1 00:00:04,700 --> 00:00:08,100 Glad that you are with us today. Special, if you're visiting want 2 00:00:08,100 --> 00:00:11,100 to welcome you. My name is Kyle and I serve as 3 00:00:11,100 --> 00:00:14,100 lead. Pastor here today, we are 4 00:00:14,100 --> 00:00:18,800 continuing in our Advent series, which we begun began. 5 00:00:18,900 --> 00:00:21,500 Sorry last week. So if you have your Bible with, 6 00:00:21,500 --> 00:00:25,600 you turn to Genesis chapter 12. The little hopping around again 7 00:00:25,600 --> 00:00:29,100 this week. But we'll start in Genesis 12 8 00:00:29,100 --> 00:00:32,800 and I'll read to you from there. It's kind of the foundation for 9 00:00:32,800 --> 00:00:37,200 what we're talking about. Today, before we get in that 10 00:00:37,200 --> 00:00:40,800 just want to remind you, what Advent is, maybe you're visiting 11 00:00:40,800 --> 00:00:42,700 with us on this. This whole idea is new to you. 12 00:00:42,700 --> 00:00:48,000 It's a new word Advent, just simply means coming, we look at 13 00:00:48,000 --> 00:00:52,300 advents on the church calendar each year in December. 14 00:00:52,300 --> 00:00:56,400 It's typically the four weeks leading up to Christmas morning 15 00:00:56,800 --> 00:01:00,600 and the purpose of it is to recall, the Incarnation of 16 00:01:00,600 --> 00:01:04,099 Christ that Christ was born. Amen. 17 00:01:04,700 --> 00:01:08,300 And just as we saying a moment ago that he was born for us, he 18 00:01:08,300 --> 00:01:13,400 was born to redeem God's people and so he was he wasn't going to 19 00:01:13,400 --> 00:01:16,300 do that through his birth simply, but he was going to do 20 00:01:16,300 --> 00:01:21,200 that by becoming a perfect sacrifice, the god-man, 100% 21 00:01:21,200 --> 00:01:25,800 God. 100% man crucified on a cross for our sins. 22 00:01:26,100 --> 00:01:29,700 Risen on the third day, that that by belief in him, we might 23 00:01:29,700 --> 00:01:33,500 also rise with him and then we may be free from the penalty of 24 00:01:33,500 --> 00:01:37,500 sin. And enjoy Christ forever in 25 00:01:37,500 --> 00:01:39,800 heaven. And so that's, that's Advent. 26 00:01:39,800 --> 00:01:41,800 Number one. Advent number one is the coming 27 00:01:41,800 --> 00:01:44,800 of Christ. When he went into heaven, the 28 00:01:44,800 --> 00:01:48,800 disciples were told, why are you standing here looking into the 29 00:01:48,800 --> 00:01:51,200 clouds from the same way that he whence? 30 00:01:51,800 --> 00:01:53,400 He will come again. Amen. 31 00:01:53,700 --> 00:01:56,700 And that's the promise. The promises that Christ will 32 00:01:56,700 --> 00:01:59,700 return and this is the second Advent. 33 00:01:59,700 --> 00:02:04,400 And so, we last week, looked at the fall of mankind. 34 00:02:04,600 --> 00:02:08,900 We looked at the dawn of the Gospel Proclamation, that there 35 00:02:08,900 --> 00:02:11,600 would come through the seed of the woman. 36 00:02:11,600 --> 00:02:15,500 There would come one, who would crush the head of the cunning 37 00:02:15,500 --> 00:02:21,100 serpent would crush the head of Satan, and that in doing. 38 00:02:21,100 --> 00:02:24,000 So he would also be wounded, but he would not be dealt, a death 39 00:02:24,000 --> 00:02:26,500 blow and so Christ did died but he rose again. 40 00:02:27,100 --> 00:02:30,600 And Christ is our savior. Amen. 41 00:02:30,600 --> 00:02:33,900 And so during Advent, we were worshipping the savior. 42 00:02:34,500 --> 00:02:37,300 Worshipping Christ, this is Alan, read a moment ago in 43 00:02:37,300 --> 00:02:40,400 Colossians. He is the preeminence of all 44 00:02:40,400 --> 00:02:43,100 things. He is the glory of God revealed 45 00:02:43,100 --> 00:02:46,200 to us. And as we proclaim the name of 46 00:02:46,200 --> 00:02:49,300 Christ as we sing his Praises. As we read about him in his 47 00:02:49,300 --> 00:02:54,000 word, as we Proclaim his word out loud, as we think through 48 00:02:54,000 --> 00:02:58,700 it, as we pray through it, we are exalting Christ to his 49 00:02:58,700 --> 00:03:02,400 rightful place as Lord of lords. Amen. 50 00:03:02,500 --> 00:03:06,400 And that's especially important - Jasper pointed out in this 51 00:03:06,400 --> 00:03:10,500 season, especially important. This season comes to us, it 52 00:03:10,500 --> 00:03:14,500 makes total sense. That Satan would try to Rob this 53 00:03:14,500 --> 00:03:18,700 season, that he would try to take it for himself and make it 54 00:03:18,700 --> 00:03:24,200 all about merchandising, make it all about purchasing things, 55 00:03:24,200 --> 00:03:29,300 make it all about wanting things and that in that, when that 56 00:03:29,300 --> 00:03:33,800 happens in our materialism, Which is just the worship of 57 00:03:33,800 --> 00:03:37,100 stuff. We forget Christ. 58 00:03:37,700 --> 00:03:41,300 And so Advent comes to us as a way to remember Christ. 59 00:03:41,300 --> 00:03:43,700 And so, today I want to talk to you specifically more 60 00:03:43,700 --> 00:03:48,300 specifically about the darkness of sojourning, the darkness of 61 00:03:48,300 --> 00:03:51,100 so journey. And so, the title of my passage 62 00:03:51,100 --> 00:03:54,400 or my sermon today is the light of God's covenants. 63 00:03:55,000 --> 00:03:57,900 We're going to talk about the darkness of so Journey from talk 64 00:03:57,900 --> 00:04:01,100 about covenants, we're gonna talk about how God initiates 65 00:04:01,100 --> 00:04:04,700 relationship with his people. People, he establishes them as 66 00:04:04,700 --> 00:04:10,500 his people through covenants and that these covenants are there, 67 00:04:10,500 --> 00:04:16,200 the very light of God? They are the faithfulness of God 68 00:04:16,200 --> 00:04:21,600 coming to us. And in that we have hope amid 69 00:04:21,600 --> 00:04:24,300 the darkness of sojourning. So you may write it down this 70 00:04:24,300 --> 00:04:27,400 way. God's covenant, faithfulness is 71 00:04:27,400 --> 00:04:31,600 the Light Of Hope amid. The darkness of so Journey. 72 00:04:32,400 --> 00:04:36,600 It's very loaded sentence. It'll be behind me here, you can 73 00:04:36,600 --> 00:04:49,000 write it down. and so in Genesis 12, we have God initiating. 74 00:04:51,600 --> 00:04:55,700 A covenant, the beginning stages of what will become a covenant 75 00:04:55,700 --> 00:04:59,200 with a man named Abram who you may know as Abraham. 76 00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:03,100 And so let's read that. Would you stand to your feet? 77 00:05:03,100 --> 00:05:06,600 Today, we're going to read Genesis 12 1 through 9 verses 1 78 00:05:06,600 --> 00:05:11,900 through 9. When I'm finished reading, I'll 79 00:05:11,900 --> 00:05:15,200 say this is the word of the Lord, and you will respond as 80 00:05:15,200 --> 00:05:16,600 God's people. Thanks. 81 00:05:16,600 --> 00:05:20,100 Be to God. All right, Genesis 12, verses 1 82 00:05:20,100 --> 00:05:23,100 through 9. Now, the Lord said to Abram, go 83 00:05:23,100 --> 00:05:27,100 from your country and your Kindred and your father's house 84 00:05:27,400 --> 00:05:29,000 to the land that I will show you. 85 00:05:30,100 --> 00:05:33,600 And I will make of you a great nation and I will bless you and 86 00:05:33,600 --> 00:05:36,600 make your name great. So that you will be a blessing. 87 00:05:37,200 --> 00:05:40,800 I will bless those who bless you and him who dishonors you? 88 00:05:40,800 --> 00:05:45,200 I will curse and then you all the families of the Earth shall 89 00:05:45,200 --> 00:05:49,500 be blessed. Verse 4, so Abram wins as the 90 00:05:49,500 --> 00:05:52,000 Lord had told him and lot went with him. 91 00:05:52,800 --> 00:05:57,000 Abram was 75 years old when he departed from her own and Abram 92 00:05:57,000 --> 00:06:01,300 took Sarai his wife and lot his brother's son and all their 93 00:06:01,300 --> 00:06:04,000 possessions that they had gathered and the people that 94 00:06:04,000 --> 00:06:07,600 they had acquired in haran and they set out to go to the land 95 00:06:07,600 --> 00:06:11,300 of Canaan when they came to the land of Canaan Abram passed 96 00:06:11,300 --> 00:06:16,000 through the lands of the place at shechem to the Oak of moreh 97 00:06:16,700 --> 00:06:19,100 at at time, the Canaanites were in the land. 98 00:06:19,600 --> 00:06:23,600 Then the Lord verse 7 appeared to Abram and said to your 99 00:06:23,600 --> 00:06:26,600 Offspring. I will give this land so he 100 00:06:26,600 --> 00:06:29,400 built there, an altar to the Lord who had appeared to him 101 00:06:29,900 --> 00:06:31,700 from there. He moved to the Hill Country on 102 00:06:31,700 --> 00:06:35,600 the east of Bethel and pitched his tents with Bethel on the 103 00:06:35,600 --> 00:06:39,500 west. And I on the East and there, he 104 00:06:39,900 --> 00:06:43,100 built an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord 105 00:06:43,300 --> 00:06:46,300 and Abram. Journeyed on still going toward 106 00:06:46,300 --> 00:06:49,300 them again. This is the word of the Lord. 107 00:06:49,800 --> 00:06:51,800 Thanks be to God. Let me pray for us. 108 00:06:52,100 --> 00:06:55,000 Heavenly Father, we praise you, that we get to join together. 109 00:06:55,000 --> 00:06:59,400 Today, to read your word, to hear your word, taught. 110 00:07:00,300 --> 00:07:03,200 That will only be a joy Lord. If I say what you would have me 111 00:07:03,200 --> 00:07:05,900 to say that will only be good for us. 112 00:07:05,900 --> 00:07:10,500 So far as the thoughts that I share, are your thoughts, the 113 00:07:10,500 --> 00:07:12,300 words that I preach, or your words? 114 00:07:13,000 --> 00:07:16,600 Lord, my human wisdom will only fell us. 115 00:07:17,900 --> 00:07:22,700 There is no cunning and me, there is no ability in me to 116 00:07:22,700 --> 00:07:25,600 change Hearts. There's no ability and me to 117 00:07:25,600 --> 00:07:28,900 transform Minds. There's no ability and me to 118 00:07:28,900 --> 00:07:35,000 create a people for God. But father you possess all of 119 00:07:35,000 --> 00:07:39,900 those things in your word. Father there is life in your 120 00:07:39,900 --> 00:07:42,900 word. There is rebuke, there's 121 00:07:42,900 --> 00:07:45,400 correction. There is teaching. 122 00:07:45,700 --> 00:07:49,400 And there is training for godliness in your word. 123 00:07:49,400 --> 00:07:53,800 Is everything that we need for eternal life and godliness. 124 00:07:54,000 --> 00:07:57,900 And so Lord, we come to your word today as beggars. 125 00:07:58,800 --> 00:08:02,900 Come to your word today as men and women who want to hear from 126 00:08:02,900 --> 00:08:06,000 you. We want to see your face who 127 00:08:06,000 --> 00:08:09,400 want to exalt Christ in our life and so Lord. 128 00:08:09,400 --> 00:08:12,800 Would you teach us today? Humble us correct. 129 00:08:12,800 --> 00:08:17,300 Us instruct us Lord. That we might follow you more 130 00:08:17,600 --> 00:08:20,600 Faithfully. Lord way you. 131 00:08:20,900 --> 00:08:25,300 Be honored today in the Name of Christ, I pray, amen. 132 00:08:25,800 --> 00:08:27,100 Amen. You may have seat. 133 00:08:30,600 --> 00:08:36,600 So back in last week, we learned that God makes a promise. 134 00:08:37,900 --> 00:08:46,200 God makes a promise he promises as he is rebuking the serpent. 135 00:08:46,200 --> 00:08:51,400 As he is, executing his judgment on the serpent as he's 136 00:08:51,400 --> 00:08:55,100 condemning the Serpent's. He promises that there will be 137 00:08:55,100 --> 00:08:58,300 one who comes again from the seed of the woman. 138 00:08:58,300 --> 00:09:03,400 As I said earlier, who will crush The Serpent's serpents 139 00:09:03,400 --> 00:09:09,000 Victory will be short-lived what he has done will not last. 140 00:09:09,500 --> 00:09:14,900 He thinks that he has one, but in reality he is only delayed 141 00:09:14,900 --> 00:09:20,100 his defeat amen. And so in Genesis 3:15, we read 142 00:09:20,100 --> 00:09:22,500 there. That God will put enmity between 143 00:09:22,500 --> 00:09:26,600 the man and the woman between her Offspring and his offspring 144 00:09:27,000 --> 00:09:31,300 and that the man will who will come from the an offspring. 145 00:09:31,300 --> 00:09:34,000 They're being singular as one person in mind. 146 00:09:34,000 --> 00:09:38,500 We know him by the name of Christ, he will put enmity 147 00:09:38,500 --> 00:09:41,700 between them and this man Christ will crush the head of the 148 00:09:41,700 --> 00:09:45,700 serpent. That's a promise that said, last 149 00:09:45,700 --> 00:09:48,200 week that this is what theologians called the 150 00:09:48,200 --> 00:09:52,400 protoevangelium meaning. It's the first announcement of 151 00:09:52,400 --> 00:09:55,600 the good news, which is the gospel of Christ. 152 00:09:56,900 --> 00:10:00,100 There will be a man and from the seed of the woman who will crush 153 00:10:00,100 --> 00:10:03,400 the head head of the serpent and that is precisely. 154 00:10:03,400 --> 00:10:08,100 What happens in Jesus Christ will remind you of this as we 155 00:10:08,100 --> 00:10:11,500 think about the Incarnation of Advent, we think about the fact 156 00:10:11,500 --> 00:10:16,100 that Christ put on flesh of the Son of God, who created all 157 00:10:16,100 --> 00:10:19,400 things. He created the woman. 158 00:10:20,600 --> 00:10:26,400 And whom he would grow in her body, he created the woman who 159 00:10:26,400 --> 00:10:32,400 would be his mother. He created the stars and the Sun 160 00:10:32,400 --> 00:10:36,000 and the Moon, he created the Earth as we know it, he created 161 00:10:36,000 --> 00:10:42,900 all mankind by his word, all things came into being this God. 162 00:10:44,000 --> 00:10:48,100 A second member of the Trinity, the Son of God put on flesh. 163 00:10:49,200 --> 00:10:52,900 And became like us. And this is what Philippians 2. 164 00:10:52,900 --> 00:10:56,000 Paul writes. They're encouraging the Saints 165 00:10:56,000 --> 00:11:00,600 to have humility about them but he says, your humility will be 166 00:11:00,600 --> 00:11:03,100 based on these truths about Christ and these truths about 167 00:11:03,100 --> 00:11:05,400 Christ. Her good for us today as well. 168 00:11:05,800 --> 00:11:11,000 Who though, in verse six, he was in the form of God did not count 169 00:11:11,000 --> 00:11:15,800 equality with God. A thing to be grasped but 170 00:11:15,800 --> 00:11:19,700 emptied himself taking the form of a servant being born in the 171 00:11:19,700 --> 00:11:23,100 likeness of man and being found in human form. 172 00:11:23,100 --> 00:11:27,300 He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, 173 00:11:27,400 --> 00:11:31,600 even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted 174 00:11:31,600 --> 00:11:34,300 him and bestowed on him. The name, that is above every 175 00:11:34,300 --> 00:11:36,000 name. So that at the name of Jesus, 176 00:11:36,000 --> 00:11:40,600 every knee should bow in heaven and on Earth and under the 177 00:11:40,600 --> 00:11:43,100 Earth. And every tongue confess that 178 00:11:43,100 --> 00:11:48,600 Jesus Christ is Lord, Lord to the glory of God, the Father. 179 00:11:49,800 --> 00:11:56,300 Now, there are roughly 4,000 years between creation and the 180 00:11:56,300 --> 00:12:00,800 birth of Christ. And what happens from Genesis 3 181 00:12:01,400 --> 00:12:05,300 to the gospel accounts of Jesus birth and his death and his 182 00:12:05,300 --> 00:12:08,100 resurrection and the establishment of the church and 183 00:12:08,400 --> 00:12:10,700 how we are to live until the end of the age. 184 00:12:10,700 --> 00:12:14,100 When Christ returns everything that happens there. 185 00:12:15,500 --> 00:12:18,800 Is picked up in this word Offspring. 186 00:12:18,800 --> 00:12:23,500 We are reading about from Genesis to Malachi and your Old 187 00:12:23,500 --> 00:12:27,800 Testament you're reading about and hearing about the Redemption 188 00:12:27,800 --> 00:12:34,600 that will come through Christ. This word Offspring is picked up 189 00:12:34,600 --> 00:12:38,600 in Genesis for 25 and 26 after Kane murders. 190 00:12:38,600 --> 00:12:43,600 Able this is what we read and Adam knew his wife again and she 191 00:12:43,600 --> 00:12:49,300 bore a son and called his name. Seth for she said, God has 192 00:12:49,300 --> 00:12:53,100 appointed for me. Another Offspring, instead of 193 00:12:53,100 --> 00:12:56,900 Abel for Cain killed him. To serve. 194 00:12:56,900 --> 00:13:00,200 Also a son was born. He called his name enosh at that 195 00:13:00,200 --> 00:13:02,800 time. People began to call upon the 196 00:13:02,800 --> 00:13:05,500 name of the Lord. And so we see that through the 197 00:13:05,508 --> 00:13:10,400 line of Seth who's come from the woman, that one would come, who 198 00:13:10,400 --> 00:13:13,700 would crush the head of the serpent Eve is praising the Lord 199 00:13:13,700 --> 00:13:17,000 because she has gotten another Offspring for this promise to be 200 00:13:17,000 --> 00:13:19,400 fulfilled through. And so, the rest of Genesis 201 00:13:19,400 --> 00:13:21,700 traces, a single line of Seth's descendants. 202 00:13:21,700 --> 00:13:25,300 Eventually, it will produce a king, which you read about by 203 00:13:25,300 --> 00:13:27,400 which All Nations. Options will be blessed. 204 00:13:27,600 --> 00:13:31,500 We're going to talk about him next week from Seth's family. 205 00:13:32,200 --> 00:13:37,200 We have a man named Noah God also made a covenant with Noah 206 00:13:37,300 --> 00:13:41,000 right after he destroys the Earth by flood because of its 207 00:13:41,000 --> 00:13:44,800 pervasive evil, God puts a rainbow in the sky and makes a 208 00:13:44,800 --> 00:13:48,000 promise to know that I will never again. 209 00:13:49,400 --> 00:13:56,000 Destroy the world by a flood. Even though man's ways are evil 210 00:13:56,700 --> 00:14:00,600 even from his youth. God says, God tells Noah and his 211 00:14:00,600 --> 00:14:03,400 family. The same thing, he told Adam and 212 00:14:03,400 --> 00:14:08,600 Eve be fruitful and multiply increased greatly on the earth 213 00:14:08,600 --> 00:14:12,700 and multiply in it. And so, the mission is still the 214 00:14:12,700 --> 00:14:18,300 same go forth. From Noah Sun, we get Shem. 215 00:14:18,700 --> 00:14:22,100 And there's a man named Abram. Who is born to shim. 216 00:14:22,200 --> 00:14:26,200 Now, in Matthew 1, as we look at the genealogy of Christ, it 217 00:14:26,200 --> 00:14:30,600 begins with Abraham and Abraham's line goes through 218 00:14:30,600 --> 00:14:34,600 David, all the way to Jesus and God is faithful. 219 00:14:35,700 --> 00:14:39,100 To his covenants amen. The promise that he made in 220 00:14:39,100 --> 00:14:42,900 Genesis 3, he is keeping in Matthew 1. 221 00:14:42,900 --> 00:14:46,400 As Christ comes, God is faithful to his Covenant. 222 00:14:46,400 --> 00:14:49,500 So Matthew one, we see that Jesus would be called Jesus 223 00:14:49,500 --> 00:14:52,600 because he has come to save their people from their sins. 224 00:14:52,600 --> 00:14:56,500 He's a redeemer. He is the long-awaited Messiah, 225 00:14:56,500 --> 00:15:00,800 the savior. And so God is faithful to his 226 00:15:00,800 --> 00:15:03,800 covenants. You need to hear this even when 227 00:15:03,800 --> 00:15:08,000 his people are not. God is always faithful. 228 00:15:08,800 --> 00:15:12,000 God is always abounding in steadfast love, even when his 229 00:15:12,000 --> 00:15:15,600 people are not. And so we see God steadfast 230 00:15:15,600 --> 00:15:20,300 love, we see his faithfulness. Clearly, in his covenants, his 231 00:15:20,300 --> 00:15:24,100 covenants, give us a way of identifying where we will find 232 00:15:24,100 --> 00:15:28,600 the faithfulness of God, where we can best, find the steadfast 233 00:15:28,600 --> 00:15:30,300 love. Of the father. 234 00:15:31,100 --> 00:15:33,400 And so God's covenant faithfulness is the Light Of 235 00:15:33,400 --> 00:15:35,900 Hope amid, the darkness of sojourning. 236 00:15:35,900 --> 00:15:41,400 So let's get to the sojourning in Genesis 12, what we have is 237 00:15:41,400 --> 00:15:46,500 god making an invitation to Abram in Genesis 12. 238 00:15:46,500 --> 00:15:50,000 God comes to Abram, who is from the line of Seth and makes an 239 00:15:50,000 --> 00:15:54,800 invitation for Abram to join to join him in something. 240 00:15:55,000 --> 00:15:58,100 Truly amazing. I don't know if you caught it in 241 00:15:58,100 --> 00:15:59,800 the first three, verses let me reread. 242 00:15:59,800 --> 00:16:01,600 Those just so we're all together here. 243 00:16:01,900 --> 00:16:04,800 Now, the Lord said to Abram, go from your country and your 244 00:16:04,800 --> 00:16:09,600 Kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show 245 00:16:09,600 --> 00:16:11,400 you. So he's calling him out of there 246 00:16:11,600 --> 00:16:15,300 and sending him into. What is unknown to him, but 247 00:16:15,300 --> 00:16:19,700 known to the father and I will make of you a great nation and I 248 00:16:19,700 --> 00:16:22,200 will bless you and make your name great. 249 00:16:22,200 --> 00:16:25,500 So that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you 250 00:16:25,500 --> 00:16:27,800 and him who dishonors you? I I will curse. 251 00:16:28,100 --> 00:16:31,700 And in you all the families of the Earth shall be blessed in 252 00:16:31,700 --> 00:16:33,400 you. All the families of the Earth 253 00:16:33,400 --> 00:16:35,600 shall be blessed. I want you to know right out of 254 00:16:35,608 --> 00:16:37,500 the gate. This is not so much a promise 255 00:16:37,500 --> 00:16:40,400 about Abraham, as much as it is a promise about the one who 256 00:16:40,400 --> 00:16:44,800 would come from Abraham that n him in his offspring. 257 00:16:45,000 --> 00:16:48,600 All the families of the Earth shall be blessed. 258 00:16:48,600 --> 00:16:56,400 Meaning Redemption would be extended to everyone and so 259 00:16:56,400 --> 00:17:01,300 notice the Which Abram is told to go from your country, that is 260 00:17:01,300 --> 00:17:03,500 his place. Go from your Kindred. 261 00:17:03,500 --> 00:17:06,800 That is his people and from your father's house which is his 262 00:17:06,800 --> 00:17:11,099 purpose, right? He's taking God is taking Abram 263 00:17:11,099 --> 00:17:13,099 away from everything. That is familiar. 264 00:17:13,300 --> 00:17:15,800 This is his identity. He is tear off son. 265 00:17:16,099 --> 00:17:19,700 He's dwelling in Terrazas plays and he's with terrorize people 266 00:17:19,800 --> 00:17:23,800 and he exists their Forte. Ross purpose to undo everything 267 00:17:23,800 --> 00:17:28,500 that Tara would have him to do. And this is typically a pretty 268 00:17:28,500 --> 00:17:32,000 good existence. This is typically a really good 269 00:17:32,000 --> 00:17:35,800 thing but what God invites him. What does God invite him to 270 00:17:35,800 --> 00:17:40,000 become? He says, go go to the land that 271 00:17:40,000 --> 00:17:42,500 I will show you. That's a new place, but it's 272 00:17:42,500 --> 00:17:46,100 God's place and I will make of you a great nation. 273 00:17:46,200 --> 00:17:48,700 That's a new people, but it's God's people and I will bless 274 00:17:48,700 --> 00:17:52,200 you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 275 00:17:52,200 --> 00:17:55,000 And I will bless those who bless you and him who Dishonored you, 276 00:17:55,000 --> 00:17:57,900 I will curse. And in you all the families of 277 00:17:57,908 --> 00:18:00,300 the earth will be blessed. Well, that's a new purpose. 278 00:18:00,400 --> 00:18:05,300 Yes, but it's God's purpose, it's a better purpose, but 279 00:18:05,300 --> 00:18:07,800 Abraham is being called out of his home. 280 00:18:07,800 --> 00:18:10,200 He's being called out of everything that's familiar and 281 00:18:10,200 --> 00:18:13,100 he's being told to what to Soldier. 282 00:18:14,500 --> 00:18:15,900 You know what it means to sojourn. 283 00:18:17,000 --> 00:18:18,800 The sojourn means you don't have a home. 284 00:18:20,100 --> 00:18:22,100 The sojourn means you don't have a place. 285 00:18:23,100 --> 00:18:26,100 Doesn't necessarily mean, you don't have a purpose, you have a 286 00:18:26,100 --> 00:18:30,700 purpose, but it means that you are wondering. 287 00:18:32,800 --> 00:18:35,800 And by the appearances of some, you might be lost. 288 00:18:37,100 --> 00:18:40,300 As some look at you, they might say, what in the world is wrong, 289 00:18:40,600 --> 00:18:44,700 with that fella Abram. He went from all that, he had 290 00:18:44,700 --> 00:18:49,400 all those possessions, all that purpose, all that place he went 291 00:18:49,400 --> 00:18:53,000 from there, which would have been his and he wanders, into an 292 00:18:53,000 --> 00:18:56,600 unknown place for an unknown purpose, seeking an unknown 293 00:18:56,600 --> 00:19:00,800 people. Because God came to him and said 294 00:19:00,800 --> 00:19:06,800 to do it. And so he's a Sojourner God's 295 00:19:06,800 --> 00:19:09,000 given him a new identity, he was not a Sojourner. 296 00:19:09,000 --> 00:19:15,200 Now he's a Sojourner. he will now be though, God's people 297 00:19:16,300 --> 00:19:20,300 Because he was obeying the Lord, he will dwell in God's place 298 00:19:20,300 --> 00:19:23,400 because God has said, I'm going to give you a place and he is 299 00:19:23,400 --> 00:19:27,000 trusting him. From him, the Nations will be 300 00:19:27,000 --> 00:19:31,300 blessed to be, come God's people for God's purpose, because this 301 00:19:31,300 --> 00:19:36,500 is what God has promised him. God's invitation forces Abram to 302 00:19:36,500 --> 00:19:40,700 abandon the normal sources of personal identity and security, 303 00:19:40,800 --> 00:19:45,300 his family. His homeland, his purpose, And 304 00:19:45,300 --> 00:19:50,800 it forces him to obey Abram must trust God by faith. 305 00:19:53,700 --> 00:19:55,900 All human support is largely removed now. 306 00:19:55,900 --> 00:20:02,100 I've told you this before. Faith is Faith is not an 307 00:20:02,100 --> 00:20:07,000 apparition. Faith may not be tangible all 308 00:20:07,000 --> 00:20:08,200 the time. You may not be able to put your 309 00:20:08,200 --> 00:20:11,600 hand on faith, but you can put your hand on the fruit of Faith. 310 00:20:12,700 --> 00:20:17,400 You can cut through the thickness of legitimate Faith 311 00:20:17,400 --> 00:20:20,400 because legitimate Faith Can Be Touched. 312 00:20:20,700 --> 00:20:23,800 You can see the fruit of legitimate Faith because when 313 00:20:23,800 --> 00:20:26,800 you have legitimate Faith, you have things like hope. 314 00:20:27,800 --> 00:20:31,200 Where there should be no hope. You have legitimate Faith, you 315 00:20:31,200 --> 00:20:34,800 have things like peace where there should be nothing but 316 00:20:34,800 --> 00:20:39,600 turmoil and suffering and sadness, when you have 317 00:20:39,600 --> 00:20:43,500 legitimate Faith you have things like love where there should be 318 00:20:43,500 --> 00:20:46,000 hatred, there's forgiveness where there should be 319 00:20:46,000 --> 00:20:48,000 bitterness. You see what I'm saying? 320 00:20:48,000 --> 00:20:52,300 Faith produces fruit, faith is not without a work. 321 00:20:52,300 --> 00:20:56,100 It's not without something tangible to it, but the world 322 00:20:56,100 --> 00:20:58,700 wants to criticize you for Faith. 323 00:20:58,700 --> 00:21:02,000 It wants to say that. Faith is a coping mechanism. 324 00:21:03,800 --> 00:21:06,700 That that faith is what Christians have made up to help 325 00:21:06,700 --> 00:21:09,600 themselves get through life or really what any religious person 326 00:21:09,600 --> 00:21:13,500 has made up to help them better deal with their lives. 327 00:21:14,100 --> 00:21:19,800 The Troubles of their lives. So You know, and in some ways 328 00:21:19,800 --> 00:21:23,600 they, the accusations may be true but where a worldly person 329 00:21:23,600 --> 00:21:26,400 might turn to things like alcoholism. 330 00:21:27,700 --> 00:21:33,600 Or things like perversion of sexuality worldly person might 331 00:21:33,600 --> 00:21:39,000 turn to finding new identities or new copings or new, whatever 332 00:21:39,200 --> 00:21:43,600 in the world. A Christian turns to their faith 333 00:21:43,600 --> 00:21:47,700 in Christ and faith in Christ produces fruits. 334 00:21:48,800 --> 00:21:52,600 I hope you're tracking with what I'm saying, Faith Can Be 335 00:21:52,600 --> 00:21:55,100 Touched. It's not simply, it's not an 336 00:21:55,100 --> 00:21:59,000 apparition, it's not something. That is a magical word, like 337 00:21:59,000 --> 00:22:02,900 Abracadabra or something. To that effect you can touch 338 00:22:02,900 --> 00:22:08,300 faith. Faith can be seen And you might 339 00:22:08,300 --> 00:22:10,100 not see the product of your faith. 340 00:22:10,100 --> 00:22:14,800 Yet take Abram. For example, he's wondering he's 341 00:22:15,100 --> 00:22:17,800 waiting on the Homeland that God's promise he's waiting on 342 00:22:17,800 --> 00:22:22,400 the people that God's promise, but there's fruits of his faith. 343 00:22:22,400 --> 00:22:27,900 He's trusting God, each day in the wandering in the sojourn and 344 00:22:27,900 --> 00:22:31,200 so there's fruit in that. It's fruits. 345 00:22:32,600 --> 00:22:39,700 And so God's invitation forces Abram to trust God by faith, all 346 00:22:39,700 --> 00:22:44,600 human support is removed. All of what he knew before is 347 00:22:44,600 --> 00:22:49,200 gone every in every way that he could have relied on himself, 348 00:22:49,200 --> 00:22:52,200 relied on his family, relied on, what would have been given to 349 00:22:52,200 --> 00:22:55,000 him? Is now taken from him and he 350 00:22:55,000 --> 00:23:01,400 must, he must show faith. But there's a problem, there's a 351 00:23:01,408 --> 00:23:05,100 problem with this whole thing God saying, I'm going to make a 352 00:23:05,100 --> 00:23:08,000 nation from you. Buy you all the peoples of the 353 00:23:08,000 --> 00:23:11,700 earth will be blessed. Was a problem in this Sarah his 354 00:23:11,700 --> 00:23:18,100 wife is barren. Her womb is stricken. 355 00:23:18,600 --> 00:23:25,400 She can't have children. And so Abram begins to wonder 356 00:23:25,400 --> 00:23:29,500 how in the world will a great nation come through me. 357 00:23:30,400 --> 00:23:32,600 My wife's can't even have children. 358 00:23:33,300 --> 00:23:38,100 There can be no Offspring here. Regardless of Sarah's baroness 359 00:23:38,100 --> 00:23:43,200 Abram chooses to go any way. He chooses to trust God, to do 360 00:23:43,200 --> 00:23:46,300 what he said he would do. He wants to see God's steadfast 361 00:23:46,300 --> 00:23:51,000 love and faithfulness firsthand. He's going to see that God is 362 00:23:51,000 --> 00:23:54,000 trustworthy. See that Faith, there will be 363 00:23:54,000 --> 00:23:58,200 fruit of his faith. And so, after some time Abrams 364 00:23:58,400 --> 00:24:04,300 Fame, begins to grow, he he still without a child but he's, 365 00:24:04,500 --> 00:24:08,700 he's collected some people, he's taken over some territories, 366 00:24:08,900 --> 00:24:11,600 he's just rejected, the victory Spoils of a battle that's 367 00:24:11,600 --> 00:24:13,200 offered to him by the king of Sodom. 368 00:24:14,800 --> 00:24:19,500 And in Genesis, 15 1 through 6, the Lord comes to Abram again. 369 00:24:20,200 --> 00:24:22,700 Look at Genesis 15 1 through 6. Let me read this to you. 370 00:24:25,100 --> 00:24:26,300 I'll give you a second to third in there. 371 00:24:29,900 --> 00:24:32,400 After these things, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a 372 00:24:32,408 --> 00:24:36,200 vision. And he said this fear, not a 373 00:24:36,200 --> 00:24:42,500 room, I am your Shield, your reward shall be very great. 374 00:24:42,500 --> 00:24:45,500 So he's rejected the victory Spoils of this defeat of saga of 375 00:24:45,508 --> 00:24:51,000 the king of Sodom. And now the Lord is saying, I'm 376 00:24:51,000 --> 00:24:54,400 your Shield, your reward shall be very great, but Abram said, 377 00:24:54,400 --> 00:24:57,500 and so now here's where these doubts began to creep in. 378 00:24:58,500 --> 00:25:02,400 Oh Lord, God, what will you give me for our continued childless? 379 00:25:02,600 --> 00:25:07,300 And the air of my house is Eliezer of Damascus. 380 00:25:09,900 --> 00:25:14,400 And Abram said, behold you have given me no Offspring and a 381 00:25:14,408 --> 00:25:17,300 member of my household will be my heir. 382 00:25:18,900 --> 00:25:21,200 And behold the word of the Lord came to him. 383 00:25:21,900 --> 00:25:28,200 This man shall not be your Heir. Your very own son shall be rare. 384 00:25:30,500 --> 00:25:34,100 And he brought him outside, God brings Abram outside and he says 385 00:25:34,100 --> 00:25:39,500 look toward the heaven. And Number the Stars. 386 00:25:39,500 --> 00:25:43,700 If you are able to number them ever walked outside on a clear 387 00:25:44,000 --> 00:25:46,300 night. Especially if you're like out 388 00:25:46,300 --> 00:25:48,400 west, where the elevation is quite a bit higher. 389 00:25:48,600 --> 00:25:51,200 The skies are just so much larger and clearer. 390 00:25:52,200 --> 00:25:55,100 If you see them at night, you, it's impossible. 391 00:25:55,700 --> 00:25:57,600 It's impossible to count the Stars. 392 00:25:59,900 --> 00:26:02,500 And this is the illustration that God chooses. 393 00:26:04,000 --> 00:26:07,100 For Abram, come with me outside your kids. 394 00:26:07,600 --> 00:26:09,800 Look into the heaven Number, the Stars. 395 00:26:09,800 --> 00:26:16,300 If you're able, And then he said to him, so shall your Offspring 396 00:26:16,300 --> 00:26:19,800 be? A multitude to Great to number, 397 00:26:19,900 --> 00:26:23,600 is what God is telling Abram a multitude to Great to number? 398 00:26:23,900 --> 00:26:27,200 And what do we read in verse 6? And he believed the Lord and God 399 00:26:27,200 --> 00:26:29,700 counted it to him as righteousness. 400 00:26:30,600 --> 00:26:33,500 And then in verse 18 through 21 on that day, the Lord made a 401 00:26:33,508 --> 00:26:36,000 covenant with Abram saying to your Offspring. 402 00:26:36,000 --> 00:26:39,400 I give this land from the river of Egypt to the Great River. 403 00:26:39,600 --> 00:26:43,800 The river Euphrates land of the Canaanites McKenna sites. 404 00:26:44,200 --> 00:26:48,900 The catamites Hittites the perizzites The referendum, the 405 00:26:48,900 --> 00:26:52,300 amorites, the Canaanites, the girgashites, and the jebusites. 406 00:26:55,100 --> 00:27:00,100 What we're talking about here is how God makes a covenant makes a 407 00:27:00,100 --> 00:27:03,100 covenant. Think about this in your in your 408 00:27:03,100 --> 00:27:05,000 mind. Again, the Lord says, I am your 409 00:27:05,000 --> 00:27:08,700 Shield, your reward shall be very great Abram replies, but 410 00:27:08,700 --> 00:27:12,900 wait a minute, I don't even have a child yet, my current air is a 411 00:27:12,900 --> 00:27:16,900 servant boy of my household. The Lord says he won't be your 412 00:27:16,900 --> 00:27:19,400 are your very own son, shall be your Heir. 413 00:27:19,500 --> 00:27:21,800 Come outside with me. Look up. 414 00:27:21,800 --> 00:27:25,600 Count the Stars if you can. So shall your Offspring be And 415 00:27:25,600 --> 00:27:29,500 Abram seeing that hearing the voice of the Lord. 416 00:27:31,300 --> 00:27:35,900 Chose to believe, God. And God, counted his belief as 417 00:27:35,900 --> 00:27:39,200 righteousness, and then God makes a covenant and says, to 418 00:27:39,200 --> 00:27:45,100 your Offspring, I give this land And Genesis 17 God gives Abram 419 00:27:45,100 --> 00:27:49,400 assigned for the Covenant which is circumcision Abram is they're 420 00:27:49,400 --> 00:27:54,200 called Abraham and his wife becomes Sarah, God promises a 421 00:27:54,208 --> 00:27:58,200 son and now he names him. Isaac Isaac will be the son of 422 00:27:58,200 --> 00:28:00,900 Sarah who will establish whom. He's going to establish his 423 00:28:00,900 --> 00:28:04,400 Covenant with. So this is going to continue 424 00:28:04,400 --> 00:28:05,900 Abraham. Isaac. 425 00:28:06,200 --> 00:28:07,900 Jacob. All right. 426 00:28:08,900 --> 00:28:12,700 We see God steadfast love. We see his faithfulness in his. 427 00:28:12,900 --> 00:28:15,500 Covenants. God's covenant faithfulness is 428 00:28:15,500 --> 00:28:19,500 the Light Of Hope amid. The darkness of sojourning Abram 429 00:28:19,500 --> 00:28:21,900 finds himself in the middle of his so journey. 430 00:28:22,500 --> 00:28:25,500 And he's beginning to doubt, these things are happening. 431 00:28:25,500 --> 00:28:28,000 These things are great but I still don't have Offspring. 432 00:28:28,000 --> 00:28:30,000 I still don't have anyone who's going to be my Heir. 433 00:28:30,100 --> 00:28:32,100 I still don't see where the family is going to come from. 434 00:28:32,300 --> 00:28:34,000 I don't know how the nations of the world are going to be 435 00:28:34,000 --> 00:28:36,900 blessed through my name. God, how is this going to 436 00:28:36,900 --> 00:28:39,200 happen? And God just re-establishes it 437 00:28:39,200 --> 00:28:40,700 with him, right? He just reaffirms e. 438 00:28:41,900 --> 00:28:45,700 This is coming. Look and see Number the Stars. 439 00:28:45,800 --> 00:28:50,500 So shall your Offspring be? And Abram says, I believe you. 440 00:28:51,600 --> 00:28:59,300 I trust. And so God establishes. 441 00:28:59,300 --> 00:29:04,100 A covenant with Abram. And becomes Abraham that we see 442 00:29:04,100 --> 00:29:08,300 the Fulfillment of in Christ. And so God not only made a 443 00:29:08,308 --> 00:29:11,600 covenant. Now, he makes a way to see 444 00:29:11,600 --> 00:29:13,500 Israel. Struggled to keep the covenants. 445 00:29:14,200 --> 00:29:18,300 They couldn't keep their covenants and the law comes the 446 00:29:18,308 --> 00:29:21,300 law. Reveals their sinfulness reveals 447 00:29:21,300 --> 00:29:25,000 their need for a savior reveals how utterly deplete they are of 448 00:29:25,000 --> 00:29:29,500 any righteousness. And so God must make a way, 449 00:29:29,700 --> 00:29:33,700 which was always the promise. The promise was what a head 450 00:29:33,700 --> 00:29:36,100 Crusher. One who would come, who would 451 00:29:36,100 --> 00:29:38,600 crush the head of the serpent? So, how do we understand? 452 00:29:38,600 --> 00:29:42,100 This today will covenants are the conduit through, which God's 453 00:29:42,100 --> 00:29:48,000 Redemption story flows. This is how he helps each person 454 00:29:48,100 --> 00:29:51,800 see his covenants. This is how each person gets to 455 00:29:51,800 --> 00:29:54,400 see the Redemption story. It's through the covenants that 456 00:29:54,400 --> 00:29:59,100 God makes Only God fulfills his Covenant with Abraham in the 457 00:29:59,108 --> 00:30:02,700 light of Jesus Christ and its blessings extend to all who 458 00:30:02,700 --> 00:30:05,500 believe in Jesus. This is exactly the case that 459 00:30:05,500 --> 00:30:10,200 Paul's making in Romans chapter 4, verse 2 and 3, Paul writes 460 00:30:10,200 --> 00:30:13,700 this he says for If Abraham was justified by works, meaning he 461 00:30:13,700 --> 00:30:16,800 was able to keep the law. He has something to boast about. 462 00:30:16,800 --> 00:30:20,900 But not before God for what does the scripture say Abraham 463 00:30:20,900 --> 00:30:24,400 believed God and it was counted to him him, sorry as 464 00:30:24,400 --> 00:30:28,900 righteousness. And so, The the in you all the 465 00:30:28,900 --> 00:30:36,300 nations will be blessed. In Genesis 12 becomes in Christ. 466 00:30:36,400 --> 00:30:39,700 You receive the blessings of God in Romans chapter 4, look at 467 00:30:39,708 --> 00:30:42,100 verses twenty look at verses 23 through 25 there. 468 00:30:42,100 --> 00:30:44,900 And and Romans for if you want to flip their, I'll read it to 469 00:30:44,900 --> 00:30:48,800 you. Romans chapter 4 verse 23. 470 00:30:49,900 --> 00:30:52,400 Sorry, my brain was getting ahead of how fast I could 471 00:30:52,400 --> 00:30:56,000 actually talk. So I'll slow down, but the 472 00:30:56,000 --> 00:30:59,700 words, it was counted to him. Meaning, his righteousness was 473 00:30:59,700 --> 00:31:02,700 counted to him, Paul saying, we're not written for his sake 474 00:31:02,700 --> 00:31:06,800 alone. But for ours also, And Paul 475 00:31:06,800 --> 00:31:10,800 writes, this it will be counted to us who believe in Christ who 476 00:31:11,300 --> 00:31:13,800 sorry in God, who raised from the dead Jesus. 477 00:31:13,800 --> 00:31:18,400 Our lord who was delivered up for our transport trespasses and 478 00:31:18,400 --> 00:31:21,900 raised for our justification. So righteousness is counted to 479 00:31:21,900 --> 00:31:28,500 us as well as we believe in God who gave Christ right, sent 480 00:31:28,500 --> 00:31:32,700 Christ to the Earth ultimately to the cross for our sins that 481 00:31:32,700 --> 00:31:35,400 we might live with him. And so, righteousness is 482 00:31:35,400 --> 00:31:38,600 counted. To us for our belief in God just 483 00:31:38,600 --> 00:31:43,000 as it was counted to Abraham for his belief in God and so it's 484 00:31:43,000 --> 00:31:47,500 always been that you come into the family of God by faith 485 00:31:47,500 --> 00:31:49,600 alone. Sit. 486 00:31:51,000 --> 00:31:53,300 It's never been about working, it's never been about how good 487 00:31:53,300 --> 00:31:55,300 can you be? It's ever been by performing the 488 00:31:55,300 --> 00:31:57,600 right religious acts. It's never been about making the 489 00:31:57,600 --> 00:32:02,300 right sacrifices. It's simply about faith in 490 00:32:02,300 --> 00:32:07,700 Christ. Looking to The Offspring who 491 00:32:07,700 --> 00:32:10,300 would crush The Serpent. And so how does this happen? 492 00:32:10,800 --> 00:32:13,800 Well, happens through the birth and the death and the 493 00:32:13,800 --> 00:32:17,900 resurrection of Jesus Christ. The totality of Christ's life. 494 00:32:18,600 --> 00:32:22,000 The amazing thing about his birth is that he was born to 495 00:32:22,000 --> 00:32:24,100 die. As I said last week, the amazing 496 00:32:24,100 --> 00:32:27,900 thing about his birth that he was born to suffer for our sake. 497 00:32:28,000 --> 00:32:30,500 The amazing thing about his birth of the, he was born to, 498 00:32:30,500 --> 00:32:36,600 not only died but to rise again. He dwells now, in bodily form in 499 00:32:36,600 --> 00:32:39,700 heaven, his body will be the only body in heaven that 500 00:32:39,700 --> 00:32:44,900 pertains any scarring. And there are a reminder of the 501 00:32:44,908 --> 00:32:48,800 death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. 502 00:32:49,000 --> 00:32:52,800 Amen. He pleads that on your behalf 503 00:32:53,100 --> 00:32:59,000 before the father. He he intercedes on your behalf 504 00:32:59,000 --> 00:33:02,900 before the father Hebrew 7 tells us that as he stands there. 505 00:33:02,900 --> 00:33:07,200 He's able to save to the uttermost all who draw near to 506 00:33:07,200 --> 00:33:12,000 God through him. He's able to save to the 507 00:33:12,000 --> 00:33:15,000 uttermost. You don't have to doubt whether 508 00:33:15,000 --> 00:33:18,300 or not God is able to save. You doesn't matter what your 509 00:33:18,300 --> 00:33:20,500 life is looked like, doesn't matter how many sins you've 510 00:33:20,500 --> 00:33:26,000 committed Christ, died for all of your sins, Past present 511 00:33:26,000 --> 00:33:30,000 future your slate is erased. If your faith is in Christ and 512 00:33:30,000 --> 00:33:35,300 now you stand before God under the righteousness of Christ, Not 513 00:33:35,300 --> 00:33:38,800 under condemnation. And You're free forever. 514 00:33:40,300 --> 00:33:44,400 Trusting. Love him. 515 00:33:47,500 --> 00:33:52,300 He's worthy of our affection. And Galatians 4:4 through six 516 00:33:52,300 --> 00:33:55,100 Allen read this last week from the stage but when the fullness 517 00:33:55,100 --> 00:33:59,000 of time had come God sent forth his son, born of a woman born 518 00:33:59,000 --> 00:34:03,300 under the law to redeem those who were under the law so that 519 00:34:03,300 --> 00:34:06,700 we might receive adoption as sons. 520 00:34:06,700 --> 00:34:09,500 And because you are Sons, God has sent the spirit of his son 521 00:34:09,800 --> 00:34:13,199 into our hearts. Crying Abba Father. 522 00:34:14,800 --> 00:34:19,199 And so you were once not an air and now you are an heir. 523 00:34:20,199 --> 00:34:23,699 You were once not a people but now you were God's people. 524 00:34:24,699 --> 00:34:30,300 You were once a part of a Homeland on Earth, serving your 525 00:34:30,300 --> 00:34:34,800 father, Satan with your life. And now you have been called out 526 00:34:34,800 --> 00:34:37,100 of Darkness into Marvelous Light. 527 00:34:37,100 --> 00:34:40,600 And first Peter 2, it says that you were once not a people, but 528 00:34:40,600 --> 00:34:45,800 now you are a holy people. You're not a priest of God. 529 00:34:48,100 --> 00:34:49,900 Amen. You have a new identity. 530 00:34:51,100 --> 00:34:56,699 You have a new purpose, you have a new Homeland in heaven, that 531 00:34:56,699 --> 00:34:59,200 awaits. You, you are a Sojourner. 532 00:35:00,000 --> 00:35:04,600 That's your identity. You're on your way to heaven. 533 00:35:08,000 --> 00:35:11,200 Once you would reject the fatherhood of God, you wanted 534 00:35:11,200 --> 00:35:13,500 nothing to do with the fatherhood of God and now you 535 00:35:13,500 --> 00:35:16,300 welcome him crying Abba. Father. 536 00:35:16,900 --> 00:35:21,500 Because the spirit of God has been poured into your hearts And 537 00:35:21,500 --> 00:35:24,100 that with your heart, you sing father. 538 00:35:27,200 --> 00:35:30,900 Romans 3:23 through 25 for all, have sinned and fallen short of 539 00:35:30,900 --> 00:35:36,300 the glory of God and are justified by his grace as a 540 00:35:36,700 --> 00:35:41,000 gift. Through the Redemption that is 541 00:35:41,000 --> 00:35:43,800 in Christ. Jesus, whom God put forward as a 542 00:35:43,800 --> 00:35:48,900 propitiation as a substitute by his blood and a payment a 543 00:35:48,900 --> 00:35:51,000 substitute that's a payment, right? 544 00:35:51,000 --> 00:35:54,300 He put forward Christ as a propitiation by his blood to be 545 00:35:54,300 --> 00:35:59,500 received by faith. This was to show God's 546 00:35:59,500 --> 00:36:04,100 righteousness because in his Divine forbearance he had passed 547 00:36:04,100 --> 00:36:09,400 over former sins. So we are Justified freely by 548 00:36:09,400 --> 00:36:14,000 God's grace We are Justified freely by God's grace from our 549 00:36:14,000 --> 00:36:17,400 sins through faith in Christ Jesus. 550 00:36:18,100 --> 00:36:22,000 This means that we like Abraham are justified by faith alone in 551 00:36:22,000 --> 00:36:23,800 Christ alone. Just as I said, a moment ago, so 552 00:36:23,800 --> 00:36:28,100 Christ issues an invitation to believe in him. 553 00:36:28,200 --> 00:36:31,800 He issues an invitation to receive him and he says this in 554 00:36:31,800 --> 00:36:34,700 Matthew 16. If anyone would come after me, 555 00:36:35,200 --> 00:36:39,000 let him deny himself. Take up his cross, take up his 556 00:36:39,000 --> 00:36:43,900 life and follow me. For whoever would save his life 557 00:36:43,900 --> 00:36:47,000 will lose it. If you try to take your life in 558 00:36:47,000 --> 00:36:50,600 your own hands, and you say, I'm clinging to this, this is my 559 00:36:50,700 --> 00:36:54,300 life. This is my homeland, this is my 560 00:36:54,300 --> 00:37:02,000 purpose, this is my people. You take that to Heaven, that 561 00:37:02,000 --> 00:37:07,400 cling to Heaven, you will find that you gained nothing and you 562 00:37:07,400 --> 00:37:10,000 lost everything, including your own soul. 563 00:37:11,700 --> 00:37:17,200 You gain nothing. And so much of what you spend 564 00:37:17,200 --> 00:37:21,200 your life living for what you spend your life building, and 565 00:37:21,200 --> 00:37:23,600 creating is going to be burnt up. 566 00:37:23,600 --> 00:37:28,800 One day. And God has issued an invitation 567 00:37:28,800 --> 00:37:33,600 through the sun. If anyone wants to live, like 568 00:37:33,600 --> 00:37:38,000 you don't have to do those things if you want to live come 569 00:37:38,000 --> 00:37:43,300 to Christ. Deny yourself, take up your life 570 00:37:43,300 --> 00:37:46,900 and follow him. Whoever loses his life. 571 00:37:47,000 --> 00:37:51,300 For my sake, Christ says, we'll find it. 572 00:37:54,100 --> 00:37:57,900 So what's he saying? When you arrive at the end of 573 00:37:57,900 --> 00:38:03,500 your sojourning and you stand before the Lord, you stand 574 00:38:03,500 --> 00:38:06,600 before Christ. And you have to give an answer 575 00:38:06,600 --> 00:38:09,500 for your life, you have to say, here's what I've done. 576 00:38:11,300 --> 00:38:15,900 Your answer will simply be, I have nothing to offer but Christ 577 00:38:15,900 --> 00:38:21,400 and him crucified and I stand here under his Merit, not mile, 578 00:38:22,300 --> 00:38:25,800 he called me. He saved me. 579 00:38:28,200 --> 00:38:32,000 Amen. This is what it means to live 580 00:38:32,500 --> 00:38:35,400 like Abraham. When you believe in Jesus 581 00:38:35,400 --> 00:38:40,100 Christ, you can rest and a New Covenant of Grace. 582 00:38:40,100 --> 00:38:45,100 That's been initiated by God. 1st Peter 3:18 for Christ. 583 00:38:45,100 --> 00:38:51,100 Also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous 584 00:38:51,500 --> 00:38:56,000 that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh 585 00:38:56,000 --> 00:39:02,400 but made alive in the spirit. And so now it's really Crystal 586 00:39:02,400 --> 00:39:06,300 Clear how the Nations might be blessed through Abraham, isn't 587 00:39:06,300 --> 00:39:11,000 it? It will be through belief in 588 00:39:11,000 --> 00:39:14,600 Jesus Christ. It'll be through faith in 589 00:39:14,600 --> 00:39:16,900 Christ. Remember when God told Abraham, 590 00:39:16,900 --> 00:39:20,500 I will bless those who bless you and him who dishonors you I will 591 00:39:20,500 --> 00:39:27,000 curse. notice the plural, those who bless contrasted with the 592 00:39:27,008 --> 00:39:32,000 singular Kim. That the blessing people 593 00:39:32,000 --> 00:39:37,700 received is based on how they received Abraham in that time, 594 00:39:39,000 --> 00:39:42,700 but the way they received Abraham was simply based on the 595 00:39:42,700 --> 00:39:49,400 promise or the Covenant that God had made with Abraham who is 596 00:39:50,300 --> 00:39:53,400 Christ now. And so the same is true today 597 00:39:53,400 --> 00:39:55,800 for how people receive the blessing of God. 598 00:39:55,800 --> 00:40:01,200 They must receive Christ. If they reject him, they will be 599 00:40:01,200 --> 00:40:05,100 cursed. If you will receive Christ, you 600 00:40:05,100 --> 00:40:07,200 will be blessed with his very own righteousness. 601 00:40:07,200 --> 00:40:11,600 He will cover your sins. And if you will not receive 602 00:40:11,600 --> 00:40:14,400 Christ, you will be cursed, you will remain in your own 603 00:40:14,400 --> 00:40:17,500 unrighteousness. You will left to answer God on 604 00:40:17,500 --> 00:40:21,200 your own apart from the mercy of Christ on Judgment Day. 605 00:40:22,300 --> 00:40:24,900 And one of the takeaways of this needs to be our understanding of 606 00:40:24,900 --> 00:40:29,100 The Inheritance that Christians will receive it will be a land 607 00:40:29,300 --> 00:40:33,200 full of God's people. We will inherit the Earth on the 608 00:40:33,200 --> 00:40:36,400 last day we were told and so if you remember what God says to 609 00:40:36,400 --> 00:40:39,100 Abraham count, the Stars if you can. 610 00:40:39,200 --> 00:40:46,600 So shall your Offspring. Be we are Offspring by faith for 611 00:40:46,600 --> 00:40:48,700 the promise to Abraham and his offspring. 612 00:40:48,800 --> 00:40:51,900 That he would be the heir of the world did not. 613 00:40:52,100 --> 00:40:55,800 I'm through the law, but through the righteousness of Faith. 614 00:40:55,800 --> 00:40:59,700 That's what Romans 4:13 says. And so we have every reason to 615 00:40:59,700 --> 00:41:02,800 believe that the new heavens and the new Earth will be filled 616 00:41:02,800 --> 00:41:07,200 with a multitude of Believers. And in fact, Abraham knew 617 00:41:07,200 --> 00:41:10,200 something of this. Even though he could not yet see 618 00:41:10,200 --> 00:41:12,200 it for himself. And this is why we would say he 619 00:41:12,200 --> 00:41:17,800 was so Journey. And Hebrews 11, 10 through 16 as 620 00:41:18,400 --> 00:41:19,800 the Bible. There is recalling. 621 00:41:19,800 --> 00:41:22,000 The faithfulness of Abraham, this is what it says. 622 00:41:22,000 --> 00:41:25,100 It says, for he was looking forward, it's talking about how 623 00:41:25,100 --> 00:41:28,700 he left his homeland and went and obeyed God by faith. 624 00:41:28,700 --> 00:41:31,900 And it says, for he was looking forward to the city that has 625 00:41:31,900 --> 00:41:36,100 foundations whose designer and Builder is God. 626 00:41:37,700 --> 00:41:40,900 I'm about you, but I like the sound of a city that has 627 00:41:40,900 --> 00:41:42,300 foundations. Amen. 628 00:41:43,200 --> 00:41:46,200 Especially in a world in which we live, where it seems that no 629 00:41:46,200 --> 00:41:49,700 City, no country has any legitimate Foundation to it 630 00:41:49,700 --> 00:41:52,400 anymore. There's a city that has 631 00:41:52,400 --> 00:41:57,000 foundations whose designer and Builder is God and verse 11. 632 00:41:57,000 --> 00:42:00,100 It says by faith. Sara herself received power to 633 00:42:00,100 --> 00:42:02,900 conceive, even when she was past the age. 634 00:42:03,100 --> 00:42:06,300 Since she considered him faithful who had promised. 635 00:42:07,100 --> 00:42:09,900 So they considered the faithfulness of God, the 636 00:42:09,900 --> 00:42:14,200 steadfast love of God and they said we're going to believe him. 637 00:42:14,200 --> 00:42:18,700 That's your Light Of Hope amid. The darkness of so Journey. 638 00:42:19,400 --> 00:42:23,800 The trust the Lord. And verse 12, therefore from one 639 00:42:23,800 --> 00:42:27,600 man and him as good as dead. I love it. 640 00:42:28,500 --> 00:42:32,100 We're born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as 641 00:42:32,100 --> 00:42:36,400 many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore, even 642 00:42:36,400 --> 00:42:40,500 Hebrews is confirming. This is not hyperbole on God's 643 00:42:40,500 --> 00:42:44,700 part, God is not saying look into the stars and see the 644 00:42:44,700 --> 00:42:48,700 multitude and be overwhelmed. And then say, okay, I believe 645 00:42:48,700 --> 00:42:53,400 you. Hebrews here in verse 12 is 646 00:42:53,400 --> 00:42:59,400 recalling it. And saying there will be born 647 00:42:59,900 --> 00:43:02,000 descendants as many as the stars of heaven. 648 00:43:02,800 --> 00:43:05,600 And as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore, 649 00:43:05,900 --> 00:43:09,300 how are we born of Abraham Now by faith in Christ? 650 00:43:10,700 --> 00:43:13,400 The descendants of Abraham. Are those who have faith in 651 00:43:13,400 --> 00:43:18,500 Christ Jesus? Verse 13, these all died in 652 00:43:18,500 --> 00:43:20,600 faith, talking about all the people that he's mentioned here 653 00:43:20,600 --> 00:43:24,500 and here has 11, not having received the things promised but 654 00:43:24,500 --> 00:43:27,400 having seen them and greeted them from afar and having a 655 00:43:27,400 --> 00:43:31,400 knowledge that they were strangers and Exiles on the 656 00:43:31,400 --> 00:43:33,200 earth. This is important. 657 00:43:33,900 --> 00:43:36,500 It's tying Faith. The substance of things yet. 658 00:43:36,500 --> 00:43:42,200 Unseen Two axles and strangers on the earth, your sojourning, 659 00:43:43,000 --> 00:43:46,800 for people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a 660 00:43:46,800 --> 00:43:49,600 Homeland. If they had been thinking of 661 00:43:49,600 --> 00:43:51,900 that land from, which they had gone out, they would have had 662 00:43:51,900 --> 00:43:56,500 opportunity to return. Was that, as it is, they desire 663 00:43:56,500 --> 00:43:59,700 a better country. That is a Heavenly one. 664 00:44:00,500 --> 00:44:05,000 Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God for, he has 665 00:44:05,000 --> 00:44:09,000 prepared for them a city. T a men. 666 00:44:10,200 --> 00:44:15,200 And this is how you sojourn. This is how you live between the 667 00:44:15,200 --> 00:44:18,500 advents. This is how you walk through 668 00:44:18,700 --> 00:44:22,300 Darkness. This is how you experience the 669 00:44:22,300 --> 00:44:25,600 Light of Christ and the middle of your Darkness. 670 00:44:26,100 --> 00:44:31,000 It's have faith in God. It's to trust him. 671 00:44:31,200 --> 00:44:36,400 It's to recall his word to ask him to show you to reveal 672 00:44:36,400 --> 00:44:40,000 himself, right? You recall. 673 00:44:40,000 --> 00:44:42,500 Often God's covenant faithfulness. 674 00:44:43,600 --> 00:44:46,200 He's promised and he will deliver. 675 00:44:46,200 --> 00:44:47,800 You can see it in the scriptures. 676 00:44:48,800 --> 00:44:52,400 God is speaking to you from the scriptures and telling you 677 00:44:52,400 --> 00:44:56,800 today, you can trust me. I am trustworthy. 678 00:44:58,800 --> 00:45:02,300 I'm trustworthy. You can trust me. 679 00:45:03,200 --> 00:45:08,800 All of your sojourning is building for you and insurance 680 00:45:08,900 --> 00:45:15,500 into my Eternal City, trust me. Follow me. 681 00:45:16,000 --> 00:45:20,300 Walk with me. He's promised and he will 682 00:45:20,600 --> 00:45:23,600 deliver you will not be forsaken. 683 00:45:24,400 --> 00:45:26,700 This is what we know about God. He never leaves, he never 684 00:45:26,700 --> 00:45:31,800 forsakes. We also know about God, that he 685 00:45:31,800 --> 00:45:35,400 works all things together for the good of his people. 686 00:45:37,300 --> 00:45:41,200 There's nothing in his purposes that are not meant for the good 687 00:45:41,200 --> 00:45:43,100 of his people. Nothing. 688 00:45:46,700 --> 00:45:53,100 Nothing and he's called you according to his purpose. 689 00:45:53,600 --> 00:45:56,900 You love him. So trust him, that all things 690 00:45:56,900 --> 00:46:03,800 are working together for good Press On Sojourner must decide 691 00:46:03,800 --> 00:46:07,600 to press on. It must decide that there is 692 00:46:07,800 --> 00:46:11,000 more left for me as long as there's breath. 693 00:46:11,000 --> 00:46:13,000 In me, there's more left for me. Amen. 694 00:46:16,200 --> 00:46:22,300 And until God calls you home. And tell God brings you into his 695 00:46:22,300 --> 00:46:26,800 presence. There is work for you to do. 696 00:46:28,900 --> 00:46:37,800 There is experiences with God to enjoy. there's a I thought about 697 00:46:37,800 --> 00:46:43,500 this this morning a little bit. I don't want to bust anybody out 698 00:46:43,500 --> 00:46:45,600 but I asked a couple of people this morning you know like we do 699 00:46:45,600 --> 00:46:48,000 on Sundays good morning how are you? 700 00:46:48,900 --> 00:46:52,700 And it's just a rattle off of all the things that are terrible 701 00:46:52,800 --> 00:47:01,600 or just a uh good you know. And I understand that's natural. 702 00:47:02,400 --> 00:47:06,300 That's part of the darkness of sojourning, that's part of the 703 00:47:06,308 --> 00:47:11,200 difficulty. Of life in a fallen world, 704 00:47:11,900 --> 00:47:17,300 there's pain or suffering. There's times, we don't enjoy 705 00:47:17,300 --> 00:47:23,500 it. And so a Sojourner must decide. 706 00:47:25,400 --> 00:47:29,300 I'm pressing on for that upward call of Christ. 707 00:47:29,300 --> 00:47:34,000 Jesus, my Lord and I will not finish until he says, I'm 708 00:47:34,000 --> 00:47:38,500 finished and I will not stop growing until he says come home 709 00:47:38,700 --> 00:47:41,600 and I will not stop putting off my sin and putting on Christ 710 00:47:41,600 --> 00:47:43,800 likeness. Until he decides, it's time for 711 00:47:43,800 --> 00:47:46,700 me to enter his presence. Now, as I was saying, we could 712 00:47:46,700 --> 00:47:51,400 keep going with that. And so Sunday mornings are a 713 00:47:51,400 --> 00:47:54,400 break. And you're so Journey. 714 00:47:54,600 --> 00:47:57,200 There are rest, stop, maybe a break is a bad word. 715 00:47:57,700 --> 00:48:01,800 Sunday, mornings are meant to be a rest stop in the weeks of your 716 00:48:01,800 --> 00:48:05,100 sojourning and you get 52 opportunities. 717 00:48:05,100 --> 00:48:08,500 A year to come into the presence of God, with your brothers and 718 00:48:08,500 --> 00:48:13,600 sisters to sing praises to his glorious name, to exalt him on 719 00:48:13,600 --> 00:48:18,600 high, to have your heart transcend, your physical world, 720 00:48:18,600 --> 00:48:21,400 and be drawn into the spiritual realm with God. 721 00:48:22,000 --> 00:48:23,700 Don't mean to sound crazy. Yeah, but that's what's 722 00:48:23,700 --> 00:48:26,400 happening. Worshiping with the angels, when 723 00:48:26,400 --> 00:48:30,200 we worship Christ together, or worshiping with believers who 724 00:48:30,200 --> 00:48:33,700 have gone on before us as we worship Christ together. 725 00:48:36,900 --> 00:48:40,600 And so again, I know life is difficult boy. 726 00:48:40,600 --> 00:48:49,000 Do I I know that it comes with much pain and turmoil, but 727 00:48:49,000 --> 00:48:54,100 you're alive today. Christ has blessed you with 728 00:48:54,100 --> 00:48:56,200 another day to worship with his people. 729 00:48:58,800 --> 00:49:02,000 Shame on us. If we enter the church even on 730 00:49:02,000 --> 00:49:08,200 Sunday morning, saying, or complaining, I get it. 731 00:49:09,100 --> 00:49:10,800 I'm not saying you have to fake it till you make it. 732 00:49:10,800 --> 00:49:14,900 I'm not, don't do that. I'm just saying, acknowledge the 733 00:49:14,900 --> 00:49:18,100 fact that you're joining with angels and worship today, 734 00:49:19,000 --> 00:49:22,700 acknowledge the fact that Christ has given you New Life, a new 735 00:49:22,700 --> 00:49:26,600 identity, a new purpose, a new Homeland that all those things 736 00:49:26,600 --> 00:49:30,000 that are bad about your life. Right now, will one day be made 737 00:49:30,000 --> 00:49:35,900 brand new and even the best of this life You name it. 738 00:49:36,600 --> 00:49:38,400 Maybe it's chocolate ice cream for you. 739 00:49:38,600 --> 00:49:41,700 Maybe it's your marriage. Maybe it's your a relationship 740 00:49:41,700 --> 00:49:45,500 with your child, may be, whatever, even the best of this 741 00:49:45,500 --> 00:49:49,900 life will have to be made new on that day, because it won't 742 00:49:49,900 --> 00:49:56,700 compare to the glory of Christ. So sojourn with some heart. 743 00:49:56,700 --> 00:50:00,100 Would you sojourn with some peace about? 744 00:50:00,100 --> 00:50:04,400 You sojourn with some Faith? Let's not walk around. 745 00:50:04,400 --> 00:50:06,100 Like we've been kicked in the pants. 746 00:50:06,700 --> 00:50:10,500 Like we're a dog with our tail tucked under we serve The God, 747 00:50:10,600 --> 00:50:17,600 Who is the victor We serve a God. 748 00:50:17,600 --> 00:50:20,400 I was telling Patricia this this week, it just astounds me. 749 00:50:20,400 --> 00:50:22,800 I can't. I can't figure it out. 750 00:50:23,600 --> 00:50:28,800 I don't know why does it but he doesn't God, transcends all 751 00:50:28,800 --> 00:50:33,600 creation. All creation God transcends 752 00:50:33,900 --> 00:50:38,800 every single thing he created it's right by his mouth it came 753 00:50:38,800 --> 00:50:43,100 forth nothing he didn't have to have a substance and W it 754 00:50:43,100 --> 00:50:45,200 together and say whoop. There it is. 755 00:50:45,300 --> 00:50:50,200 Right. He just speaks and it comes into 756 00:50:50,200 --> 00:50:55,400 being and he transcends all things he's outside of time. 757 00:50:56,900 --> 00:51:01,400 He sees the world in all its completeness. 758 00:51:01,400 --> 00:51:05,400 He sees the timeline as though it's already complete. 759 00:51:08,300 --> 00:51:11,300 And you know what? That God, who can see that way? 760 00:51:11,300 --> 00:51:15,000 Who is all powerful and all knowing, and all present. 761 00:51:15,100 --> 00:51:17,900 There's not a place in the world that he's not at, right? 762 00:51:17,900 --> 00:51:21,800 David says, I can descend into the depths of shield, and you 763 00:51:21,808 --> 00:51:26,100 were there I can Ascend to the heights of the heavens and you 764 00:51:26,100 --> 00:51:28,100 were there, there is nowhere that I can hide from your 765 00:51:28,100 --> 00:51:31,200 presence. Even the darkness is not dark to 766 00:51:31,200 --> 00:51:34,400 you. It's like right Psalm 139 and so 767 00:51:34,800 --> 00:51:43,700 that God, who transcends all things, Do you know that he is 768 00:51:43,700 --> 00:51:50,100 also imminent? He? 769 00:51:51,700 --> 00:51:56,700 He comes to you. He wants to have a relationship 770 00:51:56,700 --> 00:51:58,700 with you. He wants to know you, he wants 771 00:51:58,700 --> 00:52:03,300 you to know him, he makes himself known to you, he reveals 772 00:52:03,300 --> 00:52:06,600 himself in the word, he reveals himself in nature. 773 00:52:07,800 --> 00:52:12,100 So the God who transcends is also Eminence and he creates 774 00:52:12,100 --> 00:52:17,000 intimate relationship with him where we might actually know the 775 00:52:17,000 --> 00:52:24,400 god of the universe. And so, as sojourners Sundays 776 00:52:24,400 --> 00:52:30,600 are a rest stop in. Turn opportunity to come in and 777 00:52:30,600 --> 00:52:35,800 to have our batteries recharged there, an opportunity to come in 778 00:52:35,800 --> 00:52:38,500 and sing from the depths of Who We Are. 779 00:52:43,300 --> 00:52:47,000 It's read as word with the desire to know him and to know 780 00:52:47,000 --> 00:52:49,700 that he wrote it so that we might know him. 781 00:52:51,000 --> 00:52:53,800 Eminence yet, transcending, all things. 782 00:52:55,100 --> 00:52:59,400 It's really mind-blowing. It's incredibly loving 783 00:53:00,400 --> 00:53:06,900 incredibly loving And he's made a way, he's made a way for us to 784 00:53:06,900 --> 00:53:09,400 know him. This is how you sojourn you 785 00:53:09,400 --> 00:53:12,400 press on. You understand that this world 786 00:53:12,400 --> 00:53:15,600 has its stuff, but it's not my home. 787 00:53:17,800 --> 00:53:21,400 But I by the grace of God can bring the Light of Christ into 788 00:53:21,400 --> 00:53:24,000 the darkness of this world in the way that I live. 789 00:53:24,800 --> 00:53:28,600 And the way that I talk in the way that I approach life in the 790 00:53:28,600 --> 00:53:31,700 way that I love others. And the way that I Grumble or 791 00:53:31,700 --> 00:53:36,100 don't grumble, The way that I praise the King. 792 00:53:37,600 --> 00:53:41,600 Praise the King. And so, we speak that way, we 793 00:53:41,600 --> 00:53:45,200 must. The world must look at a 794 00:53:45,200 --> 00:53:50,200 Christian, a true Christian and say, man you talk funny, we 795 00:53:50,200 --> 00:53:53,100 ought to look different and sound different than the world. 796 00:53:54,700 --> 00:53:56,600 Got to make it clear to yourself. 797 00:53:57,400 --> 00:54:01,000 Clear to others that you are seeking a Heavenly Homeland. 798 00:54:04,200 --> 00:54:05,900 This isn't wishing your life away. 799 00:54:05,900 --> 00:54:10,000 This is putting purpose and every millisecond of your day. 800 00:54:13,700 --> 00:54:17,800 And if you do that, God will not be ashamed to be called your 801 00:54:17,800 --> 00:54:23,700 God. Amen. for, he has prepared a 802 00:54:23,700 --> 00:54:31,700 place, a Heavenly dwelling for you Revelation 7:9 through 10 803 00:54:35,200 --> 00:54:38,700 Again, looking at the future Kingdom, the Apostle, John and 804 00:54:38,700 --> 00:54:42,200 his vision is shown this and he writes it down for us. 805 00:54:42,200 --> 00:54:47,900 After this, I looked and behold a great multitude that no one 806 00:54:47,900 --> 00:54:54,200 could number sound familiar from every nation from all tribes and 807 00:54:54,200 --> 00:54:58,200 peoples, and languages standing Before the Throne and before the 808 00:54:58,200 --> 00:55:03,000 lamb clothed in white robes with palm branches in their hands and 809 00:55:03,000 --> 00:55:08,500 crying out with a loud voice. Salvation Belongs To Our God, 810 00:55:08,500 --> 00:55:11,500 who sits on the throne and to the lamb. 811 00:55:12,300 --> 00:55:15,100 Amen. You see, God's covenant 812 00:55:15,100 --> 00:55:20,400 faithfulness is the Light Of Hope for you. this life is full 813 00:55:20,400 --> 00:55:27,300 of its Darkness has, but on you in Christ, a great light has 814 00:55:27,300 --> 00:55:32,500 Shone and Christ calls his people in Matthew 5, the light 815 00:55:32,500 --> 00:55:38,300 of the world calls you the light of the world, not because 816 00:55:38,300 --> 00:55:43,300 you're, you know, special But because he is in you. 817 00:55:43,600 --> 00:55:47,300 Amen. Sean like lights. 818 00:55:47,300 --> 00:55:50,300 Let the light of God's faithfulness to his covenants. 819 00:55:50,300 --> 00:55:53,700 Be hope for you as you sojourn in this Earth. 820 00:55:54,000 --> 00:55:56,700 Let me pray for you. Heavenly Father, we love you. 821 00:55:58,700 --> 00:56:03,400 We praise you, father for your kindness toward us, we are so. 822 00:56:03,900 --> 00:56:11,300 So unworthy. We have hearts that are defiled. 823 00:56:12,800 --> 00:56:15,800 We have loves that have nothing to do with you. 824 00:56:16,800 --> 00:56:21,600 We have desires for things that you call evil. 825 00:56:24,100 --> 00:56:26,100 And we try to rename them as good. 826 00:56:29,000 --> 00:56:32,500 And so, Lord, the fact that you saw fit to save us in Christ 827 00:56:32,500 --> 00:56:35,200 that you saw fit to crush the head of the serpent, through 828 00:56:35,200 --> 00:56:39,400 your son. Is is really a love that? 829 00:56:39,400 --> 00:56:47,600 We struggle to comprehend? it goes beyond anything that we 830 00:56:47,600 --> 00:56:52,800 could ask or think it exceeds, Our wildest dreams. 831 00:56:56,600 --> 00:57:01,200 And yet we still try to Soldier apart from you. 832 00:57:03,200 --> 00:57:10,000 Yet, we still try to live a life deplete of your righteousness. 833 00:57:13,600 --> 00:57:20,400 Because we're deceived Lord. And so, father, I ask that you 834 00:57:20,400 --> 00:57:25,300 would Enlighten us help us to see Christ, Opus to see his 835 00:57:25,300 --> 00:57:29,200 sacrifice for our sins of us to see the resurrection. 836 00:57:31,300 --> 00:57:34,500 Opens to see with eyes that believe hearts. 837 00:57:34,500 --> 00:57:40,500 That believe mouths that will confess that Christ is Lord and 838 00:57:40,500 --> 00:57:45,400 a will that will be transformed to live for him every day. 839 00:57:48,400 --> 00:57:51,600 God, I'm asking for you to save sinners. 840 00:57:54,700 --> 00:57:55,900 Grant them. Redemption. 841 00:57:55,900 --> 00:58:00,900 Grant them, peace. And Lord for those of us in here 842 00:58:00,900 --> 00:58:05,100 who call you Lord. We seek to live for you. 843 00:58:07,200 --> 00:58:12,100 Lord, we to get distracted. And are sojourning. 844 00:58:13,400 --> 00:58:18,200 We get distracted by the false lights that are out there. 845 00:58:19,300 --> 00:58:24,000 The promises of our enemy take this. 846 00:58:24,100 --> 00:58:25,500 It's good for you. Take this. 847 00:58:25,500 --> 00:58:27,800 It'll make you like God take this. 848 00:58:28,500 --> 00:58:34,700 He's wanting the worst for you and yet here's the best. and so 849 00:58:34,700 --> 00:58:38,500 Lord, we take often We take often. 850 00:58:39,600 --> 00:58:42,100 Because the desires of our flesh lead us to do. 851 00:58:42,100 --> 00:58:47,000 So they give birth to sin and would you forgive us? 852 00:58:49,300 --> 00:58:57,100 So, journey is difficult. At times, it's hard to live in a 853 00:58:57,107 --> 00:59:01,300 world that we know we're not made for our hearts yearn for 854 00:59:01,300 --> 00:59:03,800 Perfection or Hearts yearn for Redemption. 855 00:59:05,500 --> 00:59:08,400 And though, we get glimpses of it in Christ, we get glimpses of 856 00:59:08,400 --> 00:59:12,700 it in our own lives. It just seems at times that the 857 00:59:12,700 --> 00:59:20,200 darkness is so overwhelming. And yet here we are in your 858 00:59:20,200 --> 00:59:25,400 world. Serving you living for you. 859 00:59:25,500 --> 00:59:30,700 A God, who is transcendent yet Eminence and you come to us? 860 00:59:32,100 --> 00:59:35,200 You tell us cry to me and I will answer your call. 861 00:59:35,700 --> 00:59:38,400 We see it over and again you answering the call of your 862 00:59:38,400 --> 00:59:43,300 people as they cry out to you. You tell us that if will seek 863 00:59:43,300 --> 00:59:52,200 you will find you. that no one ever seeks and doesn't find And 864 00:59:52,200 --> 00:59:56,100 God, you reveal yourself to us through your word, things that 865 00:59:56,100 --> 01:00:00,800 you've created but perfectly and your word salvific lie in your 866 01:00:00,800 --> 01:00:05,300 word alone. And so father, would you train 867 01:00:05,300 --> 01:00:08,000 us for godliness? Forgive us, our sins, but help 868 01:00:08,000 --> 01:00:11,800 us Lord, to press on to live as lights in this world. 869 01:00:12,700 --> 01:00:16,200 Not for our own Glory, my goodness, but for the glory of 870 01:00:16,200 --> 01:00:20,100 Christ. But others might be drawn into 871 01:00:20,100 --> 01:00:24,000 the lights out of the darkness that others who were once. 872 01:00:24,000 --> 01:00:26,800 Not a people might be called God's people. 873 01:00:31,000 --> 01:00:34,900 Save us father, help us to take the gospel to others. 874 01:00:37,100 --> 01:00:40,800 We love you. We love you. 875 01:00:42,700 --> 01:00:48,500 And we were pleased honored humbled to be your servants. 876 01:00:50,400 --> 01:00:55,300 Help us live for you. Oh, Christ precious name. 877 01:00:55,300 --> 01:00:58,100 We ask these things. Amen. 878 01:00:53,800 --> 01:00:56,600 Oh, Christ precious name. We ask these things. 879 01:00:57,600 --> 01:00:58,100 Amen.