WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:08.740 Consistency is a hard thing. It is hard to be consistent in life, in just about every aspect of life. 00:00:08.839 --> 00:00:13.040 It is hard to be consistent. It's hard to be consistently patient with children. 00:00:14.120 --> 00:00:17.600 On this Father's Day, I feel that all the more, acutely. 00:00:18.719 --> 00:00:26.780 I love my children, but I am a broken man that has great aspirations to be a patient, wise sage of a father 00:00:26.780 --> 00:00:31.900 and how quickly it can descend into not that. 00:00:33.820 --> 00:00:43.880 New Year's resolutions obviously come and go. Consistency seems to be the hardest thing to see out. 00:00:44.159 --> 00:00:47.060 It's hard to be consistent. It's very, very difficult. 00:00:48.799 --> 00:00:55.600 It also means that we can be awfully inconsistent in our spiritual lives. 00:00:55.600 --> 00:01:08.519 It is hard to maintain a spiritual life on the best of days, let alone in a time when distractions are plenty, 00:01:08.840 --> 00:01:13.560 when interests are divided, when goals can be conflicting. 00:01:14.819 --> 00:01:22.219 How can we remain consistent as spiritual people that believe in the one true triune God? 00:01:22.219 --> 00:01:26.400 We're in our second last week in Nehemiah. 00:01:26.739 --> 00:01:31.039 Israel is finally being built up into a godly community once again. 00:01:32.079 --> 00:01:35.519 They're finally understanding that rebuilding of the wall, in many respects, 00:01:35.659 --> 00:01:43.840 is actually rebuilding of this covenant community, this people, this nation of Israel. 00:01:43.840 --> 00:01:51.040 Last week in Nehemiah chapter 8, we read that the people, as they were consulting the scriptures, 00:01:51.719 --> 00:01:56.060 they realized that there was this wonderful holiday that they haven't been keeping, 00:01:56.180 --> 00:02:00.120 this holy week called the Festival of Booths or Sukkot. 00:02:00.120 --> 00:02:07.620 This holy day, if you remember, holy week marked, it commemorated God's provision in the desert 00:02:07.620 --> 00:02:11.140 when Israel was rescued from Egypt on their way to the Promised Land, 00:02:11.620 --> 00:02:19.580 and God provided for them shelter and food and clothes and everything that they needed while they were wandering. 00:02:19.580 --> 00:02:27.240 It was also, if you remember, a holiday that proclaimed this transient life, 00:02:27.780 --> 00:02:30.360 and it ultimately pointed to the eternal life to come. 00:02:31.260 --> 00:02:34.120 Suffice it to say, the people have had a wonderful week with God. 00:02:34.600 --> 00:02:37.520 It's been a fantastic spiritual experience. 00:02:38.800 --> 00:02:42.200 They're feeling like they are back in God's will. 00:02:42.199 --> 00:02:49.039 They are riding high after 70 plus years of being in exile. 00:02:49.239 --> 00:02:50.539 Things are starting to look up. 00:02:52.659 --> 00:02:56.139 The people have enjoyed God's presence and each other. 00:02:57.179 --> 00:02:59.159 They are starting to look like rebuilt people. 00:03:00.319 --> 00:03:02.179 Will they be consistent, though? 00:03:03.079 --> 00:03:08.919 The history of Israel, and we'll see this, although we won't read every last verse, it's a long chapter. 00:03:08.919 --> 00:03:14.719 The history of Israel is, we are a part of God's family. 00:03:14.979 --> 00:03:15.819 We're doing great. 00:03:16.319 --> 00:03:17.659 Those other nations look kind of good. 00:03:18.479 --> 00:03:22.019 I think we're going to go over to those other nations and fraternize. 00:03:22.399 --> 00:03:24.419 You know, I think their God is actually better than our God. 00:03:24.439 --> 00:03:27.159 Or maybe we'll adopt their God along with our God, 00:03:27.519 --> 00:03:30.199 and eventually they forget their God completely, 00:03:30.659 --> 00:03:33.919 and they're into all sorts of evil and idolatry, 00:03:34.759 --> 00:03:36.579 and the community gets broken, 00:03:36.580 --> 00:03:39.160 and then they cry out to God for salvation, 00:03:39.380 --> 00:03:40.380 and God hears them, 00:03:40.740 --> 00:03:43.440 and then they get re-established with God, 00:03:44.100 --> 00:03:45.640 wash, rinse, repeat. 00:03:45.920 --> 00:03:47.020 It's a pattern. 00:03:47.200 --> 00:03:51.720 It's a cyclical brokenness that the people are falling into. 00:03:52.300 --> 00:03:53.600 Will they remain consistent? 00:03:54.420 --> 00:03:55.800 They've had this great experience. 00:03:56.400 --> 00:03:58.320 Can they keep the good times going? 00:03:59.660 --> 00:04:01.439 It's also a big question for us. 00:04:01.439 --> 00:04:05.780 As Christians, or as those that identify as Christians, 00:04:06.300 --> 00:04:09.039 we may have had a spiritual experience, 00:04:09.139 --> 00:04:11.319 confessed our faith before God, 00:04:11.699 --> 00:04:14.960 been on an awesome retreat 25 years ago, 00:04:15.439 --> 00:04:19.500 had an awesome season of university or college 00:04:19.500 --> 00:04:21.220 where our faith was strengthened, 00:04:21.480 --> 00:04:23.360 or maybe we've come back to the faith, 00:04:23.360 --> 00:04:28.620 and the consistency that comes afterwards is elusive. 00:04:29.220 --> 00:04:32.520 It is really hard to be consistent with our faith, 00:04:32.620 --> 00:04:34.300 with this spiritual life. 00:04:35.460 --> 00:04:38.080 So, the question I put forward to you, 00:04:38.160 --> 00:04:41.480 and I think that this text will help us to answer, 00:04:42.080 --> 00:04:42.800 here's the question. 00:04:43.460 --> 00:04:46.020 How can God's people live a consistent, 00:04:46.660 --> 00:04:50.220 God-enjoying, God-glorifying life all their days? 00:04:50.460 --> 00:04:50.720 How? 00:04:50.720 --> 00:04:52.700 I think it's a really important question, 00:04:52.800 --> 00:04:54.360 if you are to take your faith seriously. 00:04:56.260 --> 00:04:57.500 So, Nehemiah chapter 9, 00:04:57.580 --> 00:04:58.660 hopefully we'll answer this question, 00:04:58.780 --> 00:04:59.820 and we'll look at three, 00:05:00.300 --> 00:05:01.680 really four aspects, 00:05:01.960 --> 00:05:03.820 but three big aspects of it, 00:05:05.000 --> 00:05:08.940 that the text will help us to answer that question. 00:05:09.740 --> 00:05:12.320 Nehemiah chapter 9 will help us to see 00:05:12.320 --> 00:05:15.560 the importance of habitual and honest confession 00:05:15.560 --> 00:05:18.780 as a key aspect of consistent spiritual life. 00:05:18.779 --> 00:05:21.419 habitual and honest confession. 00:05:22.379 --> 00:05:26.039 The second is worship of the wise and wonderful God, 00:05:26.399 --> 00:05:29.000 the God whose glory abounds, 00:05:29.419 --> 00:05:30.139 who is eternal, 00:05:31.279 --> 00:05:32.139 who is also unique. 00:05:34.759 --> 00:05:36.519 And then the last one, 00:05:37.639 --> 00:05:39.199 this chapter 9, 00:05:39.279 --> 00:05:41.879 will help us to reflect upon the past 00:05:41.879 --> 00:05:45.560 as a means for security in the present 00:05:45.560 --> 00:05:46.379 and hope for the future. 00:05:46.480 --> 00:05:47.139 And that's specifically, 00:05:47.279 --> 00:05:50.620 that past is how God has interacted with his people. 00:05:50.920 --> 00:05:53.939 Really, it's understanding the biblical story, 00:05:54.019 --> 00:05:55.120 the story of redemption. 00:05:56.240 --> 00:05:57.439 That's key in all of this. 00:05:58.180 --> 00:05:58.519 Finally, 00:05:58.860 --> 00:06:00.199 and we'll touch on it at the end, 00:06:01.339 --> 00:06:02.019 this faithful, 00:06:02.219 --> 00:06:04.060 we'll see in Nehemiah chapter 9, 00:06:04.060 --> 00:06:06.300 that there is a faithful commitment 00:06:06.300 --> 00:06:09.879 to follow after the Lord 00:06:09.879 --> 00:06:11.920 as the only true way. 00:06:12.680 --> 00:06:14.079 And we'll see that at the very last verse, 00:06:14.139 --> 00:06:14.600 in verse 38. 00:06:14.699 --> 00:06:15.660 So why don't we jump into it? 00:06:15.980 --> 00:06:16.699 If you have a Bible, 00:06:16.819 --> 00:06:17.620 please follow along. 00:06:17.699 --> 00:06:19.280 There should be some Bibles at the back 00:06:19.280 --> 00:06:21.279 welcome table. 00:06:22.199 --> 00:06:24.060 Feel free to grab one at any time 00:06:24.060 --> 00:06:25.259 and follow along. 00:06:25.459 --> 00:06:27.199 So, Nehemiah chapter 9, 00:06:27.340 --> 00:06:29.000 starting in verse 1. 00:06:29.639 --> 00:06:30.500 This is what it says. 00:06:30.500 --> 00:06:33.740 Now, on the 24th day of this month, 00:06:33.839 --> 00:06:35.300 the people of Israel were assembled 00:06:35.300 --> 00:06:38.220 with fasting and in sackcloth 00:06:38.220 --> 00:06:39.579 and with earth on their heads. 00:06:40.420 --> 00:06:42.180 And the Israelites separated themselves 00:06:42.180 --> 00:06:43.160 from all foreigners 00:06:43.160 --> 00:06:45.560 and stood and confessed their sins 00:06:45.560 --> 00:06:48.100 and the iniquities of their father. 00:06:48.180 --> 00:06:50.379 And they stood up in their place 00:06:50.379 --> 00:06:52.100 and read from the book of the law 00:06:52.100 --> 00:06:53.800 of the Lord their God 00:06:53.800 --> 00:06:54.800 for a quarter of the day, 00:06:55.019 --> 00:06:56.139 for another quarter of it, 00:06:56.139 --> 00:06:57.519 they made confession and worshipped 00:06:57.519 --> 00:06:59.120 the Lord their God. 00:06:59.120 --> 00:07:01.840 The people finished their feasting 00:07:01.840 --> 00:07:03.680 on the 22nd of the month 00:07:03.680 --> 00:07:04.720 in chapter 8. 00:07:05.879 --> 00:07:07.439 This is happening on the 24th. 00:07:07.480 --> 00:07:08.759 So maybe the 23rd, 00:07:08.860 --> 00:07:09.240 I don't know, 00:07:09.319 --> 00:07:10.959 they were taking down 00:07:10.959 --> 00:07:13.240 their makeshift huts 00:07:13.240 --> 00:07:14.959 because that was part of the celebration 00:07:14.959 --> 00:07:16.540 of the Feast of Booths. 00:07:18.079 --> 00:07:19.680 But all that to say is 00:07:19.680 --> 00:07:20.740 what's happening here 00:07:20.740 --> 00:07:23.500 is on the heels of that holiday. 00:07:24.500 --> 00:07:26.759 It's coming immediately after. 00:07:26.759 --> 00:07:29.259 The 22nd it ends, 00:07:29.319 --> 00:07:30.279 the 23rd clean up, 00:07:30.339 --> 00:07:31.139 the 24th, 00:07:31.219 --> 00:07:32.680 I'm presuming it's clean up, 00:07:33.000 --> 00:07:35.620 the 24th is what we see in chapter 9. 00:07:36.099 --> 00:07:37.399 Right away sackcloth, 00:07:38.180 --> 00:07:39.360 dirt on the head. 00:07:40.079 --> 00:07:42.120 There's a mourning that is happening. 00:07:42.579 --> 00:07:43.240 And it's interesting 00:07:43.240 --> 00:07:44.180 because if you remember 00:07:44.180 --> 00:07:45.360 at the beginning of chapter 8, 00:07:45.800 --> 00:07:47.319 the people have read the word of God 00:07:47.319 --> 00:07:48.480 and they are cut to the heart, 00:07:48.579 --> 00:07:49.480 they are convicted of sin, 00:07:49.560 --> 00:07:50.039 they are mourning. 00:07:50.759 --> 00:07:51.560 And the Levites say, 00:07:51.659 --> 00:07:52.379 listen, no, no, no, no, 00:07:52.379 --> 00:07:53.860 it's time actually for feasting. 00:07:53.860 --> 00:07:57.060 This isn't the time to fast and to mourn. 00:07:57.840 --> 00:07:58.560 Except now, 00:07:58.939 --> 00:08:00.240 this is the appropriate time 00:08:00.240 --> 00:08:01.600 after the holiday. 00:08:02.860 --> 00:08:05.000 We can note three important aspects 00:08:05.000 --> 00:08:06.280 of this confession. 00:08:06.420 --> 00:08:07.460 And it's a very important 00:08:07.460 --> 00:08:10.879 kind of paradigm for us, 00:08:11.280 --> 00:08:12.920 a structure for us 00:08:12.920 --> 00:08:14.740 to understand confession. 00:08:14.960 --> 00:08:16.560 We can notice three important things. 00:08:16.639 --> 00:08:19.520 The first is that they confessed 00:08:19.520 --> 00:08:21.520 humbly and honestly together. 00:08:21.519 --> 00:08:24.060 There are times 00:08:24.060 --> 00:08:27.319 that you cannot do 00:08:27.319 --> 00:08:29.419 this Christian thing by yourself 00:08:29.419 --> 00:08:31.019 and you are supported 00:08:31.019 --> 00:08:32.079 by those around you. 00:08:32.539 --> 00:08:32.919 And that's just, 00:08:33.079 --> 00:08:34.100 that's the reality of it. 00:08:34.399 --> 00:08:36.019 You're going to have really low times 00:08:36.019 --> 00:08:37.460 and difficult times 00:08:37.460 --> 00:08:38.559 and dry seasons. 00:08:39.460 --> 00:08:41.460 That's not the time to pull away, 00:08:41.659 --> 00:08:43.139 but to push forward, 00:08:43.559 --> 00:08:45.019 trusting that we are a part 00:08:45.019 --> 00:08:46.340 of something bigger than ourselves. 00:08:46.480 --> 00:08:48.120 And there is, of course, 00:08:48.199 --> 00:08:51.139 an individuality to our spirituality. 00:08:51.519 --> 00:08:53.559 But there is also a corporate nature. 00:08:54.159 --> 00:08:55.419 And here we are seeing the people 00:08:55.419 --> 00:08:57.699 coming together as one 00:08:57.699 --> 00:09:01.079 to confess their sins to one another. 00:09:01.159 --> 00:09:03.159 And they're being humble about it. 00:09:03.519 --> 00:09:05.340 We see that with the sackcloth, 00:09:05.419 --> 00:09:06.159 with what they're wearing 00:09:06.159 --> 00:09:10.100 as something that professes, 00:09:10.139 --> 00:09:10.720 so to speak, 00:09:10.799 --> 00:09:11.460 their attitude, 00:09:11.460 --> 00:09:13.220 that expresses their reverence 00:09:13.220 --> 00:09:14.439 and dedication to God. 00:09:15.000 --> 00:09:15.960 And they are honest 00:09:15.960 --> 00:09:17.299 with their confession. 00:09:17.299 --> 00:09:18.359 I mean, it says right here 00:09:18.359 --> 00:09:20.059 that they are being real 00:09:20.059 --> 00:09:21.379 about their sins 00:09:21.379 --> 00:09:23.339 and also the state 00:09:23.339 --> 00:09:24.419 of their nation 00:09:24.419 --> 00:09:26.579 that has led up to this point. 00:09:26.639 --> 00:09:27.359 And we'll see that 00:09:27.359 --> 00:09:29.139 in the verses to come. 00:09:29.539 --> 00:09:30.299 They're being honest. 00:09:31.419 --> 00:09:33.339 They're not trying to hide 00:09:33.339 --> 00:09:36.359 their sins from Almighty God. 00:09:36.519 --> 00:09:36.719 You know, 00:09:36.979 --> 00:09:38.079 half the time 00:09:38.079 --> 00:09:39.099 on Sunday mornings 00:09:39.099 --> 00:09:39.819 we do something called 00:09:39.819 --> 00:09:40.439 morning prayer. 00:09:41.939 --> 00:09:43.259 Morning prayer is 00:09:43.259 --> 00:09:44.099 a prayer service 00:09:44.099 --> 00:09:45.399 that's in the Book of Common Prayer. 00:09:45.399 --> 00:09:46.600 And we've adopted it 00:09:46.600 --> 00:09:48.059 partly because 00:09:48.059 --> 00:09:50.340 two weeks out of four 00:09:50.340 --> 00:09:51.699 we share this space 00:09:51.699 --> 00:09:52.799 and we have like 00:09:52.799 --> 00:09:54.299 ten-ish minutes to set up. 00:09:54.539 --> 00:09:56.000 And it's a bit of a scramble. 00:09:56.879 --> 00:09:57.500 But morning prayer 00:09:57.500 --> 00:09:58.579 is a beautiful thing 00:09:58.579 --> 00:10:00.819 because it helps us 00:10:00.819 --> 00:10:02.759 to come before God 00:10:02.759 --> 00:10:03.899 in a very proper way. 00:10:03.980 --> 00:10:04.740 In the opening bits 00:10:04.740 --> 00:10:05.740 of morning prayer 00:10:05.740 --> 00:10:06.899 it says this, 00:10:07.559 --> 00:10:08.340 Dearly beloved, 00:10:08.939 --> 00:10:10.059 the scripture moves us 00:10:10.059 --> 00:10:11.539 in many different places 00:10:11.539 --> 00:10:12.779 to acknowledge and confess 00:10:12.779 --> 00:10:14.699 our many sins and wickedness. 00:10:14.700 --> 00:10:15.640 and that, 00:10:15.720 --> 00:10:16.080 and here's, 00:10:16.160 --> 00:10:16.780 I have it bolded 00:10:16.780 --> 00:10:17.740 on my paper here, 00:10:18.440 --> 00:10:19.780 and that we should not 00:10:19.780 --> 00:10:20.460 disassemble 00:10:20.460 --> 00:10:21.400 nor cloak them 00:10:21.400 --> 00:10:22.080 before the face 00:10:22.080 --> 00:10:22.780 of Almighty God 00:10:22.780 --> 00:10:23.440 our Heavenly Father. 00:10:23.740 --> 00:10:24.340 In other words, 00:10:25.180 --> 00:10:26.540 may we be honest with you 00:10:26.540 --> 00:10:27.340 about who we are. 00:10:28.000 --> 00:10:28.400 To not 00:10:28.400 --> 00:10:31.520 give an excuse 00:10:31.520 --> 00:10:32.360 for what we've done 00:10:32.360 --> 00:10:33.420 as we confess our sins 00:10:33.420 --> 00:10:33.820 to God. 00:10:33.920 --> 00:10:34.820 To not try to take 00:10:34.820 --> 00:10:35.680 the edge off 00:10:35.680 --> 00:10:37.720 as if we could fool God 00:10:37.720 --> 00:10:39.520 or do a partial confession 00:10:39.520 --> 00:10:42.140 and He wouldn't know. 00:10:43.120 --> 00:10:44.039 God knows everything. 00:10:46.080 --> 00:10:48.039 I was talking to my dad, 00:10:48.100 --> 00:10:48.620 my stepdad, 00:10:48.679 --> 00:10:49.539 but I called my dad 00:10:49.539 --> 00:10:51.179 yesterday 00:10:51.179 --> 00:10:53.860 about the judgment of God. 00:10:53.939 --> 00:10:54.960 I don't know how we got 00:10:54.960 --> 00:10:56.360 into this on a Saturday morning. 00:10:57.159 --> 00:10:58.259 But we're talking about 00:10:58.259 --> 00:10:59.159 the judgment of God 00:10:59.159 --> 00:11:01.080 and how we will stand 00:11:01.080 --> 00:11:01.919 before God 00:11:01.919 --> 00:11:04.860 and we will confess, 00:11:05.539 --> 00:11:06.960 we will be without excuse, 00:11:07.439 --> 00:11:08.939 there will be no appeal process, 00:11:08.940 --> 00:11:10.300 there will be no nuance, 00:11:10.480 --> 00:11:11.040 there will be no, 00:11:11.460 --> 00:11:11.940 hey listen, 00:11:12.080 --> 00:11:13.220 there are these circumstances, 00:11:13.960 --> 00:11:14.220 you know, 00:11:14.360 --> 00:11:15.440 you don't really understand, 00:11:15.560 --> 00:11:16.400 but it was a tough time 00:11:16.400 --> 00:11:16.920 in my life. 00:11:17.640 --> 00:11:18.920 There will be no excuses 00:11:18.920 --> 00:11:21.300 because God is all-knowing 00:11:21.300 --> 00:11:23.260 but also completely just. 00:11:24.680 --> 00:11:26.180 So when we confess our sins, 00:11:27.100 --> 00:11:28.220 who are we confessing to? 00:11:29.020 --> 00:11:30.540 The God who knows all, 00:11:30.660 --> 00:11:31.700 but the God who is also 00:11:31.700 --> 00:11:32.640 perfectly just. 00:11:33.260 --> 00:11:34.800 And this is what's happening here 00:11:34.800 --> 00:11:35.540 in our text. 00:11:35.539 --> 00:11:38.419 They have a heart 00:11:38.419 --> 00:11:40.240 that is reflecting 00:11:40.240 --> 00:11:41.759 their inner life 00:11:41.759 --> 00:11:42.439 and right now 00:11:42.439 --> 00:11:43.219 this inner life 00:11:43.219 --> 00:11:44.879 is just desperate 00:11:44.879 --> 00:11:46.819 to be connected to God. 00:11:47.459 --> 00:11:48.919 They're taking this humble approach, 00:11:49.120 --> 00:11:50.059 they're being honest 00:11:50.059 --> 00:11:52.259 with their confession. 00:11:52.419 --> 00:11:53.039 Notice though, 00:11:53.620 --> 00:11:54.919 there's this aspect 00:11:54.919 --> 00:11:56.059 that might seem a bit 00:11:56.059 --> 00:11:57.279 uncomfortable for us 00:11:57.279 --> 00:11:57.860 in verse 2, 00:11:58.259 --> 00:11:58.819 and the Israelites 00:11:58.819 --> 00:11:59.879 separated themselves 00:11:59.879 --> 00:12:00.659 from all foreigners. 00:12:01.719 --> 00:12:02.219 Now listen, 00:12:03.179 --> 00:12:04.360 we live in a very 00:12:04.360 --> 00:12:07.200 tolerant society, 00:12:07.320 --> 00:12:07.840 more or less. 00:12:08.680 --> 00:12:09.860 The idea of 00:12:09.860 --> 00:12:12.460 outsiders and insiders 00:12:12.460 --> 00:12:13.399 isn't something we, 00:12:14.680 --> 00:12:15.300 by and large, 00:12:15.360 --> 00:12:16.159 we don't really enjoy 00:12:16.159 --> 00:12:17.080 to talk about. 00:12:17.680 --> 00:12:18.600 What's happening here, 00:12:18.639 --> 00:12:19.120 I'll just say, 00:12:19.200 --> 00:12:20.620 isn't an example 00:12:20.620 --> 00:12:21.820 of Jewish supremacy. 00:12:22.600 --> 00:12:23.539 It's not as though 00:12:23.539 --> 00:12:25.879 the Israelites are, 00:12:26.399 --> 00:12:28.899 they're discriminating 00:12:28.899 --> 00:12:29.899 the other nations 00:12:29.899 --> 00:12:30.500 around them. 00:12:31.000 --> 00:12:32.379 But really what we see here 00:12:32.379 --> 00:12:33.259 is that they're separating 00:12:33.259 --> 00:12:34.559 themselves from foreigners 00:12:34.559 --> 00:12:36.360 as, again, 00:12:36.419 --> 00:12:38.019 an expression of their desire 00:12:38.019 --> 00:12:39.360 for purity before the Lord. 00:12:39.820 --> 00:12:41.299 So much of Israel's history 00:12:41.299 --> 00:12:43.259 has been connecting 00:12:43.259 --> 00:12:44.200 with other nations 00:12:44.200 --> 00:12:46.000 and not influencing them 00:12:46.000 --> 00:12:46.759 to follow the Lord, 00:12:46.820 --> 00:12:48.340 but being influenced by them. 00:12:49.259 --> 00:12:49.879 And here, 00:12:50.480 --> 00:12:53.139 it is a symbolic act, 00:12:53.240 --> 00:12:53.759 in a sense, 00:12:54.220 --> 00:12:55.439 of saying that 00:12:55.439 --> 00:12:56.679 we do not want 00:12:56.679 --> 00:12:58.820 the ways of the other nations, 00:12:59.299 --> 00:13:00.000 their gods, 00:13:00.200 --> 00:13:00.740 their idols, 00:13:00.740 --> 00:13:01.500 their goals, 00:13:01.720 --> 00:13:02.519 their philosophies. 00:13:02.620 --> 00:13:03.519 We want you. 00:13:05.440 --> 00:13:06.200 We can say that 00:13:06.200 --> 00:13:07.460 because God's heart 00:13:07.460 --> 00:13:08.320 is actually not just 00:13:08.320 --> 00:13:09.000 for the Israelites, 00:13:09.180 --> 00:13:09.960 but it's for all people. 00:13:10.860 --> 00:13:11.500 And it's not like 00:13:11.500 --> 00:13:13.039 there's second-class 00:13:13.039 --> 00:13:14.060 human beings, 00:13:14.539 --> 00:13:15.740 especially when we understand 00:13:15.740 --> 00:13:16.460 that all are made 00:13:16.460 --> 00:13:17.240 in the image of God. 00:13:17.560 --> 00:13:18.080 But here, 00:13:18.180 --> 00:13:18.940 we have something, 00:13:19.460 --> 00:13:20.799 a symbolic act 00:13:20.799 --> 00:13:22.720 of just declaring 00:13:22.720 --> 00:13:25.039 their complete desire 00:13:25.039 --> 00:13:25.740 for connection 00:13:26.299 --> 00:13:27.980 and dedication 00:13:27.980 --> 00:13:28.659 and purity 00:13:28.659 --> 00:13:30.259 towards Almighty God. 00:13:30.259 --> 00:13:31.120 you're starting to see, 00:13:31.240 --> 00:13:31.419 again, 00:13:31.500 --> 00:13:31.939 a people 00:13:31.939 --> 00:13:33.919 that are being rebuilt. 00:13:34.980 --> 00:13:35.559 Their motives 00:13:35.559 --> 00:13:36.039 are starting 00:13:36.039 --> 00:13:37.259 to become pure. 00:13:41.860 --> 00:13:42.759 Notice also 00:13:42.759 --> 00:13:43.480 that their confession 00:13:43.480 --> 00:13:44.379 is deeply connected 00:13:44.379 --> 00:13:45.179 to God's Word. 00:13:45.720 --> 00:13:46.460 We see that 00:13:46.460 --> 00:13:49.360 as they, 00:13:49.600 --> 00:13:50.059 sorry, 00:13:50.159 --> 00:13:50.860 I just lost my spot. 00:13:51.200 --> 00:13:52.000 We see that 00:13:52.000 --> 00:13:53.319 as their confession 00:13:53.319 --> 00:13:55.639 is a byproduct 00:13:55.639 --> 00:13:56.779 of them opening up 00:13:56.779 --> 00:13:58.139 the law of the Lord. 00:13:58.220 --> 00:13:59.159 We see that in verse 3. 00:13:59.159 --> 00:13:59.939 And they stood up 00:13:59.939 --> 00:14:00.579 in their place 00:14:00.579 --> 00:14:02.519 and read from the book 00:14:02.519 --> 00:14:03.079 of the law 00:14:03.079 --> 00:14:04.639 of the Lord their God 00:14:04.639 --> 00:14:05.740 for a quarter of the day. 00:14:05.819 --> 00:14:07.000 I'll pause really quickly there. 00:14:08.459 --> 00:14:09.019 Confession 00:14:09.019 --> 00:14:10.360 is 00:14:10.360 --> 00:14:12.860 an important aspect 00:14:12.860 --> 00:14:14.039 of the Christian life 00:14:14.039 --> 00:14:15.659 as we encounter 00:14:15.659 --> 00:14:16.399 God's Word. 00:14:16.879 --> 00:14:17.539 And God's Word 00:14:17.539 --> 00:14:18.360 shows us 00:14:18.360 --> 00:14:19.620 areas of our lives 00:14:19.620 --> 00:14:21.219 where sin is abounding. 00:14:21.759 --> 00:14:22.759 So that grace 00:14:22.759 --> 00:14:23.819 can abound all the more. 00:14:23.820 --> 00:14:26.300 Romans 7, 00:14:26.620 --> 00:14:27.760 the Apostle Paul says, 00:14:28.280 --> 00:14:29.320 What then shall we say? 00:14:29.400 --> 00:14:30.020 That the law 00:14:30.020 --> 00:14:30.680 is sin? 00:14:30.760 --> 00:14:31.560 By no means. 00:14:31.720 --> 00:14:32.360 He's giving a whole 00:14:32.360 --> 00:14:33.200 treatise on the law. 00:14:33.820 --> 00:14:34.040 Yet, 00:14:34.160 --> 00:14:35.280 if it had not been 00:14:35.280 --> 00:14:35.879 for the law, 00:14:36.000 --> 00:14:37.360 I would not have known sin 00:14:37.360 --> 00:14:38.800 for I would have not 00:14:38.800 --> 00:14:39.700 known what it is 00:14:39.700 --> 00:14:40.140 to covet 00:14:40.140 --> 00:14:41.120 if the law had said 00:14:41.120 --> 00:14:42.560 you shall not covet. 00:14:43.180 --> 00:14:43.879 As we encounter 00:14:43.879 --> 00:14:44.540 God's Word, 00:14:45.440 --> 00:14:46.560 we spend our lives 00:14:46.560 --> 00:14:47.400 looking at it, 00:14:47.540 --> 00:14:48.160 hearing it, 00:14:48.500 --> 00:14:49.060 reading it, 00:14:49.160 --> 00:14:49.580 studying it, 00:14:49.680 --> 00:14:50.440 meditating on it. 00:14:50.820 --> 00:14:52.240 It will start to form us 00:14:52.240 --> 00:14:53.180 and shape us. 00:14:54.200 --> 00:14:55.019 We will see areas 00:14:55.019 --> 00:14:55.860 in our lives 00:14:55.860 --> 00:14:57.600 that do not align 00:14:57.600 --> 00:14:58.120 with God 00:14:58.120 --> 00:14:58.879 and as we are 00:14:58.879 --> 00:15:00.799 wishing to delight in Him 00:15:00.799 --> 00:15:02.060 because He has delighted 00:15:02.060 --> 00:15:02.680 in us, 00:15:03.500 --> 00:15:04.259 we will see 00:15:04.259 --> 00:15:05.419 that there's opportunities 00:15:05.419 --> 00:15:05.940 for change. 00:15:06.080 --> 00:15:06.919 By His strength, 00:15:07.000 --> 00:15:07.700 we will change. 00:15:08.120 --> 00:15:09.299 But it's by God's Word. 00:15:10.279 --> 00:15:11.019 I have a buddy 00:15:11.019 --> 00:15:12.379 who we were in 00:15:12.379 --> 00:15:13.200 university together 00:15:13.200 --> 00:15:14.779 and he was 00:15:14.779 --> 00:15:15.779 atrocious 00:15:15.779 --> 00:15:16.500 at studying 00:15:16.500 --> 00:15:17.360 for midterms 00:15:17.360 --> 00:15:17.879 and finals 00:15:17.879 --> 00:15:19.259 and he had a final 00:15:19.259 --> 00:15:19.899 the night before 00:15:19.899 --> 00:15:21.060 but we wanted to go 00:15:21.060 --> 00:15:21.740 to the pub 00:15:21.740 --> 00:15:22.480 the night before 00:15:22.480 --> 00:15:23.060 his final 00:15:23.060 --> 00:15:24.519 or his midterm 00:15:24.519 --> 00:15:26.600 and we had another friend 00:15:26.600 --> 00:15:27.600 who was nursing a cold 00:15:27.600 --> 00:15:28.200 and he said, 00:15:28.279 --> 00:15:28.399 listen, 00:15:28.519 --> 00:15:30.799 just cough in my face. 00:15:31.399 --> 00:15:31.580 Like, 00:15:32.200 --> 00:15:33.159 cough in my face 00:15:33.159 --> 00:15:34.180 because if I get sick, 00:15:34.539 --> 00:15:35.620 I'll go to Appletree, 00:15:35.759 --> 00:15:36.860 I'll get a doctor's note 00:15:36.860 --> 00:15:38.639 and it'll be legit 00:15:38.639 --> 00:15:41.320 because I'm actually sick 00:15:41.320 --> 00:15:42.720 and he did it. 00:15:42.860 --> 00:15:43.820 I couldn't believe it. 00:15:43.940 --> 00:15:44.539 He did it. 00:15:44.919 --> 00:15:45.480 He went to Appletree, 00:15:45.560 --> 00:15:46.259 got the doctor's note, 00:15:46.580 --> 00:15:48.700 got his exam deferred 00:15:48.700 --> 00:15:50.320 and he came back 00:15:50.320 --> 00:15:51.879 very like a peacock, 00:15:52.000 --> 00:15:53.220 like he gamed the system 00:15:53.220 --> 00:15:54.940 and then our other friend said, 00:15:55.940 --> 00:15:56.160 like, 00:15:56.360 --> 00:15:58.580 you deceiving liar 00:15:58.580 --> 00:16:00.140 just calls him out 00:16:00.140 --> 00:16:01.379 in the biggest kind of way. 00:16:01.720 --> 00:16:01.840 He goes, 00:16:01.879 --> 00:16:02.700 what are you talking about? 00:16:03.140 --> 00:16:03.500 He goes, 00:16:04.340 --> 00:16:04.759 this is, 00:16:04.900 --> 00:16:06.160 your heart is not towards the Lord. 00:16:06.280 --> 00:16:07.140 It's finding a loophole. 00:16:07.540 --> 00:16:08.759 What you've done is wrong 00:16:08.759 --> 00:16:10.460 and my buddy 00:16:10.460 --> 00:16:12.100 pushed back a ton 00:16:12.100 --> 00:16:14.700 but went to God's Word 00:16:14.700 --> 00:16:15.400 and in fact, 00:16:15.480 --> 00:16:15.960 it's true. 00:16:16.460 --> 00:16:17.420 He tried to deceive 00:16:17.420 --> 00:16:19.120 and he took an L 00:16:19.120 --> 00:16:19.980 on that midterm 00:16:19.980 --> 00:16:20.800 and failed the course 00:16:20.800 --> 00:16:23.620 but he did what was right. 00:16:23.740 --> 00:16:24.280 He confessed. 00:16:24.519 --> 00:16:24.879 I mean, 00:16:25.000 --> 00:16:26.400 there's consequences to sin. 00:16:26.820 --> 00:16:27.759 It's not like if we confess, 00:16:27.860 --> 00:16:28.720 there's no consequences 00:16:28.720 --> 00:16:30.740 but his conscience was clean. 00:16:32.100 --> 00:16:33.139 God's Word does that. 00:16:34.139 --> 00:16:34.759 It gets you, 00:16:35.080 --> 00:16:36.639 in some ways, 00:16:36.920 --> 00:16:38.180 it doesn't get you off the hook 00:16:38.180 --> 00:16:40.860 but it allows you 00:16:40.860 --> 00:16:42.340 to connect with the Lord 00:16:42.340 --> 00:16:44.200 because the Lord is holy 00:16:44.200 --> 00:16:45.060 and we are not 00:16:45.059 --> 00:16:46.459 and we look to him 00:16:46.459 --> 00:16:48.099 and we confess our sins 00:16:48.099 --> 00:16:48.799 and we repent 00:16:48.799 --> 00:16:50.459 and we start to walk in holiness. 00:16:50.619 --> 00:16:51.579 It's a beautiful thing. 00:16:53.199 --> 00:16:54.839 I believe I said this last week 00:16:54.839 --> 00:16:56.099 but I'll say it again. 00:16:56.239 --> 00:16:56.739 God's Word 00:16:56.739 --> 00:16:58.679 both diagnoses the sickness 00:16:58.679 --> 00:17:00.479 and treats the ailments. 00:17:00.619 --> 00:17:01.819 It leads to health 00:17:01.819 --> 00:17:02.719 and wholeness 00:17:02.719 --> 00:17:04.519 and this is precisely 00:17:04.519 --> 00:17:05.259 what is happening 00:17:05.259 --> 00:17:06.119 with the Israelites 00:17:06.119 --> 00:17:08.599 and what is that key marker 00:17:08.599 --> 00:17:09.819 of spiritual health? 00:17:10.279 --> 00:17:10.819 It's worship 00:17:10.819 --> 00:17:11.960 and this is where we'll transition 00:17:11.960 --> 00:17:14.759 into the next point 00:17:14.759 --> 00:17:15.860 but before we do that, 00:17:15.940 --> 00:17:17.259 look in verse 3 again with me 00:17:17.259 --> 00:17:20.600 and notice this deep connection 00:17:20.600 --> 00:17:22.039 between repentance and worship. 00:17:23.299 --> 00:17:24.799 And they stood up in their place 00:17:24.799 --> 00:17:26.519 and read from the book of the law 00:17:26.519 --> 00:17:29.180 and the book of the law of the Lord, 00:17:29.480 --> 00:17:29.880 their God, 00:17:29.940 --> 00:17:30.720 for a quarter of the day. 00:17:31.059 --> 00:17:32.340 For another quarter of it, 00:17:32.480 --> 00:17:33.420 they made confession 00:17:33.420 --> 00:17:34.860 and worshiped the Lord, 00:17:35.480 --> 00:17:36.200 their God. 00:17:36.319 --> 00:17:37.799 Confession must lead to worship. 00:17:37.799 --> 00:17:40.359 We are getting right before the Lord 00:17:40.359 --> 00:17:42.720 and the highest expression 00:17:42.720 --> 00:17:44.599 of human life 00:17:44.599 --> 00:17:47.200 is worshiping the one true God. 00:17:47.940 --> 00:17:48.859 It's to understand 00:17:48.859 --> 00:17:50.099 our deep need for Him 00:17:50.099 --> 00:17:51.440 and then be connected to Him. 00:17:51.919 --> 00:17:53.159 This is what we were made for. 00:17:53.879 --> 00:17:54.419 So again, 00:17:54.779 --> 00:17:56.339 how can God's people live 00:17:56.339 --> 00:17:56.940 a consistent, 00:17:57.139 --> 00:17:57.899 God-enjoying, 00:17:57.980 --> 00:17:59.220 God-glorifying life 00:17:59.220 --> 00:18:00.599 all of their days? 00:18:00.839 --> 00:18:01.440 It's confession 00:18:01.440 --> 00:18:02.399 but it's also worship. 00:18:03.359 --> 00:18:04.000 So look with me, 00:18:04.039 --> 00:18:05.180 verses 3 to 5. 00:18:05.240 --> 00:18:06.039 We read verse 3 00:18:06.039 --> 00:18:07.339 so why don't we start 00:18:07.339 --> 00:18:07.859 in verse 4. 00:18:09.619 --> 00:18:11.519 And the stairs of the Levites 00:18:11.519 --> 00:18:11.940 stood, 00:18:12.299 --> 00:18:13.079 the Levites, 00:18:13.399 --> 00:18:14.359 I'm not going to try to do 00:18:14.359 --> 00:18:15.859 what Will did just moments ago, 00:18:16.299 --> 00:18:17.319 stood the Levites 00:18:17.319 --> 00:18:18.879 and they cried with a loud voice 00:18:18.879 --> 00:18:19.480 to the Lord, 00:18:19.940 --> 00:18:20.519 their God. 00:18:20.639 --> 00:18:22.139 Then some other Levites 00:18:22.139 --> 00:18:23.240 said, 00:18:23.500 --> 00:18:24.079 stand up 00:18:24.079 --> 00:18:25.000 and bless the Lord, 00:18:25.099 --> 00:18:25.539 your God, 00:18:25.599 --> 00:18:26.259 from everlasting 00:18:26.259 --> 00:18:27.139 to everlasting. 00:18:27.899 --> 00:18:29.579 Blessed be your glorious name 00:18:29.579 --> 00:18:30.279 which is exalted 00:18:30.279 --> 00:18:32.039 above all blessing 00:18:32.039 --> 00:18:32.859 and praise. 00:18:33.519 --> 00:18:34.500 The people are instructed 00:18:34.500 --> 00:18:35.279 by the Levites, 00:18:35.279 --> 00:18:36.160 the spiritual leaders 00:18:36.160 --> 00:18:36.740 of their community 00:18:36.740 --> 00:18:37.599 to bless the Lord. 00:18:38.019 --> 00:18:39.859 It's an interesting question. 00:18:40.059 --> 00:18:40.299 I mean, 00:18:40.579 --> 00:18:42.240 when the Lord blesses us 00:18:42.240 --> 00:18:44.220 it's because there's a lack. 00:18:45.139 --> 00:18:46.039 There is something 00:18:46.039 --> 00:18:47.059 that we are lacking 00:18:47.059 --> 00:18:48.180 that God gives us. 00:18:48.259 --> 00:18:49.440 It is a blessing from Him. 00:18:50.039 --> 00:18:51.960 If I see a brother 00:18:51.960 --> 00:18:53.139 or sister in need 00:18:53.139 --> 00:18:56.099 and I give them money, 00:18:56.519 --> 00:18:57.779 I'm helping to reduce 00:18:57.779 --> 00:18:58.259 the burden. 00:18:58.680 --> 00:19:00.700 I'm taking away 00:19:00.700 --> 00:19:01.480 from their lack. 00:19:01.579 --> 00:19:02.759 I'm giving to them. 00:19:02.759 --> 00:19:05.319 But if God lacks nothing, 00:19:06.180 --> 00:19:08.579 how can we possibly bless God? 00:19:09.319 --> 00:19:10.299 It's an interesting question. 00:19:10.440 --> 00:19:11.640 It's all throughout the Bible 00:19:11.640 --> 00:19:13.319 that we are called 00:19:13.319 --> 00:19:14.660 to bless the Lord. 00:19:15.720 --> 00:19:17.319 Are we lessening 00:19:17.319 --> 00:19:18.940 a burden that God might have? 00:19:19.420 --> 00:19:20.220 The answer is no. 00:19:21.220 --> 00:19:21.500 Rather, 00:19:21.879 --> 00:19:22.579 to bless the Lord 00:19:22.579 --> 00:19:23.420 is an expression 00:19:23.420 --> 00:19:24.500 of thankfulness 00:19:24.500 --> 00:19:25.680 and awe towards Him. 00:19:26.400 --> 00:19:27.480 What He has done, 00:19:27.579 --> 00:19:28.259 who He is, 00:19:28.259 --> 00:19:30.619 it is humbly recognizing God 00:19:30.619 --> 00:19:31.920 as the creating, 00:19:32.440 --> 00:19:33.140 covenant-making, 00:19:33.359 --> 00:19:34.019 covenant-keeping, 00:19:34.559 --> 00:19:35.400 just, merciful, 00:19:35.599 --> 00:19:36.259 and loving God. 00:19:37.039 --> 00:19:37.379 In short, 00:19:37.480 --> 00:19:38.079 to bless God 00:19:38.079 --> 00:19:39.220 is to rightly worship Him. 00:19:40.680 --> 00:19:41.740 Two things stand out 00:19:41.740 --> 00:19:42.960 about this blessing of God. 00:19:43.559 --> 00:19:43.920 That is, 00:19:44.960 --> 00:19:45.500 the first thing 00:19:45.500 --> 00:19:46.740 is that He is everlasting. 00:19:46.940 --> 00:19:47.480 It says right 00:19:47.480 --> 00:19:48.599 in verse 5, 00:19:48.980 --> 00:19:49.539 blessed be 00:19:49.539 --> 00:19:51.220 your glorious name, 00:19:51.319 --> 00:19:51.579 which is, 00:19:51.940 --> 00:19:52.619 sorry, 00:19:52.779 --> 00:19:53.359 a bit before. 00:19:54.440 --> 00:19:55.400 Stand up and bless 00:19:55.400 --> 00:19:56.140 the Lord your God 00:19:56.140 --> 00:19:56.900 from everlasting 00:19:56.900 --> 00:19:57.720 to everlasting, 00:19:57.840 --> 00:19:58.600 that God is eternal. 00:19:59.500 --> 00:20:00.460 And the people here, 00:20:00.660 --> 00:20:02.700 they have a big vision of God. 00:20:03.380 --> 00:20:04.300 God is not small. 00:20:04.460 --> 00:20:06.060 And I'll put forward to you 00:20:06.060 --> 00:20:07.320 that as much 00:20:07.320 --> 00:20:08.780 as we are serious 00:20:08.780 --> 00:20:11.000 about our condition, 00:20:11.680 --> 00:20:12.759 where we are broken 00:20:12.759 --> 00:20:14.080 and bent 00:20:14.080 --> 00:20:15.580 and sinful people, 00:20:15.680 --> 00:20:16.860 and as much 00:20:16.860 --> 00:20:18.100 as we confess our sins 00:20:18.100 --> 00:20:18.780 and throw ourselves 00:20:18.780 --> 00:20:19.800 at the mercy of God, 00:20:20.300 --> 00:20:22.340 we'll be in direct relation 00:20:22.340 --> 00:20:23.340 to how big we see Him. 00:20:24.500 --> 00:20:25.820 We will understand that, 00:20:25.819 --> 00:20:27.039 my goodness, 00:20:27.240 --> 00:20:28.480 I have no ability 00:20:28.480 --> 00:20:29.980 to wash myself, 00:20:30.079 --> 00:20:30.919 to clean myself, 00:20:31.299 --> 00:20:32.159 to atone 00:20:32.159 --> 00:20:33.480 for the wrongs 00:20:33.480 --> 00:20:34.059 I have done. 00:20:35.299 --> 00:20:36.200 But God can? 00:20:37.079 --> 00:20:38.220 He must be huge. 00:20:39.319 --> 00:20:40.339 He must be greater 00:20:40.339 --> 00:20:41.500 than I could ever imagine, 00:20:41.619 --> 00:20:42.299 and all of a sudden, 00:20:43.159 --> 00:20:43.700 in a sense, 00:20:43.799 --> 00:20:44.819 as we decrease, 00:20:45.039 --> 00:20:45.980 He increases. 00:20:47.599 --> 00:20:49.119 We can have a bigger vision 00:20:49.119 --> 00:20:49.720 of God. 00:20:51.099 --> 00:20:52.819 But there's something else. 00:20:52.819 --> 00:20:56.159 There's also this uniqueness 00:20:56.159 --> 00:20:56.960 about God. 00:20:57.759 --> 00:20:59.839 It says it at the latter part 00:20:59.839 --> 00:21:00.460 of verse 5, 00:21:00.559 --> 00:21:01.740 Blessed be your glorious name, 00:21:01.779 --> 00:21:02.379 which is exalted 00:21:02.379 --> 00:21:03.740 above all blessing 00:21:03.740 --> 00:21:04.460 and praise. 00:21:05.059 --> 00:21:06.439 God is the only God. 00:21:07.899 --> 00:21:09.039 And He's the greatest. 00:21:09.240 --> 00:21:09.879 He is the King 00:21:09.879 --> 00:21:11.279 of the cosmos. 00:21:11.599 --> 00:21:12.179 He is the King 00:21:12.179 --> 00:21:12.599 of earth. 00:21:12.799 --> 00:21:13.159 Everything, 00:21:13.659 --> 00:21:14.419 throughout the Psalter, 00:21:14.799 --> 00:21:15.599 we'll spend some time 00:21:15.599 --> 00:21:16.439 in the Psalter this summer, 00:21:16.919 --> 00:21:18.039 we will see that God, 00:21:18.279 --> 00:21:18.639 everything, 00:21:19.099 --> 00:21:19.939 that has breath, 00:21:20.139 --> 00:21:20.899 belongs to Him. 00:21:20.900 --> 00:21:23.360 There is no King 00:21:23.360 --> 00:21:23.960 better than Him. 00:21:24.040 --> 00:21:24.600 Artaxerxes, 00:21:24.880 --> 00:21:25.580 great King, 00:21:26.019 --> 00:21:26.780 not God. 00:21:29.180 --> 00:21:29.820 Caesar, 00:21:29.980 --> 00:21:30.560 who will come? 00:21:31.759 --> 00:21:32.480 Great Caesar, 00:21:32.860 --> 00:21:33.640 not God. 00:21:35.680 --> 00:21:37.580 Successive governments 00:21:37.580 --> 00:21:38.400 here in Canada, 00:21:39.240 --> 00:21:40.340 depending on where you fall 00:21:40.340 --> 00:21:41.259 in the political spectrum, 00:21:41.940 --> 00:21:42.480 great leaders, 00:21:42.700 --> 00:21:43.580 not God. 00:21:46.060 --> 00:21:47.280 There's our friends 00:21:47.280 --> 00:21:49.000 that worship other gods 00:21:49.000 --> 00:21:50.539 or subscribe to other 00:21:50.539 --> 00:21:51.359 philosophies. 00:21:52.220 --> 00:21:53.259 They might be really nice people 00:21:53.259 --> 00:21:54.420 and maybe a part of their faith 00:21:54.420 --> 00:21:56.180 helps inform that aspect. 00:21:57.640 --> 00:21:58.839 But there's one God 00:21:58.839 --> 00:21:59.960 and it's not their God. 00:22:00.619 --> 00:22:01.480 And all of a sudden, 00:22:02.380 --> 00:22:04.099 this aspect of worshiping God, 00:22:04.559 --> 00:22:05.779 specifically His uniqueness, 00:22:06.319 --> 00:22:08.640 might feel uncomfortable for us. 00:22:09.819 --> 00:22:11.220 It's easier to affirm 00:22:11.220 --> 00:22:13.039 in a pew on a Sunday 00:22:13.039 --> 00:22:15.119 that God is the only God. 00:22:15.119 --> 00:22:15.159 God, 00:22:15.639 --> 00:22:17.259 it's easier to affirm 00:22:17.259 --> 00:22:18.639 in a pew on a Sunday 00:22:18.639 --> 00:22:20.099 than it is on a team's call 00:22:20.099 --> 00:22:20.659 on a Tuesday 00:22:20.659 --> 00:22:23.179 or on a Thursday 00:22:23.179 --> 00:22:24.119 after a busy week 00:22:24.119 --> 00:22:24.679 at playgroup 00:22:24.679 --> 00:22:25.339 at the library 00:22:25.339 --> 00:22:29.619 or with an adult child 00:22:29.619 --> 00:22:31.279 who is spiritual 00:22:31.279 --> 00:22:32.439 and not religious. 00:22:33.299 --> 00:22:35.359 It is easier on Sunday 00:22:35.359 --> 00:22:36.679 than in those situations 00:22:36.679 --> 00:22:37.659 or whatever situations 00:22:37.659 --> 00:22:38.659 that you might be going through 00:22:38.659 --> 00:22:40.500 to affirm the uniqueness 00:22:40.500 --> 00:22:41.859 and exclusivity 00:22:41.859 --> 00:22:43.799 of the God of the Bible. 00:22:43.799 --> 00:22:43.859 Now, 00:22:44.859 --> 00:22:47.079 this is a tough one, 00:22:47.339 --> 00:22:49.339 but it's a wonderful truth 00:22:49.339 --> 00:22:50.559 and a necessary one, 00:22:50.599 --> 00:22:51.859 even though it is controversial 00:22:51.859 --> 00:22:55.339 for secular people 00:22:55.339 --> 00:22:57.799 or people of different faiths 00:22:57.799 --> 00:22:58.759 or even ourselves. 00:23:00.539 --> 00:23:01.659 But again, 00:23:01.859 --> 00:23:03.539 if God's Word 00:23:03.539 --> 00:23:06.440 doesn't just diagnose the problem 00:23:06.440 --> 00:23:08.779 but gives the solution 00:23:08.779 --> 00:23:09.659 for the ailments, 00:23:09.660 --> 00:23:12.740 then we need to remember 00:23:12.740 --> 00:23:13.860 that God's truth 00:23:13.860 --> 00:23:15.080 is the only truth. 00:23:15.200 --> 00:23:16.500 And in a pluralistic society 00:23:16.500 --> 00:23:17.480 like ours, 00:23:17.660 --> 00:23:18.620 our city Ottawa 00:23:18.620 --> 00:23:19.720 is very pluralistic, 00:23:20.400 --> 00:23:21.420 the truth is bound 00:23:21.420 --> 00:23:22.560 to cause offense 00:23:22.560 --> 00:23:25.200 because of its audaciousness, 00:23:25.279 --> 00:23:27.600 because of its bold affirmation. 00:23:28.300 --> 00:23:31.279 But we proclaim truth 00:23:31.279 --> 00:23:33.440 not because we are mean people 00:23:33.440 --> 00:23:35.019 but because truth 00:23:35.019 --> 00:23:36.220 will always lead to life, 00:23:36.820 --> 00:23:38.500 lies will always lead to death. 00:23:40.620 --> 00:23:42.240 It's an uncomfortable reality, 00:23:42.400 --> 00:23:42.960 but it's true. 00:23:45.480 --> 00:23:47.140 Pluralism cannot hold up 00:23:47.140 --> 00:23:47.840 under the weight 00:23:47.840 --> 00:23:49.120 of an eternal hope 00:23:49.120 --> 00:23:50.640 because all roads 00:23:50.640 --> 00:23:51.380 do not lead 00:23:51.380 --> 00:23:52.720 to the same destination 00:23:52.720 --> 00:23:55.100 because they do not lead 00:23:55.100 --> 00:23:55.940 to the same God. 00:23:55.940 --> 00:24:01.580 to proclaim this truth, 00:24:01.799 --> 00:24:02.120 friends, 00:24:02.220 --> 00:24:03.960 is an act of mercy 00:24:03.960 --> 00:24:05.559 to those around us, 00:24:05.680 --> 00:24:06.620 to our family, 00:24:06.860 --> 00:24:07.559 to our friends. 00:24:08.200 --> 00:24:08.600 Again, 00:24:08.720 --> 00:24:10.759 there's ways to be winsome about it. 00:24:11.340 --> 00:24:12.580 You're not going in there 00:24:12.580 --> 00:24:14.279 on a soapbox 00:24:14.279 --> 00:24:15.340 screaming at people. 00:24:15.440 --> 00:24:16.500 There's ways to be winsome, 00:24:16.720 --> 00:24:18.100 but it's still an act of mercy 00:24:18.100 --> 00:24:19.860 to proclaim the uniqueness 00:24:19.860 --> 00:24:21.259 and exclusivity of God. 00:24:21.259 --> 00:24:23.900 It also helps us 00:24:23.900 --> 00:24:24.740 to remember, too, 00:24:25.879 --> 00:24:26.599 that God 00:24:26.599 --> 00:24:28.079 is over everything, 00:24:28.220 --> 00:24:28.599 which means 00:24:28.599 --> 00:24:29.079 He's also 00:24:29.079 --> 00:24:30.839 over all of my troubles 00:24:30.839 --> 00:24:33.059 and all of the difficulties 00:24:33.059 --> 00:24:33.740 I go through, 00:24:33.859 --> 00:24:34.279 all of 00:24:34.279 --> 00:24:35.980 my disappointments. 00:24:36.680 --> 00:24:37.019 And because 00:24:37.019 --> 00:24:38.039 He's also eternal, 00:24:38.220 --> 00:24:38.940 it means that 00:24:38.940 --> 00:24:41.240 all of the problems 00:24:41.240 --> 00:24:42.259 that I have 00:24:42.259 --> 00:24:43.160 are temporal, 00:24:43.460 --> 00:24:44.339 and they might feel 00:24:44.339 --> 00:24:45.000 like they're eternal, 00:24:45.099 --> 00:24:45.700 but they're temporal. 00:24:45.700 --> 00:24:47.640 And that this eternal God 00:24:47.640 --> 00:24:48.700 who is over everything, 00:24:48.960 --> 00:24:49.660 He has promised 00:24:49.660 --> 00:24:50.799 that if I am in Him, 00:24:52.140 --> 00:24:53.720 that blessings are mine 00:24:53.720 --> 00:24:54.380 forevermore. 00:24:55.640 --> 00:24:56.900 Disappointments that I have 00:24:56.900 --> 00:24:57.759 will not last, 00:24:58.519 --> 00:25:00.039 and ailments that I feel 00:25:00.039 --> 00:25:01.940 are just fleeting. 00:25:02.980 --> 00:25:03.960 It's a wonderful truth. 00:25:04.100 --> 00:25:04.539 And this is what 00:25:04.539 --> 00:25:06.319 they're worshipping God for. 00:25:06.539 --> 00:25:07.880 They're proclaiming 00:25:07.880 --> 00:25:08.880 His goodness. 00:25:11.420 --> 00:25:12.860 The God who extends 00:25:12.860 --> 00:25:14.019 mercy and grace 00:25:14.019 --> 00:25:15.279 time and again 00:25:15.279 --> 00:25:16.859 to wayward people 00:25:16.859 --> 00:25:18.680 is the God we serve, 00:25:18.879 --> 00:25:20.180 and there's no other God 00:25:20.180 --> 00:25:21.079 that could do it 00:25:21.079 --> 00:25:22.200 apart from Him. 00:25:22.839 --> 00:25:23.460 So the Israelites 00:25:23.460 --> 00:25:24.440 confess their sins, 00:25:24.980 --> 00:25:25.940 they worship the Lord, 00:25:26.319 --> 00:25:27.379 and then they reflect 00:25:27.379 --> 00:25:28.240 on their history, 00:25:28.359 --> 00:25:29.119 which is to say 00:25:29.119 --> 00:25:29.859 they reflect on 00:25:29.859 --> 00:25:30.779 God's Word, 00:25:30.879 --> 00:25:32.099 God's redemption 00:25:32.099 --> 00:25:33.460 throughout all of Scripture. 00:25:34.079 --> 00:25:34.859 In a sense, 00:25:34.960 --> 00:25:35.579 it's to 00:25:35.579 --> 00:25:38.039 meditate on 00:25:38.039 --> 00:25:38.940 and to consider 00:25:38.940 --> 00:25:40.440 and to reflect upon 00:25:40.440 --> 00:25:41.399 the biblical story. 00:25:42.859 --> 00:25:43.799 This is another 00:25:43.799 --> 00:25:44.759 key aspect 00:25:44.759 --> 00:25:45.379 of what it means 00:25:45.379 --> 00:25:46.279 to live a consistent 00:25:46.279 --> 00:25:47.119 God-enjoying 00:25:47.119 --> 00:25:48.559 and God-glorifying life. 00:25:48.980 --> 00:25:50.220 Knowledge of God's Word. 00:25:51.019 --> 00:25:51.259 I mean, 00:25:51.379 --> 00:25:51.879 turn with me 00:25:51.879 --> 00:25:53.619 verses 6 to 37. 00:25:53.859 --> 00:25:54.500 We won't be reading 00:25:54.500 --> 00:25:55.180 the whole thing. 00:25:55.759 --> 00:25:57.980 I have it marked out 00:25:57.980 --> 00:25:59.079 on a page here 00:25:59.079 --> 00:26:00.140 a number of key points 00:26:00.140 --> 00:26:00.539 I want to draw 00:26:00.539 --> 00:26:01.180 to your attention. 00:26:01.660 --> 00:26:02.559 But if you were to read 00:26:02.559 --> 00:26:03.579 through all of this, 00:26:04.279 --> 00:26:07.039 from verses 6 on, 00:26:07.240 --> 00:26:09.279 we have a rehearsal 00:26:09.279 --> 00:26:10.799 of all of redemptive history 00:26:10.799 --> 00:26:12.319 from God creating 00:26:12.319 --> 00:26:13.700 everything, 00:26:13.899 --> 00:26:14.460 heaven and earth, 00:26:14.659 --> 00:26:16.259 to their current moment, 00:26:16.639 --> 00:26:17.379 from Abraham 00:26:17.379 --> 00:26:18.819 to Egypt 00:26:18.819 --> 00:26:19.980 to their wanderings 00:26:19.980 --> 00:26:20.519 in the desert 00:26:20.519 --> 00:26:21.379 to their time 00:26:21.379 --> 00:26:23.960 in the promised land, 00:26:24.139 --> 00:26:25.799 but playing around 00:26:25.799 --> 00:26:26.480 with idols 00:26:26.480 --> 00:26:27.779 and their exile. 00:26:28.519 --> 00:26:28.940 And throughout 00:26:28.940 --> 00:26:29.720 all of it, 00:26:30.559 --> 00:26:32.619 the key bits 00:26:32.619 --> 00:26:34.680 that I commend to you 00:26:34.680 --> 00:26:35.819 when you go home 00:26:35.819 --> 00:26:36.720 or later on today, 00:26:36.720 --> 00:26:38.860 is to see how many times 00:26:38.860 --> 00:26:40.819 within verses 6 to 37 00:26:40.819 --> 00:26:42.360 God is described 00:26:42.360 --> 00:26:43.380 as a merciful God 00:26:43.380 --> 00:26:45.059 or a steadfast God 00:26:45.059 --> 00:26:45.920 or a loving God 00:26:45.920 --> 00:26:47.480 or a God that hears. 00:26:48.759 --> 00:26:49.500 And then consider 00:26:49.500 --> 00:26:50.759 how many times 00:26:50.759 --> 00:26:52.319 throughout verses 6 to 37 00:26:52.319 --> 00:26:55.180 Israel are wandering, 00:26:55.660 --> 00:26:56.660 how they've left God, 00:26:57.000 --> 00:26:58.319 how they've forsaken God, 00:26:58.839 --> 00:27:00.059 how they have given 00:27:00.059 --> 00:27:01.420 themselves over to idolatry, 00:27:01.500 --> 00:27:02.799 how they have left God. 00:27:03.620 --> 00:27:04.960 And time and again, 00:27:05.120 --> 00:27:06.059 time and again, 00:27:06.059 --> 00:27:09.079 it is the reality 00:27:09.079 --> 00:27:09.859 of God's people 00:27:09.859 --> 00:27:10.419 to drift, 00:27:10.779 --> 00:27:11.879 to be inconsistent. 00:27:14.099 --> 00:27:15.579 We can look at Israel, 00:27:15.899 --> 00:27:16.679 the history of Israel, 00:27:17.200 --> 00:27:18.579 and we can think, 00:27:18.740 --> 00:27:20.200 man, stiff-necked people, 00:27:20.339 --> 00:27:20.940 but friends, 00:27:21.399 --> 00:27:22.599 we are God's people too. 00:27:23.940 --> 00:27:25.700 And we, on one hand, 00:27:25.740 --> 00:27:26.139 have been given 00:27:26.139 --> 00:27:27.039 the Holy Spirit 00:27:27.039 --> 00:27:28.099 if we have put our faith 00:27:28.099 --> 00:27:28.940 and trust in Jesus 00:27:28.940 --> 00:27:31.519 so that we can say no to sin, 00:27:31.619 --> 00:27:32.740 but the flesh 00:27:32.740 --> 00:27:33.839 and the world 00:27:33.839 --> 00:27:34.500 and the devil 00:27:34.500 --> 00:27:35.679 still rage 00:27:35.680 --> 00:27:37.960 against our desire 00:27:37.960 --> 00:27:38.560 to do good. 00:27:38.700 --> 00:27:40.180 And we find ourselves 00:27:40.180 --> 00:27:42.960 being identified 00:27:42.960 --> 00:27:44.060 with the people of Israel 00:27:44.060 --> 00:27:44.600 as well. 00:27:45.480 --> 00:27:46.980 But back to God's mercy. 00:27:47.100 --> 00:27:48.259 God is extending mercy 00:27:48.259 --> 00:27:48.980 time and again, 00:27:49.380 --> 00:27:49.920 time and again, 00:27:50.060 --> 00:27:50.560 time and again, 00:27:50.680 --> 00:27:51.140 time and again. 00:27:51.539 --> 00:27:52.360 You read enough 00:27:52.360 --> 00:27:53.240 of the Old Testament 00:27:53.240 --> 00:27:54.320 and you even go through 00:27:54.320 --> 00:27:56.380 these 31, 32 verses 00:27:56.380 --> 00:27:57.400 and you think, 00:27:57.760 --> 00:27:58.660 at what point 00:27:58.660 --> 00:27:59.860 do people exhaust 00:27:59.860 --> 00:28:00.660 the mercy of God? 00:28:01.160 --> 00:28:02.020 Like, at what point 00:28:02.020 --> 00:28:03.000 is enough enough? 00:28:04.340 --> 00:28:05.400 How long is this 00:28:05.400 --> 00:28:06.640 going to go on for? 00:28:07.140 --> 00:28:07.840 It's exhausting. 00:28:07.960 --> 00:28:08.340 You read it, 00:28:08.400 --> 00:28:09.080 it's exhausting. 00:28:10.240 --> 00:28:11.480 Do they not know 00:28:11.480 --> 00:28:12.800 the history of their people? 00:28:14.280 --> 00:28:14.600 And yet, 00:28:14.700 --> 00:28:15.660 the mercy of God 00:28:15.660 --> 00:28:17.560 is never exhaustive. 00:28:17.559 --> 00:28:19.740 And in fact, 00:28:19.799 --> 00:28:21.119 it continues on 00:28:21.119 --> 00:28:22.119 and on and on 00:28:22.119 --> 00:28:23.319 until it finds 00:28:23.319 --> 00:28:24.000 its fulfillment, 00:28:24.519 --> 00:28:25.259 the mercy of God 00:28:25.259 --> 00:28:26.200 in Christ. 00:28:26.839 --> 00:28:28.240 Where God gives himself, 00:28:28.559 --> 00:28:29.720 the eternal God, 00:28:29.899 --> 00:28:32.039 the unique God, 00:28:32.299 --> 00:28:33.559 the God who created 00:28:33.559 --> 00:28:35.000 heaven and earth, 00:28:35.500 --> 00:28:36.639 all things in it, 00:28:37.019 --> 00:28:37.839 who has existed 00:28:37.839 --> 00:28:39.259 for all time, 00:28:39.419 --> 00:28:41.759 he takes on human flesh 00:28:41.759 --> 00:28:43.960 and pays the penalty 00:28:43.960 --> 00:28:45.139 that we could never pay. 00:28:45.140 --> 00:28:47.140 He conquers the enemy 00:28:47.140 --> 00:28:48.220 we can never conquer. 00:28:50.360 --> 00:28:51.360 So that 00:28:51.360 --> 00:28:53.259 we can know him 00:28:53.259 --> 00:28:54.340 and delight in him 00:28:54.340 --> 00:28:55.700 and to live a consistent 00:28:55.700 --> 00:28:57.580 God-delighting, 00:28:57.880 --> 00:28:58.840 God-fearing 00:28:58.840 --> 00:29:01.020 life with our God 00:29:01.020 --> 00:29:02.380 and it's an act of mercy. 00:29:02.560 --> 00:29:03.740 It's the fulfillment of mercy 00:29:03.740 --> 00:29:04.640 and you start to see 00:29:04.640 --> 00:29:07.700 that verses 6 to 37, 00:29:08.500 --> 00:29:09.800 rehearsing this whole history, 00:29:10.800 --> 00:29:11.820 it puts in our hearts 00:29:11.820 --> 00:29:13.140 a longing for Christ, 00:29:13.140 --> 00:29:15.060 a longing for us 00:29:15.060 --> 00:29:16.080 to be done with sin 00:29:16.080 --> 00:29:17.320 and a longing 00:29:17.320 --> 00:29:18.280 for God's mercy 00:29:18.280 --> 00:29:19.860 to finally take root 00:29:19.860 --> 00:29:20.580 in our lives 00:29:20.580 --> 00:29:21.960 so that we know him 00:29:21.960 --> 00:29:23.100 and we walk with him 00:29:23.100 --> 00:29:24.980 in a consistent way 00:29:24.980 --> 00:29:26.780 because ultimately, 00:29:27.780 --> 00:29:30.080 living a life 00:29:30.080 --> 00:29:31.020 apart from God 00:29:31.020 --> 00:29:32.380 might feel good, 00:29:32.480 --> 00:29:33.540 might sound good, 00:29:34.500 --> 00:29:35.800 might do good 00:29:35.800 --> 00:29:36.580 for a season, 00:29:36.700 --> 00:29:37.940 but it will never last 00:29:37.940 --> 00:29:38.560 for eternity. 00:29:38.559 --> 00:29:41.919 Talking to Christine 00:29:41.919 --> 00:29:42.960 about a bit of this 00:29:42.960 --> 00:29:43.539 last night, 00:29:44.000 --> 00:29:44.579 we think, 00:29:44.799 --> 00:29:45.399 I think, 00:29:45.419 --> 00:29:46.240 I should always say that 00:29:46.240 --> 00:29:46.839 because it's true, 00:29:46.940 --> 00:29:47.359 I think, 00:29:47.759 --> 00:29:48.519 you come to church, 00:29:48.659 --> 00:29:49.799 you get charged up 00:29:49.799 --> 00:29:51.659 for like wireless devices, 00:29:51.779 --> 00:29:52.480 we get charged up, 00:29:52.539 --> 00:29:53.899 we go on our week, 00:29:54.639 --> 00:29:55.639 analogies break down, 00:29:55.740 --> 00:29:56.240 but, you know, 00:29:56.339 --> 00:29:57.159 be with me here. 00:29:58.779 --> 00:30:00.099 We get charged up 00:30:00.099 --> 00:30:00.879 and we go on our week 00:30:00.879 --> 00:30:02.419 and we have enough juice 00:30:02.419 --> 00:30:03.319 till next Sunday, 00:30:03.799 --> 00:30:05.099 another spiritual experience, 00:30:05.259 --> 00:30:05.879 another connecting 00:30:05.879 --> 00:30:06.460 with God's people, 00:30:06.460 --> 00:30:07.039 and it's great, 00:30:07.799 --> 00:30:08.880 but it's better 00:30:08.880 --> 00:30:09.779 to look at ourselves 00:30:09.779 --> 00:30:11.700 like we are wired devices. 00:30:12.660 --> 00:30:14.279 The second we unplug ourselves, 00:30:14.400 --> 00:30:15.279 we unplug ourselves 00:30:15.279 --> 00:30:16.579 from the source of love 00:30:16.579 --> 00:30:18.700 and light and life 00:30:18.700 --> 00:30:21.120 and we cannot exist 00:30:21.120 --> 00:30:22.660 apart from it 00:30:22.660 --> 00:30:24.180 because we are not made for that. 00:30:25.660 --> 00:30:27.340 So to live a consistent life 00:30:27.340 --> 00:30:29.000 is to live a life of life, 00:30:29.539 --> 00:30:30.660 truly life, 00:30:30.740 --> 00:30:32.279 to live a life of love, 00:30:32.440 --> 00:30:33.120 true love, 00:30:33.380 --> 00:30:35.160 to live a life of light, 00:30:35.400 --> 00:30:36.019 true light, 00:30:36.460 --> 00:30:38.039 and that is what 00:30:38.039 --> 00:30:39.299 consistency will bring. 00:30:39.900 --> 00:30:40.940 We can't do it ourselves, 00:30:41.100 --> 00:30:41.360 we just, 00:30:41.480 --> 00:30:42.380 we really can't. 00:30:43.340 --> 00:30:45.140 We need the Lord's help for that. 00:30:45.420 --> 00:30:46.620 So in verse 38, 00:30:47.100 --> 00:30:48.259 and this is where I'll end, 00:30:48.920 --> 00:30:51.000 another final key aspect 00:30:51.000 --> 00:30:54.480 to being a consistent people 00:30:54.480 --> 00:30:56.319 that enjoy God, 00:30:56.480 --> 00:30:58.299 glorify God all their days 00:30:58.299 --> 00:31:00.160 is something called covenant renewal. 00:31:00.860 --> 00:31:01.720 Okay, stick with me here. 00:31:01.779 --> 00:31:02.400 Verse 38, 00:31:02.759 --> 00:31:03.319 and this is where 00:31:03.319 --> 00:31:04.480 we'll start to wrap things up. 00:31:04.480 --> 00:31:08.259 Verse 38 says this, 00:31:10.799 --> 00:31:12.099 Because all of this, 00:31:12.480 --> 00:31:14.180 we make a firm covenant in writing. 00:31:14.740 --> 00:31:16.059 On the sealed document 00:31:16.059 --> 00:31:17.640 are the names of our princes, 00:31:17.920 --> 00:31:18.500 our Levites, 00:31:18.599 --> 00:31:19.599 and our priests. 00:31:19.960 --> 00:31:20.579 Chapter 10, 00:31:20.660 --> 00:31:22.319 we'll go into those names 00:31:22.319 --> 00:31:23.620 and the obligations of that covenant. 00:31:24.079 --> 00:31:25.860 But it's essentially a covenant renewal. 00:31:26.000 --> 00:31:27.400 God has made a covenant with his people. 00:31:27.960 --> 00:31:29.500 God always keeps his covenant. 00:31:29.500 --> 00:31:32.359 And what's remarkable of it 00:31:32.359 --> 00:31:33.099 is because his people 00:31:33.099 --> 00:31:33.920 never keep his covenant. 00:31:34.859 --> 00:31:35.019 But, 00:31:36.460 --> 00:31:37.799 when they come back to God 00:31:37.799 --> 00:31:39.099 and they make a covenant, 00:31:39.640 --> 00:31:40.519 they renew the covenant 00:31:40.519 --> 00:31:41.500 in the sense of 00:31:41.500 --> 00:31:42.519 just saying, 00:31:42.799 --> 00:31:42.900 we, 00:31:43.339 --> 00:31:44.180 you are our God, 00:31:44.380 --> 00:31:45.299 we are your people, 00:31:46.079 --> 00:31:46.359 we, 00:31:46.859 --> 00:31:47.680 to this day, 00:31:47.940 --> 00:31:49.000 this day and forever, 00:31:50.480 --> 00:31:51.279 they're going to fall 00:31:51.279 --> 00:31:52.039 in the future, 00:31:52.180 --> 00:31:52.259 but, 00:31:52.440 --> 00:31:53.559 but starting today, 00:31:53.940 --> 00:31:55.039 we are back. 00:31:55.039 --> 00:31:55.440 Like, 00:31:56.240 --> 00:31:57.680 no more idolatry, 00:31:57.920 --> 00:31:58.639 no more sin, 00:31:58.740 --> 00:32:00.019 no more inconsistency. 00:32:00.599 --> 00:32:01.240 We're back. 00:32:03.460 --> 00:32:05.359 Please keep your end of the bargain 00:32:05.359 --> 00:32:06.759 like you've done in the past, 00:32:06.859 --> 00:32:07.279 your covenant. 00:32:07.759 --> 00:32:08.879 We're going to do our best 00:32:08.879 --> 00:32:09.559 to keep our, 00:32:09.619 --> 00:32:10.180 our end. 00:32:11.259 --> 00:32:12.099 And how does that work out 00:32:12.099 --> 00:32:13.159 for us here? 00:32:13.899 --> 00:32:15.220 Covenant renewal is, 00:32:15.379 --> 00:32:16.579 is every Sunday 00:32:16.579 --> 00:32:18.299 as we gather as God's people, 00:32:18.839 --> 00:32:20.159 where we hear his word, 00:32:20.259 --> 00:32:21.539 where we confess our sins, 00:32:21.619 --> 00:32:22.539 where we worship him, 00:32:22.920 --> 00:32:24.579 we gather as a solemn assembly, 00:32:25.240 --> 00:32:26.439 we praise him 00:32:26.439 --> 00:32:27.279 for what he has done, 00:32:27.419 --> 00:32:28.039 what he will, 00:32:28.159 --> 00:32:29.079 what he has done, 00:32:29.139 --> 00:32:29.819 what he is doing, 00:32:29.879 --> 00:32:30.679 what he will do, 00:32:31.139 --> 00:32:32.960 and then we gather at his table. 00:32:33.099 --> 00:32:33.779 Most weeks, 00:32:34.179 --> 00:32:35.259 we gather at his table, 00:32:35.399 --> 00:32:37.679 and it is a form of covenant renewal, 00:32:37.839 --> 00:32:39.519 where we once again remember 00:32:39.519 --> 00:32:40.559 what Christ has done 00:32:40.559 --> 00:32:41.359 on the cross, 00:32:41.939 --> 00:32:42.919 but we don't just remember, 00:32:43.039 --> 00:32:43.699 we taste 00:32:43.699 --> 00:32:45.460 what he has done. 00:32:45.519 --> 00:32:46.119 We hear 00:32:46.119 --> 00:32:48.279 the cracking of the bread, 00:32:49.159 --> 00:32:50.259 symbolizing his body 00:32:50.259 --> 00:32:51.419 broken for us. 00:32:52.019 --> 00:32:53.179 We see the wine, 00:32:53.259 --> 00:32:53.819 it's red, 00:32:53.819 --> 00:32:54.639 our eyes 00:32:54.639 --> 00:32:56.679 are reminded 00:32:56.679 --> 00:32:57.439 that Jesus 00:32:57.439 --> 00:32:58.819 poured actual blood 00:32:58.819 --> 00:32:59.700 for us. 00:33:00.700 --> 00:33:01.779 And we come to him 00:33:01.779 --> 00:33:02.339 afresh 00:33:02.339 --> 00:33:03.200 every week, 00:33:03.819 --> 00:33:04.740 and we say, 00:33:05.119 --> 00:33:05.519 I covenant 00:33:05.519 --> 00:33:08.599 to be with you forever. 00:33:08.859 --> 00:33:09.919 I have been wayward, 00:33:10.419 --> 00:33:11.480 please forgive me 00:33:11.480 --> 00:33:12.339 of my sins, 00:33:12.740 --> 00:33:14.599 but it's me and you again. 00:33:15.059 --> 00:33:16.619 It's us and you again. 00:33:17.139 --> 00:33:18.939 And that's what covenant renewal is. 00:33:18.940 --> 00:33:20.759 And it's a key aspect 00:33:20.759 --> 00:33:21.559 of a consistent 00:33:21.559 --> 00:33:23.000 Christian, 00:33:23.240 --> 00:33:24.259 God-enjoying, 00:33:24.360 --> 00:33:25.880 God-glorifying life 00:33:25.880 --> 00:33:27.200 for all your days. 00:33:29.460 --> 00:33:31.580 Church doesn't save people. 00:33:33.000 --> 00:33:34.259 It certainly doesn't. 00:33:34.340 --> 00:33:35.299 Christ saves people. 00:33:36.480 --> 00:33:38.180 But to know Christ, 00:33:38.740 --> 00:33:39.900 to love him, 00:33:40.039 --> 00:33:41.160 to enjoy him, 00:33:41.420 --> 00:33:43.539 to receive the benefits 00:33:43.539 --> 00:33:46.180 of his death 00:33:46.180 --> 00:33:47.000 on the cross, 00:33:47.319 --> 00:33:47.859 his burial 00:33:47.859 --> 00:33:48.559 and his resurrection, 00:33:49.259 --> 00:33:50.920 we must gather together. 00:33:51.659 --> 00:33:52.940 We must gather together 00:33:52.940 --> 00:33:53.980 and like the Israelites 00:33:53.980 --> 00:33:54.899 confess our sins, 00:33:54.980 --> 00:33:55.899 we must gather together 00:33:55.899 --> 00:33:56.519 like the Israelites 00:33:56.519 --> 00:33:57.639 and worship God 00:33:57.639 --> 00:33:58.579 for who he is 00:33:58.579 --> 00:33:59.259 and what he has done. 00:33:59.920 --> 00:34:00.240 We, 00:34:00.359 --> 00:34:00.920 like the Israelites, 00:34:00.920 --> 00:34:01.740 need to gather 00:34:01.740 --> 00:34:04.059 and rehearse our history 00:34:04.059 --> 00:34:05.339 to be students 00:34:05.339 --> 00:34:06.099 of God's word 00:34:06.099 --> 00:34:06.980 and then finally 00:34:06.980 --> 00:34:08.759 to gather together 00:34:08.760 --> 00:34:10.340 and as often 00:34:10.340 --> 00:34:11.300 as we gather together 00:34:11.300 --> 00:34:12.900 to renew the covenant 00:34:12.900 --> 00:34:13.720 that he has made 00:34:13.720 --> 00:34:15.860 that we will likely break 00:34:15.860 --> 00:34:17.360 later on today 00:34:17.360 --> 00:34:19.000 in some thought, 00:34:19.100 --> 00:34:19.580 word or deed 00:34:19.580 --> 00:34:21.420 but that when we come 00:34:21.420 --> 00:34:21.980 back together 00:34:21.980 --> 00:34:22.740 he is merciful, 00:34:23.400 --> 00:34:24.160 he is loving, 00:34:24.400 --> 00:34:25.000 he is kind, 00:34:25.120 --> 00:34:25.880 he is slow to anger, 00:34:26.000 --> 00:34:26.540 he is abounding 00:34:26.540 --> 00:34:27.700 in steadfast love. 00:34:28.120 --> 00:34:28.880 That is our God. 00:34:29.780 --> 00:34:30.340 So friends, 00:34:30.440 --> 00:34:30.880 let's live out 00:34:30.880 --> 00:34:32.140 this consistent life together. 00:34:32.520 --> 00:34:33.820 Not by our own strength 00:34:33.820 --> 00:34:35.600 but by God's strength 00:34:35.600 --> 00:34:36.520 and by the strength 00:34:36.520 --> 00:34:37.660 he gives our community. 00:34:37.659 --> 00:34:39.079 Let's pray. 00:34:40.619 --> 00:34:41.179 Lord, 00:34:41.239 --> 00:34:41.719 we thank you 00:34:41.719 --> 00:34:43.000 for your people. 00:34:44.339 --> 00:34:44.879 Lord, 00:34:44.940 --> 00:34:45.500 we thank you 00:34:45.500 --> 00:34:47.440 that we aren't 00:34:47.440 --> 00:34:48.359 just called 00:34:48.359 --> 00:34:49.759 to salvation 00:34:49.759 --> 00:34:50.859 and then left 00:34:50.859 --> 00:34:52.119 as 00:34:52.119 --> 00:34:54.779 as independence 00:34:54.779 --> 00:34:56.719 but we instead 00:34:56.719 --> 00:34:57.299 are welcomed 00:34:57.299 --> 00:34:58.179 into a family 00:34:58.179 --> 00:35:00.759 where when one person 00:35:00.759 --> 00:35:01.199 suffers 00:35:01.199 --> 00:35:02.299 we actually all suffer 00:35:02.299 --> 00:35:03.759 whether we know it or not. 00:35:04.539 --> 00:35:04.839 So Lord, 00:35:04.920 --> 00:35:05.699 let us be people 00:35:05.699 --> 00:35:07.039 that covenant together 00:35:07.039 --> 00:35:08.719 to go after you, 00:35:08.820 --> 00:35:10.199 to be consistent 00:35:10.199 --> 00:35:10.900 in our walk, 00:35:11.019 --> 00:35:12.599 to enjoy you, 00:35:12.960 --> 00:35:13.920 to fear you, 00:35:14.119 --> 00:35:15.320 to live a life 00:35:15.320 --> 00:35:15.960 that is worthy 00:35:15.960 --> 00:35:16.659 of our calling. 00:35:17.920 --> 00:35:18.400 Lord, 00:35:18.460 --> 00:35:19.279 we ask for your strength. 00:35:19.400 --> 00:35:20.000 We are bound 00:35:20.000 --> 00:35:20.779 to break 00:35:20.779 --> 00:35:22.039 our covenant 00:35:22.039 --> 00:35:22.619 with you. 00:35:22.759 --> 00:35:23.360 We are bound 00:35:23.360 --> 00:35:24.079 to sin. 00:35:24.900 --> 00:35:25.400 But Lord, 00:35:25.519 --> 00:35:26.659 we don't put 00:35:26.659 --> 00:35:27.779 our hope 00:35:27.779 --> 00:35:28.739 in our keeping 00:35:28.739 --> 00:35:29.440 of the covenant. 00:35:30.000 --> 00:35:30.719 You put our hope 00:35:30.719 --> 00:35:31.579 in your keeping 00:35:31.579 --> 00:35:32.380 of the covenant. 00:35:33.320 --> 00:35:33.699 Lord, 00:35:33.820 --> 00:35:34.719 that your mercy 00:35:34.719 --> 00:35:35.480 has been extended 00:35:35.480 --> 00:35:36.019 to us 00:35:36.019 --> 00:35:37.099 to the end 00:35:37.099 --> 00:35:38.039 that your son, 00:35:38.439 --> 00:35:38.679 God, 00:35:38.739 --> 00:35:39.359 the son of God 00:35:39.359 --> 00:35:40.339 died on our behalf. 00:35:41.879 --> 00:35:42.839 If you didn't 00:35:42.839 --> 00:35:43.659 withhold your son, 00:35:43.839 --> 00:35:45.019 what else will you 00:35:45.019 --> 00:35:45.500 withhold? 00:35:45.639 --> 00:35:46.659 Nothing from us. 00:35:46.699 --> 00:35:47.059 So Lord, 00:35:47.619 --> 00:35:48.359 may we be people 00:35:48.359 --> 00:35:49.239 that go after you. 00:35:49.500 --> 00:35:50.219 Give us strength, 00:35:50.439 --> 00:35:51.579 we ask in Christ's name. 00:35:52.399 --> 00:35:52.719 Amen. 00:35:52.719 --> 00:35:52.819 Amen. 00:35:52.819 --> 00:35:52.859 Amen. 00:35:52.859 --> 00:35:52.879 Amen. 00:35:52.879 --> 00:35:52.899 Amen. 00:35:52.899 --> 00:35:52.939 Amen. 00:35:52.939 --> 00:35:52.980 Amen. 00:35:52.980 --> 00:35:53.019 Amen. 00:35:53.019 --> 00:35:54.939 Amen. 00:35:54.939 --> 00:35:54.980 Amen. 00:35:54.980 --> 00:35:56.899 Amen. 00:35:56.899 --> 00:35:56.980 Amen. 00:35:56.980 --> 00:35:57.019 Amen. 00:35:57.019 --> 00:35:58.939 Amen. 00:35:58.939 --> 00:36:00.939 Amen. 00:36:00.939 --> 00:36:01.019 Amen. 00:36:01.019 --> 00:36:02.939 Amen. 00:36:02.939 --> 00:36:02.980 Amen.