WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.080 We hope that you enjoy this teaching from Christ Church. 00:00:05.719 --> 00:00:15.280 This material is copyrighted and no unauthorized duplication, redistribution, or any other use of any part is permitted without prior consent from Christ Church. 00:00:15.280 --> 00:00:22.640 Please consider donating to this work in the San Francisco Bay Area online at ChristChurchEastBay.org. 00:00:22.640 --> 00:00:36.899 Today's reading is from Romans chapter 1 verses 16 to 18 and chapter 3 verses 9 to 20. 00:00:37.799 --> 00:00:47.219 For I am not ashamed of the gospel because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. 00:00:47.219 --> 00:00:57.899 For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written, the righteous will live by faith. 00:00:58.600 --> 00:01:07.379 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. 00:01:08.259 --> 00:01:12.939 What shall we conclude then? Do we have any advantage? Not at all. 00:01:12.939 --> 00:01:19.319 For we have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin. 00:01:19.819 --> 00:01:23.679 As it is written, there is no one righteous, not even one. 00:01:24.120 --> 00:01:27.739 There is no one who understands. There is no one who seeks God. 00:01:28.400 --> 00:01:31.539 All have turned away. They have together become worthless. 00:01:32.459 --> 00:01:35.159 There is no one who does good, not even one. 00:01:36.000 --> 00:01:39.719 Their throats are open graves. Their tongues practice deceit. 00:01:39.719 --> 00:01:42.719 The poison of vipers is on their lips. 00:01:43.420 --> 00:01:45.739 Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness. 00:01:46.719 --> 00:01:49.120 Their feet are swift to shed blood. 00:01:49.799 --> 00:01:54.200 Ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know. 00:01:55.239 --> 00:01:57.980 There is no fear of God before their eyes. 00:01:58.620 --> 00:02:02.859 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, 00:02:03.079 --> 00:02:07.519 so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. 00:02:07.519 --> 00:02:12.639 Therefore, no one will be declared righteous in God's sight by the works of the law. 00:02:13.139 --> 00:02:16.099 Rather, through the law, we become conscious of our sin. 00:02:16.500 --> 00:02:17.819 This is the word of the Lord. 00:02:18.500 --> 00:02:19.419 Thanks be to God. 00:02:19.419 --> 00:02:26.359 Good morning, Christ Church, and thank you for that reading. 00:02:26.439 --> 00:02:30.359 One of my favorite scripture readers in our church, my daughter Constance. 00:02:32.239 --> 00:02:35.959 Pastor Andrew and I had the privilege this week of going to New York City 00:02:35.959 --> 00:02:39.819 and doing what you do there, which is to not sleep for several days. 00:02:39.819 --> 00:02:43.539 And we gathered with a group of about 50 church leaders, 00:02:43.759 --> 00:02:49.639 just grappling with these questions of how to sustain flourishing and fruitful ministry 00:02:49.639 --> 00:02:52.900 in this new cultural context we find ourselves in. 00:02:53.539 --> 00:02:57.180 And we look forward to sharing more about that and what we learned there. 00:02:57.259 --> 00:03:00.819 But we had the privilege of learning from two rock star scholars. 00:03:01.620 --> 00:03:05.079 One is a guy named James Davison Hunter at the University of Virginia, 00:03:05.759 --> 00:03:07.120 who's a sociologist there. 00:03:07.120 --> 00:03:10.420 And the other is a guy named N.T. Wright, Tom Wright, 00:03:10.520 --> 00:03:12.640 who's a biblical theologian at the University of Oxford. 00:03:13.379 --> 00:03:17.420 And it felt like the whole time we were sort of listening to these dueling prophets. 00:03:19.039 --> 00:03:22.800 You know, one was a prophet of despair and the other a prophet of hope. 00:03:23.039 --> 00:03:26.700 You know, one was a prophet of judgment and the other a prophet of salvation. 00:03:26.800 --> 00:03:30.620 We had the sociologist, and he was basically saying, 00:03:30.620 --> 00:03:37.640 look, you know, our culture no longer has consensus around the five major questions of, 00:03:37.780 --> 00:03:38.759 you know, what is reality? 00:03:39.460 --> 00:03:40.599 How do we know reality? 00:03:40.719 --> 00:03:41.539 What's a human being? 00:03:41.640 --> 00:03:42.680 What's right and wrong? 00:03:42.920 --> 00:03:44.319 And what's the purpose of it all? 00:03:44.379 --> 00:03:45.000 Where's it all going? 00:03:45.080 --> 00:03:48.020 And because we don't have consensus on these things anymore, 00:03:48.580 --> 00:03:51.620 life's going to be kind of rough in the Western world for a little while. 00:03:52.640 --> 00:03:53.040 Yikes. 00:03:53.259 --> 00:03:55.420 This is not a very hopeful message, sir. 00:03:55.419 --> 00:03:59.219 And then you had the theologian come up, and he said, 00:03:59.500 --> 00:04:02.719 yes, from a human point of view, things are quite hopeless. 00:04:02.819 --> 00:04:03.819 They feel pretty hopeless. 00:04:04.299 --> 00:04:06.439 But God, he would say. 00:04:07.019 --> 00:04:07.739 But God. 00:04:07.799 --> 00:04:12.839 Look at what God is doing through Jesus Christ and through the Holy Spirit 00:04:12.839 --> 00:04:14.039 and through his church. 00:04:14.699 --> 00:04:17.939 And it struck me as I was listening to these two scholars, 00:04:17.939 --> 00:04:22.019 talking about these two mutually compatible truths, 00:04:22.019 --> 00:04:26.379 that that's kind of what's happening in this epistle to the Romans. 00:04:26.599 --> 00:04:30.799 Romans chapter 1, 2, and 3 is telling us two things. 00:04:31.579 --> 00:04:35.219 That number one, all of humanity is under the power of sin. 00:04:36.219 --> 00:04:39.359 And yet, it's also telling us that through Jesus Christ, 00:04:39.459 --> 00:04:41.159 we can experience the power of God. 00:04:41.839 --> 00:04:44.939 And I want you to think about that as we look at this text today. 00:04:44.939 --> 00:04:48.259 We're talking about the power of sin and the power of God. 00:04:48.259 --> 00:04:52.399 And I think most of us would agree that there are times in life 00:04:52.399 --> 00:04:56.259 where we need to be cruel in order to be kind. 00:04:57.279 --> 00:04:58.759 We need to be cruel to be kind. 00:04:58.819 --> 00:04:59.959 My brother's a medical doctor. 00:05:00.099 --> 00:05:00.959 Some of you are doctors. 00:05:01.159 --> 00:05:04.699 And you know that when you're dealing with people that have illness or disease, 00:05:04.699 --> 00:05:06.519 you need to be cruel to be kind. 00:05:07.620 --> 00:05:11.319 Some of you are parents, and you're trying to train up a child 00:05:11.319 --> 00:05:13.480 to become a fully orbed human being. 00:05:13.480 --> 00:05:17.620 And you know what it means to be cruel in order to be kind. 00:05:18.759 --> 00:05:22.560 Conditions may be such that it's the best interest of that child, 00:05:22.640 --> 00:05:24.140 the best interest of your patient, 00:05:24.340 --> 00:05:28.740 is going to be served by causing them temporary pain. 00:05:29.720 --> 00:05:32.900 And causing pain, that's a difficult task. 00:05:32.980 --> 00:05:34.259 We take no pleasure in it. 00:05:34.980 --> 00:05:37.879 But if we have the real interest of the other at heart, 00:05:37.879 --> 00:05:42.279 we must be cruel to be kind and cause this temporary pain. 00:05:43.159 --> 00:05:48.719 It's always much more pleasant to soothe and to comfort people 00:05:48.719 --> 00:05:53.000 than it is to cause them pain and arouse unpleasant reactions. 00:05:54.060 --> 00:05:57.000 But merely palliating symptoms, 00:05:57.379 --> 00:06:01.639 rather than dealing positively and actively with the disease, 00:06:02.120 --> 00:06:03.259 it's not going to help your patient. 00:06:03.360 --> 00:06:05.279 You don't want your doctor to treat you that way. 00:06:05.420 --> 00:06:05.620 Amen? 00:06:05.620 --> 00:06:11.060 So Romans chapter 1, 2, and 3 speaks this word to us 00:06:11.060 --> 00:06:13.280 and this word to the world that's actually quite painful. 00:06:13.720 --> 00:06:15.439 It involves a word of judgment. 00:06:16.000 --> 00:06:19.280 And Paul, the apostle, is being cruel to be kind. 00:06:20.019 --> 00:06:21.780 Because if he's going to help us, 00:06:21.800 --> 00:06:25.379 he must first probe the wound and probe the disease 00:06:25.379 --> 00:06:26.939 to reveal our trouble. 00:06:28.199 --> 00:06:32.160 This cannot be done without causing pain and offense. 00:06:32.160 --> 00:06:37.200 It may lead, Paul knows, to being unpopular and to being disliked. 00:06:37.900 --> 00:06:40.880 And he knows that if he wants to be popular and he wants to be liked, 00:06:40.939 --> 00:06:44.520 he could just soothe people and ignore our problems entirely 00:06:44.520 --> 00:06:45.820 and palliate our symptoms. 00:06:46.740 --> 00:06:49.000 But Paul, the apostle, along with all the apostles, 00:06:49.640 --> 00:06:52.220 are very good physicians of the soul. 00:06:52.220 --> 00:06:57.980 And so he gives us a painful diagnosis and a painful prognosis 00:06:57.980 --> 00:07:03.540 in order that we might fully appreciate the treatment he prescribes 00:07:03.540 --> 00:07:05.360 and the cure that comes through that treatment. 00:07:06.400 --> 00:07:08.000 So what is Paul's prognosis? 00:07:08.120 --> 00:07:09.000 What's his diagnosis? 00:07:09.180 --> 00:07:12.860 He says in Romans 1, 18, we've been considering this verse, 00:07:12.940 --> 00:07:16.540 it says that the wrath of God is being revealed from heaven 00:07:16.540 --> 00:07:19.240 against all the godlessness and wickedness of people 00:07:19.240 --> 00:07:21.939 who suppress the truth in their wickedness. 00:07:22.800 --> 00:07:24.460 And there's really no passage in Scripture 00:07:24.460 --> 00:07:27.040 that describes so accurately our world today 00:07:27.040 --> 00:07:29.439 and the cause of all of our troubles. 00:07:29.560 --> 00:07:33.939 He says that our main problem, our central sin, 00:07:34.040 --> 00:07:39.060 our greatest sin, is our godlessness and our ungodliness. 00:07:40.060 --> 00:07:42.879 And he says from that central human reality 00:07:42.879 --> 00:07:49.000 flow all manner of various types of wickedness and unrighteousness. 00:07:49.879 --> 00:07:53.399 And Paul's been unpacking this in Romans 1, 2, and 3. 00:07:53.500 --> 00:07:57.100 He's just been unpacking that one statement in Romans 1, 18. 00:07:57.519 --> 00:07:59.439 And he's really begging this question, 00:08:00.100 --> 00:08:03.339 you know, why is the preaching of the gospel such an urgent matter? 00:08:04.519 --> 00:08:09.100 And why do we need a salvation from God that's entirely by faith? 00:08:09.100 --> 00:08:13.060 And why will nothing less than the power of God 00:08:13.060 --> 00:08:17.500 and the power of God's salvation meet the situation that we're in? 00:08:18.480 --> 00:08:20.600 And so here in this text in Romans 3, 00:08:20.700 --> 00:08:23.560 he brings us to the climax of this argument 00:08:23.560 --> 00:08:25.360 we've been considering the past few weeks. 00:08:25.439 --> 00:08:27.000 And it's one of the strongest statements 00:08:27.000 --> 00:08:31.100 that the Bible gives us about what's wrong with the world 00:08:31.100 --> 00:08:34.580 and this diagnosis of the human heart. 00:08:34.580 --> 00:08:40.540 And what Paul is saying here is that sin's power is devastating 00:08:40.540 --> 00:08:45.820 and its effects corrupting, but God's power is saving. 00:08:46.800 --> 00:08:49.500 That's Paul's point, that sin's power is devastating 00:08:49.500 --> 00:08:53.580 and its effects corrupting, but God's power is saving. 00:08:54.560 --> 00:08:57.740 First of all, he says sin's power is devastating. 00:08:58.600 --> 00:08:59.540 Look at verse 9. 00:08:59.539 --> 00:09:03.099 He says, what shall we conclude then? 00:09:03.139 --> 00:09:05.219 He's bringing this argument to a conclusion. 00:09:05.679 --> 00:09:07.179 Do we have any advantage? 00:09:07.779 --> 00:09:08.419 Not at all. 00:09:08.500 --> 00:09:12.240 We've already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike 00:09:12.240 --> 00:09:15.679 are all under the power of sin. 00:09:16.639 --> 00:09:19.199 The condition of every human being you meet, 00:09:19.299 --> 00:09:21.539 including the one you see in the mirror every day, 00:09:22.099 --> 00:09:24.980 is that we're a people who are under the power 00:09:24.980 --> 00:09:27.339 and the penalty and the pollution of sin. 00:09:28.300 --> 00:09:29.899 And then what does Paul say next in verse 10? 00:09:29.960 --> 00:09:31.580 He says, as it is written, 00:09:32.379 --> 00:09:35.060 and Paul is this guy who's well-versed in the Scriptures 00:09:35.060 --> 00:09:37.980 and he's committed so much of the Bible to memory. 00:09:38.600 --> 00:09:41.639 An example to us all, if you've not done any of that, 00:09:41.740 --> 00:09:44.519 I encourage you to begin memorizing Scripture. 00:09:45.580 --> 00:09:48.480 Paul begins to marshal his memorized Bible 00:09:48.480 --> 00:09:53.820 to substantiate the claim that sin's power over us 00:09:53.820 --> 00:09:56.180 and over our lives is devastating. 00:09:56.179 --> 00:10:00.479 And so he goes in verses 10 through verse 18 00:10:00.479 --> 00:10:03.799 to show us the devastating power of sin. 00:10:04.559 --> 00:10:05.659 And what does he say first? 00:10:05.739 --> 00:10:06.899 He says, it is written, 00:10:07.579 --> 00:10:10.539 there is no one righteous, not even one. 00:10:11.500 --> 00:10:13.139 Again, Paul's begging the question, 00:10:13.319 --> 00:10:15.579 why is it necessary that God should act 00:10:15.579 --> 00:10:17.559 and intervene in the world and in our lives? 00:10:18.299 --> 00:10:21.479 Why do we need a power that comes from God 00:10:21.479 --> 00:10:22.859 before we can be saved? 00:10:22.860 --> 00:10:26.879 And why is a righteousness that comes from outside of us, 00:10:26.940 --> 00:10:29.779 that comes from God, absolutely essential for us? 00:10:30.620 --> 00:10:32.340 Because Paul says, all of us universally, 00:10:33.300 --> 00:10:34.659 without a single exception, 00:10:35.019 --> 00:10:38.539 good people, even the best and nicest people 00:10:38.539 --> 00:10:39.519 that you'll ever meet, 00:10:39.620 --> 00:10:42.320 including the worst and the most vile people, 00:10:42.700 --> 00:10:44.600 are under the power of sin 00:10:44.600 --> 00:10:47.300 and therefore all of us are going to die 00:10:47.299 --> 00:10:49.019 in a state of unrighteousness 00:10:49.019 --> 00:10:51.379 before the judge of all the earth. 00:10:52.479 --> 00:10:53.939 It's a strong first statement. 00:10:55.039 --> 00:10:57.319 And Paul begins to arrange these scriptures, 00:10:57.479 --> 00:10:58.500 mostly from the Psalms, 00:10:58.559 --> 00:11:00.199 a little bit from the prophet Isaiah 00:11:00.199 --> 00:11:01.539 in this logical order. 00:11:01.659 --> 00:11:02.120 And he says, 00:11:02.639 --> 00:11:04.399 there's no one righteous, not even one. 00:11:05.019 --> 00:11:06.519 There's no one who understands. 00:11:06.740 --> 00:11:08.159 There's no one who seeks God. 00:11:08.620 --> 00:11:09.819 All have turned away. 00:11:10.299 --> 00:11:11.519 They've together become worthless. 00:11:12.159 --> 00:11:13.459 There's no one who does good, 00:11:13.759 --> 00:11:14.639 not even one. 00:11:14.639 --> 00:11:18.519 Paul says, that's our actual state in sin 00:11:18.519 --> 00:11:21.220 and that's the result of being in this state 00:11:21.220 --> 00:11:22.960 and condition of sinfulness. 00:11:23.840 --> 00:11:25.319 And some of us might hear that and say, 00:11:25.419 --> 00:11:27.340 well, Paul, you're flat out wrong 00:11:27.340 --> 00:11:30.120 because I know people who are righteous. 00:11:30.360 --> 00:11:31.799 I know people who seek God 00:11:31.799 --> 00:11:33.000 and people who do good. 00:11:33.779 --> 00:11:35.100 And Paul would say back to us, 00:11:35.220 --> 00:11:37.159 well, who's defining your terms? 00:11:38.000 --> 00:11:39.399 Whose definitions are we using? 00:11:39.480 --> 00:11:41.639 Because the biblical definition of righteousness 00:11:41.639 --> 00:11:44.460 is to be upright in thought and life. 00:11:45.439 --> 00:11:47.699 It's to be blameless with respect to God 00:11:47.699 --> 00:11:48.620 and our neighbor. 00:11:49.679 --> 00:11:51.419 To be righteous does not mean 00:11:51.419 --> 00:11:54.220 to merely be good or moral or respectable 00:11:54.220 --> 00:11:55.460 in the eyes of other people. 00:11:56.240 --> 00:11:59.139 Because when Jesus summed up the law of God, 00:11:59.879 --> 00:12:03.080 he said that we were made to love the Lord our God 00:12:03.080 --> 00:12:05.100 with all our heart and all our soul 00:12:05.100 --> 00:12:06.699 and all our mind and all our strength. 00:12:07.039 --> 00:12:08.819 And out of that love for God, 00:12:09.059 --> 00:12:11.399 we're to love our neighbor as ourselves. 00:12:11.399 --> 00:12:13.980 Jesus starts with our relationship with God 00:12:13.980 --> 00:12:16.980 and then he moves out to our relationship 00:12:16.980 --> 00:12:18.220 with everyone else. 00:12:19.139 --> 00:12:23.139 And righteousness means living as God desires us to live 00:12:23.139 --> 00:12:26.399 with respect to God and with respect to each other. 00:12:27.579 --> 00:12:29.799 And so Paul would put the question back to us, 00:12:30.179 --> 00:12:32.679 do any of us live in perfect conformity 00:12:32.679 --> 00:12:35.519 with God's law of love? 00:12:35.519 --> 00:12:38.840 And Paul is saying that since the fall of humanity, 00:12:38.840 --> 00:12:41.480 there's not been a single righteous person. 00:12:42.120 --> 00:12:44.860 Not Abraham or Moses or David 00:12:44.860 --> 00:12:48.340 or any of the prophets, Elijah, Isaiah, Jeremiah. 00:12:48.519 --> 00:12:50.419 These are some of the best people who've ever lived. 00:12:50.480 --> 00:12:52.779 He said none of them have been upright. 00:12:53.639 --> 00:12:55.519 All of them have failed in their relationship 00:12:55.519 --> 00:12:56.600 with God and their neighbor. 00:12:57.639 --> 00:12:59.179 Think of the best people you know, 00:12:59.179 --> 00:13:02.079 the noblest people, the most learned people, 00:13:02.159 --> 00:13:04.079 the most philanthropic people. 00:13:04.779 --> 00:13:07.519 If you drop this plumb line of God 00:13:07.519 --> 00:13:09.659 and his law of love, 00:13:10.319 --> 00:13:12.679 you'll see that we're actually not true. 00:13:12.799 --> 00:13:13.639 We're not straight. 00:13:13.779 --> 00:13:16.759 We're not upright and pure and blameless. 00:13:17.439 --> 00:13:18.120 And Paul would say, 00:13:18.259 --> 00:13:21.519 are you the solitary exception to this rule? 00:13:22.639 --> 00:13:24.620 He says, no, we're not the exalted creatures 00:13:24.620 --> 00:13:26.779 that God made us to be. 00:13:26.779 --> 00:13:30.220 And be very clear that being 00:13:30.220 --> 00:13:32.600 just a little bit better than the next person, 00:13:32.980 --> 00:13:34.019 as we sort of think about 00:13:34.019 --> 00:13:35.240 who's sitting around us this morning, 00:13:36.360 --> 00:13:38.379 being just a little bit better than the next person 00:13:38.379 --> 00:13:40.000 is really quite irrelevant 00:13:40.000 --> 00:13:42.839 in light of God's ultimate standard 00:13:42.839 --> 00:13:44.500 of being absolutely upright, 00:13:44.759 --> 00:13:46.559 like Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, 00:13:47.179 --> 00:13:49.220 before the power of sin entered the world. 00:13:50.419 --> 00:13:52.279 So Paul says, there's no one righteous, 00:13:53.120 --> 00:13:54.000 not even one. 00:13:54.059 --> 00:13:55.079 And then he goes on and he says, 00:13:55.080 --> 00:13:57.259 there's no one who understands. 00:13:58.720 --> 00:14:01.820 In Ephesians 4, Paul says that we've become darkened 00:14:01.820 --> 00:14:02.960 in our understanding. 00:14:03.820 --> 00:14:05.180 And that means that we're lacking 00:14:05.180 --> 00:14:07.560 the apprehension of spiritual truth, 00:14:07.759 --> 00:14:09.580 the apprehension of divine things. 00:14:10.520 --> 00:14:13.960 Of course, from a secular and human perspective, 00:14:14.520 --> 00:14:16.720 we have all kinds of understanding 00:14:16.720 --> 00:14:18.000 of the arts and the sciences, 00:14:18.300 --> 00:14:19.640 of politics and business, 00:14:19.780 --> 00:14:22.320 and all the things that we've become experts at. 00:14:22.320 --> 00:14:25.700 But he says, because of the power of sin, 00:14:26.240 --> 00:14:29.260 God is just simply not in our thoughts. 00:14:29.840 --> 00:14:30.940 He's not in our understanding. 00:14:32.040 --> 00:14:36.040 And because we don't understand God rightly, 00:14:36.760 --> 00:14:38.180 we don't understand ourselves. 00:14:38.680 --> 00:14:39.980 We don't understand our souls 00:14:39.980 --> 00:14:42.200 and what it means to have a relationship with God. 00:14:42.980 --> 00:14:45.740 And because we don't understand God and ourself 00:14:45.740 --> 00:14:48.500 and the way sin has alienated us 00:14:48.500 --> 00:14:51.120 and corrupted us in our relationship with God, 00:14:51.179 --> 00:14:54.600 we don't understand our precarious position 00:14:54.600 --> 00:14:56.720 under the wrath of God. 00:14:56.899 --> 00:14:58.179 And therefore, we don't understand 00:14:58.179 --> 00:15:01.139 that we need a righteousness from God to save us. 00:15:02.240 --> 00:15:02.940 And Paul would say, 00:15:03.059 --> 00:15:04.840 because we don't understand all of these things, 00:15:04.899 --> 00:15:05.879 we therefore don't understand 00:15:05.879 --> 00:15:07.519 what it means to be truly happy. 00:15:08.679 --> 00:15:10.639 We don't understand all the things 00:15:10.639 --> 00:15:12.500 that pertain to our eternal destiny. 00:15:13.259 --> 00:15:14.940 He says, no one understands. 00:15:14.940 --> 00:15:18.240 There's no one righteous, not even one. 00:15:18.320 --> 00:15:19.360 There's no one who understands. 00:15:19.500 --> 00:15:22.680 And then he says, there's no one who seeks God. 00:15:23.820 --> 00:15:25.140 If there's no one righteous 00:15:25.140 --> 00:15:26.280 and there's no one who understands, 00:15:26.380 --> 00:15:27.100 then what does that mean? 00:15:27.460 --> 00:15:28.360 Follow the logic. 00:15:28.600 --> 00:15:30.720 Paul says, because we're unrighteous, 00:15:30.800 --> 00:15:31.780 we lack understanding. 00:15:31.940 --> 00:15:33.420 And because we do not understand, 00:15:33.760 --> 00:15:35.720 we therefore do not seek after God. 00:15:37.020 --> 00:15:39.720 To seek God is to desire God. 00:15:39.720 --> 00:15:43.920 It's to want to know God and to enjoy God 00:15:43.920 --> 00:15:46.320 and to worship God and seek God in prayer 00:15:46.320 --> 00:15:48.300 and to want to know the will of God 00:15:48.300 --> 00:15:49.720 so that we can obey it. 00:15:50.759 --> 00:15:52.820 But Paul says, because all of us have come 00:15:52.820 --> 00:15:54.220 under the power of sin, 00:15:55.279 --> 00:15:57.120 we, whether we're trying to or not, 00:15:57.160 --> 00:15:58.180 we just ignore God. 00:15:58.940 --> 00:16:00.340 We neglect God. 00:16:00.460 --> 00:16:01.600 We avoid God. 00:16:01.660 --> 00:16:03.480 Instead of trying to seek to be close to God, 00:16:03.540 --> 00:16:05.759 we're actually moving away from God. 00:16:06.660 --> 00:16:07.720 And you might say again, 00:16:07.720 --> 00:16:08.899 Paul, wait a second. 00:16:09.480 --> 00:16:11.180 I know people who seek God. 00:16:11.259 --> 00:16:13.019 I know people who are spiritual seekers 00:16:13.019 --> 00:16:14.720 who say their prayers. 00:16:15.940 --> 00:16:16.960 And Paul would say, yes, 00:16:17.060 --> 00:16:18.899 but which God are they seeking? 00:16:19.879 --> 00:16:21.200 Is it the God of the Bible 00:16:21.200 --> 00:16:23.519 or is it the God that we've made in our own image 00:16:23.519 --> 00:16:25.340 and that conveniently conforms 00:16:25.340 --> 00:16:26.860 to all of our values and our preferences? 00:16:27.000 --> 00:16:28.259 Is that the God we're seeking? 00:16:29.100 --> 00:16:30.340 Or are we seeking the God 00:16:30.340 --> 00:16:31.620 who's revealed himself here? 00:16:33.000 --> 00:16:35.820 And are people truly seeking God for God? 00:16:35.820 --> 00:16:38.220 Or are they seeking God 00:16:38.220 --> 00:16:40.379 for the things that God can give them? 00:16:41.260 --> 00:16:43.980 Because many of us seek God for his blessings. 00:16:44.300 --> 00:16:45.960 We seek God for answered prayers. 00:16:46.160 --> 00:16:47.460 We seek God for forgiveness. 00:16:48.420 --> 00:16:49.240 But Paul would say, 00:16:49.500 --> 00:16:51.580 no one seeks God for himself 00:16:51.580 --> 00:16:52.740 rather than his gifts. 00:16:54.000 --> 00:16:56.100 To seek God means to desire God 00:16:56.100 --> 00:16:57.780 above everything and everybody. 00:16:58.060 --> 00:16:59.860 To seek his glory and to be anxious 00:16:59.860 --> 00:17:03.020 to promote his glory to everybody we see. 00:17:03.019 --> 00:17:07.579 To seek God in a biblical sense 00:17:07.579 --> 00:17:10.859 means that God is the center of our thinking 00:17:10.859 --> 00:17:13.900 and that the supreme object of our lives 00:17:13.900 --> 00:17:15.619 is to know him and love him 00:17:15.619 --> 00:17:17.279 and live for his glory. 00:17:17.619 --> 00:17:18.259 And Paul says, 00:17:18.539 --> 00:17:21.680 no one by nature and left to himself or herself 00:17:21.680 --> 00:17:24.619 has ever sought God for God's sake. 00:17:26.859 --> 00:17:29.680 Remember that parable we talked about two weeks ago 00:17:29.680 --> 00:17:30.820 from the Gospel of Luke. 00:17:30.940 --> 00:17:33.080 Jesus tells us about this Pharisee 00:17:33.080 --> 00:17:34.080 and this tax collector. 00:17:34.799 --> 00:17:36.340 And the Pharisee comes to God 00:17:36.340 --> 00:17:36.680 and he says, 00:17:36.779 --> 00:17:37.759 God, I thank you 00:17:37.759 --> 00:17:39.460 that I'm not like everyone else 00:17:39.460 --> 00:17:40.019 and I thank you 00:17:40.019 --> 00:17:41.759 for all the amazing things that I do. 00:17:43.200 --> 00:17:45.759 That is a man who thinks he's seeking God. 00:17:47.060 --> 00:17:48.720 But really he's just telling God 00:17:48.720 --> 00:17:50.460 what a wonderful person he is 00:17:50.460 --> 00:17:51.680 rather than telling God 00:17:51.680 --> 00:17:53.200 what a wonderful God he is. 00:17:53.600 --> 00:17:53.700 Right? 00:17:53.779 --> 00:17:55.500 He's coming to God, 00:17:55.940 --> 00:17:57.620 speaking about his own excellencies 00:17:57.619 --> 00:17:58.679 rather than coming to God 00:17:58.679 --> 00:18:00.659 and telling God all about his excellencies. 00:18:02.459 --> 00:18:04.659 And can we not see ourselves in that man? 00:18:06.279 --> 00:18:09.019 Seeking God in order to exalt ourselves 00:18:09.019 --> 00:18:11.899 is not seeking God at all. 00:18:13.839 --> 00:18:15.959 If anyone is truly seeking God, 00:18:16.939 --> 00:18:18.679 there's only one explanation for it 00:18:18.679 --> 00:18:21.219 and that is that God has first sought us 00:18:21.219 --> 00:18:23.559 and he's justified us by his grace, 00:18:23.679 --> 00:18:25.859 he's regenerated us by his Holy Spirit 00:18:25.859 --> 00:18:29.039 and he's enabled us to seek him. 00:18:30.039 --> 00:18:31.079 But the scriptures tell us 00:18:31.079 --> 00:18:32.240 that left to ourselves, 00:18:32.579 --> 00:18:33.799 we would never seek God 00:18:33.799 --> 00:18:36.459 and we would remain permanently 00:18:36.459 --> 00:18:37.819 at enmity with God 00:18:37.819 --> 00:18:40.539 and totally unreconciled to God. 00:18:41.619 --> 00:18:43.219 That's what Paul is bringing 00:18:43.219 --> 00:18:44.619 to our attention with these scriptures. 00:18:44.799 --> 00:18:45.179 He says, 00:18:45.919 --> 00:18:47.819 sin's power is devastating 00:18:47.819 --> 00:18:51.439 in terms of what we were made for. 00:18:52.879 --> 00:18:54.099 And he goes on and he says, 00:18:54.199 --> 00:18:55.479 sin's power is devastating 00:18:55.480 --> 00:18:57.299 and its effects are corrupting. 00:18:58.259 --> 00:18:59.960 Since power is devastating 00:18:59.960 --> 00:19:02.319 and its effects are corrupting, 00:19:02.500 --> 00:19:03.420 Paul is basically saying 00:19:03.420 --> 00:19:04.680 in verses 10 and 11, 00:19:04.839 --> 00:19:06.960 this is who we are in the state of sin 00:19:06.960 --> 00:19:08.140 and then he says in verse 12, 00:19:08.240 --> 00:19:09.160 now these are the effects 00:19:09.160 --> 00:19:11.440 and the results of being in that condition. 00:19:11.539 --> 00:19:12.579 And he says in verse 12, 00:19:12.940 --> 00:19:14.579 all have turned away. 00:19:16.200 --> 00:19:19.220 We were again created to walk in God's way, 00:19:19.960 --> 00:19:22.000 to journey on this true path 00:19:22.000 --> 00:19:24.299 that God marked out for human beings 00:19:24.299 --> 00:19:26.619 and yet we've all turned our backs 00:19:26.619 --> 00:19:27.900 and gone in the other direction. 00:19:29.079 --> 00:19:30.799 This is what the prophet Isaiah says 00:19:30.799 --> 00:19:31.619 in Isaiah 53, 00:19:31.839 --> 00:19:32.019 he says, 00:19:32.119 --> 00:19:33.779 we all like sheep have gone astray 00:19:33.779 --> 00:19:36.440 and each of us has turned to our own way. 00:19:37.579 --> 00:19:39.900 Every person born into this world 00:19:39.900 --> 00:19:41.640 since the fall of Adam and Eve 00:19:41.640 --> 00:19:44.039 have deliberately gone our own way, 00:19:44.220 --> 00:19:46.980 walking not in God's ways 00:19:46.980 --> 00:19:47.960 that lead to him 00:19:47.960 --> 00:19:48.920 and glorifying him 00:19:48.920 --> 00:19:49.819 and enjoying him 00:19:49.819 --> 00:19:52.720 but rather the lead on this road 00:19:52.720 --> 00:19:55.100 of separation from him 00:19:55.100 --> 00:19:56.559 in this life 00:19:56.559 --> 00:19:58.440 and on into eternity. 00:19:59.559 --> 00:20:00.039 Paul says, 00:20:00.340 --> 00:20:01.180 all have turned away 00:20:01.180 --> 00:20:03.880 and they have together become worthless. 00:20:05.180 --> 00:20:06.880 Holy and simultaneously, 00:20:07.700 --> 00:20:08.620 without exception, 00:20:08.779 --> 00:20:09.240 Paul says, 00:20:09.299 --> 00:20:10.140 we become worthless. 00:20:11.620 --> 00:20:12.740 He's so cruel. 00:20:14.019 --> 00:20:15.779 He's being cruel to be kind. 00:20:16.740 --> 00:20:19.399 That word worthless means unprofitable. 00:20:19.599 --> 00:20:21.740 It's a word that is used 00:20:21.740 --> 00:20:23.460 for when milk has spoiled 00:20:23.460 --> 00:20:24.539 and has gone sour 00:20:24.539 --> 00:20:25.799 and of course we know 00:20:25.799 --> 00:20:28.299 that milk is meant to be food for us. 00:20:28.379 --> 00:20:29.980 It's meant to give us satisfaction 00:20:29.980 --> 00:20:32.220 but when it's soured, 00:20:33.299 --> 00:20:35.119 it has no value anymore. 00:20:35.259 --> 00:20:35.779 It's useless 00:20:35.779 --> 00:20:36.960 and it's good for nothing 00:20:36.960 --> 00:20:38.579 but to be thrown out. 00:20:38.740 --> 00:20:39.139 Paul says, 00:20:39.299 --> 00:20:40.859 we've all become worthless 00:20:40.859 --> 00:20:41.759 and at this point again, 00:20:41.859 --> 00:20:42.779 you may object and say, 00:20:42.859 --> 00:20:43.940 Paul, you're too harsh. 00:20:43.940 --> 00:20:47.019 Paul, this is too sweeping of a statement. 00:20:47.220 --> 00:20:48.360 You're overdoing it 00:20:48.360 --> 00:20:50.779 because I know people who are good. 00:20:50.880 --> 00:20:51.700 They're good citizens. 00:20:51.960 --> 00:20:53.700 They're involved in good causes 00:20:53.700 --> 00:20:54.500 and Paul would say, 00:20:54.620 --> 00:20:56.240 yes, well the Bible doesn't say 00:20:56.240 --> 00:20:57.720 we're as bad or as rotten 00:20:57.720 --> 00:20:58.799 as we could be 00:20:58.799 --> 00:21:02.279 and from the standpoint 00:21:02.279 --> 00:21:03.259 of secular morality, 00:21:03.500 --> 00:21:05.100 yes, we probably do know 00:21:05.100 --> 00:21:06.580 some virtuous people 00:21:06.580 --> 00:21:08.460 but what about 00:21:08.460 --> 00:21:09.700 from the standpoint of God? 00:21:10.580 --> 00:21:12.840 From the standpoint of God's salvation, 00:21:12.839 --> 00:21:13.679 Paul says, 00:21:13.819 --> 00:21:14.839 every single one of us 00:21:14.839 --> 00:21:16.319 apart from the grace of God 00:21:16.319 --> 00:21:17.159 and Jesus Christ 00:21:17.159 --> 00:21:20.039 have become totally unprofitable. 00:21:21.639 --> 00:21:23.439 I think about the prophet Isaiah 00:21:23.439 --> 00:21:24.980 where he says in Isaiah 64, 00:21:25.779 --> 00:21:26.119 he says, 00:21:26.419 --> 00:21:27.419 all our righteous acts 00:21:27.419 --> 00:21:28.519 are filthy rags 00:21:28.519 --> 00:21:30.699 and that's striking 00:21:30.699 --> 00:21:31.859 because we would have expected him 00:21:31.859 --> 00:21:34.259 to say all of our unrighteous acts 00:21:34.259 --> 00:21:35.159 are filthy rags 00:21:35.159 --> 00:21:35.859 but what does he say? 00:21:35.939 --> 00:21:36.099 He says, 00:21:36.179 --> 00:21:37.619 all of our righteous acts 00:21:37.619 --> 00:21:39.240 are filthy rags. 00:21:39.240 --> 00:21:42.200 Paul says something similar 00:21:42.200 --> 00:21:43.380 in Philippians chapter three 00:21:43.380 --> 00:21:45.079 when he's talking about himself 00:21:45.079 --> 00:21:45.960 and he says, 00:21:46.059 --> 00:21:46.180 you know, 00:21:46.240 --> 00:21:47.579 I was a Hebrew of Hebrews, 00:21:48.039 --> 00:21:49.839 I was a Pharisee of Pharisees 00:21:49.839 --> 00:21:51.420 and as it pertains 00:21:51.420 --> 00:21:52.120 to righteousness 00:21:52.120 --> 00:21:53.299 according to the law, 00:21:53.539 --> 00:21:55.059 I was completely faultless 00:21:55.059 --> 00:21:57.980 but when I saw 00:21:57.980 --> 00:21:59.680 the glory of Jesus Christ, 00:22:00.319 --> 00:22:01.859 I realized that all 00:22:01.859 --> 00:22:02.680 of that righteousness 00:22:02.680 --> 00:22:04.799 was a complete loss. 00:22:04.799 --> 00:22:06.539 In fact, 00:22:06.599 --> 00:22:07.460 the word he uses, 00:22:07.579 --> 00:22:08.619 I won't translate it 00:22:08.619 --> 00:22:09.500 exactly 00:22:09.500 --> 00:22:10.279 because we're in church 00:22:10.279 --> 00:22:10.680 this morning 00:22:10.680 --> 00:22:11.200 but he says, 00:22:11.559 --> 00:22:12.240 all my righteousness 00:22:12.240 --> 00:22:13.980 was absolute dung, 00:22:15.099 --> 00:22:16.819 completely worthless 00:22:16.819 --> 00:22:18.480 and useless to save me. 00:22:18.539 --> 00:22:19.639 That's what Paul's getting at 00:22:19.639 --> 00:22:20.079 when he says 00:22:20.079 --> 00:22:21.559 we've all become worthless. 00:22:22.579 --> 00:22:23.440 He's not saying 00:22:23.440 --> 00:22:24.799 that his righteousness 00:22:24.799 --> 00:22:26.159 wasn't quite good enough, 00:22:26.240 --> 00:22:28.259 he calls it total garbage. 00:22:29.740 --> 00:22:30.759 It's not that 00:22:30.759 --> 00:22:32.079 we need to be 00:22:32.079 --> 00:22:33.859 just improved a little bit 00:22:33.859 --> 00:22:36.240 or helped a touch 00:22:36.240 --> 00:22:37.240 or topped off 00:22:37.240 --> 00:22:38.339 just a skosh. 00:22:40.379 --> 00:22:41.259 Paul is saying 00:22:41.259 --> 00:22:42.039 that our righteousness 00:22:42.039 --> 00:22:44.240 is so pitifully worthless 00:22:44.240 --> 00:22:46.299 that it was necessary 00:22:46.299 --> 00:22:47.279 for God to become 00:22:47.279 --> 00:22:48.079 a human being 00:22:48.079 --> 00:22:49.159 and to die on a cross 00:22:49.159 --> 00:22:50.740 and if God has to die, 00:22:51.579 --> 00:22:52.240 our righteousness 00:22:52.240 --> 00:22:54.719 must be pretty worthless. 00:22:57.359 --> 00:22:58.599 All have turned away, 00:22:58.719 --> 00:22:59.179 they've together 00:22:59.179 --> 00:22:59.959 become worthless 00:22:59.959 --> 00:23:01.099 and there is no one 00:23:01.099 --> 00:23:01.919 who does good, 00:23:02.099 --> 00:23:03.359 not even one. 00:23:04.419 --> 00:23:04.819 And again, 00:23:04.899 --> 00:23:05.599 this isn't goodness 00:23:05.599 --> 00:23:06.619 in our eyes 00:23:06.619 --> 00:23:07.799 which tends to lead us 00:23:07.799 --> 00:23:09.339 toward self-righteousness. 00:23:10.299 --> 00:23:11.000 It's goodness 00:23:11.000 --> 00:23:11.979 in the eyes of God 00:23:11.979 --> 00:23:14.079 and God can see 00:23:14.079 --> 00:23:15.119 that our goodness 00:23:15.119 --> 00:23:17.119 is invariably self-centered. 00:23:18.119 --> 00:23:19.019 We probably all 00:23:19.019 --> 00:23:20.539 have that experience 00:23:20.539 --> 00:23:22.559 where you're kind 00:23:22.559 --> 00:23:23.299 to other people 00:23:23.299 --> 00:23:24.559 and you serve other people 00:23:24.559 --> 00:23:25.459 but really, 00:23:25.699 --> 00:23:26.039 it's kind of 00:23:26.039 --> 00:23:26.959 to please yourself. 00:23:28.299 --> 00:23:28.879 And Paul is saying 00:23:28.879 --> 00:23:30.000 that even our goodness 00:23:30.000 --> 00:23:31.079 is tainted 00:23:31.079 --> 00:23:32.319 with this self-interest 00:23:32.319 --> 00:23:33.339 because it's polluted 00:23:33.339 --> 00:23:34.720 at the very source 00:23:34.720 --> 00:23:35.339 and at this point 00:23:35.339 --> 00:23:35.939 you might be saying, 00:23:36.079 --> 00:23:36.720 okay, enough. 00:23:37.839 --> 00:23:38.679 Enough, Paul. 00:23:38.740 --> 00:23:40.139 I can't handle it anymore. 00:23:40.220 --> 00:23:41.240 I've heard your diagnosis 00:23:41.240 --> 00:23:42.839 and you're being 00:23:42.839 --> 00:23:44.679 way too cruel to us 00:23:44.679 --> 00:23:46.639 and you're absolutely relentless. 00:23:46.759 --> 00:23:47.859 I need a little relief. 00:23:49.019 --> 00:23:50.019 And so I'm going to give you 00:23:50.019 --> 00:23:50.939 some relief, okay? 00:23:51.339 --> 00:23:52.460 We're going to skip over 00:23:52.460 --> 00:23:54.720 verses 13 to 14 00:23:54.720 --> 00:23:55.720 where Paul talks about 00:23:55.720 --> 00:23:56.839 the sin of our words 00:23:56.839 --> 00:23:57.319 and what we do 00:23:57.319 --> 00:23:58.039 with our mouths 00:23:58.039 --> 00:24:00.019 and we're going to skip over 00:24:00.019 --> 00:24:01.439 verses 15 to 17 00:24:01.439 --> 00:24:02.740 and the sins of our deeds, 00:24:02.819 --> 00:24:03.700 what we do with our feet 00:24:03.700 --> 00:24:04.619 and with our hands 00:24:04.619 --> 00:24:06.419 and we're going to skip over 00:24:06.419 --> 00:24:07.240 verse 18. 00:24:07.759 --> 00:24:09.099 The cause of all these things 00:24:09.099 --> 00:24:09.659 is what we do 00:24:09.659 --> 00:24:10.500 with our eyes, 00:24:10.619 --> 00:24:12.399 what our eyes are looking at 00:24:12.399 --> 00:24:14.019 or actually not looking at 00:24:14.019 --> 00:24:15.799 and we're going to jump 00:24:15.799 --> 00:24:16.359 to the point 00:24:16.359 --> 00:24:17.639 and ask this question, 00:24:17.779 --> 00:24:19.559 why is Paul so relentless 00:24:19.559 --> 00:24:21.859 in showing us 00:24:21.859 --> 00:24:22.879 the power of sin 00:24:22.879 --> 00:24:23.539 in our lives? 00:24:24.339 --> 00:24:25.460 Why is he so relentless? 00:24:25.460 --> 00:24:27.900 Well he says in verse 19, 00:24:28.079 --> 00:24:29.059 now we know 00:24:29.059 --> 00:24:31.140 that whatever the law says, 00:24:31.200 --> 00:24:31.920 it says to those 00:24:31.920 --> 00:24:32.720 who are under the law 00:24:32.720 --> 00:24:33.640 so that every mouth 00:24:33.640 --> 00:24:34.440 may be silenced 00:24:34.440 --> 00:24:35.360 and the whole world 00:24:35.360 --> 00:24:37.059 held accountable to God. 00:24:38.180 --> 00:24:39.240 So that the whole, 00:24:40.079 --> 00:24:41.000 so that every mouth 00:24:41.000 --> 00:24:41.720 may be silenced 00:24:41.720 --> 00:24:42.620 and the whole world 00:24:42.620 --> 00:24:44.440 held accountable to God. 00:24:45.559 --> 00:24:46.299 Paul is saying, 00:24:46.380 --> 00:24:47.940 look, imagine a court of law 00:24:47.940 --> 00:24:50.279 and you are the criminal 00:24:50.279 --> 00:24:50.980 in the dock 00:24:50.980 --> 00:24:53.799 and the judge looks at you 00:24:53.799 --> 00:24:54.740 and asks you, 00:24:55.200 --> 00:24:55.980 do you have anything 00:24:55.980 --> 00:24:57.659 to say in your defense? 00:24:59.539 --> 00:25:00.519 And Paul says, 00:25:01.159 --> 00:25:02.619 our mouths should be silenced. 00:25:04.359 --> 00:25:05.680 We should be saying 00:25:05.680 --> 00:25:06.519 nothing at all 00:25:06.519 --> 00:25:07.379 in our defense 00:25:07.379 --> 00:25:09.740 because when our mouths 00:25:09.740 --> 00:25:10.299 are silenced, 00:25:10.460 --> 00:25:11.740 your guilt is proved 00:25:11.740 --> 00:25:12.819 and you cannot justify 00:25:12.819 --> 00:25:14.359 yourself at all. 00:25:15.419 --> 00:25:16.220 And Paul's point is 00:25:16.220 --> 00:25:17.200 that God wants to put 00:25:17.200 --> 00:25:18.519 an end to all 00:25:18.519 --> 00:25:19.119 of our talking. 00:25:19.119 --> 00:25:21.259 He wants us to put 00:25:21.259 --> 00:25:23.099 a hand over our mouth 00:25:23.099 --> 00:25:23.819 when it's anxious 00:25:23.819 --> 00:25:25.059 to defend itself 00:25:25.059 --> 00:25:26.519 so that the whole world 00:25:26.519 --> 00:25:27.879 is rendered speechless 00:25:27.879 --> 00:25:28.859 before God. 00:25:30.039 --> 00:25:31.679 Go back to our Pharisee 00:25:31.679 --> 00:25:32.599 and our tax collector. 00:25:33.579 --> 00:25:34.459 The Pharisee says, 00:25:34.559 --> 00:25:35.639 God, I thank you 00:25:35.639 --> 00:25:36.739 and then he just pours out 00:25:36.739 --> 00:25:38.039 all these eloquent words 00:25:38.039 --> 00:25:39.219 describing himself 00:25:39.219 --> 00:25:40.039 and telling God 00:25:40.039 --> 00:25:41.819 what a good man he is 00:25:41.819 --> 00:25:42.759 and how unlike 00:25:42.759 --> 00:25:44.139 this tax collector he is 00:25:44.139 --> 00:25:44.939 and what he does 00:25:44.939 --> 00:25:45.919 and what he does not do 00:25:45.919 --> 00:25:46.599 and he just talks 00:25:46.599 --> 00:25:47.559 and talks and talks 00:25:47.559 --> 00:25:49.199 and talks about himself. 00:25:51.059 --> 00:25:51.740 But how does 00:25:51.740 --> 00:25:52.639 the tax collector come? 00:25:52.699 --> 00:25:53.699 It says that he stops 00:25:53.699 --> 00:25:54.359 his mouth 00:25:54.359 --> 00:25:57.500 and he silences his heart 00:25:57.500 --> 00:25:59.379 and if he says 00:25:59.379 --> 00:26:00.559 anything to God at all 00:26:00.559 --> 00:26:01.159 he just says, 00:26:01.579 --> 00:26:03.259 God, have mercy on me 00:26:03.259 --> 00:26:03.699 a sinner. 00:26:05.319 --> 00:26:05.919 That's something 00:26:05.919 --> 00:26:07.419 we need to learn to say. 00:26:07.480 --> 00:26:08.099 Can we say that together? 00:26:08.679 --> 00:26:10.619 God, have mercy on me 00:26:10.619 --> 00:26:11.500 a sinner. 00:26:12.919 --> 00:26:13.799 What about you? 00:26:13.879 --> 00:26:14.500 Has your mouth 00:26:14.500 --> 00:26:15.679 been silenced? 00:26:16.599 --> 00:26:17.539 Have you stopped 00:26:17.539 --> 00:26:18.899 speaking in the presence 00:26:18.899 --> 00:26:20.000 of this holy God? 00:26:20.819 --> 00:26:21.759 Have you given up 00:26:21.759 --> 00:26:22.939 self-justification 00:26:22.939 --> 00:26:23.819 and quit arguing 00:26:23.819 --> 00:26:24.959 against this charge 00:26:24.959 --> 00:26:25.639 and this verdict 00:26:25.639 --> 00:26:26.439 that you are under 00:26:26.439 --> 00:26:27.539 the power and penalty 00:26:27.539 --> 00:26:29.399 and pollution of sin? 00:26:30.179 --> 00:26:31.459 Or do you still say, 00:26:31.539 --> 00:26:32.799 God, look at all I've done 00:26:32.799 --> 00:26:33.939 and aren't you impressed 00:26:33.939 --> 00:26:34.539 by all the things 00:26:34.539 --> 00:26:35.299 I've not done? 00:26:37.819 --> 00:26:38.539 Paul's saying, 00:26:39.399 --> 00:26:40.519 look, you're never going 00:26:40.519 --> 00:26:42.139 to receive God's salvation 00:26:42.140 --> 00:26:44.520 that's described for us 00:26:44.520 --> 00:26:45.759 in Romans chapter 3 00:26:45.759 --> 00:26:47.140 verses 21 and following 00:26:47.140 --> 00:26:47.920 and I promise you 00:26:47.920 --> 00:26:48.520 we're going to get out 00:26:48.520 --> 00:26:49.420 of all this bad news 00:26:49.420 --> 00:26:50.000 next week. 00:26:51.220 --> 00:26:51.820 But he says, 00:26:51.900 --> 00:26:52.360 you're never going 00:26:52.360 --> 00:26:53.620 to receive God's salvation 00:26:53.620 --> 00:26:55.160 unless you shut up spiritually 00:26:55.160 --> 00:26:57.340 and unless your mouth 00:26:57.340 --> 00:26:57.880 is silenced 00:26:57.880 --> 00:26:59.000 with no more excuses. 00:27:01.240 --> 00:27:02.280 If you're still saying 00:27:02.280 --> 00:27:02.620 to yourself, 00:27:02.720 --> 00:27:04.000 God, I know that I did wrong 00:27:04.000 --> 00:27:04.820 but I can do better 00:27:04.820 --> 00:27:05.400 next time. 00:27:06.160 --> 00:27:06.680 And God, 00:27:06.740 --> 00:27:07.820 I see that my motives 00:27:07.820 --> 00:27:08.360 are not right 00:27:08.360 --> 00:27:10.060 but I think I can turn it around, 00:27:10.059 --> 00:27:11.980 you've not shut up 00:27:11.980 --> 00:27:12.720 and therefore you're not 00:27:12.720 --> 00:27:13.659 ready for salvation. 00:27:15.139 --> 00:27:16.139 You've got to realize 00:27:16.139 --> 00:27:17.559 that you cannot fix yourself 00:27:17.559 --> 00:27:18.679 and that every effort 00:27:18.679 --> 00:27:19.740 to fix yourself 00:27:19.740 --> 00:27:20.879 and put yourself together 00:27:20.879 --> 00:27:22.700 and be a better person 00:27:22.700 --> 00:27:23.740 and try harder 00:27:23.740 --> 00:27:25.359 in an effort of self-salvation 00:27:25.359 --> 00:27:26.319 and self-sufficiency 00:27:26.319 --> 00:27:28.500 is just making you worse. 00:27:30.339 --> 00:27:30.899 Paul says, 00:27:31.000 --> 00:27:31.899 you need to be quiet. 00:27:32.960 --> 00:27:33.740 You need to come 00:27:33.740 --> 00:27:34.919 to the end of yourself 00:27:34.919 --> 00:27:36.200 and learn to be sorry. 00:27:37.119 --> 00:27:38.220 Not only for all 00:27:38.220 --> 00:27:39.159 that you've done wrong 00:27:39.160 --> 00:27:40.800 but even for the reasons 00:27:40.800 --> 00:27:42.600 you've done everything right 00:27:42.600 --> 00:27:45.400 and to see that 00:27:45.400 --> 00:27:46.279 your righteousness 00:27:46.279 --> 00:27:48.580 is totally worthless, 00:27:49.640 --> 00:27:50.840 it's filthy rags, 00:27:51.700 --> 00:27:52.980 it's dung 00:27:52.980 --> 00:27:54.420 and say, 00:27:54.500 --> 00:27:54.759 God, 00:27:54.880 --> 00:27:55.660 it's true. 00:27:56.440 --> 00:27:57.600 I have nothing to say. 00:27:57.720 --> 00:27:58.400 I give up 00:27:58.400 --> 00:27:58.980 and I give in. 00:27:58.980 --> 00:28:01.060 We must admit 00:28:01.060 --> 00:28:02.759 that there's this terrible force, 00:28:02.980 --> 00:28:04.960 this mighty active power 00:28:04.960 --> 00:28:05.860 called sin 00:28:05.860 --> 00:28:07.580 which is alienating us 00:28:07.579 --> 00:28:08.159 from God 00:28:08.159 --> 00:28:10.099 and it's only 00:28:10.099 --> 00:28:11.099 as we face this 00:28:11.099 --> 00:28:11.619 and realize 00:28:11.619 --> 00:28:12.980 the true nature 00:28:12.980 --> 00:28:13.599 of our problem, 00:28:13.699 --> 00:28:14.559 how devastating 00:28:14.559 --> 00:28:15.740 and how corrupting 00:28:15.740 --> 00:28:17.099 the power of sin is 00:28:17.099 --> 00:28:18.159 that we can come to see 00:28:18.159 --> 00:28:20.199 the one power alone, 00:28:20.919 --> 00:28:21.539 the sufficient 00:28:21.539 --> 00:28:22.879 and adequate 00:28:22.879 --> 00:28:24.699 to deal 00:28:24.699 --> 00:28:25.819 with our situation 00:28:25.819 --> 00:28:28.240 and that's where 00:28:28.240 --> 00:28:28.819 I want to close. 00:28:28.960 --> 00:28:29.720 Sin's power 00:28:29.720 --> 00:28:30.519 is devastating 00:28:30.519 --> 00:28:31.460 and its effects 00:28:31.460 --> 00:28:32.059 corrupting 00:28:32.059 --> 00:28:33.539 but God's power 00:28:33.539 --> 00:28:34.279 is saving. 00:28:35.659 --> 00:28:36.419 God's power 00:28:36.419 --> 00:28:37.000 is saving. 00:28:38.059 --> 00:28:38.559 I hope you can 00:28:38.559 --> 00:28:39.899 understand now 00:28:39.899 --> 00:28:42.399 given Paul's argument 00:28:42.399 --> 00:28:43.299 about the power 00:28:43.299 --> 00:28:43.779 of sin 00:28:43.779 --> 00:28:44.659 why he says 00:28:44.659 --> 00:28:45.259 in the thesis 00:28:45.259 --> 00:28:45.940 of this letter 00:28:45.940 --> 00:28:47.059 in Romans 1.16 00:28:47.059 --> 00:28:48.319 I'm not ashamed 00:28:48.319 --> 00:28:48.879 of the gospel 00:28:48.879 --> 00:28:49.960 because it is what? 00:28:51.059 --> 00:28:51.879 It's the power 00:28:51.879 --> 00:28:52.419 of God 00:28:52.419 --> 00:28:53.839 that brings salvation 00:28:53.839 --> 00:28:54.399 to everyone 00:28:54.399 --> 00:28:55.119 who believes. 00:28:56.139 --> 00:28:56.720 Paul uses 00:28:56.720 --> 00:28:58.059 these two negatives 00:28:58.059 --> 00:28:59.299 to express a positive. 00:28:59.460 --> 00:28:59.700 He says, 00:28:59.819 --> 00:29:00.619 I'm not ashamed 00:29:00.619 --> 00:29:02.039 meaning I'm proud 00:29:02.039 --> 00:29:02.579 of the gospel, 00:29:02.719 --> 00:29:03.779 I glory in the gospel, 00:29:03.979 --> 00:29:05.559 I boast about the gospel 00:29:05.559 --> 00:29:07.439 and you have to remember 00:29:07.439 --> 00:29:08.000 that Rome 00:29:08.000 --> 00:29:10.079 is a very proud city. 00:29:10.219 --> 00:29:11.459 It's the proudest city 00:29:11.459 --> 00:29:12.399 because it's the great 00:29:12.399 --> 00:29:13.979 metropolis of the world. 00:29:14.039 --> 00:29:14.679 I was in New York 00:29:14.679 --> 00:29:15.039 this week, 00:29:15.079 --> 00:29:15.799 I know how proud 00:29:15.799 --> 00:29:16.699 these people were. 00:29:18.099 --> 00:29:18.879 They boasted 00:29:18.879 --> 00:29:19.659 of great wealth 00:29:19.659 --> 00:29:20.299 and power 00:29:20.299 --> 00:29:21.579 and learning 00:29:21.579 --> 00:29:22.179 and culture. 00:29:22.359 --> 00:29:22.819 They attracted 00:29:22.819 --> 00:29:23.819 the best people 00:29:23.819 --> 00:29:25.399 and the finest goods. 00:29:25.619 --> 00:29:26.739 All that was prized 00:29:26.739 --> 00:29:27.579 and valued most 00:29:27.579 --> 00:29:28.799 came to Rome. 00:29:28.859 --> 00:29:29.500 All the religions, 00:29:29.679 --> 00:29:30.179 all the schools 00:29:30.180 --> 00:29:30.720 of thought, 00:29:31.740 --> 00:29:32.620 structures of law, 00:29:32.759 --> 00:29:33.720 systems of government, 00:29:33.880 --> 00:29:35.400 all their amazing buildings. 00:29:35.539 --> 00:29:36.560 Any of you been to Rome? 00:29:37.519 --> 00:29:38.279 Okay, you know. 00:29:39.539 --> 00:29:40.180 In Rome, 00:29:40.680 --> 00:29:41.620 human culture 00:29:41.620 --> 00:29:42.580 and human progress 00:29:42.580 --> 00:29:43.820 seem to have reached 00:29:43.820 --> 00:29:44.620 its zenith 00:29:44.620 --> 00:29:46.600 and it was the very 00:29:46.600 --> 00:29:47.940 embodiment of pride 00:29:47.940 --> 00:29:48.920 and human greatness 00:29:48.920 --> 00:29:50.039 and the boasting 00:29:50.039 --> 00:29:51.440 of human achievement 00:29:51.440 --> 00:29:52.580 and Paul comes along 00:29:52.580 --> 00:29:53.000 and he says, 00:29:53.160 --> 00:29:54.019 I am proud 00:29:54.019 --> 00:29:54.820 and I boast 00:29:54.820 --> 00:29:57.220 but I boast 00:29:57.220 --> 00:29:57.960 in none of this 00:29:57.960 --> 00:29:58.720 Roman power. 00:29:58.720 --> 00:29:59.120 No, 00:29:59.640 --> 00:30:00.160 I boast 00:30:00.160 --> 00:30:00.819 in the power 00:30:00.819 --> 00:30:01.680 of God. 00:30:03.100 --> 00:30:04.200 Power was everything 00:30:04.200 --> 00:30:04.839 for Rome. 00:30:05.680 --> 00:30:05.960 Right, 00:30:06.000 --> 00:30:06.860 they didn't consider 00:30:06.860 --> 00:30:08.220 anything unless it worked, 00:30:08.319 --> 00:30:09.339 unless it had power, 00:30:09.460 --> 00:30:10.940 unless it produced results 00:30:10.940 --> 00:30:12.299 and Paul comes 00:30:12.299 --> 00:30:13.500 and he looks at Rome 00:30:13.500 --> 00:30:14.460 and he basically says, 00:30:14.579 --> 00:30:15.740 is this all you've been able 00:30:15.740 --> 00:30:16.380 to produce? 00:30:17.819 --> 00:30:19.140 Is this all you have 00:30:19.140 --> 00:30:19.720 to boast about? 00:30:19.779 --> 00:30:20.360 Because I have 00:30:20.360 --> 00:30:21.799 a greater boast. 00:30:22.680 --> 00:30:23.539 I have something 00:30:23.539 --> 00:30:24.480 that can actually deal 00:30:24.480 --> 00:30:25.299 with the problems 00:30:25.299 --> 00:30:26.500 of human life. 00:30:26.579 --> 00:30:27.480 I know of something 00:30:27.480 --> 00:30:28.599 that can save people 00:30:28.599 --> 00:30:29.460 from the power 00:30:29.460 --> 00:30:30.500 and the penalty 00:30:30.500 --> 00:30:31.519 and the pollution 00:30:31.519 --> 00:30:32.519 of sin. 00:30:33.839 --> 00:30:34.899 To these proud 00:30:34.899 --> 00:30:37.059 and cultured people, 00:30:37.180 --> 00:30:38.159 the self-satisfied 00:30:38.159 --> 00:30:39.319 metropolis of the world 00:30:39.319 --> 00:30:40.200 with all of its wealth 00:30:40.200 --> 00:30:40.960 and its power, 00:30:42.039 --> 00:30:42.879 Paul is proud 00:30:42.879 --> 00:30:44.079 of a greater power, 00:30:44.579 --> 00:30:45.500 the power of the gospel. 00:30:46.639 --> 00:30:47.039 He says, 00:30:47.220 --> 00:30:48.180 all that Rome is 00:30:48.180 --> 00:30:49.639 and all that it can boast about, 00:30:49.759 --> 00:30:51.279 all of the power of Rome 00:30:51.279 --> 00:30:53.279 just pales into insignificance 00:30:53.279 --> 00:30:55.299 compared to the power of God 00:30:55.299 --> 00:30:55.940 and so he says, 00:30:56.039 --> 00:30:56.639 I'm not ashamed 00:30:56.639 --> 00:30:57.799 because I know of a power 00:30:57.799 --> 00:30:59.480 that's a transcendent power 00:30:59.480 --> 00:31:01.240 and he says, 00:31:01.319 --> 00:31:02.879 my boast is in the power of God 00:31:02.879 --> 00:31:04.859 and his gospel to save us 00:31:04.859 --> 00:31:07.259 and Paul knows that, 00:31:08.420 --> 00:31:11.000 he knows the response 00:31:11.000 --> 00:31:11.700 he's going to get, 00:31:12.259 --> 00:31:12.579 right, 00:31:12.579 --> 00:31:13.420 when he rolls up 00:31:13.420 --> 00:31:14.480 into this capital city, 00:31:15.319 --> 00:31:17.079 he knows he's going to be ridiculed 00:31:17.079 --> 00:31:18.180 and laughed at, 00:31:19.099 --> 00:31:20.379 he knows that people 00:31:20.379 --> 00:31:21.099 are going to say, 00:31:21.099 --> 00:31:21.579 hey Paul, 00:31:21.699 --> 00:31:22.859 you should actually be ashamed, 00:31:23.000 --> 00:31:23.679 very ashamed 00:31:23.679 --> 00:31:24.679 of this message 00:31:24.679 --> 00:31:26.939 to suggest that 00:31:26.939 --> 00:31:28.500 to these proud Romans 00:31:28.500 --> 00:31:29.579 that some small 00:31:29.579 --> 00:31:30.740 and insignificant group 00:31:30.740 --> 00:31:32.039 of people over here 00:31:32.039 --> 00:31:33.139 that belong to this 00:31:33.139 --> 00:31:34.980 poorest of Rome's colonies 00:31:34.980 --> 00:31:36.319 and her conquered territories 00:31:36.319 --> 00:31:37.899 possesses the truth 00:31:37.899 --> 00:31:39.159 and possesses a power 00:31:39.159 --> 00:31:41.719 that the whole of humanity needs 00:31:41.719 --> 00:31:43.079 is absolutely ridiculous 00:31:43.079 --> 00:31:44.319 and utter folly, 00:31:44.459 --> 00:31:44.659 Paul. 00:31:45.939 --> 00:31:47.099 To come here 00:31:47.099 --> 00:31:48.459 and claim that Jesus 00:31:48.459 --> 00:31:50.259 who belonged to this 00:31:50.259 --> 00:31:51.960 despised town in Israel 00:31:51.960 --> 00:31:53.339 far from being a scholar 00:31:53.339 --> 00:31:54.240 and a philosopher, 00:31:54.420 --> 00:31:56.000 just a common worker 00:31:56.000 --> 00:31:58.000 was the unique son of God 00:31:58.000 --> 00:31:59.319 and the savior of the world, 00:31:59.480 --> 00:31:59.799 Paul, 00:31:59.900 --> 00:32:00.720 that's madness. 00:32:02.140 --> 00:32:02.859 And more than that, 00:32:02.920 --> 00:32:04.240 to say that this Jesus, 00:32:04.599 --> 00:32:06.019 far from being a conqueror 00:32:06.019 --> 00:32:08.519 who subdued nations to himself 00:32:08.519 --> 00:32:09.319 by his might 00:32:09.319 --> 00:32:10.259 and by his power 00:32:10.259 --> 00:32:11.079 like our Caesar, 00:32:11.740 --> 00:32:13.539 he was actually crucified 00:32:13.539 --> 00:32:15.519 in utter weakness 00:32:15.519 --> 00:32:16.339 and helplessness 00:32:16.339 --> 00:32:17.700 between two thieves, 00:32:17.700 --> 00:32:18.080 Paul, 00:32:18.180 --> 00:32:18.819 this message 00:32:18.819 --> 00:32:19.960 that you come to bring 00:32:19.960 --> 00:32:21.860 is beneath contempt. 00:32:23.860 --> 00:32:25.160 But is Paul ashamed 00:32:25.160 --> 00:32:25.720 of the gospel? 00:32:27.480 --> 00:32:27.940 No. 00:32:29.039 --> 00:32:30.259 A thousand times, 00:32:30.360 --> 00:32:30.559 no. 00:32:32.059 --> 00:32:32.900 Paul, rather, 00:32:33.000 --> 00:32:33.480 is ashamed 00:32:33.480 --> 00:32:35.120 of all of our foolish pride. 00:32:36.120 --> 00:32:36.960 He's ashamed 00:32:36.960 --> 00:32:38.480 of all of our empty pomp 00:32:38.480 --> 00:32:39.799 and our futile schemes 00:32:39.799 --> 00:32:41.500 and vain strivings 00:32:41.500 --> 00:32:42.319 to save ourselves. 00:32:42.519 --> 00:32:43.440 He's ashamed 00:32:43.440 --> 00:32:45.080 of all of our worthless righteousness. 00:32:45.079 --> 00:32:47.119 And he says 00:32:47.119 --> 00:32:47.759 that the power 00:32:47.759 --> 00:32:49.500 that Rome really needs, 00:32:49.579 --> 00:32:50.099 the power 00:32:50.099 --> 00:32:51.500 that the Bay Area 00:32:51.500 --> 00:32:53.179 really needs 00:32:53.179 --> 00:32:55.139 is the gospel of God 00:32:55.139 --> 00:32:56.339 and the gospel of his son. 00:32:57.559 --> 00:32:59.179 The power of God's salvation 00:32:59.179 --> 00:33:00.559 is not about God 00:33:00.559 --> 00:33:02.419 waiting for us 00:33:02.419 --> 00:33:03.039 to seek him 00:33:03.039 --> 00:33:04.099 because as we've seen today, 00:33:04.199 --> 00:33:05.740 no one is really seeking God. 00:33:06.899 --> 00:33:07.099 No, 00:33:07.179 --> 00:33:08.679 the power of God's salvation 00:33:08.679 --> 00:33:09.619 is about God 00:33:09.619 --> 00:33:11.879 and his infinite power 00:33:11.879 --> 00:33:13.480 seeking after us. 00:33:13.480 --> 00:33:16.740 It's about God 00:33:16.740 --> 00:33:18.339 coming and finding us 00:33:18.339 --> 00:33:19.440 at infinite cost 00:33:19.440 --> 00:33:20.120 to himself. 00:33:20.940 --> 00:33:22.059 This powerful, 00:33:22.319 --> 00:33:23.019 immortal God 00:33:23.019 --> 00:33:24.019 who became a weak 00:33:24.019 --> 00:33:25.640 and mortal human being, 00:33:25.819 --> 00:33:26.660 God in the flesh, 00:33:26.819 --> 00:33:27.259 crucified 00:33:27.259 --> 00:33:29.220 in powerlessness 00:33:29.220 --> 00:33:31.079 in your place. 00:33:31.180 --> 00:33:31.660 Paul says 00:33:31.660 --> 00:33:32.980 that is the only power. 00:33:33.920 --> 00:33:35.500 The weakness of Christ, 00:33:36.319 --> 00:33:37.140 the powerlessness 00:33:37.140 --> 00:33:37.900 of his cross 00:33:37.900 --> 00:33:39.120 is the only power 00:33:39.120 --> 00:33:40.640 that can save you 00:33:40.640 --> 00:33:41.559 from the power of sin. 00:33:41.559 --> 00:33:42.579 It's the only power 00:33:42.579 --> 00:33:43.799 that can save you 00:33:43.799 --> 00:33:45.500 for a reconciled relationship 00:33:45.500 --> 00:33:47.940 with your creator God. 00:33:50.039 --> 00:33:50.859 And so Paul says 00:33:50.859 --> 00:33:52.159 in Galatians 6, 14, 00:33:52.279 --> 00:33:52.559 he says, 00:33:52.679 --> 00:33:53.740 may I never boast 00:33:53.740 --> 00:33:55.940 except in the cross 00:33:55.940 --> 00:33:57.899 of our Lord Jesus Christ. 00:33:59.899 --> 00:34:00.379 Friends, 00:34:00.460 --> 00:34:01.440 what are we boasting in? 00:34:03.019 --> 00:34:04.599 What are we proud of? 00:34:04.599 --> 00:34:07.339 What's the greatest power 00:34:07.339 --> 00:34:09.219 in our lives? 00:34:11.039 --> 00:34:11.739 Paul says 00:34:11.739 --> 00:34:12.779 this cross of Jesus 00:34:12.779 --> 00:34:13.819 is the only power 00:34:13.819 --> 00:34:14.539 that can break 00:34:14.539 --> 00:34:16.039 the power of sin. 00:34:17.199 --> 00:34:18.659 It's his sacrificial death 00:34:18.659 --> 00:34:19.960 and shedding of his blood 00:34:19.960 --> 00:34:20.860 that's the only power 00:34:20.860 --> 00:34:21.440 to save us 00:34:21.440 --> 00:34:22.339 because it's the power 00:34:22.339 --> 00:34:23.659 of God himself. 00:34:25.539 --> 00:34:28.599 Do we have a heartfelt urgency 00:34:28.599 --> 00:34:29.339 for people 00:34:29.339 --> 00:34:31.579 that are in our lives 00:34:31.579 --> 00:34:32.319 to come and know 00:34:32.319 --> 00:34:32.980 and experience 00:34:32.980 --> 00:34:34.539 the power of this gospel? 00:34:36.000 --> 00:34:36.699 And do we have 00:34:36.699 --> 00:34:37.800 a prayerful expectancy 00:34:37.800 --> 00:34:38.579 that the power 00:34:38.579 --> 00:34:39.159 of the gospel 00:34:39.159 --> 00:34:40.119 might be unleashed 00:34:40.119 --> 00:34:40.760 in our time 00:34:40.760 --> 00:34:41.599 and in our place? 00:34:43.179 --> 00:34:43.699 Paul says, 00:34:43.840 --> 00:34:46.440 I'm a thousand percent 00:34:46.440 --> 00:34:47.659 not ashamed 00:34:47.659 --> 00:34:49.039 of the gospel. 00:34:49.320 --> 00:34:49.599 Why? 00:34:50.599 --> 00:34:51.860 Because it's the power 00:34:51.860 --> 00:34:52.599 of God 00:34:52.599 --> 00:34:54.659 that brings salvation 00:34:54.659 --> 00:34:56.559 to everyone 00:34:56.559 --> 00:34:58.539 who simply believes. 00:34:58.539 --> 00:35:01.099 Amen. 00:35:01.099 --> 00:35:02.739 I think I am 00:35:02.739 --> 00:35:02.940 I hope you 00:35:02.940 --> 00:35:03.380 are in next 00:35:03.380 --> 00:35:03.860 doll 00:35:03.860 --> 00:35:04.900 is tionna 00:35:04.900 --> 00:35:06.360 is tionna 00:35:06.360 --> 00:35:07.259 and 00:35:07.259 --> 00:35:07.679 of the gospel 00:35:07.679 --> 00:35:09.800 in the name 00:35:09.940 --> 00:35:12.239 of the gospel 00:35:12.239 --> 00:35:13.000 and of the gospel 00:35:13.000 --> 00:35:14.519 and the gospel 00:35:14.519 --> 00:35:16.279 and the gospel 00:35:16.279 --> 00:35:16.779 and the gospel 00:35:16.779 --> 00:35:16.820 and the gospel 00:35:16.820 --> 00:35:18.820 and the gospel 00:35:18.820 --> 00:35:19.099 and the gospel 00:35:19.099 --> 00:35:19.539 and the gospel 00:35:19.539 --> 00:35:20.579 and the gospel 00:35:20.579 --> 00:35:24.619 and the gospel 00:35:24.619 --> 00:35:25.219 and the gospel 00:35:25.219 --> 00:35:25.840 and the gospel 00:35:25.840 --> 00:35:26.360 and the gospel 00:35:26.360 --> 00:35:28.159 and the gospel