1 00:00:03,280 --> 00:00:05,320 Good morning, grab your Bible. We're going to be in Romans 2 00:00:05,320 --> 00:00:07,680 chapter 8. Thank you for coming. 3 00:00:07,680 --> 00:00:11,640 It's wonderful to have you here. We are loving this new series on 4 00:00:11,640 --> 00:00:14,520 the 8th chapter of the book of Romans called More than 5 00:00:14,520 --> 00:00:17,040 Conquerors. And if you weren't here, if you 6 00:00:17,040 --> 00:00:20,600 missed a moment just to keep get you up to speed on the series 7 00:00:20,600 --> 00:00:23,640 and as to why we're doing it. Just a quick recap. 8 00:00:24,080 --> 00:00:27,880 What we found in John 10 verse 10, we actually hear that Jesus 9 00:00:27,880 --> 00:00:31,480 comes and he says, listen, I haven't just come to die on the 10 00:00:31,480 --> 00:00:35,640 cross to give you eternal life. I've come to give you Zoe life, 11 00:00:35,720 --> 00:00:39,400 a life that is full abundance pressed down, shaken together 12 00:00:39,400 --> 00:00:41,800 and running over. Essentially he's saying that the 13 00:00:41,800 --> 00:00:45,840 God that you serve is a God of exceedingly abundantly above. 14 00:00:46,360 --> 00:00:49,560 And the way we described it last week was essentially is like he 15 00:00:49,560 --> 00:00:52,840 says, listen, this this is the the fullness of what I have for 16 00:00:52,840 --> 00:00:57,520 you and want you to live in. But if we're really honest, we 17 00:00:57,560 --> 00:01:00,640 live in a percentage of that, you know, because maybe, you 18 00:01:00,640 --> 00:01:04,239 know, you went to school and on the bluff and, you know, there's 19 00:01:04,239 --> 00:01:08,720 a reputation there and your finances aren't doing so well. 20 00:01:08,920 --> 00:01:12,000 And so you got a little bit of creative accounting going on and 21 00:01:12,000 --> 00:01:16,120 then your marriage is a little shady and you lose your temper 22 00:01:16,120 --> 00:01:18,440 all the time. And you live in a country that's 23 00:01:18,440 --> 00:01:22,760 full of, excuse me, taxis and, and who can keep their sanity in 24 00:01:22,760 --> 00:01:24,760 our country. And eventually you end up and 25 00:01:24,760 --> 00:01:27,360 you're living in unforgiveness and you're a rape victim. 26 00:01:27,360 --> 00:01:29,320 And this is all that you're living in. 27 00:01:31,240 --> 00:01:34,520 And So what God is saying is he says, I've got this for you, but 28 00:01:34,520 --> 00:01:37,200 you're living in this. And so we're looking at Romans 29 00:01:37,200 --> 00:01:40,360 chapter 8 because Romans chapter 8 gives us these boundary lines, 30 00:01:40,560 --> 00:01:43,000 everything that he has for you and I. 31 00:01:43,880 --> 00:01:46,240 And it's challenging, but like I said last week, we're going to 32 00:01:46,240 --> 00:01:48,880 go to war with the Romans 8 so that we can live in this, so 33 00:01:48,880 --> 00:01:52,240 that we can get our boundary lines to where they ought to be. 34 00:01:52,240 --> 00:01:55,480 Because the enemy comes to rob, kill, steal, and destroy. 35 00:01:56,360 --> 00:01:59,720 And he's happy for you live to live in 5 or 10% of what God has 36 00:01:59,720 --> 00:02:02,240 for you. But God wants you to live in the 37 00:02:02,240 --> 00:02:05,080 fullness of everything that he died on the cross for. 38 00:02:05,560 --> 00:02:09,120 And we mentioned last week that there's kind of this gatekeeper. 39 00:02:09,479 --> 00:02:12,320 It's like how, who qualifies? How do I get into this? 40 00:02:12,520 --> 00:02:15,640 And I'll, I'll repeat something that I said with a, a couple 41 00:02:15,640 --> 00:02:16,960 that I was doing marriage counselling with. 42 00:02:16,960 --> 00:02:19,840 I realized that the, the, the more we had conversation, the 43 00:02:19,840 --> 00:02:22,000 more they didn't understand the gospel. 44 00:02:22,000 --> 00:02:24,160 And maybe you don't understand the gospel. 45 00:02:24,400 --> 00:02:26,520 And eventually I took a few steps back and I said to them, 46 00:02:26,520 --> 00:02:30,480 listen, if you were to die tonight or for you here today, 47 00:02:30,480 --> 00:02:33,680 if you were to drive home from three CR and you're die on your 48 00:02:33,680 --> 00:02:37,840 way home and you, you're standing at the pearly gates and 49 00:02:37,840 --> 00:02:40,520 Angel Gabriel is there and he asks you the question, why 50 00:02:40,520 --> 00:02:43,960 should I let you in? Ask them, what would you say? 51 00:02:44,080 --> 00:02:46,320 What, what answer would you get? Because there's only one right 52 00:02:46,320 --> 00:02:48,520 answer. Sort of blink, blink, blink like 53 00:02:48,520 --> 00:02:51,200 a deer in the head last night. Well, you know, I mean, we'd we 54 00:02:51,200 --> 00:02:54,920 coming to church often and we're trying really hard and and 55 00:02:54,960 --> 00:02:57,000 actually I'm starting to read my Bible. 56 00:02:57,000 --> 00:02:58,960 And I said, none of that qualifies you. 57 00:02:58,960 --> 00:03:02,440 There's only one answer, and that is the fact that Jesus has 58 00:03:02,440 --> 00:03:06,320 died on the cross to pay for your sins, to give you the 59 00:03:06,320 --> 00:03:10,240 adoption as sons and daughters into God's family. 60 00:03:10,960 --> 00:03:13,640 That is what qualifies you for eternal life, and that is also 61 00:03:13,640 --> 00:03:17,440 what qualifies us for Zoe life, a life of fullness. 62 00:03:18,640 --> 00:03:21,360 And what's important is that that one word there, which I'm 63 00:03:21,360 --> 00:03:24,640 going to extrapolate into this week, that one word that 64 00:03:24,640 --> 00:03:28,800 summarizes all that qualifies us as a big juicy Bible word that 65 00:03:28,800 --> 00:03:31,560 you probably don't hear anywhere else except in church. 66 00:03:31,880 --> 00:03:36,520 And it's the word justification. You know, it's not like you go 67 00:03:36,520 --> 00:03:39,080 to the rugby on Saturday and say, hey, how was your day? 68 00:03:39,080 --> 00:03:41,840 No, I was justified this week. You know, it's not part of our 69 00:03:41,840 --> 00:03:45,240 language, but it is the foundation of what we're talking 70 00:03:45,240 --> 00:03:49,240 about today and what Romans 8 is built on, that there is only 71 00:03:49,240 --> 00:03:52,960 entrance into all of this. All of this if you have been 72 00:03:52,960 --> 00:03:55,120 justified. And we're going to look at that 73 00:03:55,120 --> 00:03:59,200 word a little later in depth. But essentially, if I distill it 74 00:03:59,200 --> 00:04:02,080 down to one thing, it's the fact that you've been washed by the 75 00:04:02,080 --> 00:04:05,320 blood of Jesus, the blood he shed on the cross for your sins. 76 00:04:05,840 --> 00:04:08,720 So that brings us to Romans chapter 8 and verse one. 77 00:04:09,240 --> 00:04:11,280 We are now going to start talking about these boundary 78 00:04:11,280 --> 00:04:13,880 lines. And Romans 81 says there is 79 00:04:14,160 --> 00:04:18,320 therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ 80 00:04:18,320 --> 00:04:21,720 Jesus. Therefore, there is now no 81 00:04:21,720 --> 00:04:25,040 condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 82 00:04:27,160 --> 00:04:29,880 I'm, I'm going to pause a little bit. 83 00:04:31,440 --> 00:04:33,760 Yeah, we like to honor where honor is due. 84 00:04:33,760 --> 00:04:35,920 And I don't know if you know this, but we have a very special 85 00:04:35,920 --> 00:04:38,840 guest in numbers today. I just want to take a moment. 86 00:04:39,200 --> 00:04:42,240 You know, it's intimidating when you get up as as a preacher, as 87 00:04:42,240 --> 00:04:47,000 a speaker, and you have probably the most influential speaker of 88 00:04:47,000 --> 00:04:50,200 our day in attendance. And I know they're probably 89 00:04:50,200 --> 00:04:52,600 cringing going like, oh, please don't call me up because it's a 90 00:04:52,600 --> 00:04:54,600 communicator. The last thing you want to do on 91 00:04:54,600 --> 00:04:57,440 a Sunday is have to communicate again, you know, sort of just 92 00:04:57,440 --> 00:04:59,760 want to sit and receive. But we really do believe in 93 00:04:59,760 --> 00:05:03,040 honoring those who are in our midst and taking a moment. 94 00:05:03,280 --> 00:05:05,280 So can I ask you that? I'm just going to ask them to 95 00:05:05,280 --> 00:05:08,560 come and say, how's it? Can you give a warm round of 96 00:05:08,560 --> 00:05:09,920 applause? You're possibly the greatest 97 00:05:09,920 --> 00:05:13,680 communicator in our lifetime. Can we welcome them as they come 98 00:05:13,680 --> 00:05:16,560 forward? Oh, that's that's overwhelming. 99 00:05:17,040 --> 00:05:28,040 Overwhelming. Yeah. 100 00:05:28,040 --> 00:05:30,840 The man in the mirror. Now don't let your 101 00:05:30,840 --> 00:05:36,960 disappointment at my fake introduction still the truth of 102 00:05:36,960 --> 00:05:39,320 what I'm trying to communicate this morning. 103 00:05:41,360 --> 00:05:43,880 You know, when I was saying the greatest communicator, most 104 00:05:43,880 --> 00:05:48,080 influential speaker of our day, Did you see yourself in this? 105 00:05:49,520 --> 00:05:52,320 Because here's the truth. Who talks to you more than you 106 00:05:52,320 --> 00:05:57,240 do? Who tells you where to go, what 107 00:05:57,240 --> 00:06:03,240 to do more than you do? Who tells you what to post or 108 00:06:03,240 --> 00:06:08,160 not to post? Who tells you not to forgive and 109 00:06:08,880 --> 00:06:14,840 most certainly not to forget more than you do, See, because 110 00:06:15,120 --> 00:06:18,680 you are the most influential voice in your life. 111 00:06:20,880 --> 00:06:23,640 They, they said that no matter what I say up here and no matter 112 00:06:23,640 --> 00:06:27,600 what it says in here, you are the final authority on whether 113 00:06:27,600 --> 00:06:31,320 you receive any of it. And someone said it comes down 114 00:06:31,320 --> 00:06:34,640 to what you are saying about what I'm saying up here to 115 00:06:34,640 --> 00:06:38,800 determine the fruitfulness of your life or, and this is hits 116 00:06:38,800 --> 00:06:42,040 me right between the eyes. If what you are saying to 117 00:06:42,040 --> 00:06:46,520 yourself is contradictory to the promises of Scripture, you will 118 00:06:46,520 --> 00:06:48,760 never step into the fullness of what God has. 119 00:06:50,440 --> 00:06:53,480 OK, let me say that again. If what you are saying to 120 00:06:53,480 --> 00:06:59,600 yourself is contradictory to the promises of Scripture, you will 121 00:06:59,600 --> 00:07:02,280 never step into the fullness of everything that God has for you. 122 00:07:04,720 --> 00:07:07,600 And I want to lean for a minute because you come to church on a 123 00:07:07,600 --> 00:07:11,000 Sunday to listen to a sermon and you leave it behind. 124 00:07:11,560 --> 00:07:14,440 You will not live in the fullness of what God has for 125 00:07:14,440 --> 00:07:16,520 you. You should be sitting on a 126 00:07:16,520 --> 00:07:21,160 Sunday going, not on my watch, not on my watch. 127 00:07:21,760 --> 00:07:24,480 I will not wonder in the wilderness like the the 128 00:07:24,480 --> 00:07:29,040 Israelites because 10 spas came with a negative report not on my 129 00:07:29,040 --> 00:07:31,000 watch. I will not give in to the the 130 00:07:31,000 --> 00:07:34,360 voice in the mirror, these little insecurities and allow 131 00:07:34,360 --> 00:07:37,720 that to overpower the word of God in my life. 132 00:07:38,080 --> 00:07:42,960 It's meant to destroy and tear down the strongholds and all the 133 00:07:43,480 --> 00:07:48,160 vain arguments that exalt themselves above the knowledge 134 00:07:48,160 --> 00:07:50,320 of God. That is what Sundays are meant 135 00:07:50,320 --> 00:07:52,120 to be doing. But you come and you sit on a 136 00:07:52,120 --> 00:07:55,680 Sunday and you hear and you go. Bravo, like you, you know, Golf 137 00:07:55,680 --> 00:07:57,840 Club introduction to our special guest. 138 00:07:58,320 --> 00:08:01,080 That was divine, delightful. Thank you, son. 139 00:08:01,360 --> 00:08:03,920 And off you go. And an entire generation will 140 00:08:03,920 --> 00:08:07,680 wander in the desert and not walk into their inheritance. 141 00:08:07,840 --> 00:08:11,880 Your children, your marriage, your finances, your relationship 142 00:08:11,880 --> 00:08:14,600 with your heavenly Father is going to be floundering in the 143 00:08:14,600 --> 00:08:17,880 shallows unless you address those voices. 144 00:08:18,760 --> 00:08:21,920 Unless you allow the Word of God to get in. 145 00:08:22,040 --> 00:08:25,400 Because if what you are saying to yourself is contradictory to 146 00:08:25,400 --> 00:08:28,960 the promises of Scripture, you will never step into the 147 00:08:28,960 --> 00:08:33,080 fullness of what God has for you and Eileen, because we're about 148 00:08:33,080 --> 00:08:36,080 to look at something that you will flat out deny. 149 00:08:37,520 --> 00:08:40,880 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are 150 00:08:40,880 --> 00:08:44,200 in Christ Jesus. Watch those voices. 151 00:08:44,200 --> 00:08:49,720 As I read what that verse means, I looked in the dictionary. 152 00:08:50,240 --> 00:08:54,480 Condemnation means to be proven to be guilty and sentenced to a 153 00:08:54,480 --> 00:08:56,600 particular punishment, usually death. 154 00:08:57,120 --> 00:08:59,880 So Romans 623 says the wages of sin is death. 155 00:08:59,880 --> 00:09:03,600 That's condemnation. To be condemned means to be 156 00:09:03,600 --> 00:09:08,000 unfit for use. Like an abandoned building, it's 157 00:09:08,000 --> 00:09:11,320 condemned. But those are the very words 158 00:09:11,320 --> 00:09:14,440 that you use about yourself. Now God can't use me. 159 00:09:17,000 --> 00:09:19,720 All it means to express complete disapproval of someone or 160 00:09:19,720 --> 00:09:22,280 something. I've been praying every day. 161 00:09:22,560 --> 00:09:26,760 I met a person and their words about themselves was like, I'm 162 00:09:26,760 --> 00:09:29,920 so sorry I disappointed you. I always disappoint myself, but 163 00:09:29,920 --> 00:09:32,360 when I disappoint you, it's just it stings a little hard. 164 00:09:32,360 --> 00:09:34,840 I'm like, do you realize what you're saying? 165 00:09:35,360 --> 00:09:39,160 You are saying I am condemned in my eyes. 166 00:09:39,160 --> 00:09:42,880 I'm a complete, completely disapproved disappointment. 167 00:09:45,480 --> 00:09:47,160 What are the voices in your head? 168 00:09:48,120 --> 00:09:52,120 Because the Bible says there is therefore now no condemnation. 169 00:09:52,440 --> 00:09:53,800 Are you ready for this? You're not. 170 00:09:54,320 --> 00:09:56,800 You're not ready for this. You're going to flat out deny 171 00:09:56,800 --> 00:09:59,080 it. No condemnation means you are 172 00:09:59,080 --> 00:10:04,720 free from any guilt or shame. Doesn't matter what you looked 173 00:10:04,720 --> 00:10:07,400 at last night, doesn't matter whose bed you got out this 174 00:10:07,400 --> 00:10:10,400 morning. If you have been justified, 175 00:10:10,640 --> 00:10:14,800 there is now no condemnation. I know. 176 00:10:14,800 --> 00:10:18,840 I don't believe that either. You are considered innocent, 177 00:10:19,640 --> 00:10:23,280 free from any debts, penalty or punishment. 178 00:10:24,200 --> 00:10:29,280 You are pleasing to God. God has nothing against you. 179 00:10:29,440 --> 00:10:32,800 God finds no fault in you, nothing to punish you for, and 180 00:10:32,800 --> 00:10:38,560 holds no charge against you. I bet you probably have never 181 00:10:38,560 --> 00:10:43,480 thought that thought. Maybe one day if I just know. 182 00:10:43,840 --> 00:10:47,320 Only if you have been justified by the blood of Jesus. 183 00:10:47,880 --> 00:10:51,400 You're pleasing to God and He also sees you as valuable, 184 00:10:51,640 --> 00:10:57,240 useful and desirable. Do you know that God waits on 185 00:10:57,240 --> 00:10:59,600 the edge of your bed for you to open your eyes every morning? 186 00:11:00,160 --> 00:11:03,840 Just can't wait to be with you. You are pleasing, valuable, 187 00:11:03,840 --> 00:11:08,240 useful and desirable. He longs to spend time with you 188 00:11:08,640 --> 00:11:11,640 because there's no condemnation for those who are in Christ 189 00:11:11,640 --> 00:11:14,200 Jesus. Now if you're like me, your 190 00:11:14,200 --> 00:11:17,000 mind's running at 1,000,000 miles an hour and you're that's 191 00:11:17,000 --> 00:11:19,280 $1,000,000. Lawyer is busy denying 192 00:11:19,280 --> 00:11:21,240 absolutely everything that the Bible says. 193 00:11:21,360 --> 00:11:26,240 So how is this possible? If you are justified and only if 194 00:11:26,240 --> 00:11:29,480 you are justified apart from work so that no one can boast 195 00:11:30,160 --> 00:11:35,480 justified by the blood of Jesus, then this is what we are called 196 00:11:35,480 --> 00:11:38,920 to walk in. This is what we need to realize 197 00:11:38,920 --> 00:11:41,960 God says about us. You're not condemned 198 00:11:42,600 --> 00:11:44,680 justification. I want to show you the nature of 199 00:11:44,680 --> 00:11:46,240 justification. We're going to do a little bit 200 00:11:46,240 --> 00:11:49,520 of Bible school petty kind of geeky stuff. 201 00:11:49,520 --> 00:11:53,120 Just bear with me. The nature of justification, and 202 00:11:53,120 --> 00:11:58,920 I quote justification is primarily A judicial or forensic 203 00:11:58,960 --> 00:12:02,520 declaration by God. A declaration. 204 00:12:02,520 --> 00:12:05,520 It is not a process, not something you earn where an 205 00:12:05,520 --> 00:12:09,760 individual is made righteous internally, but rather God 206 00:12:09,760 --> 00:12:14,000 declares you righteous. And this declaration means that 207 00:12:14,000 --> 00:12:19,280 God now regards you as justified, righteous, holy, as 208 00:12:19,280 --> 00:12:22,400 if you'd never sinned at all. I don't know if you've heard. 209 00:12:22,400 --> 00:12:26,080 I love the fact that in English it's justified as just as if I'd 210 00:12:26,080 --> 00:12:30,960 never sinned. It's a really just rolls off 211 00:12:30,960 --> 00:12:32,920 your tongue. But does it sink into your heart 212 00:12:32,920 --> 00:12:37,400 just as if I'd never sinned. I mean, imagine maybe you've had 213 00:12:37,400 --> 00:12:41,520 the thoughts like what would it be like if you could go before 214 00:12:41,520 --> 00:12:48,080 God not having had that affair? How would praise and worship 215 00:12:48,080 --> 00:12:50,400 have been different this morning if you came in and you hadn't 216 00:12:50,400 --> 00:12:57,520 had that abortion? Just as if I'd means that he 217 00:12:57,520 --> 00:13:01,720 looks at you justified just as if you'd not had that affair, 218 00:13:01,960 --> 00:13:04,320 just as if you'd not had that abortion. 219 00:13:04,680 --> 00:13:08,480 That is how he sees you because he's taken all of that and put 220 00:13:08,480 --> 00:13:11,000 it on his son and nailed it to the cross. 221 00:13:11,840 --> 00:13:16,520 Punishable by death. Yes, Jesus death goes on to say 222 00:13:16,800 --> 00:13:19,680 justification is the opposite of condemnation. 223 00:13:19,680 --> 00:13:22,040 That's why I say you cannot enter in here unless you have 224 00:13:22,040 --> 00:13:25,000 been justified. Without the justification, 225 00:13:25,000 --> 00:13:28,880 without the death of Jesus on the cross on your behalf, there 226 00:13:28,880 --> 00:13:32,320 is only condemnation. But if you receive it, there is 227 00:13:32,320 --> 00:13:34,880 therefore now no condemnation. It's the opposite of 228 00:13:34,880 --> 00:13:37,800 condemnation. And once pronounced, look at 229 00:13:37,800 --> 00:13:39,960 this. It is a once and for all act. 230 00:13:40,120 --> 00:13:41,280 It is never repeated. Why? 231 00:13:41,280 --> 00:13:45,760 Because it's never withdrawn and it covers your past, present and 232 00:13:45,760 --> 00:13:48,520 future sins. This means all conceivable 233 00:13:48,520 --> 00:13:51,640 charges against you are answered by God's declaration. 234 00:13:52,000 --> 00:13:57,320 Therefore, now no condemnation. But you don't believe me. 235 00:13:59,240 --> 00:14:02,560 Sometimes I don't believe me. I think this is the big problem 236 00:14:03,120 --> 00:14:06,320 is we vacillate between could it be and it definitely isn't. 237 00:14:06,560 --> 00:14:09,080 Do you know what I did? And OK, maybe, possibly. 238 00:14:10,640 --> 00:14:16,200 But you, if you have given your sins to Jesus to pay for on the 239 00:14:16,200 --> 00:14:19,760 cross, you're not only justified, but there is 240 00:14:19,760 --> 00:14:24,600 therefore now no condemnation if you're in Christ Jesus because 241 00:14:24,600 --> 00:14:29,000 it says there it covers your past, present and future sins. 242 00:14:29,000 --> 00:14:31,160 So I want to talk about that. I want to show you a little bit 243 00:14:31,160 --> 00:14:34,520 about this while you wonder could it possibly be true? 244 00:14:35,680 --> 00:14:38,280 Let's talk about your past, your presence and your future sins. 245 00:14:41,000 --> 00:14:46,560 I know if I had to put up my last few weeks, maybe months, a 246 00:14:46,560 --> 00:14:50,520 detailed record of what I got up to in the last few months, 247 00:14:50,760 --> 00:14:54,360 probably have to leave the city. And so would you. 248 00:14:57,200 --> 00:14:59,280 And I've been reading through the Scripture and I came across 249 00:14:59,760 --> 00:15:02,600 a portion of scripture #16 talks about in in my Bible, the 250 00:15:02,600 --> 00:15:07,520 heading is Korah's rebellion. And it's a very dark time in 251 00:15:07,520 --> 00:15:12,960 Israel's history where Moses had just been used by God to lead 252 00:15:12,960 --> 00:15:16,000 the Israelites out of slavery with Pharaoh. 253 00:15:16,000 --> 00:15:18,920 And they're heading through the wilderness to the promised land. 254 00:15:19,360 --> 00:15:21,760 And in the middle of all of this, The Walking through the 255 00:15:21,760 --> 00:15:26,000 deserts and all that is God is busy forming the nation of 256 00:15:26,000 --> 00:15:28,160 Israel and heading them to the promised land. 257 00:15:28,280 --> 00:15:32,120 We find Kora rebellions rebelling. 258 00:15:32,120 --> 00:15:36,800 So Kora gets a bunch of people together and about 250 followers 259 00:15:37,000 --> 00:15:40,640 and they go to Moses and they say, why is it that you are the 260 00:15:40,640 --> 00:15:43,560 leader of all these people? Who put you in charge? 261 00:15:43,840 --> 00:15:46,520 I can hear from God as well. Kora was a pastor. 262 00:15:46,680 --> 00:15:49,040 He was a priest. He ministered in in the 263 00:15:49,040 --> 00:15:51,760 Tabernacle. I have just as much right to 264 00:15:51,760 --> 00:15:53,560 hear from God and to lead these people. 265 00:15:53,720 --> 00:15:56,200 Let's take a vote. And so Moses says, whoa, hang on 266 00:15:56,200 --> 00:15:58,480 a second. I didn't, I didn't ask for this. 267 00:15:59,120 --> 00:16:02,640 God appointed me as the leader. So let's go to God and find out 268 00:16:02,640 --> 00:16:05,480 why he did this. And in that moment God pours out 269 00:16:05,480 --> 00:16:08,400 his judgement on Kora and I'll read you some of the crazy 270 00:16:08,400 --> 00:16:10,520 stuff. Talks about how the earth opened 271 00:16:10,520 --> 00:16:14,920 up and swallowed him in the leaders fire, consumed the 250 272 00:16:14,920 --> 00:16:18,200 rebellious men that had followed him, and then a plague spread 273 00:16:18,200 --> 00:16:21,080 through the Israelites and almost 15,000 people who were 274 00:16:21,080 --> 00:16:23,920 grumbling about Moses leadership died. 275 00:16:25,000 --> 00:16:29,400 It's a severe, sobering realization of the holiness of 276 00:16:29,400 --> 00:16:33,280 God, and I want to point that out because what we are talking 277 00:16:33,280 --> 00:16:36,000 about today is not licentiousness. 278 00:16:36,480 --> 00:16:38,840 Go and sin, whatever you want, it really doesn't matter. 279 00:16:39,440 --> 00:16:43,000 It's within the framework of the holiness of God, but we'll get 280 00:16:43,000 --> 00:16:45,320 to that later. Today's verse says there is now 281 00:16:45,320 --> 00:16:49,680 no condemnation, but judgment falls and corridors. 282 00:16:50,920 --> 00:16:54,360 And to make things worse, it was part of a patriarchal society, 283 00:16:54,520 --> 00:16:57,360 which basically means that you live in and through your 284 00:16:57,360 --> 00:17:01,800 father's story. So if your father was Cora, if 285 00:17:01,800 --> 00:17:06,319 your father committed suicide or was absence, or if your father 286 00:17:06,319 --> 00:17:10,040 had an affair, then it trickles down and your peg does exactly 287 00:17:10,040 --> 00:17:12,160 the same. And in this instance, the 288 00:17:12,160 --> 00:17:16,400 darkest moment of Moses leadership, you as Cora's son, 289 00:17:16,400 --> 00:17:20,640 you shunned, it was an honor, shame culture. 290 00:17:20,800 --> 00:17:23,040 So I was thinking this week, I don't know if you're new to the 291 00:17:23,040 --> 00:17:24,520 city of Pretoria. I don't know if you know this, 292 00:17:24,520 --> 00:17:27,200 but Centurion hasn't always been called Centurion. 293 00:17:28,280 --> 00:17:31,720 Don't tell anyone, but it used to be called Fervurt Burstat, 294 00:17:32,840 --> 00:17:37,880 named after HF Fervurt, the guy who institutionalized apartheid. 295 00:17:39,160 --> 00:17:41,480 The minute we could, we buried that name. 296 00:17:41,480 --> 00:17:45,440 Took the road Suns down and puts a lovely pretty glow in the 297 00:17:45,440 --> 00:17:48,120 dark. Centurion over that mess. 298 00:17:48,840 --> 00:17:52,600 Shame. And it's exactly the same here. 299 00:17:54,080 --> 00:17:57,560 Can you imagine, hypothetically speaking, you happen to commit 300 00:17:57,560 --> 00:18:05,520 murder and go on trial and public opinion on SABC news and 301 00:18:05,520 --> 00:18:09,720 people spit in your face and you go to prison and you serve your 302 00:18:09,720 --> 00:18:11,640 sentence. But you come out and you're on 303 00:18:11,640 --> 00:18:13,400 house arrest. But they do allow you to go to 304 00:18:13,400 --> 00:18:15,800 church. And so you walk into three CR on 305 00:18:15,800 --> 00:18:19,320 Sunday morning and you've been all over the news so everyone 306 00:18:19,320 --> 00:18:22,640 knows your face. And the whispers start. 307 00:18:22,680 --> 00:18:26,880 Hey, isn't that? Isn't that Cora's son? 308 00:18:30,360 --> 00:18:37,560 He doesn't deserve to be here. But what's interesting is you 309 00:18:37,560 --> 00:18:40,600 carry that same name. What's your name? 310 00:18:41,240 --> 00:18:45,360 What name do you carry? I carry the Dolenberg name, 311 00:18:47,040 --> 00:18:51,120 which has its own stain. My mom when she got divorced 312 00:18:51,120 --> 00:18:55,560 immediately changed too out of the Dolenberg lineage name. 313 00:18:56,720 --> 00:19:00,840 My aunt, 11 aunt who never got married, she couldn't change her 314 00:19:00,840 --> 00:19:02,920 surname so she changed her first name. 315 00:19:03,120 --> 00:19:07,600 Because there's something about the Dolenberg name but it's more 316 00:19:07,600 --> 00:19:12,880 maybe your name that you carry is disappointment, rape victim, 317 00:19:14,160 --> 00:19:19,320 adulterer, failure, alcoholic, absent father. 318 00:19:20,920 --> 00:19:26,640 What is your past? What distinguishes your failure 319 00:19:26,640 --> 00:19:30,560 and darkness and disappointment? What is it that you carry? 320 00:19:31,040 --> 00:19:37,200 Because it says, therefore there is now no condemnation, which 321 00:19:37,200 --> 00:19:41,040 means that our history doesn't determine determine our destiny. 322 00:19:41,960 --> 00:19:46,240 Because when we read Numbers 26, it says the earth opened its 323 00:19:46,240 --> 00:19:49,280 mouth, This is the account of the moment and swallowed them 324 00:19:49,280 --> 00:19:52,800 along with Kora, whose followers died when the fire devoured the 325 00:19:52,800 --> 00:19:56,200 250 men and they served as a warning sign. 326 00:19:56,760 --> 00:20:00,240 However, the line of Kora did not die. 327 00:20:02,040 --> 00:20:05,360 Now, I've always known about Kora's rebellion. 328 00:20:05,360 --> 00:20:08,080 It's one of the things you study in Bible college because it says 329 00:20:08,080 --> 00:20:10,880 they served as a warning sign, but I've never known about 330 00:20:10,880 --> 00:20:14,160 Kora's descendants. You see, the Bible says there is 331 00:20:14,160 --> 00:20:16,960 therefore now no condemnation. Our history doesn't determine 332 00:20:17,160 --> 00:20:20,440 our destiny. Did you know a few generations 333 00:20:20,440 --> 00:20:25,200 later, Samuel comes along and he's from the line of Korra. 334 00:20:25,920 --> 00:20:28,320 If you know your Bible history, you will know that Samuel is the 335 00:20:28,320 --> 00:20:31,040 greatest prophet in the Old Testament, possibly the single 336 00:20:31,040 --> 00:20:34,720 most influential person when it comes to redeeming the nation of 337 00:20:34,720 --> 00:20:36,280 Israel. While they wander off and all 338 00:20:36,280 --> 00:20:41,160 this stupid hate Samuel, and he's from the line of Korra, the 339 00:20:41,160 --> 00:20:44,160 Korah Heights became doorkeepers and custodians of the 340 00:20:44,160 --> 00:20:47,440 Tabernacle. Not only did God use them, but 341 00:20:47,440 --> 00:20:51,080 he welcomed them back in. One group of Korah Heights were 342 00:20:51,080 --> 00:20:53,880 renowned as experts, warriors among David's mighty men. 343 00:20:54,240 --> 00:20:56,640 Another, I don't know if you know this, but David established 344 00:20:56,640 --> 00:20:59,920 worship that lasted the entire lifetime of Jesus. 345 00:21:00,720 --> 00:21:03,760 He established when he put the Tabernacle down thousands of 346 00:21:03,760 --> 00:21:06,040 years before Jesus came. Well actually hundreds of years 347 00:21:06,040 --> 00:21:09,080 before Jesus came, he established 24/7 praise and 348 00:21:09,080 --> 00:21:12,840 worship and the last of the exact length of Jesus life in 349 00:21:12,840 --> 00:21:16,120 Jerusalem. And guess who led that worship? 350 00:21:17,280 --> 00:21:20,600 The sons of Korra. Read your Bible and you find out 351 00:21:20,600 --> 00:21:24,000 throughout the Psalms that we just heard read to us this 352 00:21:24,000 --> 00:21:27,480 morning, written by the sons of Korra. 353 00:21:28,040 --> 00:21:30,760 But before that worship could begin, the presence of God 354 00:21:30,760 --> 00:21:33,840 needed to be brought into the Tabernacle, the Ark of the 355 00:21:33,840 --> 00:21:36,680 Covenant. And you know whose soldiers that 356 00:21:36,680 --> 00:21:40,560 ark was brought in on? The sons of Korra. 357 00:21:40,760 --> 00:21:44,040 Because your history doesn't determine your destiny. 358 00:21:44,200 --> 00:21:50,360 Because such is the power of the gospel, such is the redemptive 359 00:21:50,360 --> 00:21:54,800 power of those who are in Christ Jesus, that you might come from 360 00:21:54,800 --> 00:21:59,680 the same lineage that in one generation saw the the presence 361 00:21:59,680 --> 00:22:03,000 of God chased out. But God in his redemptive power 362 00:22:03,000 --> 00:22:05,840 is able to use you to be the very people who bring the 363 00:22:05,840 --> 00:22:07,880 presence of God in in the next generation. 364 00:22:09,000 --> 00:22:12,640 Our history no longer determines our destiny because Romans 5 365 00:22:12,640 --> 00:22:15,640 says we have been justified by His blood. 366 00:22:15,640 --> 00:22:18,640 It is a judicial declaration over your past. 367 00:22:20,280 --> 00:22:23,280 And I'll read it again. Justification is a once and for 368 00:22:23,280 --> 00:22:25,440 all act that is never repeated. Why? 369 00:22:25,440 --> 00:22:29,840 Because it is never withdrawn and it covers your past, your 370 00:22:29,840 --> 00:22:33,920 presence and your future sins. So that's your past. 371 00:22:34,640 --> 00:22:38,280 And I think a lot of us understand and we live in some 372 00:22:38,280 --> 00:22:41,160 kind of a freedom from our past because we we bring our sins and 373 00:22:41,160 --> 00:22:42,920 we give it to Jesus. But what about your presence 374 00:22:42,920 --> 00:22:46,120 sins? How do you behave when you blow 375 00:22:46,120 --> 00:22:49,080 it now? Now as a son and daughter of 376 00:22:49,080 --> 00:22:54,240 God, now as a band member, an elder, a life group leader, now 377 00:22:54,240 --> 00:22:56,880 as a barista at the back there of someone with a nice little 378 00:22:56,880 --> 00:23:00,120 yellow hand. Well, it says there 379 00:23:00,600 --> 00:23:03,480 justification is a once and for all act that is never repeated, 380 00:23:03,480 --> 00:23:05,760 never withdrawn. And it covers not only your past 381 00:23:05,760 --> 00:23:10,000 but also your present sins. So let's talk about your present 382 00:23:10,000 --> 00:23:14,120 sins. I'm sure it doesn't matter how 383 00:23:14,120 --> 00:23:15,920 long you've been in church, you've heard about the prodigal 384 00:23:15,920 --> 00:23:18,640 son. For those who haven't, or if 385 00:23:18,640 --> 00:23:23,760 it's a little Gray, Jesus is telling a parable and he's 386 00:23:23,760 --> 00:23:27,120 trying to communicate the heart of the father for those of us 387 00:23:27,120 --> 00:23:30,320 when we sin. And he tells this parable about 388 00:23:30,320 --> 00:23:35,720 the prodigal son where a very wealthy father has a has two 389 00:23:35,720 --> 00:23:38,440 sons and the youngest son decides he's done with waiting 390 00:23:38,440 --> 00:23:40,800 for his inheritance. He can't wait for his dad to die 391 00:23:40,800 --> 00:23:42,600 soon enough. He's just like, give me my 392 00:23:42,600 --> 00:23:43,600 money. I want out of here. 393 00:23:43,600 --> 00:23:45,960 And the Bible says the father gives him that, gives him up to 394 00:23:45,960 --> 00:23:48,320 half of his estate. And then it has this lovely 395 00:23:48,320 --> 00:23:51,200 little euphemistic phrase that says, and he squandered his 396 00:23:51,200 --> 00:23:54,440 money in wild living, which basically means if they had 397 00:23:54,440 --> 00:23:56,560 drugs, he bought them and used them. 398 00:23:57,640 --> 00:24:00,000 And if they were prostitutes, he paid for them. 399 00:24:00,320 --> 00:24:03,720 And if they were bars, he would drink it empty until he had 400 00:24:03,720 --> 00:24:06,080 nothing left until he got to that place where like we saw in 401 00:24:06,080 --> 00:24:09,640 Romans 7 last week, he was crying out, wretched man that I 402 00:24:09,640 --> 00:24:11,960 am, who can save me from this body of death? 403 00:24:12,480 --> 00:24:14,680 And then he thought, well, instead of earning a living 404 00:24:14,680 --> 00:24:18,360 feeding pigs, maybe he can earn a living trying to get back to 405 00:24:18,720 --> 00:24:21,040 favor with his father. So he comes back to his father 406 00:24:21,240 --> 00:24:23,440 and essentially he's he's not looking for any favor. 407 00:24:23,440 --> 00:24:25,760 He wants just wants to earn a paycheck. 408 00:24:26,120 --> 00:24:28,760 See, he wants to get back into this through works. 409 00:24:28,760 --> 00:24:33,200 And we saw last week, we are not justified by works, but this is 410 00:24:33,200 --> 00:24:36,120 all he has because he doesn't understand the heart of the 411 00:24:36,120 --> 00:24:38,000 father. So the people that are listening 412 00:24:38,000 --> 00:24:43,280 to the story maybe might have been thinking, yeah, I remember 413 00:24:43,400 --> 00:24:48,080 Jason's son did that, you know, when I was younger or I was at a 414 00:24:48,080 --> 00:24:51,680 village the other day and there was one of those, maybe you've 415 00:24:51,680 --> 00:24:53,040 had it. Maybe you're. 416 00:24:53,040 --> 00:24:55,000 It's the black sheep of the family. 417 00:24:55,800 --> 00:24:59,800 And so Jesus is busy telling about how this prodigal son now 418 00:24:59,800 --> 00:25:01,880 decides he's going to make his way home. 419 00:25:02,840 --> 00:25:06,080 And so everybody listening at that moment, they're expecting 420 00:25:06,080 --> 00:25:11,240 to hear Jesus expound on the Khaziza traditional ceremony. 421 00:25:12,560 --> 00:25:15,000 Now, you've never heard about it because it hasn't popped up in 422 00:25:15,000 --> 00:25:17,200 this parable. But the Khaziza ceremony, what 423 00:25:17,200 --> 00:25:21,520 they basically would do was they would take a pot like this and 424 00:25:21,520 --> 00:25:26,200 they would say, OK, you know, not only did you squander and 425 00:25:26,200 --> 00:25:30,120 ruin our business, yeah, maybe you got one of those, one of 426 00:25:30,120 --> 00:25:32,200 those kids that you thought, oh, you know, you'll just bring them 427 00:25:32,200 --> 00:25:33,680 into the business. And you brought the entire 428 00:25:33,680 --> 00:25:36,400 empire down. And they say not only did you do 429 00:25:36,400 --> 00:25:39,080 this, not only did you bring shame on your father and you 430 00:25:39,080 --> 00:25:43,120 robbed everybody of their land and their inheritance and 431 00:25:43,120 --> 00:25:46,000 everything like that, but now you have the audacity to come 432 00:25:46,000 --> 00:25:48,560 back. And So what they would do is the 433 00:25:48,560 --> 00:25:54,920 elders of the city would grab this fugitive and then hold him, 434 00:25:54,920 --> 00:25:56,400 make sure he doesn't go anywhere else. 435 00:25:56,400 --> 00:25:59,600 And they would now essentially do the Kaziza. 436 00:25:59,760 --> 00:26:03,240 And so the Kaziza would have the family on the one side and the 437 00:26:03,240 --> 00:26:06,800 son on the other side. And so the family would take. 438 00:26:07,040 --> 00:26:09,200 And generally it was whoever had the highest authority. 439 00:26:09,200 --> 00:26:10,720 So in this case, it would have been the father. 440 00:26:10,880 --> 00:26:14,760 And the father would take a pot. And he would say, looking at 441 00:26:14,760 --> 00:26:19,280 this shameful black sheep of his son of his. 442 00:26:19,280 --> 00:26:23,560 And he would say, this pot is like your relationship with this 443 00:26:23,560 --> 00:26:26,280 family. This pot is meant to represent 444 00:26:27,080 --> 00:26:30,680 the tribe that you're from. It's meant to represent the the 445 00:26:30,680 --> 00:26:33,000 business and the trade that we would do with you because you're 446 00:26:33,000 --> 00:26:35,920 one of us. This was meant to represent all 447 00:26:35,920 --> 00:26:39,360 that that my heart is for you and even your future marriage 448 00:26:39,360 --> 00:26:42,880 because the Bible talks about the Israelites marrying within 449 00:26:42,880 --> 00:26:45,440 their tribes. And he would take this pot and 450 00:26:45,440 --> 00:26:55,440 he would smash it like this and he'd basically be saying this 451 00:26:55,440 --> 00:27:01,400 just as that is totally broken an irreparable, so too is our 452 00:27:01,400 --> 00:27:04,360 relationship. So too is your place here. 453 00:27:04,720 --> 00:27:07,840 You know, there's a word ostracize that we use in the 454 00:27:07,840 --> 00:27:11,920 Greek. It means to vote by potshots. 455 00:27:12,760 --> 00:27:15,000 They would ostracize. They'd say, I mean, there's 456 00:27:15,000 --> 00:27:18,160 powder there. There is no restoring. 457 00:27:18,160 --> 00:27:21,080 I'd love to see you rebuild this by Sunday night's sermon. 458 00:27:25,160 --> 00:27:28,680 And so those listening to this prodigal and all the sinfulness 459 00:27:28,680 --> 00:27:31,040 returning, they'd be going, OK, here we go. 460 00:27:32,960 --> 00:27:36,120 Now he's going to pay. Now he's going to pay. 461 00:27:36,120 --> 00:27:39,920 Finally the father can distance himself from this disgrace. 462 00:27:40,360 --> 00:27:44,680 Finally he can cleanse himself of that family shame and they 463 00:27:44,680 --> 00:27:47,680 can carry on. But you've never heard of that 464 00:27:47,680 --> 00:27:51,000 before because what does the Bible say? 465 00:27:51,000 --> 00:27:53,840 It doesn't say that came out with a Khaziza ceremony. 466 00:27:54,520 --> 00:27:58,480 The Bible says while he was still afar off, the father saw 467 00:27:58,480 --> 00:28:02,320 him and was filled with compassion and ran to him. 468 00:28:04,400 --> 00:28:08,960 Do you know why he ran? Because if he didn't get there 469 00:28:08,960 --> 00:28:12,240 first, the son would have to go through kaziza. 470 00:28:15,040 --> 00:28:19,160 And a kaziza is binding. It's legal, it's permanence. 471 00:28:19,160 --> 00:28:23,360 It cannot be undone like the smashing of the pot. 472 00:28:24,000 --> 00:28:29,360 And so the Father ran because he dare not allow anyone to get to 473 00:28:29,360 --> 00:28:30,800 his Son before him. Why? 474 00:28:31,000 --> 00:28:34,800 Because there is therefore now no condemnation for those who 475 00:28:34,800 --> 00:28:39,240 are in Christ Jesus. And so Jesus tries to tell us 476 00:28:39,240 --> 00:28:44,320 the heart of the Father and He uses the story, but 477 00:28:44,320 --> 00:28:47,240 unfortunately he has to never get your opinion on what He is 478 00:28:47,240 --> 00:28:50,200 saying, your opinion on the heart of the Father. 479 00:28:51,040 --> 00:28:53,560 Because it's highly likely in a crowd this big that there are 480 00:28:53,560 --> 00:28:59,360 many multitudes sitting here as prodigal sons and daughters. 481 00:29:00,520 --> 00:29:04,120 And there ain't no way you're coming home because you've got a 482 00:29:04,120 --> 00:29:05,720 whole mess that you need to clean up. 483 00:29:06,880 --> 00:29:09,920 And the heart of the Father says, if you have been 484 00:29:09,920 --> 00:29:13,360 justified, I declare you righteous. 485 00:29:14,160 --> 00:29:19,240 And what Jesus did on the cross has paid for your sins, past and 486 00:29:19,240 --> 00:29:21,080 present. You might be sitting here 487 00:29:21,080 --> 00:29:24,360 thinking, why on earth did I go to church today? 488 00:29:26,000 --> 00:29:28,520 It is because the Father has been running after you. 489 00:29:30,160 --> 00:29:34,280 But there's more. It says in Scripture, if you 490 00:29:34,280 --> 00:29:36,880 look at the original Greek, it actually says that this family 491 00:29:36,880 --> 00:29:45,400 lived in Muycliffe. It wasn't in the burbs or a 492 00:29:45,400 --> 00:29:48,160 little duplex. It was a very wealthy family. 493 00:29:49,000 --> 00:29:51,800 They went on holidays to one of their two holiday homes in 494 00:29:51,800 --> 00:29:55,160 Hermonis, and they'd often go skiing in Austria. 495 00:29:55,600 --> 00:29:59,680 Kids bull for the win. And he was given half. 496 00:30:00,520 --> 00:30:02,800 How long does it take to burn through half of that 497 00:30:02,800 --> 00:30:07,840 inheritance? Not weeks, maybe months, I'd say 498 00:30:07,840 --> 00:30:11,880 years. And the Father stood every 499 00:30:11,880 --> 00:30:18,760 single day waiting, waiting to intercept the judgments that he 500 00:30:18,760 --> 00:30:22,400 knew his Son would endure if he didn't get there first. 501 00:30:23,160 --> 00:30:27,480 And he made sure he ran. And your heavenly Father is 502 00:30:27,480 --> 00:30:30,720 running after you today. Come home. 503 00:30:31,520 --> 00:30:37,720 Come home. That happened to Jesus, and it 504 00:30:37,720 --> 00:30:41,760 will not happen to you if you are justified. 505 00:30:42,200 --> 00:30:45,920 Just as if I'd never sinned, just as if I'd never left. 506 00:30:45,920 --> 00:30:52,120 He says come justification is the opposite of condemnation. 507 00:30:52,720 --> 00:30:56,400 Once pronounced, it is a once and for all act that has never 508 00:30:56,400 --> 00:31:01,400 repeated, never withdrawn, covering past, present and 509 00:31:01,400 --> 00:31:04,080 future sins. Now this is for all of us 510 00:31:05,840 --> 00:31:08,800 because it's not a case of, if it's a case of when you're an 511 00:31:08,800 --> 00:31:14,280 arson, maybe you'll completely and utterly blow it, or maybe 512 00:31:14,280 --> 00:31:16,760 you'll just do that same thing again. 513 00:31:16,840 --> 00:31:20,000 And just, I'm so sorry. And God, you have, please 514 00:31:20,000 --> 00:31:21,640 forgive me. No, and God knows you're going 515 00:31:21,640 --> 00:31:25,840 to do exactly the same thing the week after, irrespective of the 516 00:31:25,840 --> 00:31:29,040 gradients of that sin and that darkness. 517 00:31:30,560 --> 00:31:34,480 Even that is covered. And I want to close, but just 518 00:31:34,480 --> 00:31:36,720 reading, I'm going to take a little bit of a license. 519 00:31:36,720 --> 00:31:39,440 I want to read to you about the cities of Refuge. 520 00:31:40,200 --> 00:31:42,680 Now, if you don't know, the Cities of Refuge were set up for 521 00:31:42,680 --> 00:31:47,600 future sins, that was set up for a place that you could run to, 522 00:31:48,760 --> 00:31:52,080 like the heart of the Father for future sins. 523 00:31:53,680 --> 00:31:55,720 There's a whole bunch I'm going to read to you, but just bear 524 00:31:55,720 --> 00:31:56,840 with me. It starts off by saying, 525 00:31:56,840 --> 00:31:59,880 according to the rabbines, in order to aid the fugitive, the 526 00:31:59,880 --> 00:32:02,800 Sinner, the person who's completely blown it, it was the 527 00:32:02,800 --> 00:32:05,680 business of the Sanhedrin to keep the roads leading to the 528 00:32:05,680 --> 00:32:08,960 Cities of Refuge in the best possible repair. 529 00:32:09,840 --> 00:32:11,880 Nothing will slow you down. Nothing will get you in. 530 00:32:12,600 --> 00:32:14,440 Get in your way. So you could run straight back 531 00:32:14,440 --> 00:32:17,040 to the father and I'll actually pop it up on the screen. 532 00:32:17,040 --> 00:32:19,480 Look at this. It says no hills were left 533 00:32:19,480 --> 00:32:21,960 unattended. So you couldn't be going like, 534 00:32:21,960 --> 00:32:24,080 oh, you know, I don't have a 4x4, I can't get there. 535 00:32:24,600 --> 00:32:27,400 Every hill was perfectly manicured so you could get there 536 00:32:27,400 --> 00:32:29,720 with your ox and donkeys and possessions. 537 00:32:29,960 --> 00:32:35,080 Every river was bridged. So even if it was raining and 538 00:32:35,080 --> 00:32:37,480 the river was in flood, it doesn't matter the storm that 539 00:32:37,480 --> 00:32:40,400 you're in. There's a bridge over the storm 540 00:32:40,560 --> 00:32:43,600 and the river and the road itself had to be at least 32 541 00:32:43,600 --> 00:32:45,560 cubits wide. That's about 15 meters. 542 00:32:45,800 --> 00:32:49,040 That's kind of like our two way lanes so that it doesn't matter 543 00:32:49,040 --> 00:32:51,960 what's coming your way, what you have to face, you can get past, 544 00:32:52,080 --> 00:32:54,840 stay in your lane and get to the city of refuge. 545 00:32:55,120 --> 00:32:58,920 And then every turn had a guard post bearing the word refuge. 546 00:32:58,920 --> 00:33:01,680 So there's no getting lost. And two students of the law were 547 00:33:01,680 --> 00:33:04,800 appointed to accompany the fleeing man to pacify the 548 00:33:04,800 --> 00:33:08,280 avenger if necessary should he overtake the fugitive. 549 00:33:08,280 --> 00:33:12,080 If you're sins catch up with you, there was someone there to 550 00:33:12,080 --> 00:33:16,400 stand behind a pulpit and to say God is running towards you as 551 00:33:16,800 --> 00:33:18,720 faster than you are running towards him. 552 00:33:18,920 --> 00:33:21,840 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are 553 00:33:21,840 --> 00:33:24,600 in Christ Jesus while your sins are catching up to you. 554 00:33:24,600 --> 00:33:26,960 And he goes on to say once in the gate he'd be met by the 555 00:33:26,960 --> 00:33:29,040 Levites. They would hear his case and 556 00:33:29,040 --> 00:33:33,520 then take him under their wings. Within the city, the people 557 00:33:33,520 --> 00:33:35,760 living there had a willingness to go the distance with a 558 00:33:35,760 --> 00:33:38,560 person, had an attitude of compassion, not judgment. 559 00:33:38,760 --> 00:33:41,880 We're available to help in every possible practical and tangible 560 00:33:41,880 --> 00:33:44,360 way, and we're committed to His restoration. 561 00:33:45,560 --> 00:33:48,480 This is the heart of the Father for you. 562 00:33:50,680 --> 00:33:53,680 So we can come and we can sing and we can raise our hands. 563 00:33:54,360 --> 00:33:57,720 We can praise. On a Sunday morning, we might 564 00:33:57,720 --> 00:34:00,040 even be stirred to possibly believe this. 565 00:34:01,760 --> 00:34:05,240 But I want you to know justification is primarily A 566 00:34:05,240 --> 00:34:08,280 judicial or forensic declaration by God. 567 00:34:08,600 --> 00:34:11,840 A declaration, He declares you righteous. 568 00:34:12,480 --> 00:34:15,320 It's not a process where an individual is made righteous 569 00:34:15,320 --> 00:34:19,159 internally, but rather God declares you righteous. 570 00:34:19,400 --> 00:34:24,400 This declaration means God now regards you as justified, just 571 00:34:24,400 --> 00:34:27,360 as if you'd never sinned. He considers you righteous. 572 00:34:27,360 --> 00:34:30,400 You, you're robed with the righteousness of Christ and 573 00:34:30,400 --> 00:34:35,239 holy. How on earth this holy, as if 574 00:34:35,239 --> 00:34:38,920 you'd never sinned. It all justified the opposite of 575 00:34:38,920 --> 00:34:41,560 condemnation. And once pronounced, it is a 576 00:34:41,560 --> 00:34:46,239 once and for all act that is never repeated, never withdrawn, 577 00:34:46,520 --> 00:34:50,199 covering past, present and future sins. 578 00:34:53,040 --> 00:34:56,080 This means all conceivable charges against you are answered 579 00:34:56,080 --> 00:35:00,240 by God's declaration. Therefore there is now no 580 00:35:00,240 --> 00:35:06,280 condemnation and I say again, whose voice are you listening 581 00:35:06,280 --> 00:35:08,480 to? Who are you going to believe? 582 00:35:10,440 --> 00:35:16,440 I pray that this word becomes a line, a life changing line. 583 00:35:17,400 --> 00:35:21,080 Like will you marry me? I'm pregnant. 584 00:35:22,240 --> 00:35:25,400 I'm from Bloom Fontaine. You know those big life changing 585 00:35:27,880 --> 00:35:32,880 that this will be a defining watershed declaration of your 586 00:35:32,880 --> 00:35:39,400 life for the rest of your days. There is therefore now no 587 00:35:39,440 --> 00:35:41,240 condemnation for me. Why? 588 00:35:41,520 --> 00:35:43,880 Not because I'm a pastor or because I'm perfect? 589 00:35:43,880 --> 00:35:48,680 No, because I'm in Christ Jesus. Amen.