, Andrew.

00:22:28.619 --> 00:22:30.379
 Once again, I put it in the form of a prayer.

00:22:32.979 --> 00:22:34.979
 Heavenly Father, please grow in me

00:22:34.979 --> 00:22:36.659
 a humble, trusting knowing

00:22:36.659 --> 00:22:40.019
 that you work all things together for good

00:22:40.019 --> 00:22:41.839
 as you make me like Jesus.

00:22:43.219 --> 00:22:45.199
 Heavenly Father, please grow in me

00:22:45.199 --> 00:22:46.839
 a humble, trusting knowing

00:22:46.839 --> 00:22:49.599
 that you work all things together for good

00:22:49.599 --> 00:22:51.659
 as you make me like Jesus.

00:22:54.299 --> 00:22:56.579
 That's what this text is inviting us to pray.

00:23:01.859 --> 00:23:06.419
 It's a very, very, very profoundly important text

00:23:06.419 --> 00:23:07.799
 as we're dealing with failure,

00:23:08.379 --> 00:23:09.919
 as we're dealing with success,

00:23:10.639 --> 00:23:13.639
 as we're dealing with ambition working out,

00:23:13.740 --> 00:23:16.199
 as we're dealing with our ambitions not working out,

00:23:16.200 --> 00:23:19.519
 as we're getting stronger and stronger,

00:23:19.720 --> 00:23:21.559
 and for those of us who are older,

00:23:21.559 --> 00:23:23.059
 as we get weaker and weaker.

00:23:24.519 --> 00:23:26.559
 It is a prayer for all of our life.

00:23:27.860 --> 00:23:29.019
 And it's very funny.

00:23:29.240 --> 00:23:30.440
 We like this thing,

00:23:30.539 --> 00:23:31.360
 but on the other hand,

00:23:31.440 --> 00:23:33.220
 it also implies that God is sovereign

00:23:33.220 --> 00:23:35.100
 over something like predestining

00:23:35.100 --> 00:23:36.799
 and actually working in a sovereign way.

00:23:37.019 --> 00:23:39.519
 But then when it actually talks about things

00:23:39.519 --> 00:23:40.480
 like predestination,

00:23:40.580 --> 00:23:41.840
 we get very, very worried.

00:23:42.659 --> 00:23:44.679
 Let's look at verses 28 to 30,

00:23:44.839 --> 00:23:46.599
 and we're really just sort of going to camp

00:23:46.599 --> 00:23:49.459
 for a moment here in this whole text of terror

00:23:49.459 --> 00:23:52.799
 for many Christians of predestination.

00:23:53.539 --> 00:23:55.079
 Let's look at 28 to 30.

00:23:56.959 --> 00:23:59.240
 And we know that for those who love God,

00:23:59.319 --> 00:24:01.480
 all things work together for good

00:24:01.480 --> 00:24:03.839
 for those who are called according to his purpose.

00:24:03.839 --> 00:24:05.799
 For those whom God foreknew,

00:24:06.439 --> 00:24:09.699
 he also predestined to be conformed

00:24:09.700 --> 00:24:10.880
 to the image of his son

00:24:10.880 --> 00:24:13.559
 in order that he might be firstborn

00:24:13.559 --> 00:24:15.080
 among many brothers and sisters.

00:24:15.580 --> 00:24:17.920
 And those whom God predestined,

00:24:18.279 --> 00:24:19.380
 he also called.

00:24:19.819 --> 00:24:21.279
 And those whom he called,

00:24:21.660 --> 00:24:22.720
 he also justified.

00:24:23.279 --> 00:24:24.819
 And those whom he justified,

00:24:25.319 --> 00:24:26.519
 he also glorified.

00:24:27.100 --> 00:24:27.420
 Amen.

00:24:28.519 --> 00:24:29.000
 Sorry.

00:24:31.080 --> 00:24:32.460
 Probably doesn't bring out an amen

00:24:32.460 --> 00:24:34.160
 in a lot of Canadian congregations.

00:24:34.299 --> 00:24:35.580
 Well, hopefully we'll change that.

00:24:35.660 --> 00:24:36.559
 It's a terror text.

00:24:37.019 --> 00:24:38.220
 So today we're going to just talk

00:24:38.220 --> 00:24:39.700
 a little bit about this text tomorrow,

00:24:39.860 --> 00:24:40.420
 next week.

00:24:40.660 --> 00:24:41.880
 God, you can pray for me

00:24:41.880 --> 00:24:44.039
 when we look at Romans 9, 1 to 29.

00:24:44.500 --> 00:24:45.660
 We'll talk more about it

00:24:45.660 --> 00:24:47.400
 sort of in a more general philosophical

00:24:47.400 --> 00:24:48.640
 and theological way.

00:24:49.200 --> 00:24:50.960
 But what we need to understand here

00:24:50.960 --> 00:24:52.019
 is this text is working

00:24:52.019 --> 00:24:53.600
 in a particular context.

00:24:54.240 --> 00:24:55.360
 And the word of God

00:24:55.360 --> 00:24:57.279
 is always addressing our heart,

00:24:57.960 --> 00:24:59.980
 the reality of our heart

00:24:59.980 --> 00:25:01.660
 in the context of the living God.

00:25:02.240 --> 00:25:03.620
 And the reality is

00:25:03.620 --> 00:25:05.860
 that our hearts love to boast.

00:25:05.859 --> 00:25:10.740
 that our hearts love to boast.

00:25:11.799 --> 00:25:13.500
 And that even when we seem

00:25:13.500 --> 00:25:14.740
 to be most Christian,

00:25:15.099 --> 00:25:16.500
 we're often boasting.

00:25:18.099 --> 00:25:19.659
 I was at a gathering

00:25:19.659 --> 00:25:20.599
 a couple of years ago

00:25:20.599 --> 00:25:22.319
 where a man gave a testimony

00:25:22.319 --> 00:25:24.119
 as part of the sermon.

00:25:24.619 --> 00:25:26.240
 And part of it was

00:25:26.240 --> 00:25:27.639
 he talked about the fact

00:25:27.639 --> 00:25:28.639
 that he had sex

00:25:28.639 --> 00:25:30.019
 with a girl when he was 12.

00:25:30.019 --> 00:25:32.539
 And then he went on

00:25:32.539 --> 00:25:33.279
 to talk about

00:25:33.279 --> 00:25:36.279
 the huge number of women

00:25:36.279 --> 00:25:37.359
 that he'd had sex with.

00:25:38.680 --> 00:25:39.660
 He was boasting.

00:25:42.240 --> 00:25:43.859
 He was boasting to us all.

00:25:44.619 --> 00:25:46.440
 He was trying to have it both ways.

00:25:48.000 --> 00:25:49.079
 He was very pious.

00:25:49.859 --> 00:25:52.119
 A very pious expression on his face.

00:25:52.119 --> 00:25:55.359
 But he was actually boasting

00:25:55.359 --> 00:25:56.500
 both of that he,

00:25:57.099 --> 00:25:58.099
 in our culture,

00:25:58.919 --> 00:26:00.399
 the sinfulness was actually,

00:26:00.459 --> 00:26:01.539
 he was boasting about it.

00:26:02.219 --> 00:26:02.759
 And then, of course,

00:26:02.799 --> 00:26:03.599
 he was boasting about

00:26:03.599 --> 00:26:05.139
 how great God's grace was

00:26:05.139 --> 00:26:05.719
 in his life.

00:26:07.479 --> 00:26:10.219
 And many testimonies

00:26:10.219 --> 00:26:11.559
 are actually a form of boasting

00:26:11.559 --> 00:26:16.059
 in evangelical contexts.

00:26:17.439 --> 00:26:19.000
 And human beings

00:26:19.000 --> 00:26:20.359
 love to boast.

00:26:20.359 --> 00:26:22.879
 And human beings

00:26:22.879 --> 00:26:25.039
 hate feeling helpless.

00:26:26.539 --> 00:26:27.919
 So here's the thing.

00:26:28.019 --> 00:26:29.119
 Before we look at this text,

00:26:29.279 --> 00:26:29.919
 I'll just put them up

00:26:29.919 --> 00:26:30.459
 very briefly.

00:26:30.559 --> 00:26:31.219
 Andrew, could you put up

00:26:31.219 --> 00:26:31.799
 the next point?

00:26:32.079 --> 00:26:33.019
 Here's the first thing

00:26:33.019 --> 00:26:33.639
 for us to remember

00:26:33.639 --> 00:26:34.979
 when we look at this text.

00:26:35.299 --> 00:26:35.519
 Okay?

00:26:36.839 --> 00:26:38.759
 In the presence of the living God,

00:26:38.839 --> 00:26:39.959
 all boasting ceases.

00:26:41.439 --> 00:26:43.079
 In the presence of the living God,

00:26:43.159 --> 00:26:44.139
 all boasting ceases.

00:26:44.139 --> 00:26:45.059
 If you're thinking,

00:26:45.319 --> 00:26:46.359
 gosh, I can't wait

00:26:46.359 --> 00:26:47.339
 till I get to heaven

00:26:47.339 --> 00:26:48.479
 till I can tell God

00:26:48.479 --> 00:26:49.759
 about this great successful

00:26:49.759 --> 00:26:51.379
 pro-life ministry I've had

00:26:51.379 --> 00:26:52.619
 or my, you know,

00:26:52.680 --> 00:26:53.099
 I don't know.

00:26:53.539 --> 00:26:54.500
 You know, if Bill Hybels

00:26:54.500 --> 00:26:54.940
 is thinking,

00:26:55.019 --> 00:26:56.019
 I can't wait to tell God

00:26:56.019 --> 00:26:57.200
 about getting the 30,000

00:26:57.200 --> 00:26:58.460
 a Sunday at my church.

00:26:58.579 --> 00:27:00.640
 Like, if we think that at all,

00:27:01.400 --> 00:27:03.079
 we just have to remember

00:27:03.079 --> 00:27:03.859
 that in the presence

00:27:03.859 --> 00:27:04.879
 of the living God,

00:27:05.720 --> 00:27:07.279
 all boasting ceases.

00:27:07.279 --> 00:27:13.519
 And the other thing

00:27:13.519 --> 00:27:15.079
 is that in this context,

00:27:15.180 --> 00:27:15.559
 because the thing

00:27:15.559 --> 00:27:16.240
 that we worry about

00:27:16.240 --> 00:27:16.960
 when we boast

00:27:16.960 --> 00:27:18.799
 is if we can't boast

00:27:18.799 --> 00:27:20.000
 that we're feeling helpless,

00:27:21.119 --> 00:27:23.119
 the thing that we worry about

00:27:23.119 --> 00:27:24.399
 is, you know,

00:27:24.420 --> 00:27:25.119
 that if we can't boast

00:27:25.119 --> 00:27:25.899
 that we're going to be helpless.

00:27:26.139 --> 00:27:27.440
 That leads us to the next point,

00:27:27.480 --> 00:27:28.440
 if you could put it up, Andrew.

00:27:30.779 --> 00:27:31.899
 I am helpless,

00:27:32.740 --> 00:27:33.899
 but God is the helper

00:27:33.899 --> 00:27:34.480
 of the helpless.

00:27:34.480 --> 00:27:37.000
 If I just said I am helpless

00:27:37.000 --> 00:27:37.740
 and said, okay,

00:27:37.860 --> 00:27:39.140
 now let's go and move on

00:27:39.140 --> 00:27:39.599
 to communion,

00:27:39.720 --> 00:27:40.720
 that wouldn't be very helpful

00:27:40.720 --> 00:27:41.200
 to anybody,

00:27:41.339 --> 00:27:41.819
 and it wouldn't be

00:27:41.819 --> 00:27:43.059
 what the Bible is telling us.

00:27:43.620 --> 00:27:44.740
 But the Bible wants us

00:27:44.740 --> 00:27:45.299
 to understand

00:27:45.299 --> 00:27:46.480
 that in God's presence,

00:27:46.559 --> 00:27:47.059
 in the presence

00:27:47.059 --> 00:27:47.700
 of the living God,

00:27:47.759 --> 00:27:48.860
 there will be no boasting

00:27:48.860 --> 00:27:49.519
 whatsoever.

00:27:51.460 --> 00:27:52.279
 I mean, the person

00:27:52.279 --> 00:27:53.019
 who's in heaven

00:27:53.019 --> 00:27:54.400
 because they died

00:27:54.400 --> 00:27:54.940
 in the womb

00:27:54.940 --> 00:27:55.700
 through abortion,

00:27:56.519 --> 00:27:58.460
 the person who was born

00:27:58.460 --> 00:28:01.240
 profoundly mentally handicapped,

00:28:01.900 --> 00:28:02.900
 and the person

00:28:02.900 --> 00:28:03.980
 who won gold medals

00:28:03.980 --> 00:28:04.720
 in the Olympics,

00:28:05.019 --> 00:28:06.160
 and by their work

00:28:06.160 --> 00:28:06.819
 and their energy

00:28:06.819 --> 00:28:07.539
 was able to make

00:28:07.539 --> 00:28:08.500
 billions of dollars,

00:28:09.019 --> 00:28:09.519
 all of them

00:28:09.519 --> 00:28:10.640
 will be completely equal

00:28:10.640 --> 00:28:11.319
 before God.

00:28:11.400 --> 00:28:11.740
 None of them

00:28:11.740 --> 00:28:12.559
 will be able to boast.

00:28:14.720 --> 00:28:15.900
 None of us will boast.

00:28:18.019 --> 00:28:18.960
 And God wants us

00:28:18.960 --> 00:28:19.519
 to understand

00:28:19.519 --> 00:28:20.360
 that we are helpless,

00:28:21.019 --> 00:28:21.759
 that there is a helper.

00:28:21.940 --> 00:28:22.220
 In fact,

00:28:23.120 --> 00:28:24.039
 see, what often goes on

00:28:24.039 --> 00:28:24.480
 in churches,

00:28:24.640 --> 00:28:25.299
 and here's something

00:28:25.299 --> 00:28:26.180
 that we Anglicans

00:28:26.180 --> 00:28:27.180
 can be very guilty of.

00:28:27.180 --> 00:28:28.299
 I could introduce myself

00:28:28.299 --> 00:28:30.079
 as I'm the Reverend Cannon,

00:28:30.640 --> 00:28:31.579
 George Sinclair,

00:28:31.720 --> 00:28:33.099
 rector of Church of the Messiah,

00:28:33.099 --> 00:28:34.619
 principal of Ryle College,

00:28:34.759 --> 00:28:35.500
 regular speaker

00:28:35.500 --> 00:28:36.159
 at Parliament Hill

00:28:36.159 --> 00:28:37.099
 Christian Fellowship,

00:28:37.679 --> 00:28:39.500
 speaker on CFRA radio,

00:28:40.179 --> 00:28:41.740
 chair of being

00:28:41.740 --> 00:28:42.579
 biblically faithful

00:28:42.579 --> 00:28:43.579
 in my denomination,

00:28:43.839 --> 00:28:44.699
 original chair.

00:28:44.839 --> 00:28:45.379
 I could go on

00:28:45.379 --> 00:28:46.199
 and on and on, okay?

00:28:47.459 --> 00:28:48.439
 And that's often

00:28:48.439 --> 00:28:49.099
 how people like

00:28:49.099 --> 00:28:49.879
 to get introduced,

00:28:50.240 --> 00:28:50.919
 especially if you go

00:28:50.919 --> 00:28:52.059
 to some Anglican gatherings.

00:28:52.059 --> 00:28:53.059
 It's not just, you know,

00:28:53.199 --> 00:28:54.599
 George and Fred

00:28:54.599 --> 00:28:56.159
 and Sarah and Alice.

00:28:56.159 --> 00:28:57.519
 It's the Reverend Cannon,

00:28:58.079 --> 00:28:58.980
 George Sinclair.

00:29:00.019 --> 00:29:00.639
 Too bad I don't have

00:29:00.640 --> 00:29:01.180
 a doctorate,

00:29:01.220 --> 00:29:01.580
 then I could be

00:29:01.580 --> 00:29:02.900
 the Reverend Cannon

00:29:02.900 --> 00:29:04.660
 Dr. George Sinclair.

00:29:05.100 --> 00:29:05.620
 Not putting down

00:29:05.620 --> 00:29:06.400
 people with doctorates,

00:29:06.440 --> 00:29:06.840
 not at all.

00:29:08.040 --> 00:29:09.259
 But what we should really do,

00:29:09.300 --> 00:29:10.300
 what this Bible text

00:29:10.300 --> 00:29:11.640
 is saying is that really

00:29:11.640 --> 00:29:13.180
 every church service

00:29:13.180 --> 00:29:13.940
 should be like

00:29:13.940 --> 00:29:15.000
 an AA meeting.

00:29:16.460 --> 00:29:17.660
 In an AA meeting,

00:29:17.660 --> 00:29:19.220
 if you're a multimillionaire

00:29:19.220 --> 00:29:20.860
 and you go to the AA meeting,

00:29:20.920 --> 00:29:21.420
 you don't say,

00:29:21.560 --> 00:29:22.620
 hi, I'm George,

00:29:22.700 --> 00:29:23.580
 I'm a multimillionaire.

00:29:23.660 --> 00:29:24.180
 What do you say?

00:29:25.220 --> 00:29:25.960
 Hi, I'm George,

00:29:26.040 --> 00:29:26.660
 I'm an alcoholic.

00:29:28.100 --> 00:29:28.660
 And really,

00:29:28.660 --> 00:29:29.340
 in church,

00:29:29.440 --> 00:29:30.600
 we should introduce ourselves

00:29:30.600 --> 00:29:31.180
 by saying,

00:29:31.820 --> 00:29:32.640
 hi, I'm George,

00:29:32.700 --> 00:29:33.320
 I'm helpless.

00:29:35.980 --> 00:29:36.640
 I'm George,

00:29:36.740 --> 00:29:37.259
 I'm helpless.

00:29:39.019 --> 00:29:40.160
 And then Daniel would say,

00:29:40.240 --> 00:29:40.900
 hi, I'm Daniel,

00:29:40.980 --> 00:29:41.519
 I'm helpless.

00:29:41.660 --> 00:29:42.180
 And Anne would say,

00:29:42.259 --> 00:29:43.420
 hi, I'm Anne,

00:29:43.420 --> 00:29:44.040
 I'm helpless.

00:29:47.700 --> 00:29:48.700
 Because you see,

00:29:49.500 --> 00:29:51.759
 what we want to do

00:29:51.759 --> 00:29:53.340
 is we want to try

00:29:53.340 --> 00:29:54.100
 to make it look

00:29:54.100 --> 00:29:55.800
 as if at some point in time

00:29:55.799 --> 00:29:56.599
 we are in fact

00:29:56.599 --> 00:29:57.399
 not helpless,

00:29:57.579 --> 00:29:59.259
 but we are responsible

00:29:59.259 --> 00:30:00.799
 for making ourselves

00:30:00.799 --> 00:30:01.619
 right with God.

00:30:02.119 --> 00:30:02.960
 Andrew, could you put up

00:30:02.960 --> 00:30:04.200
 the Romans 1 text?

00:30:04.379 --> 00:30:05.359
 Those of you who are guests

00:30:05.359 --> 00:30:06.200
 might not know this,

00:30:06.299 --> 00:30:06.980
 but every week

00:30:06.980 --> 00:30:07.559
 that we've talked,

00:30:07.659 --> 00:30:08.180
 we're going through

00:30:08.180 --> 00:30:08.879
 the book of Romans

00:30:08.879 --> 00:30:09.500
 and every week

00:30:09.500 --> 00:30:10.559
 we read this text.

00:30:11.139 --> 00:30:11.799
 Because the way

00:30:11.799 --> 00:30:12.519
 the book of Romans

00:30:12.519 --> 00:30:13.119
 was written

00:30:13.119 --> 00:30:14.379
 was that there's

00:30:14.379 --> 00:30:14.859
 the first,

00:30:15.000 --> 00:30:15.980
 like a greeting type

00:30:15.980 --> 00:30:16.440
 of thing

00:30:16.440 --> 00:30:17.519
 in the first few verses

00:30:17.519 --> 00:30:18.399
 and then Paul says,

00:30:18.460 --> 00:30:19.079
 I'm going to do this,

00:30:19.119 --> 00:30:19.720
 I'm going to do this,

00:30:19.759 --> 00:30:20.980
 I hope to see you soon.

00:30:21.519 --> 00:30:21.700
 You know,

00:30:21.779 --> 00:30:23.220
 and then he says

00:30:23.220 --> 00:30:24.619
 verses 16 and 17

00:30:24.619 --> 00:30:26.459
 and it's like an explanation,

00:30:26.839 --> 00:30:27.839
 a precie of everything

00:30:27.839 --> 00:30:28.539
 that's going to go on

00:30:28.539 --> 00:30:29.419
 in the book of Romans,

00:30:29.959 --> 00:30:31.239
 summarized right at the beginning

00:30:31.239 --> 00:30:32.459
 and then he basically,

00:30:32.619 --> 00:30:33.439
 the rest of Romans

00:30:33.439 --> 00:30:34.679
 is just unpacking this.

00:30:35.139 --> 00:30:36.119
 So could you read

00:30:36.119 --> 00:30:37.659
 Romans 1 with me out loud?

00:30:38.539 --> 00:30:40.359
 For I am not ashamed

00:30:40.359 --> 00:30:41.199
 of the gospel,

00:30:41.819 --> 00:30:43.659
 for it is the power of God

00:30:43.659 --> 00:30:44.579
 for salvation

00:30:44.579 --> 00:30:46.619
 to everyone who believes,

00:30:47.079 --> 00:30:48.279
 to the Jew first

00:30:48.279 --> 00:30:49.799
 and also to the Greek.

00:30:50.279 --> 00:30:51.459
 For in the gospel,

00:30:51.679 --> 00:30:53.119
 the righteousness of God

00:30:53.119 --> 00:30:54.639
 is revealed from faith

00:30:54.639 --> 00:30:55.279
 to faith

00:30:55.279 --> 00:30:56.719
 as it is written,

00:30:57.139 --> 00:30:57.679
 the righteous

00:30:57.679 --> 00:30:59.259
 shall live by faith.

00:30:59.859 --> 00:31:00.799
 That's what the whole book

00:31:00.799 --> 00:31:01.279
 is about.

00:31:01.679 --> 00:31:02.559
 And notice up there

00:31:02.559 --> 00:31:02.779
 it says,

00:31:02.879 --> 00:31:03.679
 for I am not ashamed

00:31:03.679 --> 00:31:04.419
 of the gospel.

00:31:05.239 --> 00:31:06.059
 And one of the reasons

00:31:06.059 --> 00:31:06.699
 you're not ashamed

00:31:06.699 --> 00:31:07.199
 of the gospel

00:31:07.199 --> 00:31:08.059
 because the gospel

00:31:08.059 --> 00:31:08.719
 is going to try

00:31:08.719 --> 00:31:09.679
 to make people realize

00:31:09.679 --> 00:31:10.500
 that they're helpless.

00:31:13.819 --> 00:31:14.779
 And God's word

00:31:14.779 --> 00:31:15.819
 is going to regularly

00:31:15.819 --> 00:31:17.179
 try to humble you

00:31:17.179 --> 00:31:17.879
 and me

00:31:17.879 --> 00:31:19.079
 to make us understand

00:31:19.079 --> 00:31:19.959
 that we're helpless.

00:31:19.960 --> 00:31:23.279
 It is the power of God

00:31:23.279 --> 00:31:24.539
 for salvation

00:31:24.539 --> 00:31:26.120
 to everyone who believes.

00:31:26.960 --> 00:31:27.920
 For in the gospel,

00:31:28.059 --> 00:31:29.480
 the righteousness of God

00:31:29.480 --> 00:31:30.019
 is revealed.

00:31:30.140 --> 00:31:30.960
 And what the righteousness

00:31:30.960 --> 00:31:31.880
 of God means

00:31:31.880 --> 00:31:32.840
 is that not only

00:31:32.840 --> 00:31:33.940
 is God going to act

00:31:33.940 --> 00:31:34.579
 in a way that

00:31:34.579 --> 00:31:36.039
 at the end of the day

00:31:36.039 --> 00:31:37.059
 when everybody looks

00:31:37.059 --> 00:31:37.900
 and sees everything

00:31:37.900 --> 00:31:38.620
 that God has done

00:31:38.620 --> 00:31:39.440
 to make human beings

00:31:39.440 --> 00:31:40.160
 right with himself,

00:31:40.519 --> 00:31:41.299
 there'll be no one

00:31:41.299 --> 00:31:42.100
 who can't say

00:31:42.100 --> 00:31:43.880
 that God did the right thing.

00:31:44.380 --> 00:31:45.420
 He acted in a way

00:31:45.420 --> 00:31:46.380
 that was right.

00:31:46.860 --> 00:31:48.420
 And God acted in a way

00:31:48.420 --> 00:31:49.480
 that was right.

00:31:50.100 --> 00:31:53.000
 He did what was right

00:31:53.000 --> 00:31:54.740
 to make human beings

00:31:54.740 --> 00:31:55.900
 right with him.

00:31:56.200 --> 00:31:57.300
 He does it all

00:31:57.300 --> 00:32:00.220
 with nothing left over.

00:32:00.779 --> 00:32:02.000
 Nothing of ours.

00:32:02.500 --> 00:32:03.920
 It's God's power,

00:32:04.080 --> 00:32:05.220
 not God's power

00:32:05.220 --> 00:32:06.680
 plus George's power.

00:32:06.940 --> 00:32:08.140
 Not God's power

00:32:08.140 --> 00:32:10.279
 plus the Anglican Church's power

00:32:10.279 --> 00:32:12.120
 or the Roman Catholic Church's power

00:32:12.120 --> 00:32:13.960
 or the Pentecostal Church's power.

00:32:14.259 --> 00:32:15.640
 It's not God's power

00:32:15.640 --> 00:32:16.759
 plus somebody else.

00:32:16.759 --> 00:32:18.700
 It's the power of God

00:32:18.700 --> 00:32:19.619
 for salvation.

00:32:20.720 --> 00:32:22.140
 And he will act

00:32:22.140 --> 00:32:23.160
 in a way that is right

00:32:23.160 --> 00:32:24.720
 to make us right with him.

00:32:25.039 --> 00:32:26.079
 He does it all.

00:32:27.180 --> 00:32:28.619
 That we will have

00:32:28.619 --> 00:32:30.319
 no cause for boasting.

00:32:33.799 --> 00:32:35.339
 And what is it that we do?

00:32:35.539 --> 00:32:37.079
 How is it the different ways

00:32:37.079 --> 00:32:38.500
 that we subtly try to go

00:32:38.500 --> 00:32:39.240
 in that we're boasting?

00:32:39.680 --> 00:32:40.859
 The fact of the matter is

00:32:40.859 --> 00:32:41.720
 is that many of us

00:32:41.720 --> 00:32:43.200
 carry around within ourselves

00:32:43.200 --> 00:32:43.579
 is, you know,

00:32:43.619 --> 00:32:44.180
 there's really something

00:32:44.180 --> 00:32:45.559
 a little bit special about me.

00:32:45.559 --> 00:32:47.119
 You know,

00:32:47.139 --> 00:32:48.519
 there's something special about me.

00:32:49.480 --> 00:32:50.000
 In fact,

00:32:50.039 --> 00:32:51.519
 there's something so special about me.

00:32:51.599 --> 00:32:52.339
 It's no wonder

00:32:52.339 --> 00:32:53.559
 that I'm a Christian.

00:32:54.559 --> 00:32:55.319
 It's no wonder,

00:32:55.440 --> 00:32:56.579
 like, I'm just, you know,

00:32:56.619 --> 00:32:57.819
 good at Bible studies

00:32:57.819 --> 00:32:58.799
 and good at witnessing

00:32:58.799 --> 00:33:00.059
 and good at this

00:33:00.059 --> 00:33:00.879
 and good at that

00:33:00.879 --> 00:33:01.500
 and there's something

00:33:01.500 --> 00:33:02.700
 just special about me.

00:33:03.359 --> 00:33:05.720
 No wonder God chose me.

00:33:06.659 --> 00:33:07.759
 No wonder I'm a Christian

00:33:07.759 --> 00:33:08.799
 because I'm special.

00:33:08.799 --> 00:33:11.419
 Now, we're Canadians

00:33:11.419 --> 00:33:13.319
 and we don't go out,

00:33:13.799 --> 00:33:14.000
 you know,

00:33:14.019 --> 00:33:14.859
 we don't begin our prayer

00:33:14.859 --> 00:33:15.399
 by saying,

00:33:15.519 --> 00:33:16.519
 Father, thank you so much

00:33:16.519 --> 00:33:17.339
 that I'm special.

00:33:17.940 --> 00:33:18.940
 Thank you so much

00:33:18.940 --> 00:33:20.279
 that I'm just really special

00:33:20.279 --> 00:33:22.200
 and that I'm so special

00:33:22.200 --> 00:33:23.579
 that no wonder you chose me.

00:33:23.639 --> 00:33:24.259
 Like, we don't say that

00:33:24.259 --> 00:33:24.740
 in our prayers.

00:33:24.839 --> 00:33:26.680
 We're too well behaved, right?

00:33:26.680 --> 00:33:30.680
 But what happens

00:33:30.680 --> 00:33:31.600
 in our periods

00:33:31.600 --> 00:33:33.120
 of depression

00:33:33.120 --> 00:33:34.240
 and tragedy

00:33:34.240 --> 00:33:35.000
 and sadness

00:33:35.000 --> 00:33:37.220
 is that our sense

00:33:37.220 --> 00:33:38.140
 of being special

00:33:38.140 --> 00:33:38.980
 is lost.

00:33:40.259 --> 00:33:41.620
 So what we don't realize

00:33:41.620 --> 00:33:42.900
 is that this sense

00:33:42.900 --> 00:33:43.380
 of there being

00:33:43.380 --> 00:33:44.400
 something special

00:33:44.400 --> 00:33:46.279
 is part of the background noise

00:33:46.279 --> 00:33:47.320
 of our souls

00:33:47.320 --> 00:33:48.320
 and our hearts

00:33:48.320 --> 00:33:50.320
 and we only know

00:33:50.320 --> 00:33:51.240
 that it's there

00:33:51.240 --> 00:33:53.279
 when it seems

00:33:53.279 --> 00:33:54.420
 to be gone.

00:33:56.680 --> 00:33:58.019
 And we feel depressed

00:33:58.019 --> 00:33:59.220
 and we wonder

00:33:59.220 --> 00:34:00.560
 how God could love us

00:34:00.560 --> 00:34:03.240
 because we're not special.

00:34:06.299 --> 00:34:07.539
 And in the face

00:34:07.539 --> 00:34:08.380
 of us thinking

00:34:08.380 --> 00:34:09.860
 that there is something

00:34:09.860 --> 00:34:10.659
 about us

00:34:10.659 --> 00:34:11.900
 that brings out

00:34:11.900 --> 00:34:12.680
 God's love,

00:34:12.980 --> 00:34:13.760
 the Bible says

00:34:13.760 --> 00:34:15.139
 that God foreknows us.

00:34:15.360 --> 00:34:16.019
 Foreknows here

00:34:16.019 --> 00:34:17.159
 doesn't mean omniscient.

00:34:18.280 --> 00:34:19.099
 Foreknow could also

00:34:19.099 --> 00:34:19.740
 be translated

00:34:19.740 --> 00:34:21.079
 as foreloved.

00:34:22.200 --> 00:34:24.940
 Know is the relational word

00:34:24.940 --> 00:34:25.920
 know.

00:34:26.679 --> 00:34:27.879
 In terms of entering

00:34:27.879 --> 00:34:28.879
 into a relationship

00:34:28.879 --> 00:34:30.759
 and before we thought

00:34:30.759 --> 00:34:31.819
 there was anything special

00:34:31.819 --> 00:34:32.259
 about us

00:34:32.259 --> 00:34:32.819
 or we did anything

00:34:32.819 --> 00:34:33.339
 at all before

00:34:33.339 --> 00:34:34.399
 anything like that

00:34:34.399 --> 00:34:35.419
 before there was

00:34:35.419 --> 00:34:36.239
 anything about me

00:34:36.239 --> 00:34:38.079
 God foreloved me.

00:34:39.179 --> 00:34:40.079
 And some of us

00:34:40.079 --> 00:34:41.019
 in our testimonies

00:34:41.019 --> 00:34:41.519
 when we talk

00:34:41.519 --> 00:34:42.119
 to other people

00:34:42.119 --> 00:34:42.679
 we talk about

00:34:42.679 --> 00:34:43.460
 all the things

00:34:43.460 --> 00:34:44.079
 we did

00:34:44.079 --> 00:34:44.940
 and all the things

00:34:44.940 --> 00:34:45.799
 that we figured out

00:34:45.799 --> 00:34:46.739
 and the whole process

00:34:46.739 --> 00:34:48.099
 that we went through

00:34:48.099 --> 00:34:49.460
 to come to a saving

00:34:49.460 --> 00:34:50.339
 faith in Jesus.

00:34:50.340 --> 00:34:50.480
 Jesus.

00:34:51.780 --> 00:34:53.120
 But the Bible says

00:34:53.120 --> 00:34:55.280
 that He,

00:34:55.800 --> 00:34:56.600
 God,

00:34:57.760 --> 00:34:59.140
 organized all the events

00:34:59.140 --> 00:35:00.840
 that He predestined us

00:35:00.840 --> 00:35:02.440
 that He set the course.

00:35:02.880 --> 00:35:03.519
 The word there

00:35:03.519 --> 00:35:04.260
 predestined

00:35:04.260 --> 00:35:05.720
 just to get your worries

00:35:05.720 --> 00:35:06.500
 up on one hand

00:35:06.500 --> 00:35:07.360
 but it's not to be a worry

00:35:07.360 --> 00:35:08.680
 because all of this

00:35:08.680 --> 00:35:09.559
 teaching here

00:35:09.559 --> 00:35:10.400
 is in the context

00:35:10.400 --> 00:35:11.700
 of the profound

00:35:11.700 --> 00:35:13.220
 human lust

00:35:13.220 --> 00:35:14.300
 and addiction

00:35:14.300 --> 00:35:15.539
 to boasting.

00:35:15.539 --> 00:35:18.219
 and the profound

00:35:18.219 --> 00:35:19.179
 human need

00:35:19.179 --> 00:35:20.320
 for us to understand

00:35:20.320 --> 00:35:21.340
 that we are never

00:35:21.340 --> 00:35:23.259
 gods with small g's

00:35:23.259 --> 00:35:24.300
 but that we are

00:35:24.300 --> 00:35:25.440
 always creature

00:35:25.440 --> 00:35:27.239
 dependent upon God

00:35:27.239 --> 00:35:28.440
 fallen creature

00:35:28.440 --> 00:35:29.400
 even more

00:35:29.400 --> 00:35:30.719
 dependent upon God

00:35:30.719 --> 00:35:32.179
 that we are helpless.

00:35:33.019 --> 00:35:34.159
 But the word here

00:35:34.159 --> 00:35:35.320
 predestined

00:35:35.320 --> 00:35:36.800
 is exactly like

00:35:36.800 --> 00:35:37.340
 when you go to

00:35:37.340 --> 00:35:38.420
 the Star Wars movie

00:35:38.420 --> 00:35:39.679
 and Han Solo

00:35:39.679 --> 00:35:40.779
 and Chewbacca

00:35:40.779 --> 00:35:41.380
 or whatever

00:35:41.380 --> 00:35:42.519
 and they're in the front

00:35:42.519 --> 00:35:43.279
 of their spaceship

00:35:43.279 --> 00:35:44.340
 and they do this

00:35:44.340 --> 00:35:45.139
 and they do this

00:35:45.139 --> 00:35:45.819
 and they do this

00:35:45.819 --> 00:35:46.039
 you know

00:35:46.039 --> 00:35:46.839
 whatever that means

00:35:46.839 --> 00:35:47.879
 and then they've

00:35:47.879 --> 00:35:48.900
 set the course

00:35:48.900 --> 00:35:49.679
 and then they go

00:35:49.679 --> 00:35:50.659
 into hyperspace

00:35:50.659 --> 00:35:51.659
 and after they've

00:35:51.659 --> 00:35:52.159
 set the course

00:35:52.159 --> 00:35:52.659
 they can spend

00:35:52.659 --> 00:35:53.299
 the rest of the time

00:35:53.299 --> 00:35:54.519
 arguing or flirting

00:35:54.519 --> 00:35:55.179
 or you know

00:35:55.179 --> 00:35:55.679
 doing whatever

00:35:55.679 --> 00:35:55.920
 you know

00:35:55.920 --> 00:35:56.500
 preparing weapons

00:35:56.500 --> 00:35:57.299
 because the ship

00:35:57.299 --> 00:35:58.319
 flies itself.

00:36:00.460 --> 00:36:01.199
 That image

00:36:01.199 --> 00:36:02.139
 is what predestined

00:36:02.139 --> 00:36:02.900
 does mean.

00:36:05.900 --> 00:36:07.199
 So I can't boast

00:36:07.199 --> 00:36:08.259
 about all of the things

00:36:08.259 --> 00:36:08.879
 that I did

00:36:08.879 --> 00:36:09.339
 and how I went

00:36:09.339 --> 00:36:10.039
 to this speaker

00:36:10.039 --> 00:36:11.039
 and had this experience

00:36:11.039 --> 00:36:11.599
 and was seeking

00:36:11.599 --> 00:36:12.079
 this thing.

00:36:12.159 --> 00:36:13.319
 No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

00:36:14.219 --> 00:36:14.879
 Bible saying

00:36:14.880 --> 00:36:17.220
 I set the course

00:36:17.220 --> 00:36:18.240
 is what God said

00:36:18.240 --> 00:36:19.700
 and some of us

00:36:19.700 --> 00:36:20.200
 might be able

00:36:20.200 --> 00:36:20.980
 to have these times

00:36:20.980 --> 00:36:21.280
 where we have

00:36:21.280 --> 00:36:21.980
 our profound

00:36:21.980 --> 00:36:23.079
 spiritual experiences

00:36:23.079 --> 00:36:24.079
 where we called out

00:36:24.079 --> 00:36:24.539
 to God

00:36:24.539 --> 00:36:25.360
 and it gets us

00:36:25.360 --> 00:36:25.880
 on focus

00:36:25.880 --> 00:36:26.559
 on the family

00:36:26.559 --> 00:36:27.180
 on the radio

00:36:27.180 --> 00:36:28.079
 and it gets us

00:36:28.079 --> 00:36:29.840
 on that crazy

00:36:29.840 --> 00:36:31.260
 afternoon radio show

00:36:31.260 --> 00:36:32.240
 on CHRI

00:36:32.240 --> 00:36:33.720
 about virtual

00:36:33.720 --> 00:36:35.940
 online community

00:36:35.940 --> 00:36:37.140
 is an oxymoron

00:36:37.140 --> 00:36:38.500
 just so you know.

00:36:38.740 --> 00:36:38.860
 Okay?

00:36:39.140 --> 00:36:40.140
 Online community

00:36:40.140 --> 00:36:41.240
 is an oxymoron.

00:36:41.340 --> 00:36:41.800
 Two words

00:36:41.800 --> 00:36:42.800
 that contradict

00:36:42.800 --> 00:36:43.519
 each other

00:36:43.519 --> 00:36:44.260
 and

00:36:44.260 --> 00:36:45.700
 excuse me

00:36:45.700 --> 00:36:46.820
 and we can have

00:36:46.820 --> 00:36:47.400
 these things

00:36:47.400 --> 00:36:47.860
 about how we

00:36:47.860 --> 00:36:49.000
 called out to God

00:36:49.000 --> 00:36:49.260
 and we had

00:36:49.260 --> 00:36:49.960
 these emotional

00:36:49.960 --> 00:36:50.500
 breakthroughs

00:36:50.500 --> 00:36:50.960
 of calling out

00:36:50.960 --> 00:36:52.039
 but Bible says

00:36:52.039 --> 00:36:53.180
 no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

00:36:53.660 --> 00:36:54.900
 I called you first.

00:36:56.400 --> 00:36:57.560
 I called you

00:36:57.560 --> 00:36:59.140
 and justified

00:36:59.140 --> 00:37:00.039
 that's the thing

00:37:00.039 --> 00:37:00.560
 that we sort of

00:37:00.560 --> 00:37:01.300
 get our minds around

00:37:01.300 --> 00:37:01.720
 that we have to

00:37:01.720 --> 00:37:02.420
 trust in Jesus

00:37:02.420 --> 00:37:03.500
 that God is the one

00:37:03.500 --> 00:37:04.340
 who does something

00:37:04.340 --> 00:37:05.220
 in Jesus for us

00:37:05.220 --> 00:37:05.900
 and we put our faith

00:37:05.900 --> 00:37:06.680
 and trust in him

00:37:06.680 --> 00:37:08.440
 and that he then

00:37:08.440 --> 00:37:09.340
 makes us right

00:37:09.340 --> 00:37:09.900
 with himself

00:37:09.900 --> 00:37:11.400
 but we're so

00:37:11.400 --> 00:37:12.460
 deeply addicted

00:37:12.460 --> 00:37:13.960
 and lustful

00:37:13.960 --> 00:37:15.120
 after boasting

00:37:15.120 --> 00:37:16.620
 and we're so

00:37:16.620 --> 00:37:17.539
 deeply afraid

00:37:17.539 --> 00:37:18.360
 of ever being

00:37:18.360 --> 00:37:19.200
 helpless

00:37:19.200 --> 00:37:22.420
 that as soon

00:37:22.420 --> 00:37:23.240
 as we understand

00:37:23.240 --> 00:37:23.920
 that we have been

00:37:23.920 --> 00:37:24.320
 made right

00:37:24.320 --> 00:37:25.160
 with God

00:37:25.160 --> 00:37:25.760
 through faith

00:37:25.760 --> 00:37:26.200
 in Jesus

00:37:26.200 --> 00:37:27.180
 that it's by grace

00:37:27.180 --> 00:37:27.460
 alone

00:37:27.460 --> 00:37:28.039
 through faith

00:37:28.039 --> 00:37:28.300
 alone

00:37:28.300 --> 00:37:28.820
 and Christ alone

00:37:28.820 --> 00:37:29.700
 the second we

00:37:29.700 --> 00:37:30.460
 understand that

00:37:30.460 --> 00:37:31.180
 we immediately

00:37:31.180 --> 00:37:31.760
 want to think

00:37:31.760 --> 00:37:32.280
 that it's all

00:37:32.280 --> 00:37:32.860
 dependent upon

00:37:32.860 --> 00:37:34.100
 how good we are

00:37:34.100 --> 00:37:35.160
 at doing things

00:37:35.160 --> 00:37:36.559
 how good I am

00:37:36.559 --> 00:37:37.240
 at leading the church

00:37:37.240 --> 00:37:38.140
 how good I am

00:37:38.140 --> 00:37:38.620
 at preaching

00:37:38.619 --> 00:37:39.559
 how good I am

00:37:39.559 --> 00:37:40.339
 with my family

00:37:40.339 --> 00:37:41.480
 how good I am

00:37:41.480 --> 00:37:42.739
 talking to outsiders

00:37:42.739 --> 00:37:43.920
 how good I am

00:37:43.920 --> 00:37:44.480
 and that somehow

00:37:44.480 --> 00:37:44.739
 or another

00:37:44.739 --> 00:37:45.460
 if I'm not being

00:37:45.460 --> 00:37:46.219
 really really good

00:37:46.219 --> 00:37:46.880
 at these things

00:37:46.880 --> 00:37:47.739
 then it's almost

00:37:47.739 --> 00:37:48.739
 as if my justification

00:37:48.739 --> 00:37:49.819
 doesn't count

00:37:49.819 --> 00:37:50.940
 because it's all

00:37:50.940 --> 00:37:51.920
 about me being able

00:37:51.920 --> 00:37:52.719
 to accomplish

00:37:52.719 --> 00:37:53.739
 these things for God

00:37:53.739 --> 00:37:54.420
 and if I can't

00:37:54.420 --> 00:37:55.400
 accomplish these things

00:37:55.400 --> 00:37:55.900
 for God

00:37:55.900 --> 00:37:56.900
 then God's not

00:37:56.900 --> 00:37:57.619
 going to accept me

00:37:57.619 --> 00:37:58.119
 as his child

00:37:58.119 --> 00:37:58.559
 it's going to be

00:37:58.559 --> 00:37:59.199
 revealed that I'm

00:37:59.199 --> 00:37:59.500
 helpless

00:37:59.500 --> 00:38:00.279
 and it's going to

00:38:00.279 --> 00:38:00.659
 be revealed

00:38:00.659 --> 00:38:01.779
 that I'm not special

00:38:01.779 --> 00:38:06.119
 I am George

00:38:06.119 --> 00:38:07.239
 I'm helpless

00:38:07.239 --> 00:38:09.019
 and in terms

00:38:09.019 --> 00:38:09.439
 of prayer

00:38:09.439 --> 00:38:10.079
 I'm weak

00:38:10.079 --> 00:38:13.099
 but God

00:38:13.099 --> 00:38:13.719
 is the helper

00:38:13.719 --> 00:38:14.339
 of the helpless

00:38:14.339 --> 00:38:16.679
 and this profound

00:38:16.679 --> 00:38:17.199
 text

00:38:17.199 --> 00:38:18.459
 these five

00:38:18.459 --> 00:38:19.859
 active verbs

00:38:19.859 --> 00:38:22.099
 five active verbs

00:38:22.099 --> 00:38:23.299
 listen to verse 29

00:38:23.299 --> 00:38:24.719
 for those

00:38:24.719 --> 00:38:25.559
 whom God

00:38:25.559 --> 00:38:26.319
 foreknew

00:38:26.319 --> 00:38:27.659
 God also

00:38:27.659 --> 00:38:28.779
 predestined

00:38:28.779 --> 00:38:30.079
 to be conformed

00:38:30.079 --> 00:38:30.579
 to the image

00:38:30.579 --> 00:38:31.239
 of his son

00:38:31.239 --> 00:38:31.839
 in order that

00:38:31.839 --> 00:38:32.500
 God

00:38:32.500 --> 00:38:33.239
 that Jesus

00:38:33.239 --> 00:38:34.319
 might be the firstborn

00:38:34.319 --> 00:38:35.079
 among many brothers

00:38:35.079 --> 00:38:35.659
 and sisters

00:38:35.659 --> 00:38:36.500
 and those

00:38:36.500 --> 00:38:37.059
 whom God

00:38:37.059 --> 00:38:37.980
 predestined

00:38:37.980 --> 00:38:39.000
 God also

00:38:39.000 --> 00:38:39.579
 called

00:38:39.579 --> 00:38:40.440
 and those

00:38:40.440 --> 00:38:41.559
 whom he called

00:38:41.559 --> 00:38:42.460
 he also

00:38:42.460 --> 00:38:43.199
 justified

00:38:43.199 --> 00:38:44.139
 and those

00:38:44.139 --> 00:38:45.400
 whom he justified

00:38:45.400 --> 00:38:47.199
 he also glorified

00:38:47.199 --> 00:38:48.299
 I am helpless

00:38:48.299 --> 00:38:49.799
 I have no ground

00:38:49.799 --> 00:38:50.639
 to boast

00:38:50.639 --> 00:38:52.500
 God does it all

00:38:52.500 --> 00:38:55.639
 and this text

00:38:55.639 --> 00:38:56.539
 should be

00:38:56.539 --> 00:38:57.400
 once again

00:38:57.400 --> 00:38:58.139
 I don't encourage

00:38:58.139 --> 00:38:58.719
 tattooing

00:38:58.719 --> 00:38:59.259
 but if you're going to

00:38:59.259 --> 00:39:00.219
 do a tattoo

00:39:00.219 --> 00:39:01.360
 tattoo this

00:39:01.360 --> 00:39:03.259
 on your arms

00:39:03.259 --> 00:39:04.159
 so you can look at it

00:39:04.159 --> 00:39:04.699
 every day

00:39:04.699 --> 00:39:05.599
 on your hand

00:39:05.599 --> 00:39:06.619
 as you're paying bills

00:39:06.619 --> 00:39:07.659
 tattoo it there

00:39:07.659 --> 00:39:07.940
 or something

00:39:07.940 --> 00:39:09.019
 don't get a tattoo

00:39:09.019 --> 00:39:09.639
 but if you're going to do it

00:39:09.639 --> 00:39:11.539
 get something like this tattooed

00:39:11.539 --> 00:39:13.940
 that once we stand

00:39:13.940 --> 00:39:14.619
 in Jesus

00:39:14.619 --> 00:39:16.119
 it's as if there's

00:39:16.119 --> 00:39:17.980
 an unbroken chain

00:39:17.980 --> 00:39:19.420
 I should do it

00:39:19.420 --> 00:39:20.199
 from your point of view

00:39:20.199 --> 00:39:21.019
 from there to there

00:39:21.019 --> 00:39:22.039
 unbroken chain

00:39:22.039 --> 00:39:23.480
 that he wants us

00:39:23.480 --> 00:39:24.159
 to stand there

00:39:24.159 --> 00:39:24.819
 and look down

00:39:24.819 --> 00:39:25.779
 the course of our life

00:39:25.779 --> 00:39:26.659
 and understand that

00:39:26.659 --> 00:39:27.819
 before anything

00:39:27.819 --> 00:39:28.519
 about myself

00:39:28.519 --> 00:39:29.779
 God foreloved me

00:39:29.779 --> 00:39:30.599
 before anything

00:39:30.599 --> 00:39:31.239
 about myself

00:39:31.239 --> 00:39:32.759
 God predestined me

00:39:32.760 --> 00:39:33.480
 before anything

00:39:33.480 --> 00:39:34.220
 about myself

00:39:34.220 --> 00:39:35.720
 God called me

00:39:35.720 --> 00:39:36.760
 that Jesus

00:39:36.760 --> 00:39:37.380
 is the one

00:39:37.380 --> 00:39:38.340
 who justified me

00:39:38.340 --> 00:39:39.100
 and as I look

00:39:39.100 --> 00:39:39.480
 to that

00:39:39.480 --> 00:39:40.500
 which is my future

00:39:40.500 --> 00:39:42.420
 the word glorified

00:39:42.420 --> 00:39:44.540
 is in the past tense

00:39:44.540 --> 00:39:45.740
 because Paul

00:39:45.740 --> 00:39:46.740
 wants you to understand

00:39:46.740 --> 00:39:47.280
 the Bible

00:39:47.280 --> 00:39:48.340
 wants you to understand

00:39:48.340 --> 00:39:49.560
 that once God's

00:39:49.560 --> 00:39:50.900
 power for salvation

00:39:50.900 --> 00:39:51.820
 has been received

00:39:51.820 --> 00:39:52.280
 by you

00:39:52.280 --> 00:39:53.100
 by grace alone

00:39:53.100 --> 00:39:53.840
 through faith alone

00:39:53.840 --> 00:39:54.480
 and Christ alone

00:39:54.480 --> 00:39:55.500
 that once you have

00:39:55.500 --> 00:39:56.240
 received that

00:39:56.240 --> 00:39:58.260
 your future glory

00:39:58.260 --> 00:39:59.600
 is so certain

00:39:59.600 --> 00:40:00.580
 that it's written

00:40:00.580 --> 00:40:01.620
 in the past tense

00:40:01.619 --> 00:40:05.480
 it is so certain

00:40:05.480 --> 00:40:07.639
 that it is in the past tense

00:40:07.639 --> 00:40:09.319
 that you

00:40:09.319 --> 00:40:10.599
 one day

00:40:10.599 --> 00:40:12.299
 will stand

00:40:12.299 --> 00:40:13.960
 on the far side

00:40:13.960 --> 00:40:14.719
 of judgment

00:40:14.719 --> 00:40:16.219
 in the new heaven

00:40:16.219 --> 00:40:16.759
 and earth

00:40:16.759 --> 00:40:18.099
 that God will create

00:40:18.099 --> 00:40:19.679
 where the entire

00:40:19.679 --> 00:40:20.659
 created order

00:40:20.659 --> 00:40:21.579
 is freed up

00:40:21.579 --> 00:40:22.339
 and completely

00:40:22.339 --> 00:40:23.980
 and utterly unleashed

00:40:23.980 --> 00:40:25.940
 and you will stand

00:40:25.940 --> 00:40:26.779
 there with your

00:40:26.779 --> 00:40:27.960
 resurrected body

00:40:27.960 --> 00:40:29.599
 and your new soul

00:40:29.599 --> 00:40:30.219
 and spirit

00:40:30.219 --> 00:40:31.259
 still completely

00:40:31.259 --> 00:40:32.079
 and utterly you

00:40:32.079 --> 00:40:33.519
 at one with your creator

00:40:33.519 --> 00:40:35.279
 at one with the creation

00:40:35.279 --> 00:40:36.699
 at one with your brothers

00:40:36.699 --> 00:40:37.299
 and sisters

00:40:37.299 --> 00:40:38.440
 and that future

00:40:38.440 --> 00:40:39.299
 is so certain

00:40:39.299 --> 00:40:40.139
 that Paul writes it

00:40:40.139 --> 00:40:41.039
 in the past tense

00:40:41.039 --> 00:40:44.480
 Andrew could you put up

00:40:44.480 --> 00:40:46.119
 the almost final point

00:40:46.119 --> 00:40:49.400
 this text is inviting us

00:40:49.400 --> 00:40:50.940
 to pray something like this

00:40:50.940 --> 00:40:53.220
 heavenly father

00:40:53.220 --> 00:40:55.079
 please grow in me

00:40:55.079 --> 00:40:56.320
 a humble trusting

00:40:56.320 --> 00:40:56.760
 knowing

00:40:56.760 --> 00:40:58.740
 that by your grace

00:40:58.740 --> 00:41:00.559
 you foreknew me

00:41:00.559 --> 00:41:02.380
 and predestined me

00:41:02.380 --> 00:41:03.800
 and called me

00:41:03.800 --> 00:41:05.519
 and justified me

00:41:05.519 --> 00:41:07.440
 and glorified me

00:41:07.440 --> 00:41:10.480
 heavenly father

00:41:10.480 --> 00:41:11.539
 please grow in me

00:41:11.539 --> 00:41:12.619
 a humble trusting

00:41:12.619 --> 00:41:14.139
 knowing that by your grace

00:41:14.139 --> 00:41:15.179
 you foreknew me

00:41:15.179 --> 00:41:21.259
 and predestined me and called me and justified me and glorified me.

00:41:24.199 --> 00:41:30.480
 And for some of you, for some of us, this just makes us go like this.

00:41:35.480 --> 00:41:38.179
 Because we feel, you know, dang it.

00:41:38.179 --> 00:41:49.480
 And, you know, I just knew that God picked some people to be special and that I was left outside of that.

00:41:51.279 --> 00:41:58.879
 You know, George, when I was in elementary school and they were picking sports teams, I was never picked first.

00:41:59.739 --> 00:42:05.659
 In fact, there were some years when I was the last one left and the two coaches fought over who had to take me.

00:42:05.659 --> 00:42:10.119
 And, you know, I get passed over for promotions.

00:42:11.099 --> 00:42:13.599
 You know, my parents seem to have rejected me.

00:42:13.679 --> 00:42:15.679
 My family seems to have rejected me.

00:42:16.599 --> 00:42:18.319
 I don't get any dates.

00:42:19.099 --> 00:42:24.819
 If I do get dates, it just is some loser guy who just wants to use me and then I get dumped.

00:42:26.699 --> 00:42:32.500
 And I haven't done well at school and I'm not doing that well financially and I've never been picked for anything.

00:42:32.500 --> 00:42:41.719
 And now you're just telling me that this whole Christian thing is just God telling me to shut up and just get used to the fact that I'm just sort of rejected as well.

00:42:44.260 --> 00:42:49.599
 But God doesn't write this to you who are hearing this today to stop the conversation.

00:42:49.599 --> 00:43:01.199
 But this is God poking you on the shoulder and saying, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, my precious one.

00:43:01.539 --> 00:43:03.380
 This text is for you.

00:43:05.619 --> 00:43:09.940
 I'm not saying this so you will turn away and think that I've rejected you.

00:43:09.940 --> 00:43:16.400
 This is your opportunity today to know that this text talks about you.

00:43:17.159 --> 00:43:19.679
 I don't care about your litany of failures.

00:43:20.820 --> 00:43:23.720
 Just like I don't care about your litany of success.

00:43:25.000 --> 00:43:30.019
 I didn't say this to you so that you would walk away thinking that the conversation's over.

00:43:30.320 --> 00:43:34.840
 I said this to you because it's true and I'm talking to you.

00:43:37.800 --> 00:43:39.340
 I'm talking to you.

00:43:39.940 --> 00:43:47.980
 Friend, we're going to just read this wonderful text of 31 to 39 in a moment.

00:43:48.139 --> 00:43:55.679
 But just before we do that, if you are here and you've never put your faith and trust in Jesus, there is no better time than right this instant.

00:43:57.420 --> 00:43:59.840
 I'm not going to tell you some fancy magical prayer.

00:43:59.840 --> 00:44:02.179
 I remember the early days of going to evangelical churches.

00:44:02.720 --> 00:44:06.880
 I talked to somebody about the gospel and I think, oh, dang it, what's the right words for that prayer?

00:44:07.500 --> 00:44:08.940
 Like, what am I supposed to say?

00:44:08.940 --> 00:44:10.099
 And I get all confused.

00:44:10.260 --> 00:44:11.840
 And like, that's just magic.

00:44:13.119 --> 00:44:17.079
 That's like the minister's a shaman and teaching you a spell.

00:44:17.079 --> 00:44:22.299
 God doesn't have to know a fancy set of prayers.

00:44:22.940 --> 00:44:30.179
 There is no better time than right now just to call out to God and say, Jesus, I want you to be my savior.

00:44:31.299 --> 00:44:34.360
 What George has just talked about, I want that.

00:44:35.500 --> 00:44:37.099
 And I know that you called me first.

00:44:37.659 --> 00:44:39.860
 Just call out to God in your own words.

00:44:39.860 --> 00:44:41.420
 There's no better time than right now.

00:44:41.820 --> 00:44:42.539
 No better time.

00:44:42.599 --> 00:44:44.840
 Won't be better next week or when it gets warmer.

00:44:45.599 --> 00:44:46.920
 Just no better time than now.

00:44:48.780 --> 00:45:01.079
 And one other thing for those of us who are really tongue-tied evangelists, I can just think of, I had a terrible, not a terrible experience, but not a very good experience yesterday talking about somebody, talking to somebody about Jesus.

00:45:01.079 --> 00:45:03.819
 And, you know, this text is a profound encouragement.

00:45:05.139 --> 00:45:07.539
 We don't have to carry the weight of evangelism.

00:45:08.139 --> 00:45:09.039
 God foreknows.

00:45:09.179 --> 00:45:10.019
 He predestines.

00:45:10.159 --> 00:45:10.719
 He calls.

00:45:10.880 --> 00:45:11.619
 He justifies.

00:45:11.759 --> 00:45:12.400
 He glorifies.

00:45:12.539 --> 00:45:13.699
 All we have to do is bear witness.

00:45:13.699 --> 00:45:22.379
 And the wonderful thing about this text is there's people in Ottawa who have not yet recognized that God is calling them, but they are here in this city.

00:45:23.500 --> 00:45:27.960
 And he just asks us to play a small part in bearing witness and praying for them.

00:45:31.879 --> 00:45:38.239
 Andrew, if you put up the last slide, because we're going to pray this last slide together in a moment as a congregation.

00:45:38.239 --> 00:45:41.119
 Or, yeah.

00:45:41.500 --> 00:45:43.859
 But before that, let's just stand.

00:45:46.219 --> 00:45:56.079
 And after we now have this sense that maybe this whole thing about predestined is something that if I was going to get a tattoo, I should tattoo on my hand so I could remember it every day.

00:45:56.559 --> 00:46:03.259
 Because it's a profound truth that you're helpless and you're weak, but God is the helper of the helpless.

00:46:03.260 --> 00:46:08.860
 That God does what is needed to make you right with himself.

00:46:09.380 --> 00:46:10.680
 That there's no boasting.

00:46:11.780 --> 00:46:15.660
 And so mindful of that, listen to verses 31 to 39.

00:46:16.160 --> 00:46:18.560
 What then shall we say to these things?

00:46:19.060 --> 00:46:22.120
 If God is for us, who can be against us?

00:46:22.440 --> 00:46:26.980
 He who did not spare his own son, but gave him up for us all.

00:46:27.180 --> 00:46:31.360
 How will he not also with him graciously give us all things?

00:46:31.360 --> 00:46:35.360
 Who shall bring any charge against God's elect?

00:46:35.680 --> 00:46:37.320
 It is God who justifies.

00:46:37.519 --> 00:46:38.980
 It is God who justifies.

00:46:39.519 --> 00:46:40.500
 Who is to condemn?

00:46:40.940 --> 00:46:42.680
 Christ Jesus is the one who died.

00:46:42.780 --> 00:46:44.300
 More than that, who was raised.

00:46:44.559 --> 00:46:45.940
 Who is at the right hand of God.

00:46:46.079 --> 00:46:48.900
 Who indeed is interceding for us.

00:46:49.579 --> 00:46:52.280
 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?

00:46:52.840 --> 00:46:59.000
 Shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?

00:46:59.000 --> 00:47:03.280
 As it is written, for your sake we are being killed all the day long.

00:47:03.400 --> 00:47:05.000
 We are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.

00:47:05.820 --> 00:47:06.219
 No.

00:47:07.099 --> 00:47:07.539
 No.

00:47:08.199 --> 00:47:13.440
 In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

00:47:13.719 --> 00:47:20.519
 For I am sure that neither death nor life nor angels nor rulers nor things present nor things to come.

00:47:20.519 --> 00:47:30.739
 Nor powers nor height nor depth nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

00:47:31.000 --> 00:47:31.300
 Amen.

00:47:31.300 --> 00:47:36.080
 Let's pray this together in closing.

00:47:37.700 --> 00:47:48.900
 Heavenly Father, may your Holy Spirit grow in me a humble, trusting knowing that there is no condemnation for me in Christ Jesus.

00:47:49.580 --> 00:47:53.340
 And that in Christ Jesus you are always for me.

00:47:53.840 --> 00:47:59.560
 And that nothing can ever separate me from your love in Christ Jesus my Lord.

00:48:00.120 --> 00:48:00.500
 Amen.

00:48:00.500 --> 00:48:00.719
 Amen.

00:48:09.119 --> 00:48:09.440
 Amen.

00:48:09.480 --> 00:48:09.679
 Amen.

00:48:09.679 --> 00:48:09.940
 Amen.

00:48:09.940 --> 00:48:09.980
 Amen.

00:48:09.980 --> 00:48:10.119
 Amen.

00:48:10.679 --> 00:48:11.579
 Amen.

00:48:11.679 --> 00:48:11.699
 Amen.

00:48:11.699 --> 00:48:11.739
 Amen.

00:48:11.739 --> 00:48:13.699
 Amen.

00:48:13.699 --> 00:48:15.840
 Amen.

00:48:15.840 --> 00:48:16.340
 Amen.

00:48:17.159 --> 00:48:17.880
 Amen.

00:48:17.940 --> 00:48:19.480
 Amen.

00:48:19.480 --> 00:48:20.000
 Amen.

00:48:20.000 --> 00:48:20.940
 Amen.

00:48:22.219 --> 00:48:23.619
 Amen.

00:48:23.619 --> 00:48:23.840
 Amen.

00:48:23.840 --> 00:48:24.739
 Amen.

00:48:24.739 --> 00:48:24.800
 Amen.

00:48:24.800 --> 00:48:25.159
 Amen.

00:48:25.159 --> 00:48:26.159
 Amen.

00:48:26.159 --> 00:48:26.579
 Amen.

00:48:26.579 --> 00:48:26.679
 Amen.

00:48:26.679 --> 00:48:27.019
 Amen.

00:48:27.019 --> 00:48:27.980
 Amen.

00:48:27.980 --> 00:48:28.019
 Amen.

00:48:28.019 --> 00:48:28.219
 Amen.

00:48:28.219 --> 00:48:28.260
 Amen.

00:48:28.260 --> 00:48:28.480
 Amen.

00:48:28.480 --> 00:48:28.659
 Amen.

00:48:28.659 --> 00:48:30.179
 Amen.

00:48:30.179 --> 00:48:30.440
 Amen.