1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:04,520 This morning I don't want to focus on our value. 2 00:00:05,480 --> 00:00:07,480 We have a lot of value in Christ. 3 00:00:07,480 --> 00:00:10,280 We know because of the way he loved us and he died for us. 4 00:00:10,280 --> 00:00:13,440 As we sang in the worship this morning, I want to ask this 5 00:00:13,440 --> 00:00:16,680 question of what value is Christ to us? 6 00:00:16,680 --> 00:00:20,400 That's the question of what value is he to us? 7 00:00:20,760 --> 00:00:24,560 Of what value he is to us is evident by how we live. 8 00:00:24,760 --> 00:00:29,520 See, people go to yard sales, flea markets, antique stores and 9 00:00:29,520 --> 00:00:32,840 pick up old stuff, sometimes very cheap. 10 00:00:33,520 --> 00:00:37,120 And once in a while they come across something that may be 11 00:00:37,120 --> 00:00:41,320 cheap, but only to discover later on this actually has a lot 12 00:00:41,320 --> 00:00:44,560 of value. There are things that maybe 13 00:00:44,560 --> 00:00:48,360 don't seem to have any value, but when you start researching, 14 00:00:48,800 --> 00:00:52,880 maybe there's one it's one of it's a rare item maybe or it's a 15 00:00:53,480 --> 00:00:56,760 it's a special item maybe like an old baseball card. 16 00:00:56,840 --> 00:00:59,440 I don't know anything about baseball cards, but I hear some 17 00:00:59,440 --> 00:01:03,480 baseball cards are very expensive or maybe a coin 18 00:01:03,480 --> 00:01:06,040 collection. Coins can be very expensive 19 00:01:06,040 --> 00:01:08,400 because of a rare. There may be a special coin, 20 00:01:09,400 --> 00:01:12,440 maybe paintings. Somebody buys a painting and 21 00:01:12,440 --> 00:01:14,920 finds out, oh, that was a one-of-a-kind or very special 22 00:01:14,920 --> 00:01:18,480 painting. In our sermon this morning we 23 00:01:18,480 --> 00:01:22,960 want to talk about the value. We could talk about the value we 24 00:01:22,960 --> 00:01:25,320 have in God's eyes, but we want to talk about the value we 25 00:01:25,440 --> 00:01:28,680 expressed toward Christ. In John 316 we read how much God 26 00:01:28,680 --> 00:01:32,760 loved us, how much He valued us. God so loved the world, He sent 27 00:01:32,760 --> 00:01:37,680 his only Son, Jesus, who's of infinite value for us. 28 00:01:37,800 --> 00:01:41,280 That's how much he values us. And there's nothing in this 29 00:01:41,280 --> 00:01:43,960 world that we can equal to Christ. 30 00:01:45,040 --> 00:01:48,360 When we think of Jesus Christ, what he did and what he went 31 00:01:48,360 --> 00:01:54,040 through to achieve salvation for us, how much we value that is 32 00:01:54,040 --> 00:01:58,400 evident by how we live. So this morning we want to 33 00:01:58,400 --> 00:02:02,800 consider what we have in Jesus Christ, what we have in him, 34 00:02:04,000 --> 00:02:06,680 what Jesus has in US, what what he gains by having us. 35 00:02:06,680 --> 00:02:08,199 That's maybe a topic for another sermon. 36 00:02:08,199 --> 00:02:11,520 But this morning what we have in Christ, let's focus on that. 37 00:02:12,040 --> 00:02:16,400 Our sermon title is what we have in Christ, What we have in 38 00:02:16,400 --> 00:02:19,040 Christ. Last Sunday we began a new 39 00:02:19,040 --> 00:02:21,160 sermon series out of the book of Ephesians. 40 00:02:21,680 --> 00:02:25,520 We started with how we as God's Saints have been blessed. 41 00:02:26,800 --> 00:02:31,760 We saw that it was God's plan from before time to chose choose 42 00:02:31,760 --> 00:02:35,200 a people, then predestined this people for His glory. 43 00:02:35,680 --> 00:02:38,760 God had a plan for the people. He had created us in His image 44 00:02:39,600 --> 00:02:43,360 and He has a lot more in store for us than just live here, work 45 00:02:43,360 --> 00:02:47,080 here and die. He has a lot more in store than 46 00:02:47,080 --> 00:02:50,040 what we think. He has an eternal plan for us. 47 00:02:50,560 --> 00:02:54,560 And last Sunday we learned that it was God's plan to adopt us, 48 00:02:54,800 --> 00:02:59,720 his children as Saints, as sons, and to for us to then live holy 49 00:02:59,720 --> 00:03:03,960 lives and be blameless. And we learned repeatedly last 50 00:03:03,960 --> 00:03:07,080 Sunday that it's all in him. That's how Paul begins the 51 00:03:07,080 --> 00:03:09,960 letter to the Ephesians. It's all in Christ, all in him. 52 00:03:10,240 --> 00:03:13,040 And this phrase in him is very important. 53 00:03:14,240 --> 00:03:18,760 Last Sunday, I also showed a slide pictures of how different 54 00:03:18,760 --> 00:03:21,760 bodies of water may not be that different on the surface. 55 00:03:21,760 --> 00:03:24,840 They're all flat and you can't really see anything except this 56 00:03:24,840 --> 00:03:27,800 is a body of water. But then once you've dive into 57 00:03:27,800 --> 00:03:31,040 this water, a lake let's say, then it can be very different 58 00:03:31,040 --> 00:03:34,000 one from another. One can be very deep, 1 can be 59 00:03:34,000 --> 00:03:37,320 very shallow, and so on. In our Scripture passage this 60 00:03:37,320 --> 00:03:41,360 morning, we will see at a greater depth what God really 61 00:03:41,360 --> 00:03:46,280 has done for us, His people, His Saints, and we will see what we 62 00:03:46,280 --> 00:03:49,160 have in Christ. That's what we want to look at 63 00:03:49,160 --> 00:03:50,880 this morning. So I want you to take your 64 00:03:50,960 --> 00:03:55,320 phones or your Bibles and read Ephesians chapter 1 beginning 65 00:03:55,320 --> 00:03:58,960 verse 7 to verse 14. It reads this way. 66 00:03:58,960 --> 00:04:03,720 Ephesians 17 to 14. In Him we have redemption 67 00:04:03,720 --> 00:04:07,560 through His blood, the forgiveness of sins according to 68 00:04:07,560 --> 00:04:11,400 the riches of His grace, which He made to a bound toward us in 69 00:04:11,440 --> 00:04:15,520 all wisdom and prudence. Having made known to us the 70 00:04:15,520 --> 00:04:18,760 mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He 71 00:04:18,760 --> 00:04:23,200 purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of 72 00:04:23,200 --> 00:04:27,520 the times, He might gather together in one all things in 73 00:04:27,520 --> 00:04:31,920 Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth in Him. 74 00:04:32,520 --> 00:04:36,760 In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined 75 00:04:37,000 --> 00:04:40,520 according to the purpose of Him who works all things according 76 00:04:40,720 --> 00:04:45,280 to the council of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ 77 00:04:45,480 --> 00:04:48,240 should be to the glory, praise of His glory. 78 00:04:48,680 --> 00:04:53,320 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the 79 00:04:53,320 --> 00:04:56,480 gospel of your salvation, in whom also you have you, having 80 00:04:56,480 --> 00:05:00,040 believed you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who 81 00:05:00,040 --> 00:05:03,960 is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption 82 00:05:04,280 --> 00:05:07,840 of the purchase, possession to the praise of His glory. 83 00:05:08,480 --> 00:05:11,840 This is so dense and so tightly packed. 84 00:05:13,680 --> 00:05:18,400 It's heavy, it's deep, it's powerful, and there's no way in 85 00:05:18,400 --> 00:05:20,600 one short sermon we can do justice to all of it. 86 00:05:20,600 --> 00:05:23,680 We could spend a lot of time just in one phrase here, but in 87 00:05:23,680 --> 00:05:27,960 the in the King James Version, which I'm reading, the reference 88 00:05:27,960 --> 00:05:31,080 to Christ is mentioned here 18 times. 89 00:05:31,480 --> 00:05:34,400 He, him and so on. Christ and him and so on. 90 00:05:34,840 --> 00:05:38,480 It's so densely packed that if it was a computer file, we'd say 91 00:05:38,480 --> 00:05:40,920 it's a zip file. You can unzip it and a bunch of 92 00:05:40,920 --> 00:05:44,840 stuff comes out. It may look short, but it's not. 93 00:05:44,840 --> 00:05:47,600 It's like one of those mattresses you buy in a box and 94 00:05:47,600 --> 00:05:50,840 then you bring this heavy box into your house and cut it open. 95 00:05:50,840 --> 00:05:52,200 You can never put it back in the box. 96 00:05:52,760 --> 00:05:55,720 That's how this passage is kind of once you start diving down, 97 00:05:55,720 --> 00:05:58,120 you'll never you see stuff in there that you have never 98 00:05:58,120 --> 00:06:02,120 thought of. It's deep enough for us to never 99 00:06:02,120 --> 00:06:05,240 really fully grasp all of it. But let's, let's do what we can 100 00:06:05,240 --> 00:06:10,040 in our short sermon this morning beginning verse 7 in him Christ, 101 00:06:10,600 --> 00:06:15,400 we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins 102 00:06:16,040 --> 00:06:19,640 according to the riches of his grace. 103 00:06:21,200 --> 00:06:23,920 Let's look first. Well, it's in him. 104 00:06:23,960 --> 00:06:26,920 That means in Christ we have redemption, forgiveness and 105 00:06:26,920 --> 00:06:28,600 grace. So let's part there. 106 00:06:28,600 --> 00:06:31,760 Let's stop there. So number one, we are redeemed. 107 00:06:33,120 --> 00:06:35,920 Paul begins his comments on redemptions with the phrase in 108 00:06:35,920 --> 00:06:37,960 hymn to be redeemed is a good thing. 109 00:06:38,520 --> 00:06:40,680 It's it's special and it's praiseworthy. 110 00:06:40,680 --> 00:06:43,720 But what makes it all the more special is when what are we 111 00:06:43,720 --> 00:06:48,320 redeemed in him in Christ? Let's put those two together, 112 00:06:48,640 --> 00:06:53,400 redeemed in Christ. That's the qualification there. 113 00:06:53,520 --> 00:06:56,080 Redemption is good, but to be redeemed in what? 114 00:06:56,120 --> 00:07:01,840 In him, it makes it infinitely special, infinitely good. 115 00:07:02,880 --> 00:07:04,880 And what is the purpose of this redemption? 116 00:07:05,600 --> 00:07:09,760 It's to bring back, to restore to its original, to the oneness 117 00:07:09,960 --> 00:07:13,880 that was separated, to bring together everything in Christ 118 00:07:13,880 --> 00:07:17,560 again in him. We will see a little bit later 119 00:07:17,800 --> 00:07:21,440 in verse 10 God's plan to bring it all together, heaven and 120 00:07:21,440 --> 00:07:27,000 earth in him and all in one. The Bible teaches that God 121 00:07:27,000 --> 00:07:31,520 redeemed for himself a people brought together in a community 122 00:07:31,520 --> 00:07:34,440 of love and grace and fellowship and relationship. 123 00:07:35,200 --> 00:07:38,160 This is very different than if God had conquered for himself a 124 00:07:38,160 --> 00:07:41,400 people and overpowered for himself a people. 125 00:07:41,640 --> 00:07:45,280 This is voluntary. It's His will, it's his desire, 126 00:07:45,280 --> 00:07:48,800 it's his design, it's his calling, and we get to respond. 127 00:07:49,000 --> 00:07:53,200 That's the beauty. What's so significant about this 128 00:07:53,200 --> 00:07:56,680 is we couldn't do it ourselves. We can say yes to Him, and 129 00:07:56,680 --> 00:07:58,560 that's as far as it goes. He does the work. 130 00:08:00,360 --> 00:08:04,000 We're brought back from a place where we could not free 131 00:08:04,000 --> 00:08:08,920 ourselves from to illustrate this meaning of the word 132 00:08:08,920 --> 00:08:10,840 redemption. I've tried to find a word 133 00:08:10,840 --> 00:08:13,440 picture that can do somewhat justice to this, and it's hard 134 00:08:13,440 --> 00:08:18,400 to find a good word picture. Last month, Anna and I, we went 135 00:08:18,400 --> 00:08:19,840 to Windsor, to the Devonshire Mall. 136 00:08:19,840 --> 00:08:21,320 There's a good bookstore in there. 137 00:08:21,840 --> 00:08:25,440 And so Anna and I took some of our granddaughters there and we, 138 00:08:25,640 --> 00:08:29,600 I bought a book, They bought some books and I received a 20% 139 00:08:29,600 --> 00:08:35,440 coupon when I bought a book. And I still have that coupon, 140 00:08:35,840 --> 00:08:37,760 but it's outdated now. It's expired. 141 00:08:38,840 --> 00:08:41,600 Anyway, I was thinking about that as I was preparing my 142 00:08:41,600 --> 00:08:47,280 sermon, 20% off and what the coupon in, in, in in effect 143 00:08:47,280 --> 00:08:51,480 means I can redeem $20 out of 100 if I spend 100 bucks there. 144 00:08:53,520 --> 00:08:57,240 In a way, it may almost sound disrespectful or irreverent to 145 00:08:57,240 --> 00:09:01,080 use a coupon word analogy in describing the love of Jesus, 146 00:09:01,280 --> 00:09:05,400 what he's done for us. But there's a point here, a 147 00:09:05,400 --> 00:09:10,400 coupon only represents 20% of what it's going to cost, but I 148 00:09:10,400 --> 00:09:13,440 still have to do the rest. But I get to keep 20% of my 149 00:09:13,440 --> 00:09:15,320 money that I would spend otherwise. 150 00:09:15,840 --> 00:09:17,520 But there's a time frame on it, of course. 151 00:09:18,160 --> 00:09:21,120 You see, when humanity came under the curse of death in the 152 00:09:21,120 --> 00:09:24,040 Garden of Eden, of Eden, when Adam and Eve sinned, there was 153 00:09:24,040 --> 00:09:25,920 no way out. There was a penalty that had to 154 00:09:25,920 --> 00:09:27,520 be paid. There was no discount. 155 00:09:27,520 --> 00:09:28,960 If you do this, then there's a discount. 156 00:09:30,040 --> 00:09:32,000 Or if you do this much, then God will do the rest. 157 00:09:33,120 --> 00:09:37,760 There's only one way to pay. There's no partial, no marginal, 158 00:09:37,880 --> 00:09:41,640 no what if you do then this you can bargain with companies and 159 00:09:41,640 --> 00:09:44,360 organizations will do this and you deal with God. 160 00:09:44,360 --> 00:09:47,400 It's all or nothing, and with us it's nothing. 161 00:09:47,600 --> 00:09:49,680 All Him. Redemption is a complete and 162 00:09:49,680 --> 00:09:55,400 total 100% payment. It's not you do this much and 163 00:09:55,400 --> 00:09:58,480 the rest will be forgiven. Or you do this much and then 164 00:09:58,480 --> 00:10:01,160 there's a 20% off what you require to pay. 165 00:10:02,440 --> 00:10:05,560 The penalty of sin is death complete and total complete. 166 00:10:07,160 --> 00:10:10,880 There's no coupons, there's no, there's no kind of coverage. 167 00:10:12,400 --> 00:10:16,440 It's all in him. We know from Scripture that our 168 00:10:16,440 --> 00:10:19,240 works have no merit. They don't qualify. 169 00:10:19,400 --> 00:10:22,200 They're not. They have no merit before God, 170 00:10:22,960 --> 00:10:24,720 the Isaiah writes. They're like dirty rags. 171 00:10:25,440 --> 00:10:28,800 There's nothing we can do to compensate for the debt we have 172 00:10:29,040 --> 00:10:32,160 or erase the part of it. Even before God. 173 00:10:32,160 --> 00:10:35,680 Our sins stand between us. They separate us, they remove 174 00:10:35,680 --> 00:10:37,360 us. The cost is life. 175 00:10:37,480 --> 00:10:41,080 That's the equation. There's no human able to present 176 00:10:41,080 --> 00:10:44,200 any kind of coupon, if you will, to repay portion of it. 177 00:10:44,720 --> 00:10:47,200 The Bible clearly says there's no one righteous, not one. 178 00:10:47,200 --> 00:10:51,240 Paul talks about that in Romans, but you know, people try and sad 179 00:10:51,240 --> 00:10:54,360 as it is, they start listing the good things they've done in 180 00:10:54,360 --> 00:10:56,240 their life. And then hopefully the goodwill 181 00:10:56,240 --> 00:10:59,160 overpower over over correct the bad. 182 00:10:59,160 --> 00:11:01,680 And so they have their checklist of good deeds they've always 183 00:11:01,680 --> 00:11:03,120 done. They got baptized and went to 184 00:11:03,120 --> 00:11:06,120 church and gave money and served in Sunday school and all the 185 00:11:06,120 --> 00:11:07,600 rest. And hopefully it outweighs the 186 00:11:07,600 --> 00:11:09,440 bad. When judgment day comes, it's 187 00:11:09,440 --> 00:11:14,120 not how it works. You know what's even worse than 188 00:11:14,120 --> 00:11:16,080 that? You know what's even worse? 189 00:11:16,920 --> 00:11:19,160 They come up with a list of bad things they didn't do. 190 00:11:20,520 --> 00:11:23,160 Not only no, I I may not have done a lot of good hey, but hey, 191 00:11:23,280 --> 00:11:26,400 look at how bad I wasn't. I didn't kill, I didn't steal, I 192 00:11:26,400 --> 00:11:28,680 didn't rob, I all the bad things I didn't do. 193 00:11:28,880 --> 00:11:33,800 Try taking that to the court trying to list the bad things 194 00:11:33,800 --> 00:11:35,960 they haven't done. Imagine getting pulled over for 195 00:11:35,960 --> 00:11:39,600 doing 80 in A50 or in a 40 cop once you write a ticket says 196 00:11:39,680 --> 00:11:41,320 hey, but officer I wasn't doing 100. 197 00:11:41,320 --> 00:11:45,680 Doesn't that count? That would be an insult, and 198 00:11:45,680 --> 00:11:49,160 that's exactly what some people try to hold before God. 199 00:11:49,240 --> 00:11:52,000 Well, I didn't do these bad things, so that should values 200 00:11:52,000 --> 00:11:53,720 that should count for something, right? 201 00:11:53,960 --> 00:11:59,000 No, we are bankrupt and destitute before God. 202 00:11:59,200 --> 00:12:02,440 Redemption has a lot bigger meaning than we give it credit 203 00:12:02,440 --> 00:12:04,120 for. We redeemed in Him. 204 00:12:04,720 --> 00:12:08,440 We have redemption in Him. OK, let's go a little further 205 00:12:08,440 --> 00:12:10,560 now. So what exactly does this 206 00:12:10,560 --> 00:12:13,240 redemption then consist of? What's it made of? 207 00:12:13,960 --> 00:12:15,400 What? What's the property of it? 208 00:12:15,400 --> 00:12:16,640 What was it? Money? 209 00:12:16,800 --> 00:12:19,280 Was it gold? No, the blood of Christ. 210 00:12:20,120 --> 00:12:22,920 We're bought with blood. Now, what's so significant about 211 00:12:22,920 --> 00:12:23,840 blood? Why blood? 212 00:12:25,000 --> 00:12:30,480 Blood is described as the life of of a person in the book of 213 00:12:30,480 --> 00:12:32,320 Genesis. We read that was it's the 214 00:12:32,320 --> 00:12:35,120 carrier of life. When the blood is gone, life is 215 00:12:35,120 --> 00:12:37,120 gone. The people of Israel, in their 216 00:12:37,120 --> 00:12:40,680 day, they were not allowed to eat meat that had blood in it. 217 00:12:41,240 --> 00:12:43,800 The life is in the blood. The Bible says so because life 218 00:12:43,800 --> 00:12:47,880 was in the blood, people were not allowed to eat animal meat 219 00:12:47,920 --> 00:12:49,760 that had blood in it. There's a verse in Deuteronomy I 220 00:12:49,760 --> 00:12:54,280 want to read. The writer says only be sure 221 00:12:54,280 --> 00:12:56,680 that you do not eat the blood, for the blood is the life. 222 00:12:56,920 --> 00:12:58,440 You may not eat the life with the meat. 223 00:12:58,600 --> 00:13:01,000 You shall not eat it. You shall pour it on the earth 224 00:13:01,000 --> 00:13:04,240 like water. It had sacrificial value. 225 00:13:04,440 --> 00:13:07,760 When sin was committed, the person had to offer sacrifice, 226 00:13:08,120 --> 00:13:09,920 an animal sacrifice for their sin. 227 00:13:10,360 --> 00:13:12,880 The animal had to be killed. The blood poured on the earth to 228 00:13:12,880 --> 00:13:14,400 atone for the sin that had been committed. 229 00:13:14,680 --> 00:13:16,720 The blood was not a true cleansing. 230 00:13:16,800 --> 00:13:20,400 We find in the book of Hebrews that sacrificing animals was 231 00:13:20,400 --> 00:13:24,840 only a foreshadow of what was to come, to be a reminder that sin 232 00:13:25,000 --> 00:13:27,000 equals death. That's the equation. 233 00:13:28,040 --> 00:13:31,200 It was, and then it was. Christ's death on the cross that 234 00:13:31,200 --> 00:13:34,320 God planned would be the full sin payment for the world. 235 00:13:35,560 --> 00:13:38,920 And how this payment works is that all of humanity's sins come 236 00:13:38,920 --> 00:13:41,240 under the blood of Christ. There's no one who can say, well 237 00:13:41,240 --> 00:13:43,600 Jesus died for part of my sins, not for all of them. 238 00:13:44,400 --> 00:13:48,080 For Jesus death to apply to my sins, I have to give my life to 239 00:13:48,080 --> 00:13:49,920 Christ. I have to repent, I have to 240 00:13:49,920 --> 00:13:51,680 surrender, give myself to Christ. 241 00:13:52,040 --> 00:13:55,240 I have to believe he's God's Son who came into this world to save 242 00:13:55,240 --> 00:13:57,360 sinners. Then He must put my faith in 243 00:13:57,360 --> 00:13:59,400 Him, trust Him, repent of my sins. 244 00:14:01,440 --> 00:14:04,800 Well, OK, that's now we know it's we're redeemed by the 245 00:14:04,800 --> 00:14:06,720 blood. What did it do? 246 00:14:07,840 --> 00:14:10,160 Let's go further. Second point. 247 00:14:10,160 --> 00:14:12,320 We're forgiven. That's what it accomplishes. 248 00:14:13,360 --> 00:14:15,960 What is forgiveness? Forgiveness is a much bigger, 249 00:14:15,960 --> 00:14:18,000 broader, deeper thing than we often think of. 250 00:14:18,760 --> 00:14:25,000 Forgiveness only works if someone is willing to pay for 251 00:14:25,000 --> 00:14:27,360 something. To be forgiven, someone has to 252 00:14:27,360 --> 00:14:31,240 be willing to lose something or get nothing in return. 253 00:14:31,320 --> 00:14:35,280 Listen, every time something's forgiven, someone does the 254 00:14:35,280 --> 00:14:39,400 paying the forgiver. The forgiver does the paying, 255 00:14:39,520 --> 00:14:41,560 the forgiven does the benefiting. 256 00:14:42,240 --> 00:14:45,640 We have to understand that. Let me explain this way. 257 00:14:45,840 --> 00:14:48,520 Let's say you stole an expensive tool from your neighbor. 258 00:14:48,680 --> 00:14:51,760 You could say, oh, I'm sorry I stole your, your drill or your 259 00:14:52,000 --> 00:14:54,240 your tools, whatever. I'm sorry. 260 00:14:54,240 --> 00:14:56,360 Here, here, there, I, I here. I'm giving them back. 261 00:14:56,600 --> 00:15:00,920 That would settle the act of the theft, but that would still not 262 00:15:00,920 --> 00:15:03,000 restore the trust. He might forgive you, meaning, 263 00:15:03,120 --> 00:15:05,760 oh, I want 2 tools and and as as payment. 264 00:15:05,840 --> 00:15:07,880 He could demand that. But let's say he doesn't. 265 00:15:08,640 --> 00:15:11,280 It still does not unhappen what happened. 266 00:15:11,560 --> 00:15:15,400 It still does not undo what you did or undoes the ACT. 267 00:15:15,400 --> 00:15:18,840 You can, you can give back the tool, sure, but he may never 268 00:15:18,840 --> 00:15:22,080 trust you again. The material value can be 269 00:15:22,080 --> 00:15:25,000 straightened out, but that's not the real issue. 270 00:15:25,160 --> 00:15:26,840 The heart is the issue. What happened? 271 00:15:27,400 --> 00:15:29,920 The damaged trust takes time to rebuild. 272 00:15:29,920 --> 00:15:32,920 If it can be rebuilt, it takes forgiveness on the part who was 273 00:15:32,920 --> 00:15:35,800 robbed, who was hurt. Let's go a little bit deeper on 274 00:15:35,800 --> 00:15:39,320 this one. Let's say it's a moral sin where 275 00:15:39,320 --> 00:15:41,840 spouse has been unfaithful, has committed adultery. 276 00:15:42,080 --> 00:15:45,120 How does one deal with that? Suppose someone would say and 277 00:15:45,400 --> 00:15:49,400 apologize and ask for forgiveness. 278 00:15:49,640 --> 00:15:51,120 Can you forgive me for what I did? 279 00:15:51,440 --> 00:15:55,040 You say, well, yes, I forgive you, but it's so much bigger 280 00:15:55,040 --> 00:15:58,320 than that. How do you deal with it? 281 00:15:58,560 --> 00:16:01,120 It can't be paid by any kind of undoing. 282 00:16:01,120 --> 00:16:04,040 It's impossible to pay for something like that. 283 00:16:05,640 --> 00:16:11,080 Those pains can never be fixed. The emotional pain, the 284 00:16:11,080 --> 00:16:14,800 rejection, betrayal cannot be undone by the one who committed 285 00:16:14,800 --> 00:16:18,600 the sin. It can be taken on, absorbed, 286 00:16:18,760 --> 00:16:21,200 taken in by the one who it was done to. 287 00:16:21,320 --> 00:16:25,400 In other words, it can only be paid by the one it was done to. 288 00:16:25,760 --> 00:16:28,880 Suppose someone might say, well, it was done to me, but I'm not 289 00:16:28,880 --> 00:16:30,840 going to pay. No, you don't have to. 290 00:16:30,840 --> 00:16:32,600 You don't have to forgive. That's a choice. 291 00:16:32,720 --> 00:16:35,680 But that means that person who won't forgive then has to deal 292 00:16:35,800 --> 00:16:37,880 with the bitterness, the resentment, the anger, the 293 00:16:37,880 --> 00:16:39,400 unforgiveness in their own heart. 294 00:16:39,560 --> 00:16:42,560 And yes, that gets very different, very difficult and 295 00:16:42,640 --> 00:16:45,440 very complicated. I've learned in counseling, 296 00:16:45,440 --> 00:16:47,880 ministry and training. One counselor put it this way. 297 00:16:47,880 --> 00:16:52,680 He said when a person asked for forgiveness, the person may be 298 00:16:52,680 --> 00:16:56,040 sorry for what they did, but often they don't know what 299 00:16:56,040 --> 00:16:58,680 they're asking for. A true and sometimes better way 300 00:16:59,000 --> 00:17:01,360 to ask for forgiveness would be to say it this way. 301 00:17:01,840 --> 00:17:05,800 Let's say a spouse has been unfaithful and now the spouse is 302 00:17:05,800 --> 00:17:08,960 sorry. The spouse wants to be forgiven. 303 00:17:09,640 --> 00:17:13,800 The spouse could say I sinned when I was unfaithful to you, 304 00:17:14,200 --> 00:17:16,920 causing you to experience pain through my betrayal and 305 00:17:16,920 --> 00:17:18,640 rejection of our covenant and of you. 306 00:17:18,920 --> 00:17:24,400 I'm sorry, would you choose to pay for the pain I caused you? 307 00:17:25,040 --> 00:17:28,160 Would you be willing to pay from a sin of portrayal and and 308 00:17:28,160 --> 00:17:30,480 adultery? Would you be willing to pay for 309 00:17:30,480 --> 00:17:32,200 the rest of your life as long as you live? 310 00:17:32,360 --> 00:17:36,680 That is the true statement. That is an accurate description 311 00:17:36,680 --> 00:17:39,840 of what it means. Because it can't be undone. 312 00:17:40,960 --> 00:17:43,560 I recently said in the service here that CS Lewis once said 313 00:17:43,760 --> 00:17:47,560 every sin in its own right is a fresh fountain of evil flowing 314 00:17:47,560 --> 00:17:51,440 on to the end of time. Even though forgiveness happens, 315 00:17:51,640 --> 00:17:56,560 there's still that ongoing residue of pain Christ suffered 316 00:17:56,560 --> 00:18:02,400 for us, and if we can experience emotional pain, so can He, much 317 00:18:02,400 --> 00:18:07,040 more than we. We live in a fallen world and we 318 00:18:07,040 --> 00:18:11,040 know sin happens all the time. We must live repentant lives. 319 00:18:11,200 --> 00:18:15,600 But the scars remain. Even Jesus, He still carries the 320 00:18:15,600 --> 00:18:18,200 scars of the nails and the spear wound. 321 00:18:23,480 --> 00:18:26,120 In Christ, in him, we have this forgiveness. 322 00:18:26,280 --> 00:18:29,680 He took the payment, is taking the payment, and is carrying the 323 00:18:29,680 --> 00:18:34,680 payment. To benefit from this, we then 324 00:18:34,680 --> 00:18:38,440 also must extend it. This is going a bit beyond the 325 00:18:38,440 --> 00:18:41,520 passage here, but this is this is self-explanatory. 326 00:18:41,720 --> 00:18:45,400 How much that forgiveness is worth to us is evident, but how 327 00:18:45,400 --> 00:18:50,360 willingly we extended to others. Every wrong that's done must be 328 00:18:50,360 --> 00:18:54,160 forgiven and God has forgiven it through Christ. 329 00:18:56,160 --> 00:19:00,880 Sin can only be forgiven if there is a forgiver and with us 330 00:19:01,040 --> 00:19:03,760 that is Jesus. How special is that? 331 00:19:06,760 --> 00:19:10,400 Paul says we have redemption through his blood. 332 00:19:11,000 --> 00:19:15,440 The forgiveness of sins. Forgiveness is when the guilty 1 333 00:19:15,440 --> 00:19:17,640 doesn't have to pay. The debt is made, the debt is 334 00:19:17,640 --> 00:19:21,560 paid, The one who who has done too does the paying. 335 00:19:21,840 --> 00:19:24,200 Martin King. Martin Luther King Junior was 336 00:19:24,200 --> 00:19:27,680 quoted as having said this. Forgiveness is not an occasional 337 00:19:27,680 --> 00:19:29,960 act. It is a permanent attitude. 338 00:19:30,200 --> 00:19:33,760 That which I was not but could have been, that which I would 339 00:19:33,760 --> 00:19:37,520 have done but did not do. Can I find the fortitude to 340 00:19:37,520 --> 00:19:40,160 remember in truth, to understand, to submit, to 341 00:19:40,160 --> 00:19:42,200 forgive and be free to move on in time? 342 00:19:45,760 --> 00:19:49,400 To forgive someone for the wrong that person has done is to 343 00:19:49,400 --> 00:19:51,680 release that person and no longer hold that person 344 00:19:51,680 --> 00:19:53,880 accountable or responsible and expect payment. 345 00:19:54,040 --> 00:19:56,400 I'm not talking about rebuilding trust at this point. 346 00:19:56,560 --> 00:19:59,640 That can be done later. But we have to forgive. 347 00:20:01,120 --> 00:20:03,560 The principle. Principle of forgiveness is one 348 00:20:03,560 --> 00:20:06,880 of the most needed things in the world today. 349 00:20:07,800 --> 00:20:12,720 If people could forgive, how much pain and struggle would 350 00:20:12,720 --> 00:20:16,480 people be spared from? There's a story of Corey 10. 351 00:20:16,480 --> 00:20:18,400 Boom. Some of you know the story of 352 00:20:18,400 --> 00:20:22,080 this woman. She and her sister Betsy, with 353 00:20:22,080 --> 00:20:25,680 their father, lived in Amsterdam, in the Netherlands 354 00:20:25,680 --> 00:20:28,280 and Holland. During the years of the Second 355 00:20:28,280 --> 00:20:34,520 World War. The Nazis overran Western Europe 356 00:20:34,520 --> 00:20:35,800 and Eastern Europe for that matter. 357 00:20:36,200 --> 00:20:38,200 They overran the whole of Europe, the European continent, 358 00:20:38,200 --> 00:20:41,600 pretty much. And they were on a mission to 359 00:20:41,600 --> 00:20:46,440 exterminate all the Jews and the 10 Boom family in Amsterdam, 360 00:20:47,000 --> 00:20:48,920 they were Christians. And they decided, no, we're not 361 00:20:48,920 --> 00:20:51,840 going to go along with that. We're going to protect Jews. 362 00:20:51,840 --> 00:20:54,840 And so they hid Jews and they helped them escape and so on. 363 00:20:55,880 --> 00:20:59,720 And they did it for a long time. But one day they got reported to 364 00:20:59,720 --> 00:21:03,120 the German authorities, and, of course, they were apprehended. 365 00:21:03,120 --> 00:21:06,840 They were arrested and sent off to a concentration camp called 366 00:21:07,080 --> 00:21:11,360 Robbins Brooke. Mr. 10 Boom didn't survive much 367 00:21:11,360 --> 00:21:13,080 beyond his arrest. A few days after, some days 368 00:21:13,080 --> 00:21:15,080 after he was, he died. He passed away. 369 00:21:15,640 --> 00:21:19,880 But Corey and her sister Betsy went to the concentration camp 370 00:21:19,880 --> 00:21:24,120 and it was brutal there. It was horrific. 371 00:21:24,120 --> 00:21:28,680 The, the, the, the guards, the, the brutality, the cruelty, the 372 00:21:28,680 --> 00:21:32,000 murder, the the just the Jews. Jews are being exterminated. 373 00:21:32,000 --> 00:21:35,880 And it was just awful. In the process of time in the 374 00:21:35,880 --> 00:21:38,680 camp, Betsy died. Corey survived. 375 00:21:39,280 --> 00:21:42,920 Eventually there was the Allied invasion of Western Europe and 376 00:21:42,920 --> 00:21:45,800 they invaded and pushed the Germans back and eventually took 377 00:21:45,800 --> 00:21:48,120 the country back pushing the Germans. 378 00:21:48,120 --> 00:21:51,000 E prisoners were liberated from the concentration camps, and 379 00:21:51,000 --> 00:21:54,080 Corey survived. And in time, she was able to 380 00:21:54,080 --> 00:21:58,760 share her story of survival and God's grace to her in this 381 00:21:58,760 --> 00:22:01,720 horrible ordeal. And she began traveling 382 00:22:01,720 --> 00:22:04,640 internationally and on the European continent and so on. 383 00:22:04,640 --> 00:22:08,440 And she would talk in churches, tell her story of God's mercy 384 00:22:08,440 --> 00:22:11,520 and forgiveness, how important it was to forgive even the worst 385 00:22:11,520 --> 00:22:15,960 of sinners. One day, Corey shared her story 386 00:22:15,960 --> 00:22:19,160 in a church, and after she had finished sharing her message of 387 00:22:19,160 --> 00:22:22,040 grace and forgiveness, people came up to her shaking her hand 388 00:22:22,040 --> 00:22:25,080 and wishing, you know, thanking her for, for this wonderful 389 00:22:25,080 --> 00:22:27,000 story of God's mercy and grace and forgiveness. 390 00:22:27,000 --> 00:22:29,680 And then she sees a man coming up to extending his hand and 391 00:22:29,680 --> 00:22:32,400 saying to her, the Lord has washed my heart too, and I 392 00:22:32,400 --> 00:22:35,920 received his forgiveness, too. He didn't know who she was, but 393 00:22:35,920 --> 00:22:40,160 she instantly recognized him. A former Robbins Brook 394 00:22:40,160 --> 00:22:55,400 concentration camp guard. She recognized him, He did not 395 00:22:55,400 --> 00:23:09,680 recognize her. She writes how in that instant 396 00:23:09,680 --> 00:23:14,760 she had to fight, and then she prayed. 397 00:23:15,320 --> 00:23:18,560 God, if you can forgive me a Sinner, then give me the 398 00:23:18,560 --> 00:23:22,000 strength to forgive this man. And her hand wouldn't come up, 399 00:23:22,000 --> 00:23:24,280 but when she prayed, she was able to stretch out her hand and 400 00:23:24,280 --> 00:23:27,840 extend this man, this man's hand, who was thanking her for 401 00:23:27,840 --> 00:23:29,920 her speech. It was tested. 402 00:23:32,200 --> 00:23:36,520 Forgiveness is a way of life. God is a God who forgives 403 00:23:36,520 --> 00:23:38,240 through Christ, through the blood of Christ. 404 00:23:38,440 --> 00:23:41,080 It is through Christ that we have this gift. 405 00:23:41,400 --> 00:23:44,560 It's in him. We're forgiven through His blood 406 00:23:44,760 --> 00:23:49,120 that was shed on the cross. But you see, if it ended there, 407 00:23:49,200 --> 00:23:51,160 that's one thing, but it gets better. 408 00:23:52,360 --> 00:23:55,960 Redemption and forgiveness with God is not an end in itself. 409 00:23:55,960 --> 00:23:59,880 It has a higher purpose. Forgiveness is not where it 410 00:23:59,880 --> 00:24:03,280 stops. There's something that follows 411 00:24:03,480 --> 00:24:06,280 being redeemed and forgiveness is a good thing, but there's a 412 00:24:06,280 --> 00:24:09,560 bigger reason behind it. We redeem for a purpose. 413 00:24:09,760 --> 00:24:12,480 We're forgiven for a purpose, and it's not self. 414 00:24:13,400 --> 00:24:16,720 God did this generously for us. He has a purpose for this beyond 415 00:24:16,720 --> 00:24:19,200 just the redemption itself. Paul writes further in verse 9 416 00:24:19,200 --> 00:24:20,360 to 10. Let's read that again. 417 00:24:20,800 --> 00:24:24,160 Having made known to us the mystery of His will, according 418 00:24:24,160 --> 00:24:27,440 to His good pleasure, which he proposed in himself, that in the 419 00:24:27,440 --> 00:24:30,920 dispensation of the fullness of the times, He might gather 420 00:24:30,920 --> 00:24:35,160 together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven 421 00:24:35,160 --> 00:24:40,160 and which are on earth. Get it in Him at creation, there 422 00:24:40,160 --> 00:24:44,160 was no separation in the Garden of Eden between God and Adam and 423 00:24:44,160 --> 00:24:46,560 Eve. Everything was in God. 424 00:24:46,760 --> 00:24:49,440 There was perfection. There was perfect harmony. 425 00:24:49,560 --> 00:24:53,040 There was perfect relationship. Now Paul says that's where it's 426 00:24:53,040 --> 00:24:56,320 going in him. We see again the relational 427 00:24:56,320 --> 00:24:57,840 component here. He's holy. 428 00:24:57,840 --> 00:25:01,000 He wants holy followers. He wants us united in Him with 429 00:25:01,040 --> 00:25:02,720 all that we are and all that we do. 430 00:25:03,480 --> 00:25:06,560 And it's was because God, because God wants us in him, 431 00:25:06,560 --> 00:25:09,080 that he redeemed us, forgave us, and has a plan for us. 432 00:25:10,040 --> 00:25:13,000 We see that God takes pleasure in his plan, what he wants to 433 00:25:13,000 --> 00:25:16,960 accomplish, and bringing together all things in Christ. 434 00:25:17,480 --> 00:25:21,040 There's a coming together here, Paul says, in heaven and on 435 00:25:21,040 --> 00:25:22,920 earth. It doesn't get better than that, 436 00:25:22,920 --> 00:25:26,560 folks. God's character is to love, to 437 00:25:26,560 --> 00:25:29,440 create, to take pleasure in what He does, and He wants us in on 438 00:25:29,440 --> 00:25:32,400 it in the process. He wants His people, His 439 00:25:32,400 --> 00:25:35,360 creation, to be part of this enjoyment in Him. 440 00:25:35,960 --> 00:25:39,640 And it's by doing what we're made to do that we as people 441 00:25:39,760 --> 00:25:44,680 find our deepest satisfaction. Let's look further at the depths 442 00:25:44,680 --> 00:25:46,960 of this and the heights of this. Then Paul expands. 443 00:25:46,960 --> 00:25:53,200 Let's keep going. We are given an inheritance in 444 00:25:53,200 --> 00:25:55,840 him. Also verse 11, let's read and 445 00:25:55,840 --> 00:25:58,920 him also we've obtained an inheritance being predestined 446 00:25:59,040 --> 00:26:02,280 according to the purpose of him who works all things according 447 00:26:02,280 --> 00:26:05,840 to the counsel of his will, that we who first trusted in Christ 448 00:26:05,840 --> 00:26:09,400 should be to the praise of his glory again in him. 449 00:26:09,720 --> 00:26:12,120 Get it? There's that relationship part 450 00:26:12,120 --> 00:26:15,200 again and him we've obtained an inheritance. 451 00:26:15,720 --> 00:26:18,840 It's important to remind us here that this is again a complete 452 00:26:18,840 --> 00:26:21,120 and total act of grace from God towards us. 453 00:26:21,680 --> 00:26:24,640 We did not deserve anything from him, but God, because of who he 454 00:26:24,640 --> 00:26:27,520 is, gave us an inheritance. We, as God's children, become 455 00:26:27,520 --> 00:26:30,520 heirs with Christ, Paul writes in Romans. 456 00:26:30,680 --> 00:26:34,000 We're to enjoy an eternal, everlasting relationship with 457 00:26:34,000 --> 00:26:37,160 him, in him, with all the blessings he's planned for his 458 00:26:37,160 --> 00:26:40,960 chosen ones, and that begins here now and will continue in 459 00:26:40,960 --> 00:26:44,200 all eternity. That's the destiny, Paul writes. 460 00:26:44,200 --> 00:26:45,840 This is what we're predestined for. 461 00:26:46,560 --> 00:26:49,840 This inheritance we have in Jesus is a gift, not a reward, 462 00:26:50,000 --> 00:26:52,440 not a coupon, not a payment, not for credit earned. 463 00:26:52,600 --> 00:26:56,560 It is free. Sometimes people may think, oh, 464 00:26:56,560 --> 00:26:58,800 I've served so and so long, volunteered so and so long. 465 00:26:58,880 --> 00:27:01,240 They owe me by now. That's not the good mindset. 466 00:27:01,240 --> 00:27:04,840 That's not the right mindset. To some people, everything's a 467 00:27:04,840 --> 00:27:07,480 deal, an agreement and a bargain. 468 00:27:08,240 --> 00:27:10,760 To God, it's just generosity. That's his character. 469 00:27:10,760 --> 00:27:15,520 You see, friends, there's no measure of earthly value that we 470 00:27:15,520 --> 00:27:18,600 can bring to the table that would even be worth mentioning 471 00:27:18,600 --> 00:27:21,720 before God compared to what He's done for us and what we have in 472 00:27:21,720 --> 00:27:25,760 Him. It's not earned, it's not worked 473 00:27:25,760 --> 00:27:28,480 for, it's not wealth passed on from to earthly people. 474 00:27:28,480 --> 00:27:33,040 It's an eternal inheritance based on Him who's passing it on 475 00:27:33,040 --> 00:27:37,840 to us. Then fourthly, we're sealed. 476 00:27:38,440 --> 00:27:42,000 Guaranteed. There's no doubt it is sure. 477 00:27:42,560 --> 00:27:46,200 Verse 13 and on He says in him you also trusted after you heard 478 00:27:46,200 --> 00:27:48,360 the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. 479 00:27:48,480 --> 00:27:51,480 In Him also having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit 480 00:27:51,480 --> 00:27:54,360 of promise, who's the guarantee of our inheritance until the 481 00:27:54,360 --> 00:27:57,280 redemption of the purchased possession to the praise of his 482 00:27:57,280 --> 00:27:59,880 glory. Notice the sequence here. 483 00:28:01,800 --> 00:28:07,240 They heard the word of truth, they trusted, they believed, and 484 00:28:07,240 --> 00:28:09,000 they were sealed. That's us. 485 00:28:09,160 --> 00:28:12,560 We've heard the word of truth, we've trusted, we've believed, 486 00:28:12,880 --> 00:28:20,040 and we're sealed in him. I've had conversations with 487 00:28:20,040 --> 00:28:22,680 people who have repented, who believed in walking with God for 488 00:28:22,680 --> 00:28:24,200 many years and all of a sudden they doubt. 489 00:28:24,440 --> 00:28:26,680 They go into a valley, into a dark night of the soul. 490 00:28:26,680 --> 00:28:27,960 They're wondering, am I still saved? 491 00:28:28,560 --> 00:28:31,440 I tell them God is not a God who wanted to saves people the next 492 00:28:31,440 --> 00:28:36,080 day that rejects them. Let me remind you our salvation 493 00:28:36,080 --> 00:28:41,480 in Jesus is relationship based. We repeatedly read in him. 494 00:28:41,720 --> 00:28:44,320 That's the relationship context. I know sometimes the question 495 00:28:44,320 --> 00:28:45,920 becomes how secure am I in Christ? 496 00:28:45,920 --> 00:28:49,000 I have news for you. In Christ we're 100% secure. 497 00:28:49,000 --> 00:28:53,280 Not 99% secure, it's 100%. We don't have to worry about 498 00:28:53,280 --> 00:28:55,960 that. Jesus talks about people being 499 00:28:55,960 --> 00:28:59,760 in him and he in them. John chapter 15 to help 500 00:28:59,760 --> 00:29:01,880 believers who are struggling and question their salvation. 501 00:29:01,880 --> 00:29:04,080 I sometimes use the word picture like a marriage license, for 502 00:29:04,120 --> 00:29:07,560 example. I tell a guy, so you got 503 00:29:07,560 --> 00:29:11,720 married, you signed the license, you pronounced husband and wife. 504 00:29:11,720 --> 00:29:13,280 What part of that are you not sure of? 505 00:29:15,880 --> 00:29:20,560 And it's kind of OK, I guess I've sometimes said to a man 506 00:29:20,560 --> 00:29:22,440 who's a believer, who's walking with the Lord, who's doubting 507 00:29:22,440 --> 00:29:24,480 his salvation and said, do you go home and come to your house 508 00:29:24,480 --> 00:29:25,800 running? Hey, honey, am I still married 509 00:29:25,800 --> 00:29:30,800 to you? If you have to show ID, you 510 00:29:30,800 --> 00:29:32,880 don't hesitate to show your health card or your driver's 511 00:29:32,880 --> 00:29:34,760 license or your passport. I'm hoping it's still valid. 512 00:29:37,960 --> 00:29:40,680 Does that now mean there's no need on our part for loyalty or 513 00:29:40,680 --> 00:29:43,320 faithfulness? No, it's not what I'm saying to 514 00:29:43,320 --> 00:29:45,600 people who are careless, proud and arrogant. 515 00:29:45,800 --> 00:29:47,960 Once Upon a time I said the sinner's prayer, so the rest I 516 00:29:47,960 --> 00:29:50,280 don't have to think about. That's not true. 517 00:29:51,440 --> 00:29:55,560 Relationships can be violated. Jesus will never violate his 518 00:29:55,560 --> 00:29:58,040 relationship with a person. But a person can't violate their 519 00:29:58,040 --> 00:30:00,880 relationship with Jesus. And we have enough warning, tons 520 00:30:00,880 --> 00:30:03,120 of it in Scripture, where we're cautioned, where we're warned. 521 00:30:04,280 --> 00:30:06,920 It can be compromised. Covenants can be broken. 522 00:30:07,080 --> 00:30:13,040 We can turn our back on God, but Jesus will never walk away from 523 00:30:13,040 --> 00:30:14,760 us. He gives us insurance. 524 00:30:14,760 --> 00:30:18,720 In him we're safe. To me, when I see a follower of 525 00:30:18,720 --> 00:30:21,360 Jesus who's anxious and worried, perhaps they've walked away from 526 00:30:21,360 --> 00:30:23,160 God. I usually don't worry about a 527 00:30:23,160 --> 00:30:26,200 person like that. And I tell them that they're 528 00:30:26,200 --> 00:30:27,720 secure in Christ. They're not walking where 529 00:30:27,720 --> 00:30:29,840 they're chasing after God. That's why they're anxious 530 00:30:29,840 --> 00:30:30,920 sometimes. They're seeking God. 531 00:30:30,920 --> 00:30:32,400 They're fighting to stay close to Him. 532 00:30:32,600 --> 00:30:34,240 They're not the kind of people that worry me. 533 00:30:36,520 --> 00:30:38,520 God will never disown them. They're fighting a battle 534 00:30:38,520 --> 00:30:41,720 against Satan, and Satan's trying to get him down, but 535 00:30:41,720 --> 00:30:43,000 nothing can remove them from God. 536 00:30:43,000 --> 00:30:47,080 But people that do worry me are those who smugly talk about, Oh 537 00:30:47,080 --> 00:30:48,920 yeah, when I was 6, I became a believer. 538 00:30:48,920 --> 00:30:51,600 I gave my life to Jesus Christ. And so now they live an outright 539 00:30:51,600 --> 00:30:54,680 rebellion and apostasy and sin, and there's no repentance. 540 00:30:55,040 --> 00:30:57,040 They've gone back into the life they once left. 541 00:30:57,720 --> 00:31:00,800 They call it good. It's not. 542 00:31:01,520 --> 00:31:04,480 They need to repent. God has done and is doing 543 00:31:04,480 --> 00:31:07,720 everything that's necessary for us to come to salvation, for us 544 00:31:07,720 --> 00:31:10,400 to remain in Him, for us to enjoy the inheritance He has for 545 00:31:10,400 --> 00:31:12,040 us. But it's a gift that we must 546 00:31:12,040 --> 00:31:14,520 receive. Let's wrap up. 547 00:31:15,920 --> 00:31:19,600 In Christ we have redemption. In Christ, we're forgiven. 548 00:31:20,400 --> 00:31:21,920 In Christ, we have an inheritance. 549 00:31:22,280 --> 00:31:28,760 In Christ, we're sealed. Value it, enjoy it, live it. 550 00:31:30,000 --> 00:31:32,880 The gifts we have in Jesus surpass and value anything the 551 00:31:32,880 --> 00:31:36,680 world can ever produce. God created us in his image for 552 00:31:36,680 --> 00:31:40,440 his glory. Genesis says to reflect him what 553 00:31:40,440 --> 00:31:45,120 God is and should be seen in US. And it's a sad reality and a sad 554 00:31:45,120 --> 00:31:47,480 truth that so many people who claim the name of Christ go to 555 00:31:47,480 --> 00:31:50,440 church on Sunday mornings. But then other than that, 556 00:31:50,440 --> 00:31:53,520 there's not a shred of evidence that has any value or meaning. 557 00:31:54,120 --> 00:31:57,960 They treat the relationship of God with God as if it's cheap, A 558 00:31:57,960 --> 00:32:02,560 cheap yard sale item, a cheap flea market item. 559 00:32:04,720 --> 00:32:07,520 So the question we could ask ourselves is if my relationship 560 00:32:07,520 --> 00:32:09,760 with Jesus is secondary isn't real. 561 00:32:11,520 --> 00:32:13,840 Many people claim to be followers of Jesus. 562 00:32:14,160 --> 00:32:16,920 There's no evidence. There's nothing that points to 563 00:32:16,920 --> 00:32:18,960 Christ. So where do we stand today? 564 00:32:20,000 --> 00:32:22,880 Have you experienced this grace, tasted and experienced the grace 565 00:32:22,880 --> 00:32:26,200 of God? Has God called you and to walk 566 00:32:26,200 --> 00:32:28,440 with Him? If he has, don't waste time and 567 00:32:28,440 --> 00:32:32,880 delay. Our time on earth is short if 568 00:32:32,880 --> 00:32:34,680 we're in him. If we're in Christ, we're 569 00:32:34,680 --> 00:32:39,120 redeemed, we're forgiven, we have an inheritance, and we're 570 00:32:39,120 --> 00:32:40,840 sealed. We're secure. 571 00:32:41,880 --> 00:32:44,680 So now let's rejoice in that. Let's live in that. 572 00:32:44,680 --> 00:32:49,120 And may God's Kingdom on earth come as we live in Him. 573 00:32:49,480 --> 00:32:54,160 Let's pray or thank you for what you've done for us in the cross. 574 00:32:55,120 --> 00:32:56,720 Thank you for the gifts we have in you. 575 00:32:57,480 --> 00:33:00,240 We have forgiveness of sins because of what you did for us, 576 00:33:00,880 --> 00:33:03,560 we have a relationship with you that's secure because of what 577 00:33:03,560 --> 00:33:08,720 you did for us, and we have an eternal life because of what you 578 00:33:08,720 --> 00:33:11,400 did for us. Thank you Lord, we pray in Jesus 579 00:33:11,400 --> 00:33:12,440 name, Amen.