WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.600 Well, we can turn back to our reading in Galatians chapter 1. 00:00:03.879 --> 00:00:07.500 We're going to look at the section, verse 11 to 24, 00:00:07.700 --> 00:00:13.240 taking some aspects out of these verses of what Paul is talking about here, about the gospel. 00:00:16.179 --> 00:00:18.280 Galatians chapter 1 at verse 11, 00:00:18.400 --> 00:00:24.879 For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man's gospel. 00:00:25.339 --> 00:00:28.480 For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it. 00:00:28.480 --> 00:00:34.460 But I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ, and so on. 00:00:36.679 --> 00:00:41.340 As this letter that Paul writes, as he opens it up here in chapter 1, 00:00:41.460 --> 00:00:47.840 that word gospel is used very often because that is what is important to him 00:00:47.840 --> 00:00:50.920 as he is writing to the churches in Galatia. 00:00:51.000 --> 00:00:55.060 The gospel and the gospel that is at stake in many ways 00:00:55.060 --> 00:00:59.219 because they've been hearing a different kind of gospel. 00:00:59.440 --> 00:01:04.320 Although Paul, as he says, there is no other gospel he makes very clear. 00:01:04.420 --> 00:01:07.520 But they have been hearing a twisted version, if you like, 00:01:07.900 --> 00:01:11.599 of the gospel that sought to lead them astray. 00:01:12.820 --> 00:01:14.340 And as we look at this section today, 00:01:14.400 --> 00:01:17.480 it's really looking at it under this theme of the gospel 00:01:17.480 --> 00:01:20.740 and the fact that there is no other gospel. 00:01:20.740 --> 00:01:23.060 But what is the gospel? 00:01:23.579 --> 00:01:26.320 And what is the gospel to you today? 00:01:26.600 --> 00:01:28.820 What does the gospel mean? 00:01:28.900 --> 00:01:32.820 And what part does it play in your life on a daily basis? 00:01:33.760 --> 00:01:37.159 When we come under the sound of the gospel, as we say, 00:01:37.240 --> 00:01:40.080 it means that we are hearing what the gospel says. 00:01:40.079 --> 00:01:45.780 So when we read the gospel, we are hearing God's word to us. 00:01:46.259 --> 00:01:48.060 And that is what the gospel is. 00:01:48.120 --> 00:01:54.060 It's God speaking to us and speaking to us particularly 00:01:54.060 --> 00:01:58.719 about the good news of Jesus Christ. 00:01:58.920 --> 00:02:02.859 That's what the gospel is, the good news of Jesus Christ. 00:02:02.959 --> 00:02:08.500 And as we hear this gospel, it leads maybe to many questions, 00:02:08.500 --> 00:02:12.300 questions that perhaps you have in your own heart today. 00:02:12.719 --> 00:02:17.300 Is this gospel real and meaningful to me? 00:02:18.680 --> 00:02:23.800 Will it make a difference in my life, whether I believe it or not? 00:02:24.979 --> 00:02:27.800 How important is this gospel? 00:02:28.520 --> 00:02:32.139 Can I really know the Jesus that it speaks of, 00:02:32.199 --> 00:02:34.379 the good news of Jesus Christ? 00:02:34.379 --> 00:02:37.740 And can I know the salvation that it speaks about? 00:02:38.500 --> 00:02:44.759 Can Jesus really forgive my sins and help me to break free from them? 00:02:46.240 --> 00:02:49.780 I'm sure there are many other questions that you could add to that list. 00:02:49.860 --> 00:02:53.539 Because when we hear the gospel, when we hear this good news, 00:02:53.620 --> 00:02:57.080 it makes us ask all of these kinds of questions. 00:02:57.180 --> 00:02:59.060 And perhaps you ask them of yourself, 00:02:59.139 --> 00:03:01.860 and you ask them as you look around at others. 00:03:02.420 --> 00:03:06.000 When you see the difference that the gospel has made in people's lives, 00:03:06.000 --> 00:03:09.240 how people have been transformed by the gospel. 00:03:09.560 --> 00:03:12.479 Paul's life, he was one, as we're going to see, 00:03:12.560 --> 00:03:14.379 who was persecuting the church, 00:03:14.780 --> 00:03:16.979 but who was transformed by this gospel. 00:03:17.379 --> 00:03:20.560 And it made people ask questions of him. 00:03:21.560 --> 00:03:22.460 Is it true? 00:03:23.159 --> 00:03:25.139 Has he really been changed? 00:03:25.219 --> 00:03:28.379 And that's the question that we can have of others around us as well. 00:03:28.379 --> 00:03:32.460 Has the gospel really changed that person? 00:03:33.519 --> 00:03:35.759 Is there only one gospel? 00:03:36.519 --> 00:03:38.120 Is there not many ways to God? 00:03:38.180 --> 00:03:40.879 There are all kinds of questions. 00:03:41.039 --> 00:03:44.180 And if you have any or all of these questions, 00:03:44.379 --> 00:03:48.560 then you can take heart from reading through the scriptures. 00:03:48.800 --> 00:03:50.139 Because you see in the scriptures, 00:03:50.579 --> 00:03:51.500 you see in this letter, 00:03:51.599 --> 00:03:54.139 it's the kind of questions that people have had 00:03:54.139 --> 00:03:56.699 down through all the generations. 00:03:57.039 --> 00:03:59.939 We see it here in the churches of Galatia, 00:04:00.859 --> 00:04:04.379 how people have all of these questions. 00:04:04.539 --> 00:04:06.779 It's not just questions that they had, 00:04:07.339 --> 00:04:08.959 it's questions that we have. 00:04:09.379 --> 00:04:11.619 It's questions that so many people have had 00:04:11.619 --> 00:04:13.279 through all the generations. 00:04:13.979 --> 00:04:15.879 And if you have these questions, 00:04:16.019 --> 00:04:18.199 then let me take this opportunity to remind you 00:04:18.199 --> 00:04:21.759 about the meeting in Cafe Cabana on Tuesday evenings, 00:04:21.759 --> 00:04:24.579 where you can come with these and any other questions 00:04:24.579 --> 00:04:26.300 that you might have about the gospel, 00:04:26.420 --> 00:04:27.639 about the Christian faith, 00:04:28.079 --> 00:04:31.060 and seek to discuss them and find out more about them 00:04:31.060 --> 00:04:34.000 and seek to have answers about these questions. 00:04:34.180 --> 00:04:36.240 It's great to have questions. 00:04:36.360 --> 00:04:38.060 It's good to ask questions. 00:04:38.819 --> 00:04:40.800 And therefore, it's good for us to be together 00:04:40.800 --> 00:04:43.199 looking at all of these questions. 00:04:43.860 --> 00:04:46.899 But today we're going to focus on the gospel 00:04:46.899 --> 00:04:49.219 as Paul speaks about it here. 00:04:49.220 --> 00:04:51.900 And in the introduction here, 00:04:51.940 --> 00:04:53.440 in the opening verses, 00:04:53.680 --> 00:04:56.120 you see that in verse 6 he says, 00:04:56.260 --> 00:04:59.260 I am astonished that you are so quickly 00:04:59.260 --> 00:05:02.500 deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ 00:05:02.500 --> 00:05:05.560 and are turning to a different gospel. 00:05:06.020 --> 00:05:08.360 There was a real challenge, 00:05:08.460 --> 00:05:12.440 a real problem in the midst of the churches of Galatia. 00:05:12.660 --> 00:05:14.520 And he strayed to the heart of it. 00:05:14.519 --> 00:05:18.259 I am astonished that you are quickly deserting him 00:05:18.259 --> 00:05:21.359 who called you and turning to another gospel, 00:05:21.779 --> 00:05:23.919 not that there is another one. 00:05:24.579 --> 00:05:27.019 And so he strayed to the heart of this problem 00:05:27.019 --> 00:05:29.959 of turning away from what God has revealed to them 00:05:29.959 --> 00:05:33.079 about Jesus and turning instead to go, 00:05:33.219 --> 00:05:35.319 almost going backwards, you could say, 00:05:35.399 --> 00:05:39.939 to their former ways of seeking to please man 00:05:39.939 --> 00:05:41.379 rather than to please God. 00:05:41.379 --> 00:05:44.360 Because around them were these false teachers 00:05:44.360 --> 00:05:45.040 who were saying, 00:05:45.519 --> 00:05:46.920 that is not the real gospel. 00:05:47.120 --> 00:05:50.420 Believing in Jesus Christ is not what it's all about. 00:05:50.920 --> 00:05:52.540 You have to do your part. 00:05:52.879 --> 00:05:55.659 You have to be circumcised, for example, 00:05:55.879 --> 00:05:56.560 they were saying. 00:05:56.839 --> 00:05:59.439 You have to follow all of these laws. 00:05:59.899 --> 00:06:02.379 The gospel as they were being presented with, 00:06:02.420 --> 00:06:06.100 the false gospel was just a burden on them. 00:06:06.100 --> 00:06:08.700 And you see it in verse 10. 00:06:09.640 --> 00:06:13.000 For am I now seeking the approval of man or of God? 00:06:13.200 --> 00:06:15.160 Or am I trying to please man? 00:06:15.620 --> 00:06:17.560 There's this idea here that the people 00:06:17.560 --> 00:06:21.080 were trying to please man rather than pleasing God. 00:06:21.160 --> 00:06:23.580 And Paul is taking them right back 00:06:23.580 --> 00:06:27.080 to what they have first heard and first learned in Jesus, 00:06:27.200 --> 00:06:30.180 that he is the only way to salvation. 00:06:30.660 --> 00:06:34.600 That faith in him is the only way to salvation. 00:06:34.600 --> 00:06:36.939 This is the good news. 00:06:37.320 --> 00:06:38.760 This is the gospel. 00:06:39.140 --> 00:06:43.580 It's not a burden on you that you have to keep every law perfectly 00:06:43.580 --> 00:06:45.360 because that's impossible. 00:06:45.960 --> 00:06:47.740 It's not about circumcision. 00:06:47.879 --> 00:06:49.560 It's not about any of these things. 00:06:49.960 --> 00:06:53.320 It's about faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:06:53.319 --> 00:06:57.459 So that is the gospel, the good news. 00:06:57.740 --> 00:07:03.040 Somebody once put it, the gospel isn't man's good news about God. 00:07:03.259 --> 00:07:07.019 It is God's good news for man. 00:07:08.000 --> 00:07:11.240 And that's the challenge that Paul was writing into. 00:07:11.639 --> 00:07:16.959 Because the gospel in the eyes of many there was man's good news about God. 00:07:17.039 --> 00:07:19.639 How we can find our way to God. 00:07:19.639 --> 00:07:22.740 But instead it's God's good news for man. 00:07:23.060 --> 00:07:24.399 And that is the difference. 00:07:24.919 --> 00:07:31.300 Because God's good news for man is that he sent his son to find us. 00:07:31.899 --> 00:07:35.339 Not that we have to find him through our ways. 00:07:36.039 --> 00:07:38.060 So the gospel doesn't need to change. 00:07:38.159 --> 00:07:41.099 It doesn't need to adapt to a modern world. 00:07:41.459 --> 00:07:42.740 It needs to be heard. 00:07:42.860 --> 00:07:44.659 It needs to be believed. 00:07:44.660 --> 00:07:51.800 And if it is, then lives are truly transformed and kept by the Lord Jesus. 00:07:52.080 --> 00:07:55.080 And so that is what is at stake here for Paul. 00:07:55.160 --> 00:07:55.860 The gospel. 00:07:56.720 --> 00:08:00.260 And so in this section that we're going to look at in verse 11 to 24, 00:08:00.260 --> 00:08:03.960 we see three things about the gospel together today. 00:08:04.300 --> 00:08:06.040 The source of the gospel. 00:08:06.360 --> 00:08:07.920 The power of the gospel. 00:08:08.180 --> 00:08:10.740 And the praise of the gospel. 00:08:10.740 --> 00:08:14.579 And the first thing is the source of the gospel. 00:08:15.579 --> 00:08:18.439 What or who is the gospel about? 00:08:19.079 --> 00:08:20.500 And where is it from? 00:08:22.660 --> 00:08:25.400 Well, in verse 11, what does he say? 00:08:25.840 --> 00:08:31.160 For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man's gospel. 00:08:31.980 --> 00:08:36.000 It's not something that any man has given to Paul. 00:08:36.000 --> 00:08:40.539 What the gospel is about is good news. 00:08:41.460 --> 00:08:42.379 Who is it about? 00:08:42.480 --> 00:08:44.100 It's about Jesus Christ. 00:08:45.059 --> 00:08:49.500 You can go back to Mark's gospel, chapter 1, the very first verse. 00:08:49.639 --> 00:08:50.039 It says, 00:08:50.480 --> 00:08:54.720 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 00:08:55.659 --> 00:08:59.740 The gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 00:09:00.279 --> 00:09:01.759 And so there is who it is about. 00:09:01.980 --> 00:09:02.519 What is it? 00:09:02.620 --> 00:09:03.639 What is about? 00:09:03.820 --> 00:09:04.419 Good news. 00:09:04.419 --> 00:09:05.899 And who is it from? 00:09:06.019 --> 00:09:09.819 It's from God himself speaking to us. 00:09:10.779 --> 00:09:13.860 So where is the source of the gospel? 00:09:15.279 --> 00:09:19.959 Well, as Paul is saying here, it's not man's gospel. 00:09:20.939 --> 00:09:24.179 And yet we can so often make it into our gospel. 00:09:24.879 --> 00:09:28.099 Adding our own laws or truths to it. 00:09:28.459 --> 00:09:31.019 And that is a very dangerous thing to do. 00:09:31.019 --> 00:09:36.620 There's a warning about that in verse 9. 00:09:36.620 --> 00:09:39.299 If we have said before, so now I say again, 00:09:39.779 --> 00:09:45.159 If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed. 00:09:45.919 --> 00:09:49.799 That is the seriousness of presenting the gospel in the wrong way. 00:09:50.659 --> 00:09:57.399 But the right way, the source of the gospel, it's not man's gospel, but the gospel of God. 00:09:57.399 --> 00:10:00.939 Some people say it's just a made-up book. 00:10:01.720 --> 00:10:09.220 Something that's been written just to keep people blinkered, to keep people under control, as it were. 00:10:10.379 --> 00:10:12.179 Some people say it's just a tradition. 00:10:13.500 --> 00:10:17.639 Some people say that we're just doing what others have told us to do. 00:10:17.639 --> 00:10:26.019 We're doing it just to please others, because it's been passed on to us by parents or grandparents or traditions of where we live. 00:10:27.100 --> 00:10:29.319 And these can be good things. 00:10:30.919 --> 00:10:35.559 But we have to see the source of the gospel is not man, but God. 00:10:37.620 --> 00:10:39.019 Well, he goes on to say in verse 12, 00:10:39.019 --> 00:10:53.620 You have a Bible before you today. 00:10:54.659 --> 00:10:56.399 You have it open there before you. 00:10:56.740 --> 00:10:57.799 You're looking at it. 00:10:58.379 --> 00:10:59.139 And what is it? 00:10:59.539 --> 00:11:00.799 It is the gospel. 00:11:01.740 --> 00:11:06.039 It is the good news of God speaking to you, to us, together. 00:11:06.039 --> 00:11:10.480 And the whole Bible is about the gospel. 00:11:10.819 --> 00:11:14.659 As somebody put it, the gospel is the heart of the Bible. 00:11:15.539 --> 00:11:25.639 Everything in Scripture is either preparation for the gospel, presentation of the gospel, or participation in the gospel. 00:11:27.000 --> 00:11:32.699 Preparation for the gospel, you see it pointing towards the coming of the Lord Jesus. 00:11:32.700 --> 00:11:34.800 The presentation of the gospel. 00:11:35.180 --> 00:11:38.080 It speaks to us of a Savior and what he has done. 00:11:38.080 --> 00:11:45.879 And participation in the gospel, because it tells us how we are to live in light of the gospel. 00:11:46.460 --> 00:11:51.960 The source of the gospel is God himself, who has given us his word. 00:11:52.100 --> 00:11:56.520 All Scripture is God-breathed, as Timothy says. 00:11:56.519 --> 00:11:58.100 So the source. 00:11:58.879 --> 00:12:01.539 We think of the source of something. 00:12:02.000 --> 00:12:03.840 Think of rivers, for example. 00:12:04.779 --> 00:12:08.240 The River Clyde, the River Thames, the Nile. 00:12:08.679 --> 00:12:11.399 So many of these great rivers throughout our world. 00:12:11.919 --> 00:12:16.500 They can be mighty and powerful at the mouth where they enter into the sea. 00:12:17.019 --> 00:12:19.379 They can look so big and so powerful. 00:12:19.379 --> 00:12:27.080 But the source of it can often seem like just a small beginning when you trace it right back to where it starts. 00:12:27.159 --> 00:12:32.019 It can often just start with a small stream or a trickle in the way that we see it. 00:12:32.399 --> 00:12:33.379 Small beginnings. 00:12:34.419 --> 00:12:36.559 But is that the source of these rivers? 00:12:37.720 --> 00:12:42.879 Well, the source of the rivers, you have to lift your eyes up and see the sources from the sky, 00:12:43.000 --> 00:12:48.299 from the clouds that pour down the masses of water that enter into them. 00:12:48.299 --> 00:12:52.359 And in some ways, we can look at the gospel like that. 00:12:52.439 --> 00:12:54.740 The source is very small. 00:12:55.240 --> 00:12:57.419 When we're looking at it, it's just man. 00:12:58.379 --> 00:13:03.779 But the source is great when we lift up our eyes and see it's from God. 00:13:04.379 --> 00:13:07.079 God who has poured out his spirit upon us. 00:13:07.240 --> 00:13:10.279 God who has poured out his word to us. 00:13:10.799 --> 00:13:13.519 He has given us the word of God. 00:13:13.879 --> 00:13:17.839 The problem in Galatia was seen as the source was man. 00:13:18.299 --> 00:13:19.479 And not God. 00:13:20.679 --> 00:13:26.659 These false teachers in Galatia who were leading the Christians astray with another gospel. 00:13:27.099 --> 00:13:29.359 Preaching a different kind of gospel. 00:13:29.879 --> 00:13:32.759 It was no gospel at all. 00:13:32.759 --> 00:13:40.379 And so Paul is reminding here the source of the gospel is of God. 00:13:41.120 --> 00:13:44.019 And he has this authority. 00:13:44.659 --> 00:13:47.059 When he says here, I would have you know, brothers. 00:13:48.819 --> 00:13:52.120 It's not just a gentle kind of introduction. 00:13:52.120 --> 00:13:54.379 I would have you to know. 00:13:54.379 --> 00:13:59.519 This is a firm word from God through Paul. 00:13:59.600 --> 00:14:00.600 I would have you to know. 00:14:00.759 --> 00:14:03.320 Listen to what I am saying. 00:14:03.840 --> 00:14:06.220 But it's also said in love, as he says, brothers. 00:14:06.220 --> 00:14:13.340 There's a firmness, but there's a gentleness to it. 00:14:14.300 --> 00:14:16.300 But there's always a firmness. 00:14:17.100 --> 00:14:18.560 Because this is truth. 00:14:19.100 --> 00:14:20.200 This is serious. 00:14:20.720 --> 00:14:25.420 As he says in verse 6, I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting. 00:14:25.960 --> 00:14:29.560 There is a firmness in all of these words. 00:14:29.559 --> 00:14:35.719 But the source of the gospel is what is bearing fruit. 00:14:36.639 --> 00:14:40.399 The source of the gospel is what is giving its increase. 00:14:40.539 --> 00:14:45.379 The gospel, as Paul wrote to the Colossians in chapter 1, verse 5 and 6, 00:14:45.479 --> 00:14:50.479 the gospel is bearing fruit and growing all over the world. 00:14:51.899 --> 00:14:57.879 The source of the gospel, it is pouring out the gospel far and wide. 00:14:57.879 --> 00:15:05.720 And the gospel is the good news of Jesus Christ, a Savior for his people. 00:15:06.559 --> 00:15:09.679 Preacher Daniel Stearns was preaching in America once. 00:15:09.860 --> 00:15:12.879 And at the end of the service, it's going back to the late 1800s, 00:15:13.559 --> 00:15:16.019 at the end of the service, a stranger came up to him and said, 00:15:16.100 --> 00:15:22.039 I don't like the way that you spoke about Jesus and the cross in your sermon this morning. 00:15:22.039 --> 00:15:28.079 Instead, you should be preaching and emphasizing Jesus as an example, as a teacher. 00:15:29.879 --> 00:15:32.159 Daniel Stearns looked at him and said, 00:15:32.240 --> 00:15:36.000 Well, if I presented Jesus in that way as an example and a teacher, 00:15:36.339 --> 00:15:38.000 would you then follow him? 00:15:39.399 --> 00:15:41.939 And the man replied, Certainly, I would. 00:15:43.539 --> 00:15:45.620 And so Daniel Stearns said to him then, 00:15:45.679 --> 00:15:48.620 All right then, let's take the first step. 00:15:48.620 --> 00:15:51.820 Jesus, he did not sin. 00:15:52.659 --> 00:15:54.419 Can you claim that for yourself? 00:15:55.440 --> 00:15:59.720 And the man looked at him confused and surprised. 00:15:59.820 --> 00:16:03.399 He said, Well, no, I have to acknowledge I do sin. 00:16:04.679 --> 00:16:06.580 Then he replied, Daniel Stearns replied, 00:16:06.679 --> 00:16:11.100 Well, your greatest need is to have a Savior, not an example. 00:16:12.159 --> 00:16:15.480 And the gospel is not about setting an example for us. 00:16:15.480 --> 00:16:19.840 Though there are good things how we are to live, it's all about a Savior. 00:16:21.000 --> 00:16:22.899 He did something that we could never do. 00:16:23.740 --> 00:16:26.120 He saved us from our sins. 00:16:27.300 --> 00:16:30.039 So the source of the gospel is from God. 00:16:31.379 --> 00:16:33.379 The power of the gospel is the second thing. 00:16:34.320 --> 00:16:36.420 The power of the gospel. 00:16:36.419 --> 00:16:40.399 And in this we see Paul giving a word of testimony. 00:16:40.899 --> 00:16:41.759 In verse 13. 00:16:42.879 --> 00:16:45.439 For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, 00:16:45.959 --> 00:16:50.240 how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. 00:16:50.779 --> 00:16:53.559 And he goes on to speak about everything that he was doing. 00:16:54.000 --> 00:16:54.939 Then in verse 13. 00:16:55.039 --> 00:16:58.240 But then he who had set me apart before I was born, 00:16:58.759 --> 00:17:00.860 and who called me by his grace, 00:17:00.959 --> 00:17:04.119 was pleased to reveal his Son to me. 00:17:04.119 --> 00:17:08.299 So there you see the power of the gospel. 00:17:08.619 --> 00:17:10.779 Paul had a past. 00:17:11.539 --> 00:17:13.759 Something he wasn't proud of, 00:17:14.299 --> 00:17:18.000 but something he often uses to highlight the power of the gospel. 00:17:18.479 --> 00:17:20.639 How it transforms lives. 00:17:21.739 --> 00:17:25.119 Paul was a persecutor of the Christian faith. 00:17:25.259 --> 00:17:29.239 He was driven by a seal to destroy the church, 00:17:29.239 --> 00:17:32.419 and he believed he was achieving much in his life, 00:17:32.500 --> 00:17:33.639 and yet it was nothing. 00:17:34.119 --> 00:17:40.939 But the grace of the Lord changed his whole life. 00:17:42.039 --> 00:17:45.119 But when he who had set me apart before I was born, 00:17:45.179 --> 00:17:48.039 and who called me by his grace. 00:17:49.539 --> 00:17:52.819 Paul's plans were not God's plans. 00:17:53.839 --> 00:17:57.359 And it's amazing there to think that how it speaks of 00:17:57.359 --> 00:18:01.179 he was set apart before he was born. 00:18:01.180 --> 00:18:05.600 God knew the plans he had for Paul, 00:18:05.680 --> 00:18:07.940 even before he was born. 00:18:08.580 --> 00:18:12.900 And the wonder of it for you and I is that he knows exactly the same for us. 00:18:13.740 --> 00:18:17.000 Every plan, every purpose he has in our lives, 00:18:17.080 --> 00:18:19.620 he has known before you were born. 00:18:19.619 --> 00:18:24.119 And you see the pride that was in Paul's heart, 00:18:24.500 --> 00:18:26.699 standing out among his own people, 00:18:26.939 --> 00:18:31.619 in Judaism advancing beyond anyone of his own agencies, 00:18:32.659 --> 00:18:37.159 so extremely sellous he was for the traditions of his father. 00:18:38.159 --> 00:18:40.559 He was standing out in so many ways, 00:18:41.019 --> 00:18:42.479 proud, boastful, 00:18:42.480 --> 00:18:44.779 and yet the power of the gospel, 00:18:44.880 --> 00:18:46.039 the good news of Christ, 00:18:46.180 --> 00:18:48.299 brought him to his knees. 00:18:48.299 --> 00:18:54.079 And that's the power the gospel still has today, 00:18:54.079 --> 00:18:57.480 to bring people to their knees. 00:18:58.480 --> 00:19:00.759 The gospel frees us. 00:19:01.779 --> 00:19:02.680 But in many ways, 00:19:02.799 --> 00:19:07.099 the gospel was being contained by the people, 00:19:07.220 --> 00:19:08.759 or confined by the people, 00:19:08.859 --> 00:19:10.279 or changed by the people, 00:19:10.279 --> 00:19:11.859 to make it something it wasn't. 00:19:12.159 --> 00:19:15.079 And the power of the gospel was not being set free. 00:19:15.079 --> 00:19:20.720 We have many pets in our lives today. 00:19:21.399 --> 00:19:22.539 If you were here last week, 00:19:22.579 --> 00:19:24.699 you maybe heard about ours in the children's address. 00:19:25.439 --> 00:19:26.439 We have a dog. 00:19:27.419 --> 00:19:28.879 And many other people have dogs. 00:19:28.980 --> 00:19:30.339 They have other kinds of animals. 00:19:30.480 --> 00:19:31.460 They have as pets. 00:19:32.179 --> 00:19:33.019 But so often, 00:19:33.480 --> 00:19:36.819 these animals have been taken out of their natural environment 00:19:36.819 --> 00:19:38.539 and domesticated. 00:19:39.740 --> 00:19:41.579 As you were reminded last week, 00:19:42.000 --> 00:19:44.240 they still have that inclination in them 00:19:44.240 --> 00:19:45.620 to their natural way. 00:19:47.180 --> 00:19:48.640 And that is the way we are. 00:19:50.599 --> 00:19:53.460 But we think of the gospel in the same way, 00:19:53.500 --> 00:19:56.400 and how people try to domesticate the gospel, 00:19:56.559 --> 00:19:59.339 to make it something nice and pleasant. 00:20:00.720 --> 00:20:02.000 But in so doing, 00:20:02.500 --> 00:20:05.140 you're confining the power of the gospel. 00:20:05.920 --> 00:20:08.480 Because the gospel is not being presented 00:20:08.480 --> 00:20:10.120 in the way it should be. 00:20:10.119 --> 00:20:12.479 If it's just as a teacher or as an example, 00:20:12.899 --> 00:20:14.379 it's being confined. 00:20:16.779 --> 00:20:18.859 But if we see it as a need for a savior, 00:20:18.979 --> 00:20:20.119 then we have to see the power 00:20:20.119 --> 00:20:22.019 that is behind that gospel. 00:20:22.079 --> 00:20:23.639 Because it's not our power. 00:20:24.699 --> 00:20:26.639 Paul says in writing to Romans, 00:20:27.059 --> 00:20:27.959 in chapter 1, 00:20:28.019 --> 00:20:29.779 I am not ashamed of the gospel. 00:20:30.419 --> 00:20:30.719 Why? 00:20:31.479 --> 00:20:33.399 Because it is the power of God 00:20:33.399 --> 00:20:35.579 for salvation to everyone who believes. 00:20:35.579 --> 00:20:38.480 It is the power of God. 00:20:39.740 --> 00:20:41.779 And that is why the power of God 00:20:41.779 --> 00:20:44.359 has to be set forth, set free. 00:20:44.439 --> 00:20:45.679 And that's what Paul was. 00:20:46.059 --> 00:20:49.099 He was a persecutor of the Christian faith, 00:20:49.359 --> 00:20:51.799 but he was transformed into a preacher 00:20:51.799 --> 00:20:53.839 of the Christian faith. 00:20:54.960 --> 00:20:56.539 Letting the power of God 00:20:56.539 --> 00:20:58.480 be seen in a very different way, 00:20:58.559 --> 00:20:59.339 in a real way, 00:20:59.379 --> 00:21:00.199 in a true way, 00:21:00.199 --> 00:21:02.799 that the power of God saves. 00:21:02.799 --> 00:21:07.659 Paul's life was an example of it, 00:21:07.700 --> 00:21:10.220 how it was completely transformed. 00:21:11.440 --> 00:21:13.559 But others would have seen him 00:21:13.559 --> 00:21:14.480 and been afraid, 00:21:14.579 --> 00:21:15.220 and they were. 00:21:16.419 --> 00:21:18.279 Has this man really changed? 00:21:19.440 --> 00:21:21.940 Can this gospel really transform him? 00:21:22.599 --> 00:21:25.059 You think of Paul's testimony 00:21:25.059 --> 00:21:26.539 as it's given in the book of Acts, 00:21:26.639 --> 00:21:27.379 chapter 9. 00:21:27.440 --> 00:21:29.740 There was a man called Ananias 00:21:29.740 --> 00:21:31.519 who God used. 00:21:31.519 --> 00:21:34.259 And he was told to go 00:21:34.259 --> 00:21:36.079 and lay his hands on Paul. 00:21:36.799 --> 00:21:38.619 This is the Paul who was breathing out 00:21:38.619 --> 00:21:39.639 murderous threats 00:21:39.639 --> 00:21:41.500 against the Christian faith. 00:21:42.000 --> 00:21:43.759 Ananias' response was this, 00:21:43.859 --> 00:21:45.599 Lord, I have heard from many 00:21:45.599 --> 00:21:46.500 about this man 00:21:46.500 --> 00:21:48.220 how much evil he has done 00:21:48.220 --> 00:21:50.240 to your saints at Jerusalem. 00:21:51.039 --> 00:21:52.079 And here he has authority 00:21:52.079 --> 00:21:53.160 from the chief priests 00:21:53.160 --> 00:21:56.119 to bind all who call on your name. 00:21:56.460 --> 00:21:57.740 He was afraid. 00:21:57.879 --> 00:22:00.180 He had heard what had been done 00:22:00.180 --> 00:22:01.600 through this man. 00:22:02.920 --> 00:22:04.900 And yet he did as the Lord asked him. 00:22:06.160 --> 00:22:08.180 Because God had powerfully taken hold 00:22:08.700 --> 00:22:10.460 of Saul as he was 00:22:10.460 --> 00:22:12.000 who became Paul. 00:22:14.200 --> 00:22:16.220 And that's because of the grace of God, 00:22:16.299 --> 00:22:18.180 the power of God to save. 00:22:18.740 --> 00:22:20.740 As verse 15 makes clear for us, 00:22:20.740 --> 00:22:21.980 when he had set me apart 00:22:21.980 --> 00:22:23.099 before I was born, 00:22:23.519 --> 00:22:25.000 he called me by his grace, 00:22:25.160 --> 00:22:27.120 revealing to me his son. 00:22:28.240 --> 00:22:30.299 That is what made the difference. 00:22:31.620 --> 00:22:34.359 You wonder, was anybody praying for Saul? 00:22:35.960 --> 00:22:36.940 Or did they think, 00:22:37.480 --> 00:22:39.099 he's beyond saving? 00:22:39.920 --> 00:22:40.460 Look at him. 00:22:40.819 --> 00:22:42.079 Look at what he is doing 00:22:42.079 --> 00:22:43.359 to the Christian church. 00:22:44.099 --> 00:22:45.359 Persecuting, destroying 00:22:45.359 --> 00:22:46.480 the Christian faith, 00:22:46.620 --> 00:22:47.920 killing Christians. 00:22:47.920 --> 00:22:50.080 Who would pray for such a man? 00:22:52.960 --> 00:22:54.640 But doesn't it remind us today 00:22:54.640 --> 00:22:56.640 that we should never give up on praying 00:22:56.640 --> 00:22:59.080 for anyone who we see committing evil? 00:23:00.140 --> 00:23:02.500 Whether it's rich and famous 00:23:02.500 --> 00:23:03.320 or powerful, 00:23:03.940 --> 00:23:04.900 whether it's a friend, 00:23:05.080 --> 00:23:05.960 a family member, 00:23:06.519 --> 00:23:07.640 or even ourselves. 00:23:09.420 --> 00:23:11.160 There are so many people we feel 00:23:11.160 --> 00:23:13.160 are maybe beyond prayer. 00:23:13.160 --> 00:23:17.120 But the gospel reminds us 00:23:17.120 --> 00:23:18.840 that there is power 00:23:18.840 --> 00:23:20.440 in the gospel 00:23:20.440 --> 00:23:22.040 to save. 00:23:22.840 --> 00:23:24.320 Because there is the good news 00:23:24.320 --> 00:23:25.160 of a saviour 00:23:25.160 --> 00:23:27.440 who is Jesus Christ. 00:23:28.920 --> 00:23:30.820 So we remember the power 00:23:30.820 --> 00:23:32.279 of the gospel. 00:23:32.920 --> 00:23:35.000 The final thing we see here 00:23:35.000 --> 00:23:36.100 is the praise 00:23:36.100 --> 00:23:37.660 from the gospel. 00:23:38.840 --> 00:23:39.860 You see, that's at the end 00:23:39.860 --> 00:23:40.680 of this section. 00:23:40.680 --> 00:23:43.680 In verse 23 and 24, 00:23:45.019 --> 00:23:46.640 they only were hearing it said, 00:23:46.960 --> 00:23:49.920 he who used to persecute us 00:23:49.920 --> 00:23:51.000 is now preaching 00:23:51.000 --> 00:23:53.039 the faith he once tried 00:23:53.039 --> 00:23:53.680 to destroy. 00:23:54.779 --> 00:23:56.860 And they glorified God 00:23:56.860 --> 00:23:58.460 because of me. 00:24:00.080 --> 00:24:01.680 There was a huge transformation, 00:24:02.779 --> 00:24:03.960 not just for Paul, 00:24:04.039 --> 00:24:05.060 but for the church, 00:24:05.880 --> 00:24:07.460 where people were hearing 00:24:07.460 --> 00:24:09.019 of the persecutor 00:24:09.019 --> 00:24:10.120 who was now preaching. 00:24:10.680 --> 00:24:12.860 And they glorified God. 00:24:12.960 --> 00:24:14.539 They saw his power. 00:24:14.620 --> 00:24:17.299 And that power leads to praise. 00:24:20.500 --> 00:24:22.000 What a testimony 00:24:22.000 --> 00:24:24.039 of the power of God 00:24:24.039 --> 00:24:25.920 at work through Jesus Christ. 00:24:27.180 --> 00:24:28.680 From persecutor 00:24:28.680 --> 00:24:29.920 to preacher. 00:24:31.640 --> 00:24:33.680 When you think of testimonies 00:24:33.680 --> 00:24:34.700 you hear today, 00:24:34.820 --> 00:24:37.039 there are amazing testimonies 00:24:37.039 --> 00:24:38.539 given of how people 00:24:38.539 --> 00:24:39.440 have been taken 00:24:39.440 --> 00:24:41.299 from darkness, 00:24:41.700 --> 00:24:42.599 from addiction, 00:24:42.599 --> 00:24:44.920 from all kinds of walks 00:24:44.920 --> 00:24:45.779 of life 00:24:45.779 --> 00:24:48.180 and brought to a place 00:24:48.180 --> 00:24:50.180 where they love 00:24:50.180 --> 00:24:51.220 the Lord Jesus. 00:24:52.180 --> 00:24:53.359 The one they used 00:24:53.359 --> 00:24:54.180 to persecute, 00:24:54.279 --> 00:24:54.879 the one they used 00:24:54.879 --> 00:24:55.599 to curse, 00:24:56.099 --> 00:24:56.799 the one they used 00:24:56.799 --> 00:24:57.579 to mock. 00:24:59.539 --> 00:25:00.579 And yet there is power 00:25:00.579 --> 00:25:02.019 in the gospel 00:25:02.019 --> 00:25:02.740 to save. 00:25:02.799 --> 00:25:03.480 And that power 00:25:03.480 --> 00:25:05.039 leads to praise. 00:25:05.039 --> 00:25:07.599 But the gospel 00:25:07.599 --> 00:25:08.299 isn't just 00:25:08.299 --> 00:25:09.460 for one kind 00:25:09.460 --> 00:25:09.960 of person. 00:25:10.980 --> 00:25:11.599 It's not just 00:25:11.599 --> 00:25:13.000 for the souls 00:25:13.000 --> 00:25:13.619 who are seeking 00:25:13.619 --> 00:25:15.079 to destroy the church. 00:25:15.159 --> 00:25:15.559 It's not just 00:25:15.559 --> 00:25:16.139 for those 00:25:16.139 --> 00:25:17.319 who are caught up 00:25:17.319 --> 00:25:18.180 in lifestyles 00:25:18.180 --> 00:25:19.420 that seem so far 00:25:19.420 --> 00:25:19.980 from God 00:25:19.980 --> 00:25:20.619 they could never 00:25:20.619 --> 00:25:21.299 be saved. 00:25:21.819 --> 00:25:22.460 The gospel 00:25:22.460 --> 00:25:23.200 is for you, 00:25:23.319 --> 00:25:23.859 it's for me, 00:25:23.940 --> 00:25:24.920 it's for us all. 00:25:26.000 --> 00:25:26.759 Because it is 00:25:26.759 --> 00:25:27.319 the grace 00:25:27.319 --> 00:25:28.180 of God 00:25:28.180 --> 00:25:29.039 that saves. 00:25:29.039 --> 00:25:29.559 saves. 00:25:31.299 --> 00:25:32.379 Do we realize 00:25:32.379 --> 00:25:33.420 how dead 00:25:33.420 --> 00:25:34.539 we are in sin? 00:25:36.079 --> 00:25:37.059 As somebody put it, 00:25:37.099 --> 00:25:37.420 we're not 00:25:37.420 --> 00:25:38.799 almost dead, 00:25:39.319 --> 00:25:40.440 we're not nearly 00:25:40.440 --> 00:25:40.899 dead, 00:25:41.759 --> 00:25:42.799 we are dead. 00:25:43.460 --> 00:25:44.559 We are dead 00:25:44.559 --> 00:25:45.579 in our sins. 00:25:46.119 --> 00:25:46.819 Which means 00:25:46.819 --> 00:25:47.759 that the only hope 00:25:47.759 --> 00:25:49.079 is the grace 00:25:49.079 --> 00:25:50.379 of our God, 00:25:51.039 --> 00:25:51.940 which is what 00:25:51.940 --> 00:25:52.659 the gospel 00:25:52.659 --> 00:25:53.879 offers. 00:25:55.579 --> 00:25:56.819 It is this gospel 00:25:56.819 --> 00:25:58.039 that is able 00:25:58.039 --> 00:25:59.139 to save. 00:25:59.700 --> 00:26:00.679 And this gospel 00:26:00.679 --> 00:26:01.799 then it reminds us 00:26:01.799 --> 00:26:02.240 that we can 00:26:02.240 --> 00:26:03.500 praise God 00:26:03.500 --> 00:26:04.799 because he is 00:26:04.799 --> 00:26:05.359 working. 00:26:05.919 --> 00:26:07.039 And it's this gospel 00:26:07.039 --> 00:26:08.439 power that reminds us 00:26:08.439 --> 00:26:09.019 that we should be 00:26:09.019 --> 00:26:10.519 excited about 00:26:10.519 --> 00:26:11.259 the gospel 00:26:11.259 --> 00:26:12.299 and what it is 00:26:12.299 --> 00:26:13.720 able to do 00:26:13.720 --> 00:26:14.700 so we can come 00:26:14.700 --> 00:26:16.019 under the gospel, 00:26:16.119 --> 00:26:16.919 we can hear 00:26:16.919 --> 00:26:17.619 the gospel 00:26:17.619 --> 00:26:18.079 and think, 00:26:18.579 --> 00:26:19.200 is the gospel 00:26:19.200 --> 00:26:20.000 going to save 00:26:20.000 --> 00:26:21.119 anyone here today? 00:26:21.919 --> 00:26:22.720 How many 00:26:22.720 --> 00:26:23.879 will the gospel 00:26:23.879 --> 00:26:24.700 save today? 00:26:24.980 --> 00:26:25.859 What is God 00:26:25.859 --> 00:26:26.740 going to say 00:26:26.740 --> 00:26:28.000 to us today 00:26:28.000 --> 00:26:29.279 through this gospel? 00:26:29.759 --> 00:26:30.660 How is God 00:26:30.660 --> 00:26:32.079 going to encourage us 00:26:32.079 --> 00:26:33.279 and rebuke us 00:26:33.279 --> 00:26:34.039 and challenge us 00:26:34.039 --> 00:26:35.120 and strengthen us 00:26:35.120 --> 00:26:36.819 through this gospel? 00:26:38.400 --> 00:26:39.819 It is the gospel 00:26:39.819 --> 00:26:40.620 that we need 00:26:40.620 --> 00:26:41.500 to hear 00:26:41.500 --> 00:26:42.259 because there is 00:26:42.259 --> 00:26:44.400 no other gospel. 00:26:46.279 --> 00:26:47.640 And it's the gospel 00:26:47.640 --> 00:26:49.160 that keeps us going 00:26:49.160 --> 00:26:50.940 because it is 00:26:50.940 --> 00:26:52.299 the power of God 00:26:52.299 --> 00:26:54.180 unto salvation. 00:26:54.180 --> 00:26:57.299 Paul was astonished 00:26:57.299 --> 00:26:58.799 to hear of people 00:26:58.799 --> 00:26:59.500 so quickly 00:26:59.500 --> 00:27:00.220 deserting 00:27:00.220 --> 00:27:01.640 this gospel. 00:27:02.799 --> 00:27:03.960 Will we turn 00:27:03.960 --> 00:27:04.580 our back 00:27:04.580 --> 00:27:05.759 on the gospel? 00:27:06.640 --> 00:27:07.820 The power of God 00:27:07.820 --> 00:27:08.660 to salvation. 00:27:08.799 --> 00:27:09.480 Will you go away 00:27:09.480 --> 00:27:10.320 from here today 00:27:10.320 --> 00:27:10.720 and think 00:27:10.720 --> 00:27:11.759 nothing more 00:27:11.759 --> 00:27:12.600 of the gospel? 00:27:13.720 --> 00:27:15.340 Or will you see it 00:27:15.340 --> 00:27:16.100 as the power 00:27:16.100 --> 00:27:17.060 that is able 00:27:17.060 --> 00:27:18.259 to save you? 00:27:18.259 --> 00:27:20.839 we can become 00:27:20.839 --> 00:27:22.240 so complacent 00:27:22.240 --> 00:27:23.140 with the gospel, 00:27:23.640 --> 00:27:25.079 so at peace 00:27:25.079 --> 00:27:26.039 with where we are 00:27:26.039 --> 00:27:26.980 and how we're living 00:27:26.980 --> 00:27:28.839 that the gospel 00:27:28.839 --> 00:27:30.400 loses its impact. 00:27:30.400 --> 00:27:33.860 but as we hear it, 00:27:33.960 --> 00:27:35.400 may it open our eyes 00:27:35.400 --> 00:27:37.019 and help us 00:27:37.019 --> 00:27:37.580 to see 00:27:37.580 --> 00:27:38.280 the need 00:27:38.280 --> 00:27:39.180 we have of it 00:27:39.180 --> 00:27:39.900 constantly 00:27:39.900 --> 00:27:40.500 whether we are 00:27:40.500 --> 00:27:41.780 believers or not 00:27:41.780 --> 00:27:43.540 that we are living 00:27:43.540 --> 00:27:44.700 in light 00:27:44.700 --> 00:27:45.480 of the gospel, 00:27:46.120 --> 00:27:47.080 the good news 00:27:47.080 --> 00:27:48.759 of Jesus Christ. 00:27:50.440 --> 00:27:51.360 And may we see it 00:27:51.360 --> 00:27:52.540 as we go forward 00:27:52.540 --> 00:27:54.080 that our faith 00:27:54.080 --> 00:27:55.540 is by the grace 00:27:55.540 --> 00:27:56.300 of God 00:27:56.300 --> 00:27:56.860 a gift 00:27:56.859 --> 00:27:58.479 that helps us 00:27:58.479 --> 00:27:59.079 to fix 00:27:59.079 --> 00:28:00.399 our eyes 00:28:00.399 --> 00:28:01.519 on Jesus. 00:28:03.240 --> 00:28:04.059 There's a man 00:28:04.059 --> 00:28:04.619 called 00:28:04.619 --> 00:28:05.919 Dr. J. Elder 00:28:05.919 --> 00:28:06.500 Cumming 00:28:06.500 --> 00:28:08.419 and he said this 00:28:08.419 --> 00:28:10.759 in almost every case 00:28:10.759 --> 00:28:11.379 the beginning 00:28:11.379 --> 00:28:12.459 of new blessing 00:28:12.459 --> 00:28:14.199 is a new revelation 00:28:14.199 --> 00:28:15.119 of the character 00:28:15.119 --> 00:28:15.899 of God 00:28:15.899 --> 00:28:17.500 more beautiful 00:28:17.500 --> 00:28:19.179 more wonderful 00:28:19.179 --> 00:28:20.859 more precious. 00:28:22.699 --> 00:28:23.879 It's not 00:28:23.879 --> 00:28:25.699 a new revelation 00:28:25.700 --> 00:28:27.519 because it's 00:28:27.519 --> 00:28:28.779 the way God is 00:28:28.779 --> 00:28:31.240 but it's seeing him 00:28:31.240 --> 00:28:32.279 in that light 00:28:32.279 --> 00:28:34.180 more beautiful 00:28:34.180 --> 00:28:36.100 more wonderful 00:28:36.100 --> 00:28:38.059 more precious. 00:28:38.759 --> 00:28:39.940 As we hear 00:28:39.940 --> 00:28:40.680 the gospel 00:28:40.680 --> 00:28:42.039 the power 00:28:42.039 --> 00:28:42.940 that transforms 00:28:42.940 --> 00:28:45.019 we should see 00:28:45.019 --> 00:28:46.519 the more beauty 00:28:46.519 --> 00:28:47.600 that there is 00:28:47.600 --> 00:28:48.299 in Christ 00:28:48.299 --> 00:28:50.160 the more wonder 00:28:50.160 --> 00:28:51.360 that there is 00:28:51.360 --> 00:28:51.900 in him 00:28:51.900 --> 00:28:53.640 and see him 00:28:53.640 --> 00:28:55.240 and his gospel 00:28:55.240 --> 00:28:56.259 as more precious 00:28:56.259 --> 00:28:57.540 than ever. 00:28:58.620 --> 00:28:59.380 There is no 00:28:59.380 --> 00:29:00.280 other gospel. 00:29:01.220 --> 00:29:01.860 The gospel 00:29:01.860 --> 00:29:04.380 is Jesus Christ 00:29:04.380 --> 00:29:05.860 crucified 00:29:05.860 --> 00:29:06.960 for our sin 00:29:06.960 --> 00:29:08.000 risen 00:29:08.000 --> 00:29:09.360 from the dead 00:29:09.360 --> 00:29:10.860 a saviour 00:29:10.860 --> 00:29:12.320 for his people. 00:29:13.060 --> 00:29:13.620 Let us pray. 00:29:16.720 --> 00:29:18.200 Lord our gracious 00:29:18.200 --> 00:29:18.660 God 00:29:18.660 --> 00:29:19.660 we thank you 00:29:19.660 --> 00:29:20.540 for the gospel 00:29:20.540 --> 00:29:21.320 we thank you 00:29:21.319 --> 00:29:23.159 for the good news 00:29:23.159 --> 00:29:23.819 that we have 00:29:23.819 --> 00:29:24.460 in the midst 00:29:24.460 --> 00:29:26.179 of a broken world 00:29:26.179 --> 00:29:27.460 a broken 00:29:27.460 --> 00:29:28.139 and a sinful 00:29:28.139 --> 00:29:28.799 people 00:29:28.799 --> 00:29:30.059 such as we are. 00:29:30.639 --> 00:29:31.319 We thank you 00:29:31.319 --> 00:29:31.960 that we have 00:29:31.960 --> 00:29:32.579 in Jesus 00:29:32.579 --> 00:29:33.139 one 00:29:33.139 --> 00:29:34.359 who came 00:29:34.359 --> 00:29:35.119 to conquer 00:29:35.119 --> 00:29:35.599 sin 00:29:35.599 --> 00:29:36.759 the one 00:29:36.759 --> 00:29:38.220 whose power 00:29:38.220 --> 00:29:38.960 is seen 00:29:38.960 --> 00:29:39.879 in the gospel 00:29:39.879 --> 00:29:41.519 the power 00:29:41.519 --> 00:29:42.099 of God 00:29:42.099 --> 00:29:43.059 to salvation 00:29:43.059 --> 00:29:44.419 and we pray 00:29:44.419 --> 00:29:45.039 that we would 00:29:45.039 --> 00:29:47.000 have that gospel 00:29:47.000 --> 00:29:47.899 in our hearts 00:29:47.899 --> 00:29:49.099 even today 00:29:49.099 --> 00:29:49.679 as we go 00:29:49.680 --> 00:29:50.259 from here 00:29:50.259 --> 00:29:50.580 that we would 00:29:50.580 --> 00:29:51.080 not leave 00:29:51.080 --> 00:29:51.840 it behind 00:29:51.840 --> 00:29:52.820 we would 00:29:52.820 --> 00:29:53.340 not turn 00:29:53.340 --> 00:29:54.000 from it 00:29:54.000 --> 00:29:54.820 but that we 00:29:54.820 --> 00:29:55.460 recognize 00:29:55.460 --> 00:29:55.840 the very 00:29:55.840 --> 00:29:56.400 source 00:29:56.400 --> 00:29:56.880 of it 00:29:56.880 --> 00:29:57.940 that you 00:29:57.940 --> 00:29:58.820 are God 00:29:58.820 --> 00:29:59.340 in heaven 00:29:59.340 --> 00:30:00.460 who gave 00:30:00.460 --> 00:30:01.140 your word 00:30:01.140 --> 00:30:01.740 to us 00:30:01.740 --> 00:30:02.200 who gave 00:30:02.200 --> 00:30:02.880 your son 00:30:02.880 --> 00:30:03.700 that we 00:30:03.700 --> 00:30:04.180 might have 00:30:04.180 --> 00:30:04.519 everlasting 00:30:04.519 --> 00:30:05.420 life 00:30:05.420 --> 00:30:06.160 and so may 00:30:06.160 --> 00:30:06.940 your gospel 00:30:06.940 --> 00:30:07.440 be more 00:30:07.440 --> 00:30:08.039 beautiful 00:30:08.039 --> 00:30:09.560 more wonderful 00:30:09.560 --> 00:30:10.039 and more 00:30:10.039 --> 00:30:10.840 precious than 00:30:10.840 --> 00:30:11.180 ever 00:30:11.180 --> 00:30:12.320 as we ask 00:30:12.320 --> 00:30:12.700 it all 00:30:12.700 --> 00:30:13.240 in Jesus 00:30:13.240 --> 00:30:13.680 name 00:30:13.680 --> 00:30:14.580 Amen 00:30:14.579 --> 00:30:18.359 we're going 00:30:18.359 --> 00:30:19.639 to conclude 00:30:19.639 --> 00:30:20.259 by singing 00:30:20.259 --> 00:30:21.000 to God's 00:30:21.000 --> 00:30:21.359 praise 00:30:21.359 --> 00:30:21.899 in Psalm 00:30:21.899 --> 00:30:22.779 63 00:30:22.779 --> 00:30:24.960 the Scottish 00:30:24.960 --> 00:30:25.559 Psalter 00:30:25.559 --> 00:30:25.939 verse 00:30:25.939 --> 00:30:26.460 in Psalm 00:30:26.460 --> 00:30:27.299 63 00:30:27.299 --> 00:30:28.879 we'll sing 00:30:28.879 --> 00:30:29.779 three stanzas 00:30:29.779 --> 00:30:30.379 verse 1 00:30:30.379 --> 00:30:30.899 to 4 00:30:30.899 --> 00:30:31.480 Lord thee 00:30:31.480 --> 00:30:32.119 my God 00:30:32.119 --> 00:30:32.639 I'll early 00:30:32.639 --> 00:30:33.159 seek 00:30:33.159 --> 00:30:34.240 my soul 00:30:34.240 --> 00:30:34.819 doth thirst 00:30:34.819 --> 00:30:35.319 for thee 00:30:35.319 --> 00:30:36.000 my flesh 00:30:36.000 --> 00:30:36.379 longs 00:30:36.379 --> 00:30:36.879 in a dry 00:30:36.879 --> 00:30:37.339 parched 00:30:37.339 --> 00:30:37.779 land 00:30:37.779 --> 00:30:38.619 wherein 00:30:38.619 --> 00:30:39.339 no waters 00:30:39.339 --> 00:30:39.699 be 00:30:39.699 --> 00:30:40.220 that I 00:30:40.220 --> 00:30:40.899 thy power 00:30:40.899 --> 00:30:42.079 may behold 00:30:42.079 --> 00:30:42.720 and brightness 00:30:42.720 --> 00:30:43.799 of thy face 00:30:43.799 --> 00:30:44.740 as I have 00:30:44.740 --> 00:30:45.200 seen thee 00:30:45.200 --> 00:30:45.940 heretofore 00:30:45.940 --> 00:30:46.359 within 00:30:46.359 --> 00:30:47.519 thy holy 00:30:47.519 --> 00:30:47.899 place 00:30:47.899 --> 00:30:48.259 we'll sing 00:30:48.259 --> 00:30:49.019 from verse 1 00:30:49.019 --> 00:30:49.579 to 4 00:30:49.579 --> 00:30:50.359 the tune 00:30:50.359 --> 00:30:50.839 as whether 00:30:50.839 --> 00:30:51.240 be we 00:30:51.240 --> 00:30:51.819 stand to 00:30:51.819 --> 00:30:52.099 sing 00:30:52.099 --> 00:30:53.059 to God's 00:30:53.059 --> 00:30:53.379 praise 00:30:53.379 --> 00:30:59.059 Lord thee 00:30:59.059 --> 00:31:01.539 my God 00:31:01.539 --> 00:31:03.500 I'll ever 00:31:03.500 --> 00:31:05.059 receive 00:31:05.059 --> 00:31:08.059 my soul 00:31:08.059 --> 00:31:10.059 doth thirst 00:31:10.059 --> 00:31:13.059 for thee 00:31:13.059 --> 00:31:15.619 thy flesh 00:31:15.619 --> 00:31:16.059 ! 00:31:16.059 --> 00:31:16.619 thy flesh 00:31:16.619 --> 00:31:19.119 of sin 00:31:19.119 --> 00:31:20.619 and thy 00:31:20.619 --> 00:31:22.720 heart's 00:31:22.720 --> 00:31:23.819 grant 00:31:23.819 --> 00:31:25.099 when 00:31:25.099 --> 00:31:29.119 no waters 00:31:29.119 --> 00:31:30.019 be 00:31:30.019 --> 00:31:34.440 that I 00:31:34.440 --> 00:31:36.079 thy power 00:31:36.079 --> 00:31:40.119 may be 00:31:40.119 --> 00:31:40.819 who 00:31:40.819 --> 00:31:40.819 00:31:40.819 --> 00:31:40.819 00:31:40.819 --> 00:31:41.779 who 00:31:41.779 --> 00:31:41.779 00:31:41.779 --> 00:31:41.779 00:31:41.779 --> 00:31:41.779 00:31:41.779 --> 00:31:41.779 00:31:41.779 --> 00:31:41.779 00:31:41.779 --> 00:31:41.779 00:31:41.779 --> 00:31:41.779 00:31:41.779 --> 00:31:41.779 00:31:41.779 --> 00:31:41.779 00:31:41.779 --> 00:31:41.779 00:31:41.779 --> 00:31:41.779 00:31:41.779 --> 00:31:41.779 00:31:41.779 --> 00:31:41.779 00:31:41.779 --> 00:31:41.779 00:31:41.779 --> 00:31:41.779 00:31:41.779 --> 00:31:41.779 00:31:41.779 --> 00:31:41.779 00:31:41.779 --> 00:31:41.779 00:31:41.779 --> 00:31:41.779 00:31:41.779 --> 00:31:41.779 00:31:41.779 --> 00:31:41.779 00:31:41.779 --> 00:31:41.779 00:31:41.779 --> 00:31:41.779 00:31:41.779 --> 00:31:41.779 00:31:41.779 --> 00:31:41.779 00:31:41.779 --> 00:31:41.779 00:31:41.779 --> 00:31:41.779 00:31:41.779 --> 00:31:41.779 00:31:41.779 --> 00:31:41.779 00:31:41.779 --> 00:31:41.779 00:31:41.779 --> 00:31:41.779 00:31:41.779 --> 00:31:41.779 00:31:41.779 --> 00:31:41.779 00:31:41.779 --> 00:31:41.779 00:31:41.779 --> 00:31:41.779 00:31:41.779 --> 00:31:41.779 00:31:41.779 --> 00:31:41.779 00:31:41.779 --> 00:31:41.779 00:31:41.779 --> 00:31:41.779 00:31:41.779 --> 00:31:41.779 00:31:41.779 --> 00:31:41.779 00:31:41.779 --> 00:31:41.779 00:31:41.779 --> 00:31:41.779 00:31:41.779 --> 00:31:41.779 00:31:41.779 --> 00:31:41.779 00:31:41.779 --> 00:31:41.779 00:31:41.779 --> 00:31:41.779 00:31:41.779 --> 00:31:41.779 00:31:41.779 --> 00:31:41.779 00:31:41.779 --> 00:31:41.779 00:31:41.779 --> 00:31:41.779 00:31:41.779 --> 00:31:41.779 00:31:41.779 --> 00:31:41.779 00:31:41.779 --> 00:31:41.779 00:31:41.779 --> 00:31:41.779 00:31:41.779 --> 00:31:41.779 00:31:41.779 --> 00:31:41.779 00:31:41.779 --> 00:31:41.779 00:31:41.779 --> 00:31:41.779 00:31:41.779 --> 00:31:41.779 00:31:41.779 --> 00:31:41.779 00:31:41.779 --> 00:31:41.779 00:31:41.779 --> 00:31:41.779 00:31:41.779 --> 00:31:41.779 00:31:41.779 --> 00:31:41.779 00:31:41.779 --> 00:31:41.779 00:31:41.779 --> 00:31:41.779 00:31:41.779 --> 00:31:41.779 00:31:41.779 --> 00:31:41.779 00:31:41.779 --> 00:31:41.779 00:32:10.119 --> 00:32:40.099 Thank you. 00:32:40.119 --> 00:32:48.619 After the benediction, I'll go to the door to my left. We'll close with the benediction. 00:32:49.859 --> 00:32:59.719 Now may grace, mercy, and peace from God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit rest upon and abide with you all now and forevermore. Amen. 00:33:10.119 --> 00:33:40.099 Thank you.