1 00:00:04,900 --> 00:00:08,000 What's a happy December to you? Merry Christmas. 2 00:00:10,600 --> 00:00:13,400 I hope that you are entering this month with some Joy. 3 00:00:13,400 --> 00:00:18,200 Some excitements because it's a, it's a good month. 4 00:00:18,300 --> 00:00:19,600 It's good. Time to be alive. 5 00:00:20,700 --> 00:00:23,300 My name is Kyle served as lead Pastor here. 6 00:00:23,300 --> 00:00:25,200 I want to say thank you for being here today. 7 00:00:25,200 --> 00:00:28,500 If you have your Bibles with you, you can kind of open to two 8 00:00:28,500 --> 00:00:33,000 places. Second Corinthians 4 is where 9 00:00:33,000 --> 00:00:38,000 I'll start. You'll read several verses and 10 00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:40,300 the first few chapters of Genesis as well. 11 00:00:40,600 --> 00:00:45,000 Genesis 1 through 3, I'll be hitting some different verses 12 00:00:45,000 --> 00:00:49,600 there here in a moment also so maybe second Corinthians 4 and 13 00:00:49,600 --> 00:00:52,000 Genesis 1 would be a good place to start. 14 00:00:53,100 --> 00:00:55,600 As you're doing that it's want to talk to you about our the 15 00:00:55,600 --> 00:01:01,900 series Advent for a moment. Advents just simply means 16 00:01:01,900 --> 00:01:05,200 coming. It's a way of describing. 17 00:01:05,200 --> 00:01:12,100 Something has come is coming. And so as we think about advents 18 00:01:12,500 --> 00:01:17,300 we think about One on one hand, we think about the first 19 00:01:17,300 --> 00:01:19,300 Advance, right? We think about the Advent of 20 00:01:19,300 --> 00:01:22,800 Christ, and his initial coming to this earth. 21 00:01:23,500 --> 00:01:29,400 His Incarnation being born of a Virgin, Mary living, a sinless, 22 00:01:29,500 --> 00:01:35,300 life dying on a cross for our sins, raising being raised to 23 00:01:35,300 --> 00:01:39,600 life on the third day. And now he resides in heaven, 24 00:01:39,800 --> 00:01:45,300 King of Kings, Lord of lords, and we await now, A second 25 00:01:45,300 --> 00:01:51,000 Advent a time where Christ will descend to the earth once again. 26 00:01:51,000 --> 00:01:57,500 But this time, it won't be as a babe in a Manger, it will be as 27 00:01:57,500 --> 00:01:59,700 the King of Kings and the Lord of lords, the one who has 28 00:01:59,700 --> 00:02:03,100 triumphed over death and he'll and the grave, the one who will 29 00:02:03,100 --> 00:02:08,400 come to judge, both the living, and the dead, and all of those 30 00:02:08,400 --> 00:02:12,400 who are found outside of Faith, outside of Christ, those are 31 00:02:12,400 --> 00:02:15,700 found unbelieving. Will be condemned. 32 00:02:17,200 --> 00:02:21,900 And all of those who are found believing in Christ, trusting in 33 00:02:21,900 --> 00:02:26,200 Him for their salvation, looking only to Christ, they will be 34 00:02:26,900 --> 00:02:33,100 rewarded with eternal life. And so we await that we are 35 00:02:33,100 --> 00:02:39,300 caught in between the first and second comings of Christ. 36 00:02:39,900 --> 00:02:46,900 And so Advent. And one way it means coming, But 37 00:02:46,900 --> 00:02:49,300 we celebrate Advent because we're waiting. 38 00:02:51,000 --> 00:02:54,800 So it makes sense, we are waiting on the return of Christ 39 00:02:54,800 --> 00:02:58,300 and so Advent is a time that a set aside on the church calendar 40 00:02:58,800 --> 00:03:01,600 each year for the purpose of reflecting on the first coming 41 00:03:01,600 --> 00:03:06,100 of Christ while we look to the second coming of Christ. 42 00:03:06,800 --> 00:03:10,900 And so today I just want to look at in the scriptures creation 43 00:03:11,500 --> 00:03:16,700 and the fall of Man and salvation through the gospel of 44 00:03:16,700 --> 00:03:19,600 Christ. We are going to look at light 45 00:03:19,700 --> 00:03:26,800 and darkness. We're going to see the, the 46 00:03:26,800 --> 00:03:30,700 structure of those things and why do we live in a world that 47 00:03:30,700 --> 00:03:34,600 is marked by such grave darkness and yet, we were able to see it 48 00:03:34,600 --> 00:03:39,300 times, great lights. What what's got us here? 49 00:03:39,500 --> 00:03:43,200 I think most of us are probably as Christians are aware of the 50 00:03:43,200 --> 00:03:47,300 fall of Man aware of what things were like and then fall happens. 51 00:03:48,600 --> 00:03:54,100 And now the gospel saves. But how does that inform the way 52 00:03:54,100 --> 00:04:00,000 we live each day and so if you would, would you stand with me 53 00:04:00,000 --> 00:04:04,100 as we read second Corinthians 4. I'm just going to read verses 1 54 00:04:04,100 --> 00:04:08,000 through 6. When I finish that reading, I'll 55 00:04:08,000 --> 00:04:11,300 say this is the word of the Lord and I would ask that you 56 00:04:11,300 --> 00:04:13,000 respond. Thanks be to God. 57 00:04:14,000 --> 00:04:16,899 Let's read, second Corinthians 4 1 through 6. 58 00:04:16,899 --> 00:04:21,700 Therefore, having this ministry, by the mercy of God, we do not 59 00:04:21,700 --> 00:04:25,200 lose Hearts, but we have renounced disgraceful 60 00:04:25,500 --> 00:04:30,100 underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or 61 00:04:30,100 --> 00:04:33,700 to tamper with God's word, but by the open statement of the 62 00:04:33,700 --> 00:04:37,100 truth, we would commend Ourselves to everyone's 63 00:04:37,100 --> 00:04:41,900 conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled 64 00:04:42,000 --> 00:04:45,700 it is veiled to those who are perishing and their case, the 65 00:04:45,700 --> 00:04:50,300 God of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers to 66 00:04:50,300 --> 00:04:52,900 keep them from. Seeing the light of the Gospel 67 00:04:52,900 --> 00:04:58,000 of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, for what we 68 00:04:58,000 --> 00:05:03,100 Proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ is Lord with 69 00:05:03,100 --> 00:05:05,700 ourselves as your servants for Jesus sake. 70 00:05:06,600 --> 00:05:12,300 For God who said let light shine out of Darkness as shown in our 71 00:05:12,300 --> 00:05:16,000 hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in 72 00:05:16,000 --> 00:05:21,400 the face of Jesus Christ. This is the word of the Lord. 73 00:05:22,100 --> 00:05:24,200 Thanks, be to God. Let me pray and then you can be 74 00:05:24,200 --> 00:05:26,000 seated. Heavenly Father, we thank you 75 00:05:26,000 --> 00:05:28,200 for your word. We ask that you be with us. 76 00:05:28,200 --> 00:05:31,300 Now, as we open it up, as we have read from it. 77 00:05:31,400 --> 00:05:36,500 Lord, would you open our hearts and Minds to see Christ? 78 00:05:36,500 --> 00:05:40,900 Today to see your word to understand the gospel? 79 00:05:41,900 --> 00:05:44,700 Lord, I ask for your strength today. 80 00:05:45,300 --> 00:05:50,100 I ask that you help me to Proclaim Christ today. 81 00:05:50,100 --> 00:05:55,200 As Paul says, here is not myself that I hope to Proclaim today. 82 00:05:55,900 --> 00:05:59,800 I hope to proclaim the glory of Christ. 83 00:06:01,300 --> 00:06:03,100 And so Lord help us to see that today. 84 00:06:03,300 --> 00:06:05,600 So in Christ's name, we pray. Amen. 85 00:06:06,000 --> 00:06:07,100 Man. You may have a seat. 86 00:06:12,900 --> 00:06:17,700 In 2nd Corinthians 4, Paul is explaining his ministry. 87 00:06:19,400 --> 00:06:24,300 The book begins with encouragement for suffering, 88 00:06:25,500 --> 00:06:27,300 There's a lot of suffering that's been going on. 89 00:06:27,300 --> 00:06:32,600 It talks about Paul gets into chapter 3, talks about how we're 90 00:06:32,600 --> 00:06:36,400 Ministers of a new covenants and what he's laying out is the the 91 00:06:36,400 --> 00:06:41,500 New Covenant of Grace received in Christ, versus that Covenant 92 00:06:41,500 --> 00:06:43,700 of works, we might call it that you see in the Old Testament, 93 00:06:43,700 --> 00:06:47,100 where you had to abide by the law, there was some opponents to 94 00:06:47,100 --> 00:06:51,300 this message, in the early church, some Jews, who wanted to 95 00:06:51,600 --> 00:06:54,600 keep things the way they were largely. 96 00:06:54,700 --> 00:06:57,700 We because the way they were, was an easier way to control 97 00:06:57,700 --> 00:07:02,700 people just to be frank, there was a lot of power that these 98 00:07:02,700 --> 00:07:05,500 early Jews held, and so there were Jews. 99 00:07:05,500 --> 00:07:08,200 And then there were judaizers. Also, who would just say? 100 00:07:08,200 --> 00:07:12,000 Well, let's mix some of the things to appease the Jews, as 101 00:07:12,000 --> 00:07:15,400 well as Christians. And so, you know, they would try 102 00:07:15,400 --> 00:07:19,000 to Institute things like circumcision and certain days 103 00:07:19,000 --> 00:07:20,800 that you would observe, and things like that. 104 00:07:21,900 --> 00:07:26,400 Hear what Paul is saying is the ministry that we've received as 105 00:07:26,400 --> 00:07:30,700 a Ministry by the mercy of God, that this ministry is come to us 106 00:07:30,700 --> 00:07:34,500 because of the grace and the mercy of the Lord, he has saved 107 00:07:34,500 --> 00:07:36,700 us. He has given us this ministry, 108 00:07:37,300 --> 00:07:39,900 and which we preach, and then in chapter 5, he's going to go on 109 00:07:39,900 --> 00:07:43,400 to say that this ministry we have is a Ministry of 110 00:07:43,400 --> 00:07:46,900 reconciliation. This ministry of reconciliation 111 00:07:47,100 --> 00:07:50,100 is a Ministry, not just that's ours but it's the ministry of 112 00:07:50,100 --> 00:07:53,900 all believers that we would Preach and Proclaim peace with 113 00:07:53,900 --> 00:07:58,400 God through Jesus Christ alone and that as a result of that, 114 00:07:58,400 --> 00:08:03,200 and and later in 5:17, he's going to say that all people, 115 00:08:03,200 --> 00:08:07,900 who believe, old, man passes away, behold All Things become 116 00:08:07,900 --> 00:08:09,700 new. And so there's a new creation 117 00:08:09,700 --> 00:08:13,800 work that takes place and that's what Paul's getting at here as 118 00:08:13,800 --> 00:08:17,400 he directly relates the gospel, to the same. 119 00:08:17,400 --> 00:08:23,400 God who said, let there be light and there was was lies. he's 120 00:08:23,400 --> 00:08:27,200 saying that that creation work, the very first words, I love 121 00:08:27,200 --> 00:08:31,100 that he brings up the very first words of God in our Bibles in 122 00:08:31,100 --> 00:08:38,299 Genesis, 1:3 or God says, let there be light It's creation 123 00:08:38,299 --> 00:08:41,400 work. It's a work that only God can 124 00:08:41,400 --> 00:08:44,500 accomplish you and I cannot say to the darkness. 125 00:08:44,500 --> 00:08:48,600 Let there be light, and there be light and less your home is 126 00:08:48,600 --> 00:08:50,700 programmed to your voice and yada yada. 127 00:08:50,700 --> 00:08:52,400 But that's not the same thing, right? 128 00:08:53,600 --> 00:08:56,600 It doesn't count. We don't think you're powerful 129 00:08:57,500 --> 00:09:01,600 because you're you know, your Amazon device, will help turn 130 00:09:01,600 --> 00:09:07,000 your lights on for you, right? So But what God did is he calls 131 00:09:07,000 --> 00:09:10,800 light into being out of nothing, read there that the Earth was 132 00:09:10,800 --> 00:09:12,900 formless and void that it's dark. 133 00:09:13,800 --> 00:09:17,700 And he says, let there be light. And there was light, the amazing 134 00:09:17,700 --> 00:09:20,400 thing about that is, it's not till a couple of days later that 135 00:09:20,400 --> 00:09:24,500 he creates the Sun, the moon, and the stars and so light was 136 00:09:24,500 --> 00:09:30,300 just lights. And he separates the light from 137 00:09:30,300 --> 00:09:33,100 the darkness and he calls the light day and the Darkness 138 00:09:33,100 --> 00:09:36,300 night. And then he creates the lights 139 00:09:36,300 --> 00:09:40,100 that we see in the heavens today to signify those things. 140 00:09:42,100 --> 00:09:45,300 But what Paul is saying here is he saying this ministry is come 141 00:09:45,300 --> 00:09:50,600 to us, we preach a gospel that saves sinners from their sins, 142 00:09:51,000 --> 00:09:56,700 we preach a gospel that brings new life to those who are damned 143 00:09:56,700 --> 00:09:59,400 to Hell. Otherwise, we preach a gospel 144 00:09:59,400 --> 00:10:03,400 that redeems centers from the curse of the law and gives them 145 00:10:03,400 --> 00:10:07,000 life in Christ Jesus. And we do this, not because 146 00:10:07,000 --> 00:10:10,300 we're preaching ourselves. We do this because God has saved 147 00:10:10,300 --> 00:10:14,200 us and And given us this ministry of Mercy, he's been 148 00:10:14,200 --> 00:10:17,100 merciful to us. All right. 149 00:10:18,400 --> 00:10:20,600 And then he says, we don't preach this message with 150 00:10:20,600 --> 00:10:24,700 cunning. You know, there was there is 151 00:10:24,700 --> 00:10:28,700 today even people who want to preach the message with cunning, 152 00:10:28,700 --> 00:10:32,100 they want to do, what they can to try to make it more memorable 153 00:10:32,100 --> 00:10:35,200 or more meaningful. It says we've renounced. 154 00:10:35,200 --> 00:10:40,400 Disgraceful underhanded ways, we refuse to practice cunning or to 155 00:10:40,400 --> 00:10:44,200 tamper with God's word. And so Paul saying, listen, we 156 00:10:44,200 --> 00:10:48,500 preach the unadulterated Gospel of Jesus Christ, and him 157 00:10:48,500 --> 00:10:53,900 crucified and nothing else. And it's by this word that God 158 00:10:53,900 --> 00:10:56,600 will. As he said, let there be light. 159 00:10:56,600 --> 00:11:01,500 He will say Let There Be The Light of Christ and the gospel 160 00:11:02,200 --> 00:11:09,600 shine forth and their hearts God will do that through his word be 161 00:11:09,600 --> 00:11:12,300 nothing else. Got saying we're going to pulse 162 00:11:12,300 --> 00:11:14,800 clearly saying we're not adding anything else to this. 163 00:11:15,100 --> 00:11:20,300 When I didn't Works to it, we're not adding you know you name it. 164 00:11:20,900 --> 00:11:22,900 All right. We're not, we're not adding 165 00:11:22,900 --> 00:11:25,700 anything that is, we're going to preach Christ and him crucified. 166 00:11:25,700 --> 00:11:31,300 And so he deals with the reality though, in saying that the 167 00:11:31,300 --> 00:11:35,800 gospel is veiled for some. He says and even if our gospel 168 00:11:35,800 --> 00:11:40,000 is veiled, a topic that he picked up on in chapter 3 and 169 00:11:40,000 --> 00:11:42,900 he's just returning to it here. He says, even if our gospel is 170 00:11:42,900 --> 00:11:47,800 veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing and their 171 00:11:47,800 --> 00:11:51,700 case, the God of this world has blinded the minds of them. 172 00:11:51,700 --> 00:11:54,900 The unbelievers to keep them from seeing the light of the 173 00:11:54,900 --> 00:11:59,900 Gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, it's 174 00:11:59,900 --> 00:12:03,400 Paul acknowledges. Look, we preach this gospel and 175 00:12:03,400 --> 00:12:07,800 we know that this gospel is powerful to save and Romans 1 176 00:12:07,800 --> 00:12:10,100 chapter 16, Paul writes very clearly. 177 00:12:10,100 --> 00:12:13,300 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ for it is the 178 00:12:13,300 --> 00:12:20,600 power of God unto salvation. And so, he deals with this, that 179 00:12:20,900 --> 00:12:23,800 there are times where you will preach the gospel and that will 180 00:12:23,800 --> 00:12:28,600 fall on deaf ears. People who are blinded by the 181 00:12:28,600 --> 00:12:32,800 God of this world will not. Be able to see it. 182 00:12:34,400 --> 00:12:38,000 And yet for others, the same God who said let light shine of the 183 00:12:38,000 --> 00:12:41,800 darkness has shown in our hearts, he says to give a lot of 184 00:12:41,800 --> 00:12:44,800 the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 185 00:12:44,800 --> 00:12:47,800 And so for others, what the veil is removed. 186 00:12:48,900 --> 00:12:52,000 And they are now able to behold Christ. 187 00:12:52,100 --> 00:12:55,700 Something he literally says, in 318, he says, we all with 188 00:12:55,700 --> 00:12:59,000 unveiled face beholding, the glory of the Lord are being 189 00:12:59,000 --> 00:13:03,700 transformed into the same image from one degree of Glory to 190 00:13:03,700 --> 00:13:06,400 another. For this comes from the Lord, 191 00:13:06,400 --> 00:13:14,100 who is the spirit So in saying the work of unveiling a heart, 192 00:13:14,900 --> 00:13:19,900 the work of unveiling, our eyes to be able to see Christ. 193 00:13:21,000 --> 00:13:25,700 Comes from the spirit of God. It happens, according to the 194 00:13:25,700 --> 00:13:30,400 power of God happens because of his word, amen. 195 00:13:32,300 --> 00:13:37,000 And so with this Paul announces, that salvation is a creation 196 00:13:37,300 --> 00:13:39,700 work. The center becomes a new 197 00:13:39,700 --> 00:13:43,600 creation by the saving power of God through Jesus Christ. 198 00:13:43,600 --> 00:13:46,500 In this, we see the Redemption of Sinners. 199 00:13:46,900 --> 00:13:51,100 We have the beginnings of the restoration for what the fall of 200 00:13:51,100 --> 00:13:57,000 mankind has caused in the world. I'm so let's go back to the 201 00:13:57,000 --> 00:14:00,100 beginning and our Bibles and let's look and see in Genesis 202 00:14:00,100 --> 00:14:04,500 1:1, we read this in the beginning. 203 00:14:07,000 --> 00:14:11,000 God, created the heavens and the Earth. 204 00:14:11,100 --> 00:14:13,500 Sorry, I know it's like page 1, but I didn't give you any time 205 00:14:13,500 --> 00:14:17,100 to get their data. We give you a second and we'll 206 00:14:17,100 --> 00:14:25,100 do it again. Genesis 1 verse 1 In the 207 00:14:25,100 --> 00:14:28,600 beginning, God created the heavens and the Earth. 208 00:14:29,300 --> 00:14:32,500 The Earth was without form and void and darkness was over the 209 00:14:32,500 --> 00:14:36,400 face of the deep and the spirit of God was hovering over the 210 00:14:36,400 --> 00:14:41,300 face of the waters. And God said, let there be light 211 00:14:41,500 --> 00:14:46,400 and there was light and God saw that the light was good and God 212 00:14:46,400 --> 00:14:49,000 separated the light from the darkness, God called the light 213 00:14:49,000 --> 00:14:52,100 day and the Darkness he called night, and there was evening, 214 00:14:52,100 --> 00:14:54,500 and there was morning the first each day. 215 00:14:57,000 --> 00:15:01,400 And so you see this go on for the next five days. 216 00:15:01,800 --> 00:15:06,900 God speaking something coming into being And then he ends with 217 00:15:06,900 --> 00:15:10,100 it is good. On day, six. 218 00:15:11,000 --> 00:15:14,600 He creates living creatures, and with those living creatures, he 219 00:15:14,600 --> 00:15:18,300 creates humans. And in verse 26, we read this. 220 00:15:18,300 --> 00:15:22,100 You know, this is one verse 26. Then God said, let us make man 221 00:15:22,100 --> 00:15:25,400 in our own image, or in our image, after our likeness and 222 00:15:25,400 --> 00:15:27,800 let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the 223 00:15:27,800 --> 00:15:30,800 birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the 224 00:15:30,800 --> 00:15:34,400 Earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the Earth. 225 00:15:35,300 --> 00:15:39,200 So God created, man in his own image in the image of God, he 226 00:15:39,200 --> 00:15:43,400 created him male and female, he created them and God blessed 227 00:15:43,400 --> 00:15:47,900 them and God said to them, be fruitful and multiply fill the 228 00:15:47,900 --> 00:15:52,000 Earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the 229 00:15:52,000 --> 00:15:55,500 sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living 230 00:15:55,500 --> 00:15:59,900 thing that moves on the earth. And God said, behold. 231 00:15:59,900 --> 00:16:02,600 I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the 232 00:16:02,600 --> 00:16:07,700 face of all the Earth and every tree With seed in its fruit, you 233 00:16:07,700 --> 00:16:11,600 shall have them for food and every beast of the earth and to 234 00:16:11,600 --> 00:16:15,000 every bird of the heavens and everything that creeps on the 235 00:16:15,000 --> 00:16:17,700 earth, everything that has the breath of life. 236 00:16:17,700 --> 00:16:22,700 I have given every green plant for food and it was so and then 237 00:16:22,700 --> 00:16:26,100 in verse 31 and God saw everything that he had made. 238 00:16:26,100 --> 00:16:30,800 So from day one through day, 6 and behold, it was very good and 239 00:16:30,800 --> 00:16:33,900 there was morning, are there was evening and there was morning 240 00:16:34,400 --> 00:16:37,800 the sixth day. And so God says he looks at all 241 00:16:37,800 --> 00:16:41,900 of creation. A creation before the fall of 242 00:16:41,900 --> 00:16:48,300 Creation in Perfection perfectly orchestrated, according to the 243 00:16:48,308 --> 00:16:51,100 command of God, according to the word of God, everything is come 244 00:16:51,100 --> 00:16:53,600 into being everything has its sustenance. 245 00:16:53,600 --> 00:16:57,000 It has its life in the things that it's that are created 246 00:16:57,000 --> 00:17:00,700 around it. God has taken care of all 247 00:17:00,700 --> 00:17:05,200 things. And he looks at it and he says 248 00:17:05,200 --> 00:17:11,099 it is very good. It is very good. 249 00:17:13,800 --> 00:17:16,900 One of the most beautiful things about this early creation for 250 00:17:16,900 --> 00:17:19,900 the man and the woman whom he created. 251 00:17:21,000 --> 00:17:23,900 In Chapter 2, you get a zoomed-in. 252 00:17:24,000 --> 00:17:31,600 Look at creation and 2:8. It says in the Lord, God planted 253 00:17:31,600 --> 00:17:35,200 a garden in Eden, in the East. And there. 254 00:17:35,200 --> 00:17:39,600 He put the man, whom he had formed and out of the ground. 255 00:17:39,600 --> 00:17:41,700 The Lord God made to spring up every tree. 256 00:17:41,700 --> 00:17:44,500 That is Pleasant to the sight and good for food. 257 00:17:45,000 --> 00:17:48,100 The tree of life was in the midst of the garden and the tree 258 00:17:48,100 --> 00:17:54,000 of knowledge of Good and Evil. So the man whom God had created 259 00:17:54,000 --> 00:17:57,700 the woman doesn't yet exist. Again this is a zoomed in view 260 00:17:57,700 --> 00:18:01,200 of what happened in chapter 17 chapter 1, we read that he 261 00:18:01,200 --> 00:18:03,100 created them male and female in the image of God. 262 00:18:03,100 --> 00:18:06,200 He created them in chapter two. What you're getting is a 263 00:18:06,208 --> 00:18:09,700 play-by-play, all right? So he creates the Man Out of the 264 00:18:09,700 --> 00:18:12,400 Dust of the ground. And then he takes him, and he 265 00:18:12,400 --> 00:18:16,100 puts him in some picking him up. He takes him, and he puts him 266 00:18:16,100 --> 00:18:21,900 into the garden. And this is a special habitat 267 00:18:21,900 --> 00:18:28,000 that the Lord had given to Adam. One it was for Fellowship. 268 00:18:28,600 --> 00:18:32,700 God has always meant for his people to dwell with him in his 269 00:18:32,700 --> 00:18:39,500 place always So we put some here for there's Fellowship. 270 00:18:40,400 --> 00:18:44,000 But then there's work to do. There's there's a creation 271 00:18:44,300 --> 00:18:48,700 mandate that we saw a moment ago to be fruitful and multiply to 272 00:18:48,700 --> 00:18:52,300 subdue the Earth to fill it to exercise Dominion. 273 00:18:53,600 --> 00:18:57,900 And so the man is placed into this Garden to begin this work. 274 00:18:58,000 --> 00:19:00,700 Look at verses fit, look at verse 15 there in Chapter 2. 275 00:19:01,300 --> 00:19:04,700 The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden, 276 00:19:04,700 --> 00:19:09,700 to work it, and keep it. And the Lord. 277 00:19:09,700 --> 00:19:11,900 God commanded. The man saying you may surely 278 00:19:11,900 --> 00:19:14,600 eat of every tree of the garden but of the tree of the knowledge 279 00:19:14,600 --> 00:19:17,900 of Good and Evil. You shall not eat from the day 280 00:19:17,900 --> 00:19:21,800 that you eat of it. You shall surely die. 281 00:19:22,800 --> 00:19:26,200 And so there's a covenant here that God has made now with Adam, 282 00:19:26,200 --> 00:19:29,100 he's taken him, he's put him into the garden, he's in his 283 00:19:29,100 --> 00:19:33,300 place. He's dwelling with the Lord, 284 00:19:33,300 --> 00:19:37,000 there's relationship here and then there's again. 285 00:19:37,000 --> 00:19:41,600 There's a command one, the command has blessing. 286 00:19:41,600 --> 00:19:46,100 I've given you every tree with good fruit for you to eat. 287 00:19:48,400 --> 00:19:50,900 But that tree the tree of knowledge of Good and Evil. 288 00:19:51,200 --> 00:19:53,300 You shall not eat of it for the day that you do. 289 00:19:53,300 --> 00:19:57,700 You will surely die. And so, Adam is placed in the 290 00:19:57,700 --> 00:19:59,900 garden to work it, and keep it to work. 291 00:19:59,900 --> 00:20:03,600 It means to cultivate it to till the ground, to spread the 292 00:20:03,600 --> 00:20:10,200 goodness of the garden into all the Earth, What God wanted was 293 00:20:10,200 --> 00:20:15,900 for the garden. through the multiplication of the man, both 294 00:20:15,900 --> 00:20:21,300 his work and through his offspring was to spread into all 295 00:20:21,300 --> 00:20:27,300 the Earth and that fruitfulness would have been enjoyed across 296 00:20:27,300 --> 00:20:34,400 the globe. Had it worked out. but that 297 00:20:34,400 --> 00:20:39,700 Command right, that Covenant that God makes the man's going 298 00:20:39,700 --> 00:20:44,200 to struggle with that. Look at verse 21. 299 00:20:47,300 --> 00:20:48,900 The Lord sees the man in the garden. 300 00:20:48,900 --> 00:20:50,800 He says it's not good that he should be alone. 301 00:20:50,900 --> 00:20:53,400 I'm going to make a helper fit for him. 302 00:20:54,200 --> 00:20:57,100 And so the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man 303 00:20:57,100 --> 00:21:00,400 and while he slept, he took one of his ribs and closed up its 304 00:21:00,400 --> 00:21:04,200 place with flesh and the rib that the Lord God had taken from 305 00:21:04,200 --> 00:21:07,700 the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. 306 00:21:08,500 --> 00:21:14,600 Then the man said this at last is bone of my bones and Flesh of 307 00:21:14,600 --> 00:21:17,800 My Flesh. She shall be called woman 308 00:21:18,100 --> 00:21:20,600 because she was taken out of, man. 309 00:21:21,600 --> 00:21:24,000 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold 310 00:21:24,000 --> 00:21:30,200 fast to his wife and they shall become one flesh and the man and 311 00:21:30,200 --> 00:21:33,500 his wife were both naked and we're not ashamed. 312 00:21:37,200 --> 00:21:40,500 There's a lot Happening Here. One of the things that's worth 313 00:21:40,500 --> 00:21:45,500 pointing out is just the The intimacy of the relationship 314 00:21:45,500 --> 00:21:50,400 that the man knew with the woman immediately, and Adam, what he 315 00:21:50,400 --> 00:21:54,500 does literally is here East. He calls her woman, but he's 316 00:21:54,500 --> 00:21:59,500 restating his own name, man, in her name and it's the declare, 317 00:21:59,500 --> 00:22:03,100 the greatest amount of intimacy that he could think of. 318 00:22:03,100 --> 00:22:07,100 He knew that this. Just like it says, this is bone 319 00:22:07,100 --> 00:22:09,100 of my bones and Flesh of My Flesh. 320 00:22:11,800 --> 00:22:15,900 And as a result what we see is marriage is instituted. 321 00:22:16,600 --> 00:22:19,400 A man, shall leave his father and his mother hold fast to his 322 00:22:19,800 --> 00:22:23,500 wife and they shall become one flesh. 323 00:22:25,700 --> 00:22:32,700 The sermons not about the cultural climate of today, but 324 00:22:33,100 --> 00:22:36,100 this text is where we begin with marriage. 325 00:22:36,800 --> 00:22:40,300 This text is why we believe that marriage is between one man, and 326 00:22:40,300 --> 00:22:43,400 one woman, and then it's meant to be for Life word willing. 327 00:22:44,500 --> 00:22:46,800 Amen. This is what we hold to us. 328 00:22:46,800 --> 00:22:50,900 What we cling to this is not as clinging to some ancient 329 00:22:50,900 --> 00:22:53,300 document that has no bearing on today. 330 00:22:53,300 --> 00:22:57,600 This is us cleaning to nothing less than the command of God. 331 00:22:58,100 --> 00:23:00,500 But the command of God is always tied to his bless. 332 00:23:01,700 --> 00:23:03,900 If you'll live your life, according to the commands of 333 00:23:03,900 --> 00:23:06,400 God, you will reap the blessings of God. 334 00:23:07,400 --> 00:23:12,100 If you live your life. Opposite, the commands of God. 335 00:23:12,100 --> 00:23:14,800 You will reap the condemnation of God. 336 00:23:16,600 --> 00:23:20,300 That's what this that is. What Advent teaches us. 337 00:23:21,900 --> 00:23:25,400 And so the man and the woman are here and they're naked and 338 00:23:25,400 --> 00:23:28,700 they're not ashamed again. They are there are physically 339 00:23:28,700 --> 00:23:33,300 naked but the point stands that they are able to be who they 340 00:23:33,300 --> 00:23:36,700 truly are with one another and feel no shame. 341 00:23:38,300 --> 00:23:39,700 No, shame. Because why? 342 00:23:40,200 --> 00:23:42,700 It's a perfect world. There's no sin. 343 00:23:43,900 --> 00:23:45,600 I haven't done anything wrong yet. 344 00:23:45,600 --> 00:23:47,900 There's no knowledge of Good and Evil. 345 00:23:48,600 --> 00:23:51,200 Why? Because they haven't yet eaten 346 00:23:51,200 --> 00:23:54,400 of it. And then in Genesis chapter 3, 347 00:23:57,200 --> 00:24:01,500 Verse 1 now, the serpent was more crafty than any other beast 348 00:24:01,500 --> 00:24:04,100 of the field that the Lord God had made. 349 00:24:04,800 --> 00:24:09,000 He said to the woman did God actually say you shall not eat 350 00:24:09,000 --> 00:24:13,600 of any tree in the garden and the woman said to the serpent. 351 00:24:13,600 --> 00:24:16,800 We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden but God said 352 00:24:16,800 --> 00:24:19,200 You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst 353 00:24:19,200 --> 00:24:20,500 of the garden. Neither shall you? 354 00:24:20,500 --> 00:24:24,700 Touch it, lest you die. But the serpent said to the 355 00:24:24,700 --> 00:24:29,100 woman, you will not surely die for God knows that. 356 00:24:29,100 --> 00:24:32,200 When you eat of it, your eyes will be opened and you will be 357 00:24:32,200 --> 00:24:39,300 like God knowing Good and Evil. Have a serpent as it says, Is 358 00:24:39,300 --> 00:24:41,900 Crafty. He's conning. 359 00:24:42,300 --> 00:24:44,800 This is the kind of cunning that Paul's talking about we aren't 360 00:24:44,800 --> 00:24:47,500 using as we proclaim the gospel of Christ. 361 00:24:49,100 --> 00:24:53,400 The serpent takes the word of God and totally twist it. 362 00:24:56,200 --> 00:25:00,100 He sounds like he knows what he's talking about and so he's 363 00:25:00,100 --> 00:25:03,000 believable but when you look at the content of what he's saying 364 00:25:03,500 --> 00:25:07,900 he's getting it all wrong purposefully so he wants to 365 00:25:07,900 --> 00:25:13,300 trick Eve. And so he says that, listen, he 366 00:25:14,000 --> 00:25:19,000 if the point of the command is to keep you down, the point of 367 00:25:19,000 --> 00:25:23,000 the command is to keep you from, knowing what real life is. 368 00:25:23,000 --> 00:25:27,900 Like the point of the command is to keep you from being like God, 369 00:25:28,800 --> 00:25:32,900 but you can bypass all of that. If you can not, you don't have 370 00:25:32,900 --> 00:25:35,100 to live your life and submission to God. 371 00:25:35,400 --> 00:25:37,400 You can live your life and submission to yourself. 372 00:25:37,400 --> 00:25:43,300 You can be like, God, The same Temptation exists today, and all 373 00:25:43,300 --> 00:25:46,200 of our Temptations does not. This is this is the pride of 374 00:25:46,200 --> 00:25:50,700 life being presented to Eve. You can be your own God, you can 375 00:25:50,700 --> 00:25:53,800 have your own truth, you can do your own way, you can pave your 376 00:25:53,800 --> 00:25:57,000 own path, you can be an individualist. 377 00:26:01,500 --> 00:26:05,400 It's all yours. If you'll just go eat of that 378 00:26:05,400 --> 00:26:11,100 fruit. The problem was is that Eve 379 00:26:11,100 --> 00:26:14,100 would not know good and evil in the way that God knows Good and 380 00:26:14,100 --> 00:26:18,200 Evil. You see, God knows good and evil 381 00:26:19,100 --> 00:26:26,500 but God is not evil. All right, God is not evil. 382 00:26:27,500 --> 00:26:33,500 God has only ever good. He has purposes for things that 383 00:26:33,500 --> 00:26:37,600 are evil, but he is not evil himself. 384 00:26:37,600 --> 00:26:41,900 He does not create evil, he's not behind, he's not behind evil 385 00:26:41,900 --> 00:26:47,800 in the world. But Eve was going to know, good 386 00:26:47,800 --> 00:26:52,200 and evil experientially. She was going to now. 387 00:26:52,200 --> 00:26:55,000 No evil because her heart was going to be full of evil. 388 00:26:55,900 --> 00:26:59,400 She's rebelling against God right here. 389 00:27:02,000 --> 00:27:05,700 Look at verses 6 and 7. So when the woman saw that the 390 00:27:05,700 --> 00:27:08,800 tree was good for food and that it was a delight to the eyes and 391 00:27:08,800 --> 00:27:12,700 that this tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of 392 00:27:12,700 --> 00:27:16,800 its fruit and ate and she also gave some to her husband who was 393 00:27:16,800 --> 00:27:21,800 there with her, and he ate, and the eyes of both were opened. 394 00:27:22,600 --> 00:27:25,900 So I thought they were blind before and they knew that they 395 00:27:25,900 --> 00:27:29,000 were naked and they sewed fig leaves together and made 396 00:27:29,000 --> 00:27:33,600 themselves loin cloths. So at the end of chapter 2, it's 397 00:27:33,600 --> 00:27:38,200 a beautiful thing. They're naked and unashamed Now 398 00:27:39,100 --> 00:27:41,800 there's naked - and there's shame. 399 00:27:42,600 --> 00:27:44,400 They're making coverings for themselves. 400 00:27:45,100 --> 00:27:49,300 The Shame of sin, The Shame of the knowledge of evil 401 00:27:49,600 --> 00:27:53,600 experientially. So is now a burden on their 402 00:27:53,600 --> 00:27:56,900 conscience? It's a burden on their heart. 403 00:27:56,900 --> 00:28:01,900 They have rebelled against God. And so they could do whatever 404 00:28:01,900 --> 00:28:06,000 they can to hide it. It's so fig leaves. 405 00:28:07,300 --> 00:28:12,300 It's a start, a kiss, it gets worse, and they heard the sound 406 00:28:12,300 --> 00:28:14,400 of the Lord. God walking in the garden verse 407 00:28:14,400 --> 00:28:17,200 8, in the cool of the day and the man and his wife hid 408 00:28:17,200 --> 00:28:19,000 themselves from the presence of the Lord. 409 00:28:21,700 --> 00:28:23,900 So are they hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God 410 00:28:23,900 --> 00:28:26,700 Among the Trees of the garden? But the Lord God Called To The 411 00:28:26,700 --> 00:28:28,700 Man and said to him, where are you? 412 00:28:30,700 --> 00:28:33,600 And he said, I heard the sound of you in the garden and I was 413 00:28:33,600 --> 00:28:36,200 afraid because I was naked and I hid myself. 414 00:28:36,900 --> 00:28:39,800 He said, who told you that you were naked? 415 00:28:40,500 --> 00:28:43,700 Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat 416 00:28:44,600 --> 00:28:47,400 the man said the woman whom you gave to be with me. 417 00:28:47,700 --> 00:28:52,200 She gave me fruit of the tree and I ate then the Lord God said 418 00:28:52,200 --> 00:28:53,200 to the woman? What is this? 419 00:28:53,200 --> 00:28:56,400 That you have done? The woman said, the serpent 420 00:28:56,400 --> 00:29:02,300 deceived me and I ate So, you know, you have the beginnings of 421 00:29:03,100 --> 00:29:06,300 it's the fracture of all relationship, but you have blame 422 00:29:06,300 --> 00:29:08,700 here. There's a fracture in the 423 00:29:08,700 --> 00:29:12,200 relationship with God. I'm hiding from the one who 424 00:29:12,200 --> 00:29:15,200 created me. Now, I don't want to be in his 425 00:29:15,200 --> 00:29:17,500 presence. His presence is going to remind 426 00:29:17,500 --> 00:29:18,900 me that I've rebelled against him. 427 00:29:18,900 --> 00:29:22,800 That I've sinned against his commands that I've decided that 428 00:29:22,800 --> 00:29:26,900 it's best for me to decide how I should live my life and not have 429 00:29:26,900 --> 00:29:31,600 to listen to God. And so that relationship is 430 00:29:31,600 --> 00:29:35,300 completely and utterly fractured, it's broken. 431 00:29:36,900 --> 00:29:38,900 And then there's the relationship with my wife, which 432 00:29:38,900 --> 00:29:43,500 was once really great, we were able to be naked and unashamed 433 00:29:43,500 --> 00:29:49,300 with one another. We were able to know one another 434 00:29:49,300 --> 00:29:51,500 in these ways and not feel shame. 435 00:29:51,500 --> 00:29:55,100 I could know, all of who she was and she wasn't ashamed of that. 436 00:29:55,100 --> 00:29:58,600 She didn't have to hide herself, she didn't have to cover things 437 00:29:58,600 --> 00:30:04,200 up, same for Adam, he wasn't having to be pretentious or to 438 00:30:04,200 --> 00:30:06,300 pretend that he was something that he wasn't. 439 00:30:08,300 --> 00:30:11,200 They were living in Perfect Harmony in the garden of God, 440 00:30:14,000 --> 00:30:17,800 but now blame Creeps in Adam blames his wife. 441 00:30:17,900 --> 00:30:22,200 His wife blames the serpent, their relationship with God is 442 00:30:22,200 --> 00:30:23,900 broken. Look at it. 443 00:30:23,900 --> 00:30:27,600 You can see it in verses 14, the Lord God said to the serpent 444 00:30:28,200 --> 00:30:30,400 because you have done this cursed, are you above all 445 00:30:30,400 --> 00:30:34,400 livestock and above all Beasts of the field on your belly? 446 00:30:34,400 --> 00:30:38,000 You shall go and dust. You shall eat all All the days 447 00:30:38,000 --> 00:30:42,300 of your life, I will put enmity between you and the woman and 448 00:30:42,300 --> 00:30:44,600 between your Offspring and her Offspring. 449 00:30:44,900 --> 00:30:48,100 He shall bruise your head and you shall bruise his heel. 450 00:30:48,100 --> 00:30:50,600 You may Circle verse 15. If you don't mind writing in 451 00:30:50,600 --> 00:30:54,900 your Bible to the woman, he said, I will surely multiply 452 00:30:54,900 --> 00:30:57,800 your pain. And childbearing in pain you 453 00:30:57,800 --> 00:31:01,600 shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be contrary to 454 00:31:01,600 --> 00:31:04,500 your husband but he shall rule over you. 455 00:31:06,500 --> 00:31:09,800 And to Adam, he said because you have listened to the voice of 456 00:31:09,800 --> 00:31:12,500 your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, 457 00:31:12,800 --> 00:31:16,000 you shall not eat of it. Cursed is the ground because of 458 00:31:16,000 --> 00:31:21,100 you in pain, you shall eat of it all the days of your life thorns 459 00:31:21,100 --> 00:31:23,100 and thistles it shall bring forth for you. 460 00:31:23,100 --> 00:31:26,900 And you shall eat the plants of the field by the sweat of your 461 00:31:26,900 --> 00:31:28,500 face. You shall eat bread till you 462 00:31:28,500 --> 00:31:30,400 return to the ground for out of it. 463 00:31:30,400 --> 00:31:34,300 You were taken for. You are dust, and to dust you 464 00:31:34,300 --> 00:31:36,700 shall return. Hmm. 465 00:31:38,400 --> 00:31:41,500 So again, we see the relationship with God is broken. 466 00:31:44,400 --> 00:31:46,800 Relationship with one another broken. 467 00:31:48,700 --> 00:31:53,200 Creation. Which was once meant to be only 468 00:31:53,200 --> 00:31:57,100 fruitful. Is now going to be marked by 469 00:31:57,100 --> 00:32:02,100 thorns and thistles. You will work by the sweat of 470 00:32:02,108 --> 00:32:03,900 your brow. He was always going to work, 471 00:32:03,900 --> 00:32:05,300 right? He was put in the garden to work 472 00:32:05,300 --> 00:32:09,100 it and keep it. But now work is going to be much 473 00:32:09,100 --> 00:32:14,800 harder. Childbearing for women, probably 474 00:32:14,800 --> 00:32:19,500 always going to be painful but now it's multiplied. 475 00:32:23,500 --> 00:32:28,000 Relationship of husband and wife a woman will now desire to be 476 00:32:28,000 --> 00:32:32,300 the head of her home rather than to submit to her husband's 477 00:32:32,600 --> 00:32:38,500 leadership. The result of sin is 478 00:32:38,500 --> 00:32:46,300 destruction, its Decay and it's death for all creation has been 479 00:32:46,500 --> 00:32:50,300 subjected to Darkness because of Mankind's sin. 480 00:32:51,600 --> 00:32:56,300 Even now we feel this every single day, that the destruction 481 00:32:56,300 --> 00:33:02,700 of the world affects our work. It affects our health It affects 482 00:33:02,700 --> 00:33:08,200 our well-being and it affects our relationships. 483 00:33:10,000 --> 00:33:14,500 It affects absolutely everything, we don't work with 484 00:33:14,500 --> 00:33:18,100 these anymore. We live. 485 00:33:18,100 --> 00:33:20,900 We work. We return to the Dust. 486 00:33:22,000 --> 00:33:26,500 Relationships are broken, we are selfish, we operate with guilt 487 00:33:27,100 --> 00:33:30,400 and shame. We hurt one another, we lead 488 00:33:30,400 --> 00:33:34,500 others to sin against God at times, we follow others into 489 00:33:34,500 --> 00:33:38,500 their sin against God, we cover ourselves, so that no one truly 490 00:33:38,500 --> 00:33:44,700 knows us. And that's no way, no way to 491 00:33:44,700 --> 00:33:50,100 have true meaningful friendships or gospel inspired communities 492 00:33:50,500 --> 00:33:55,800 or marriages. quick note on marriages, you do see that the 493 00:33:55,808 --> 00:34:04,100 marriage relationship is fractured here, but I have been 494 00:34:04,100 --> 00:34:06,900 able to see this in many marriages and also experienced 495 00:34:06,900 --> 00:34:09,699 it in my own marriage that the gospel. 496 00:34:11,400 --> 00:34:15,100 Redeems. But the Brokenness that we bring 497 00:34:15,100 --> 00:34:20,300 into marriages and after some years together and maybe for 498 00:34:20,300 --> 00:34:24,400 others, it's quicker. But it's taken Patrician, Iowa a 499 00:34:24,408 --> 00:34:27,600 while. But I was thinking through this 500 00:34:27,600 --> 00:34:32,500 this week that we are able to dwell together in marriage 501 00:34:33,800 --> 00:34:37,400 unashamedly. There's nothing that she hides 502 00:34:37,400 --> 00:34:39,199 for me. There's nothing that I hide from 503 00:34:39,199 --> 00:34:44,100 her. We're able to walk together and 504 00:34:44,100 --> 00:34:45,800 strong unity. And I've seen this in other 505 00:34:45,800 --> 00:34:47,699 marriages to. I just think it takes time and 506 00:34:47,699 --> 00:34:50,400 so marriage is worth. I only say that the same 507 00:34:50,400 --> 00:34:54,000 marriage is worth fighting for gospel marriage. 508 00:34:54,000 --> 00:34:57,700 Christian Heritage committing yourself to Christ building, a 509 00:34:57,707 --> 00:35:01,000 relationship on that is worth the work. 510 00:35:01,000 --> 00:35:03,600 That's work. You can ask Patricia, it's hard 511 00:35:03,600 --> 00:35:08,000 work, being married to me, And it's real easy work. 512 00:35:08,000 --> 00:35:12,600 Being married to her, I won't lie but it's a lot of work. 513 00:35:12,800 --> 00:35:16,800 And it's And it's totally worth it. 514 00:35:18,100 --> 00:35:21,400 Just kind of as a side, their relationships are broken but the 515 00:35:21,400 --> 00:35:25,700 gospel brings sweet redemption. Rings reconciliation where there 516 00:35:25,700 --> 00:35:31,100 was once nothing but Brokenness Genesis 3:22 through 24. 517 00:35:32,300 --> 00:35:35,100 We have an interaction here. That's, that's really 518 00:35:35,100 --> 00:35:37,200 incredible. The Lord God said, behold the 519 00:35:37,200 --> 00:35:40,300 man has become like one of us and knowing good and evil. 520 00:35:41,000 --> 00:35:43,800 Now let's T reach out his hand and take also of the tree of 521 00:35:43,800 --> 00:35:50,500 life and eat and live forever. And that just stops doesn't, 522 00:35:50,900 --> 00:35:52,900 this is therefore. The Lord God sent him out from 523 00:35:52,900 --> 00:35:56,400 the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. 524 00:35:57,800 --> 00:36:00,800 And he drove out the man and at the east of the Garden of Eden, 525 00:36:00,800 --> 00:36:04,200 he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword and turned every 526 00:36:04,200 --> 00:36:08,400 way that turned, every way to guard, the way to the tree of 527 00:36:08,400 --> 00:36:11,900 life. And so the thought actually ends 528 00:36:11,900 --> 00:36:15,100 there without completion, less, the man eat of the tree of life 529 00:36:15,100 --> 00:36:19,300 and become like one of us live forever. 530 00:36:21,100 --> 00:36:26,200 The thought of mankind living forever in his Brokenness was so 531 00:36:26,200 --> 00:36:28,500 disturbing to God, that he doesn't even finish his thought. 532 00:36:28,500 --> 00:36:31,800 He just waste no time in removing them from the garden so 533 00:36:31,800 --> 00:36:34,800 that it cannot happen. That's really incredible. 534 00:36:39,700 --> 00:36:42,900 There's so much that's happened in this passage that gives Adam 535 00:36:42,900 --> 00:36:49,200 and Eve a lot of Hope and Genesis 3:15, if you've been 536 00:36:49,200 --> 00:36:52,100 coming here very long, you've heard me talk about this, but 537 00:36:52,100 --> 00:36:57,300 this is It's the protoevangelium, which just 538 00:36:57,300 --> 00:37:00,300 simply means the first announcement of the good news 539 00:37:00,400 --> 00:37:03,100 the Proto right. First of its kind, it's the 540 00:37:03,100 --> 00:37:09,600 first announcement of good news. And God says to the serpent, I 541 00:37:09,600 --> 00:37:12,900 will put enmity between you and the woman and between your 542 00:37:12,900 --> 00:37:17,000 Offspring and her Offspring. He shall bruise your head and 543 00:37:17,000 --> 00:37:22,400 you shall bruise his heel. The rest of the Old Testament. 544 00:37:23,900 --> 00:37:27,900 Is about tracking the seed of the woman to Jesus Christ. 545 00:37:30,100 --> 00:37:37,000 Everything in your Old Testament, screams shouts with a 546 00:37:37,000 --> 00:37:39,300 loud voice sometimes. It's louder than others. 547 00:37:40,600 --> 00:37:45,900 The name of Jesus Christ, the hope of Jesus Christ. 548 00:37:46,000 --> 00:37:50,400 The fact that one day, there would come one who would crush 549 00:37:50,400 --> 00:37:58,300 the head of the serpent? and this is, In a moment, the 550 00:37:58,300 --> 00:38:02,000 light of the gospel of Christ outshining the darkness of 551 00:38:02,000 --> 00:38:06,500 Mankind's sin and you'll see this over and over again 552 00:38:06,500 --> 00:38:10,300 throughout the New Testament. We're going to look in the next 553 00:38:10,300 --> 00:38:13,300 couple of weeks. I'll just go look at some 554 00:38:13,300 --> 00:38:16,800 different couple of different prophecies that are pointing us 555 00:38:16,800 --> 00:38:20,500 to Christ that are giving us their that happen at different 556 00:38:21,500 --> 00:38:25,700 times in history, according to Israel's life, you know their 557 00:38:25,700 --> 00:38:32,700 life cycle. But today I want you to see that 558 00:38:32,700 --> 00:38:35,500 the light of the gospel of Christ outshines, the darkness 559 00:38:35,500 --> 00:38:40,000 of Mankind's sin just as in second Corinthians 4:6. 560 00:38:41,900 --> 00:38:47,100 We have hear God speaking light into an otherwise very dark 561 00:38:47,100 --> 00:38:49,200 situation. The light of the gospel of 562 00:38:49,200 --> 00:38:53,500 Christ is shining here in the Darkness. 563 00:38:55,700 --> 00:39:01,100 He is saying that God's promise here and he's promising in a 564 00:39:01,107 --> 00:39:05,600 curse to the serpent to Satan. He's promising in a curse to 565 00:39:05,600 --> 00:39:10,200 Satan something for the man in the woman and we know that they 566 00:39:10,200 --> 00:39:16,400 take note of it because Adam calls his wife I'll get to that. 567 00:39:19,400 --> 00:39:20,800 But God's promise. Is that a head? 568 00:39:20,800 --> 00:39:25,000 Crusher is coming. There's a bright shining light 569 00:39:25,000 --> 00:39:27,400 of redemption. In the midst of the darkness of 570 00:39:27,400 --> 00:39:32,100 Mankind's sin things won't be broken forever. 571 00:39:34,600 --> 00:39:38,300 And so we see this Illustrated for us in Genesis 3:21 that says 572 00:39:38,300 --> 00:39:41,400 in the Lord God made for a demand for his wife, garments of 573 00:39:41,400 --> 00:39:47,800 skins and clothed them. He made for them, garments of 574 00:39:47,808 --> 00:39:50,100 skin. And verse 20, we read this, the 575 00:39:50,100 --> 00:39:52,700 man called his wife's name, Eve, because she was the mother of 576 00:39:52,700 --> 00:39:56,000 all living verse 21. And the Lord God Made For Adam 577 00:39:56,100 --> 00:39:58,600 and for his wife, garments of skins and clothed them. 578 00:39:58,900 --> 00:40:00,000 So, a couple of things are happening here. 579 00:40:00,000 --> 00:40:04,900 One the man calling his wife Eve now because she is the mother of 580 00:40:04,900 --> 00:40:09,200 all living is directly, tied to the seed, that's promised to 581 00:40:09,200 --> 00:40:13,600 come from her that will bring about life for mankind again. 582 00:40:15,400 --> 00:40:18,700 And so, he's saying that she is the mother of all living. 583 00:40:20,200 --> 00:40:23,500 From her will come the one who will crush the serpent? 584 00:40:24,000 --> 00:40:26,700 It's incredible. And then in the very next verse, 585 00:40:26,700 --> 00:40:31,700 you have God doing something that is at the very least, a 586 00:40:31,700 --> 00:40:36,200 foreshadowing. Of what the righteousness of 587 00:40:36,200 --> 00:40:41,200 Christ will mean for us before. Sending them out, he closed them 588 00:40:41,300 --> 00:40:45,500 and animal skins how to get these skins and animal had to 589 00:40:45,500 --> 00:40:49,700 die. Hides death is now a part of the 590 00:40:49,700 --> 00:40:54,500 creative order or the Brokenness of what was originally created, 591 00:40:54,500 --> 00:40:58,100 I should say God not only makes a promise that the serpent will 592 00:40:58,100 --> 00:41:01,400 be crushed by the seed of the woman, but he foreshadows a 593 00:41:01,400 --> 00:41:04,200 clothing that will not remove the shame of. 594 00:41:04,300 --> 00:41:07,900 In Forever. And that clothing is the 595 00:41:07,900 --> 00:41:14,400 righteousness of Christ. Advent is not just about the 596 00:41:14,400 --> 00:41:19,900 Glorious baby. Jesus Christ coming into the 597 00:41:19,900 --> 00:41:22,100 world, through a Manger in Bethlehem. 598 00:41:23,300 --> 00:41:26,700 Advent is about the promise of God being fulfilled. 599 00:41:26,700 --> 00:41:30,300 That I will send one through the woman who will crush the head of 600 00:41:30,300 --> 00:41:34,600 the serpent. A glorious savior, has been 601 00:41:34,600 --> 00:41:38,700 born. And the birth is wonderful. 602 00:41:39,500 --> 00:41:44,200 But this this babe in a Manger was born to die. 603 00:41:44,200 --> 00:41:50,400 Not to live and he was born to die so that you might be reborn 604 00:41:50,400 --> 00:41:56,500 unto New Life. A head Crusher has come through 605 00:41:56,500 --> 00:42:00,600 the seed of Eve. Jesus Christ is the Fulfillment 606 00:42:00,700 --> 00:42:06,400 of the long-awaited promise, the light shines in the darkness. 607 00:42:06,400 --> 00:42:09,000 The darkness will not overcome it. 608 00:42:11,200 --> 00:42:14,200 Second Corinthians. 5:21, I mentioned, second Corinthians 609 00:42:14,200 --> 00:42:16,300 five. So this is just a chapter. 610 00:42:16,300 --> 00:42:20,600 After the verses we've read already this morning, He made 611 00:42:20,600 --> 00:42:24,200 the one who did not know sin to be sin for us. 612 00:42:24,500 --> 00:42:28,500 So that in him in Christ, we might become the righteousness 613 00:42:28,500 --> 00:42:33,400 of God. And so on the cross Christ, 614 00:42:33,400 --> 00:42:40,200 takes your sin on himself. He is clothed with your sin 615 00:42:40,200 --> 00:42:43,900 there on the cross. And in his death. 616 00:42:45,900 --> 00:42:50,800 Sin is dealt a death, blow the wages of sin is death. 617 00:42:50,900 --> 00:42:55,500 But the gift of God, is eternal life through Jesus Christ, Our 618 00:42:55,500 --> 00:42:58,300 Lord, and so, in his death, he takes on your sin, and his 619 00:42:58,300 --> 00:43:02,700 resurrection death and sin are defeated and all of those who 620 00:43:02,700 --> 00:43:04,300 will place their faith in Christ. 621 00:43:04,300 --> 00:43:09,900 May now have their sin removed from them, and be clothed in the 622 00:43:09,900 --> 00:43:13,200 righteousness of Christ, just as Adam and Eve were clothed in an 623 00:43:13,200 --> 00:43:15,400 animal skin, just as Tanner earlier. 624 00:43:15,600 --> 00:43:18,200 Went down into the water and comes out. 625 00:43:19,300 --> 00:43:23,100 You and I by belief in Christ go down into the waters and go down 626 00:43:23,100 --> 00:43:25,600 into the grave with Christ by faith. 627 00:43:25,600 --> 00:43:28,700 In Christ we come out of the waters, a new creation. 628 00:43:29,900 --> 00:43:32,500 Behold, all things have become new. 629 00:43:32,600 --> 00:43:35,600 Why? Because God made him Christ. 630 00:43:35,600 --> 00:43:40,900 Who knew no sin to be sin for us so that we might in Christ. 631 00:43:41,300 --> 00:43:45,900 No, no sins. It's incredible. 632 00:43:47,200 --> 00:43:49,500 It's an exchange that were utterly. 633 00:43:49,600 --> 00:43:58,300 Unworthy of The perfect righteous Son of God would come 634 00:43:58,300 --> 00:44:02,600 to Earth. To give up. 635 00:44:04,700 --> 00:44:08,000 The glories of Heaven to be numbered among men. 636 00:44:09,100 --> 00:44:16,300 To be like us and his flesh yet 100% fully God. 100% fully man. 637 00:44:17,900 --> 00:44:21,400 And to die on a cross for our sins that we might be saved. 638 00:44:23,800 --> 00:44:29,600 It's incredible and so Paul's reference to Genesis 1:3 where 639 00:44:29,600 --> 00:44:34,900 he says the same God who spoke let there be lights Shows that 640 00:44:34,900 --> 00:44:37,200 the work of God. And revealing the light of the 641 00:44:37,200 --> 00:44:41,700 Gospel in our hearts is a new creational Act. 642 00:44:43,700 --> 00:44:48,600 We have become New Creations by the word of God. 643 00:44:49,400 --> 00:44:53,400 It is, the means by which the veil is removed from our eyes. 644 00:44:55,500 --> 00:44:59,000 It's the power of God. It's the means by which we are 645 00:44:59,000 --> 00:45:03,600 transferred from Darkness Into His Marvelous Light. 646 00:45:05,400 --> 00:45:08,900 This new creation will work is bound up with Christ's death and 647 00:45:08,900 --> 00:45:11,300 Resurrection. Jesus, who is the light of the 648 00:45:11,300 --> 00:45:17,100 world? Endures the power of darkness in 649 00:45:17,100 --> 00:45:19,500 order to absorb and to rescue us. 650 00:45:21,100 --> 00:45:28,000 From Eternal outer Darkness. and it is through his being that he 651 00:45:28,000 --> 00:45:32,200 was the first to rise from the dead that he now, proclaims 652 00:45:32,300 --> 00:45:38,300 light, as we read about in Acts 26, The results is Christ, is 653 00:45:38,308 --> 00:45:42,700 proclaiming light, is that our minds are no longer blinded by 654 00:45:42,700 --> 00:45:47,400 unbelief. The veil is removed instead, we 655 00:45:47,400 --> 00:45:52,400 are now creatures who were called to walk as children of 656 00:45:52,400 --> 00:45:56,000 light. You see, the gospel is the 657 00:45:56,000 --> 00:46:00,800 ultimate source of lights and it puts all of life into proper 658 00:46:00,800 --> 00:46:05,300 perspective. Because we view life, according 659 00:46:05,500 --> 00:46:07,400 to how we are seeing in the sight of God. 660 00:46:07,400 --> 00:46:11,100 Now, we are free to abandon underhanded ways. 661 00:46:12,100 --> 00:46:14,600 We don't have to be cunning anymore. 662 00:46:18,200 --> 00:46:22,100 We can abandon those ways in favor of a transparent, Grace 663 00:46:22,100 --> 00:46:26,100 dependent life, don't have to walk in the darkness. 664 00:46:26,400 --> 00:46:31,100 Any longer you see all other ways of seeing or so, they may 665 00:46:31,100 --> 00:46:36,100 be called Only lead to blindness. 666 00:46:37,200 --> 00:46:41,000 Other light sources. Represent Darkness. 667 00:46:41,000 --> 00:46:46,800 There is only one True Lies. Jesus Christ said himself, I am 668 00:46:46,800 --> 00:46:52,100 the light of the world. I am the light of the world. 669 00:46:53,800 --> 00:46:59,200 But he warns that we're warned in his word, that Satan comes as 670 00:46:59,200 --> 00:47:03,900 an angel of Light. Just as he did, the eve, God 671 00:47:03,900 --> 00:47:07,400 didn't say that he said this her God's not doing that because he 672 00:47:07,400 --> 00:47:14,800 wants you to do this. And so, a life that is submitted 673 00:47:14,800 --> 00:47:19,600 to Christ submits itself to his word, submits itself to his 674 00:47:19,600 --> 00:47:23,500 commands. And where it falls short, it is 675 00:47:23,500 --> 00:47:27,300 quick to repent and to exercise faith in the death and 676 00:47:27,300 --> 00:47:33,100 resurrection of Jesus Christ. See we celebrated today, with 677 00:47:33,100 --> 00:47:41,300 Tanner is repentance and faith. but you and I as you know, 678 00:47:41,300 --> 00:47:44,000 whether you've been following the Lord for 20 years, 30 years, 679 00:47:44,000 --> 00:47:51,400 40 years, five years, five days, You never outgrow a life of 680 00:47:51,400 --> 00:47:55,700 repentance and faith. You never move Beyond 681 00:47:55,800 --> 00:48:00,800 repentance. You never move route Beyond 682 00:48:00,800 --> 00:48:05,300 needing to repent of your sins and exercise faith in Christ. 683 00:48:06,200 --> 00:48:11,500 This is why again, in 3:18 of second Corinthians, he says the 684 00:48:11,500 --> 00:48:13,900 veil has been removed. Now we're beholding the glory of 685 00:48:13,900 --> 00:48:16,100 Christ. And as we Behold Him, we are 686 00:48:16,107 --> 00:48:22,600 transformed from one degree of Glory to another Well, the 687 00:48:22,600 --> 00:48:25,700 transforming from one degree of Glory to another happens. 688 00:48:25,900 --> 00:48:28,100 As you see the Perfection of Christ. 689 00:48:28,100 --> 00:48:31,700 You see your imperfections and you say, oh, Lord, this cannot 690 00:48:31,700 --> 00:48:36,600 stay in me. I Repent in dust. 691 00:48:39,300 --> 00:48:42,600 Help me to live a life worthy of your name. 692 00:48:44,400 --> 00:48:49,300 Give me new desires. And you just exercise Faith. 693 00:48:49,300 --> 00:48:53,800 You Proclaim in those moments. I am a sinner but I praise you. 694 00:48:53,800 --> 00:48:57,300 Father for the gift of your son Christ, who died for my sins. 695 00:48:58,400 --> 00:49:02,200 But I might dwell with you, I might live with you that I might 696 00:49:02,200 --> 00:49:06,700 not have to run and hide myself with fig leaves but I might step 697 00:49:06,700 --> 00:49:09,200 out into the open. I thank you, Father, that you 698 00:49:09,200 --> 00:49:11,000 pursue me as you pursue that Adam. 699 00:49:12,000 --> 00:49:16,400 Help me to stand before you in the righteousness of Christ. 700 00:49:16,900 --> 00:49:19,900 You just plead that. That's what faith is pleading 701 00:49:20,000 --> 00:49:25,100 the righteousness of Christ So God graciously, exposes this 702 00:49:25,100 --> 00:49:28,700 Darkness he empowers us to live as children of light who are 703 00:49:28,700 --> 00:49:31,600 being transformed by the work of the spirit. 704 00:49:32,600 --> 00:49:36,400 So we have new life. We have eternal life and part 705 00:49:36,400 --> 00:49:41,200 but we will know it in full at the second Advent, when Christ 706 00:49:41,400 --> 00:49:43,800 returns. And so we wait for it. 707 00:49:43,800 --> 00:49:47,800 Eagerly, we wait for an expectantly, we wait for it 708 00:49:47,800 --> 00:49:52,300 patiently. Even though. 709 00:49:53,500 --> 00:50:00,600 The road seems long. even though the darkness seems really dark 710 00:50:00,600 --> 00:50:07,600 at times, you can say, with the psalmist In Psalm 139 David 711 00:50:07,600 --> 00:50:14,100 Wright's, there. He says the darkness is as light 712 00:50:14,200 --> 00:50:18,300 to you. And so even when you find 713 00:50:18,300 --> 00:50:22,300 yourself overwhelmed by Darkness, maybe it's the 714 00:50:22,308 --> 00:50:27,200 darkness of suffering. The darkness of your sin and 715 00:50:27,207 --> 00:50:33,800 darkness of some pain. You by faith, can look to Christ 716 00:50:34,300 --> 00:50:36,600 and say the darkness is as light to you. 717 00:50:37,400 --> 00:50:40,200 I'm submitting myself to you, amen? 718 00:50:44,100 --> 00:50:48,900 and so that day when Christ returns, we got a glimpse of it 719 00:50:49,300 --> 00:50:55,100 in Revelation, 21 1 through 5, He says then I saw this is the 720 00:50:55,100 --> 00:50:58,100 Apostle John writing of his vision, he said that I saw a new 721 00:50:58,100 --> 00:51:00,400 Heaven and a new Earth for the first Heaven. 722 00:51:00,400 --> 00:51:04,000 And the first Earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 723 00:51:04,700 --> 00:51:07,500 And I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of 724 00:51:07,500 --> 00:51:11,800 Heaven, from God prepared as a bride adorned for her husband, 725 00:51:12,400 --> 00:51:14,200 and I heard a loud voice from the throne. 726 00:51:14,200 --> 00:51:19,000 Throne saying, Behold The Dwelling Place of God is with 727 00:51:19,000 --> 00:51:24,400 man He will dwell with them and they will be his people and God 728 00:51:24,400 --> 00:51:27,500 himself will be with them as their God. 729 00:51:30,600 --> 00:51:34,800 It's a it's a restoration of Eden but in an even more 730 00:51:34,800 --> 00:51:40,200 glorious work of it. And then in verse 4, some of my 731 00:51:40,200 --> 00:51:44,600 personal favorite these days. My personal favorite words of 732 00:51:44,600 --> 00:51:48,000 the Lord, he will wipe away every tear from their eyes. 733 00:51:58,000 --> 00:51:59,000 I thought I was going to make it. 734 00:52:01,800 --> 00:52:06,900 And Death Shall be no more. Neither shall there be Mourning. 735 00:52:08,000 --> 00:52:15,600 Nor crying nor pain anymore. For the former things have 736 00:52:15,600 --> 00:52:37,300 passed away. He who was Seated on the throne 737 00:52:38,300 --> 00:52:41,200 Christ, Our Lord. Sure. 738 00:52:43,900 --> 00:52:52,400 It says, behold I am making all things new and also, he said, 739 00:52:55,000 --> 00:52:58,400 Write this down. For these words are trustworthy 740 00:52:58,700 --> 00:53:06,100 and true. Who made it? 741 00:53:10,000 --> 00:53:12,900 God wants said of his world. The hold. 742 00:53:12,900 --> 00:53:19,900 It is very good. And then mankind Rebels. 743 00:53:22,900 --> 00:53:26,800 And he promises. He could have done away with the 744 00:53:26,800 --> 00:53:29,800 whole lot but he promises to restore. 745 00:53:29,800 --> 00:53:34,400 What has been broken? And then, as we read about these 746 00:53:34,400 --> 00:53:38,500 last days, these this ushering in of the New Jerusalem, which 747 00:53:38,500 --> 00:53:41,500 is just the bride of Christ, you don't have to get weird about 748 00:53:41,500 --> 00:53:44,700 that, it's just the, the people of God Dorn. 749 00:53:44,700 --> 00:53:49,700 Does a bride for Christ. It says in these last what we 750 00:53:49,707 --> 00:53:52,800 read about it in these last days and the days of Glory he says, 751 00:53:53,600 --> 00:54:01,100 behold I am making all things new It's incredible the way the 752 00:54:01,100 --> 00:54:04,100 word of God has these bookends in it for us to. 753 00:54:04,100 --> 00:54:09,000 So clearly see And then in the very next chapter, the angel 754 00:54:09,000 --> 00:54:12,100 showed me the river of the Water of Life bright, as Crystal 755 00:54:12,300 --> 00:54:15,500 flowing from the Throne of God and of the Lamb, through the 756 00:54:15,500 --> 00:54:16,900 middle of the street of the city. 757 00:54:16,900 --> 00:54:20,300 Also on either side of the river the Tree of Life. 758 00:54:21,700 --> 00:54:24,500 With its 12 kinds of fruit yielding, its fruit. 759 00:54:24,500 --> 00:54:28,600 Each month, the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the 760 00:54:28,600 --> 00:54:31,600 nation's, no longer will there be anything occurs, but the 761 00:54:31,607 --> 00:54:33,700 Throne of God, and of the Lamb will be in it. 762 00:54:33,700 --> 00:54:37,000 And his servants will worship Him, and they will see his face. 763 00:54:37,200 --> 00:54:39,100 And his name will be on their foreheads. 764 00:54:39,300 --> 00:54:43,000 And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp 765 00:54:43,000 --> 00:54:46,300 or sun for the Lord. God will be there light and they 766 00:54:46,300 --> 00:54:51,800 will reign forever and ever. it sounds like when God said let 767 00:54:51,800 --> 00:54:59,600 there be light and there was light few verses later. 768 00:54:59,600 --> 00:55:03,100 He says, blessed are those who wash their robes so that they 769 00:55:03,100 --> 00:55:05,900 may have the right to the tree of life and they may enter the 770 00:55:05,900 --> 00:55:10,600 city by the gates outside or the dogs, and Sorcerers and the 771 00:55:10,600 --> 00:55:13,100 sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters. 772 00:55:13,300 --> 00:55:16,600 And everyone who loves and practices falsehood. 773 00:55:20,400 --> 00:55:23,200 Blessed are those who wash their robes so that they may have the 774 00:55:23,200 --> 00:55:29,700 right to the Tree of Life. We wash our robes and the blood 775 00:55:29,700 --> 00:55:30,900 of the Lamb. Amen. 776 00:55:31,600 --> 00:55:34,500 We wash our robes by the one. Who was slain for our 777 00:55:34,500 --> 00:55:38,000 wickedness. We do that by placing our faith 778 00:55:38,000 --> 00:55:43,300 in the lamb, a placing our face, our faith in Christ by fixing 779 00:55:43,300 --> 00:55:47,800 our Gaze, on him. By his righteousness clothing 780 00:55:48,000 --> 00:55:53,000 us, we have been washed and we will live forever with him. 781 00:55:54,600 --> 00:56:01,500 Just as God meant for it to be. I want to leave you today with 782 00:56:01,500 --> 00:56:05,400 this word from Christ in John 3 Verses 18 through 21. 783 00:56:06,900 --> 00:56:13,200 Whoever believes in me is not condemned, but whoever does not 784 00:56:13,200 --> 00:56:17,000 believe is condemned already. Because he has not believed in 785 00:56:17,000 --> 00:56:22,600 the name of the only son of God. And this is the Judgment, the 786 00:56:22,600 --> 00:56:26,000 light has come into the world and the people loved the 787 00:56:26,000 --> 00:56:29,700 darkness rather than the light because their Works were evil. 788 00:56:30,500 --> 00:56:33,600 For anyone. Sorry for everyone who does the 789 00:56:33,600 --> 00:56:37,600 wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, 790 00:56:38,000 --> 00:56:42,500 lest his work should be exposed but whoever does when it's true 791 00:56:42,700 --> 00:56:46,200 comes to the light so that it may be clearly seen that his 792 00:56:46,200 --> 00:56:48,800 Works have been carried out in God. 793 00:56:50,700 --> 00:56:56,000 Brothers and sisters, friends, visitors, I beg of you to come 794 00:56:56,000 --> 00:56:58,800 to the light of Christ today. Let me pray for you. 795 00:56:58,800 --> 00:57:02,400 Heavenly Father, we praise you for your word. 796 00:57:02,400 --> 00:57:07,500 Today, we thank you for the promises, they're in it. 797 00:57:10,700 --> 00:57:14,100 God, we thank you for the light of the Gospel seeing in the 798 00:57:14,107 --> 00:57:23,400 glory of Christ. Lord, I ask that you help us to 799 00:57:23,400 --> 00:57:28,800 believe in the one and only son of God to believe in your son 800 00:57:28,800 --> 00:57:32,800 Christ, Jesus, with all of our heart and all of our mind and 801 00:57:32,800 --> 00:57:36,300 all of our strengths, Help us to love him. 802 00:57:40,900 --> 00:57:43,600 God would you call us out of Darkness? 803 00:57:44,800 --> 00:57:51,800 And into your Marvelous Light. Help us to know a new life help 804 00:57:51,800 --> 00:57:55,900 us to be New Creations, remove the veil from our eyes that we 805 00:57:55,900 --> 00:57:59,900 might see Christ and see him more, clearly more vividly. 806 00:58:01,600 --> 00:58:04,900 Lord help us to desire him more than we desire. 807 00:58:04,900 --> 00:58:10,500 The things of this world. And Lord as we grow weary. 808 00:58:12,000 --> 00:58:15,400 In this world. As we get tired. 809 00:58:16,900 --> 00:58:22,100 As we end our suffering. Because we experience pain, help 810 00:58:22,100 --> 00:58:25,400 us to see Lord. That we are not without a savior 811 00:58:25,400 --> 00:58:29,300 who endured all of those things for us in his Incarnation. 812 00:58:32,200 --> 00:58:35,400 There's no temptation that he did not himself. 813 00:58:36,700 --> 00:58:44,500 Inder There's no pain in which he cannot sympathize with us. 814 00:58:45,700 --> 00:58:48,000 We have a perfect high priest in heaven. 815 00:58:48,800 --> 00:58:54,100 We can approach today. This high priest doesn't stand 816 00:58:54,100 --> 00:58:58,300 back behind some altar scowling at us. 817 00:59:01,100 --> 00:59:04,700 But he says to us, just as he said in Matthew 11, come to me. 818 00:59:06,100 --> 00:59:12,200 All of you who are weary and heavy-laden And I will give you 819 00:59:12,200 --> 00:59:17,200 rest. Take my yoke upon you for. 820 00:59:17,200 --> 00:59:23,900 I am gentle and lowly at heart. Father, would you help us? 821 00:59:25,200 --> 00:59:32,300 To see the Savior this way. Help us to remove fig leaves. 822 00:59:34,200 --> 00:59:38,400 And blame. And pride. 823 00:59:40,200 --> 00:59:46,900 Help us to repent in dust. And to hide ourselves behind the 824 00:59:46,900 --> 00:59:55,000 Cross of Christ. Lord, would you also help us 825 00:59:55,000 --> 00:59:59,000 endure this race to run it? Well, every day? 826 01:00:01,600 --> 01:00:05,800 The live everyday, as the servant who prepares his home 827 01:00:05,900 --> 01:00:11,200 for his master's return knowing that he could return any 828 01:00:11,200 --> 01:00:14,600 moments. Help us to live like that. 829 01:00:14,600 --> 01:00:19,100 Father help us to purge Sin from our lives. 830 01:00:19,800 --> 01:00:22,600 Help us to not toy with it to not play with it. 831 01:00:25,400 --> 01:00:30,000 Help us to take seriously the mortification of sin. 832 01:00:32,400 --> 01:00:38,600 And purity. Or today, help us to be those 833 01:00:38,600 --> 01:00:43,500 who are found in the light. We love the light who run to the 834 01:00:43,500 --> 01:00:48,300 lights. And we need your power in us to 835 01:00:48,300 --> 01:00:50,900 do that. We need you father. 836 01:00:51,000 --> 01:00:55,100 The one who said, let there be light, we need you to do that in 837 01:00:55,107 --> 01:00:58,800 our hearts today. We're hopeless without you. 838 01:01:00,800 --> 01:01:04,400 And so we call on you. Now in Christ's name, I pray. 839 01:01:05,200 --> 01:01:01,700 Amen. And so we call on you. 840 01:01:01,700 --> 01:01:05,600 Now in Christ's name, I pray. Amen.