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Welcome to the Liberty Baptist 
Sermon Archives. 

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The message you're about to hear
was preached at Liberty Baptist 

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Church in Easton, MA. 
You can find out more about us 

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or contact us at my 
libertybaptist.org or just look 

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us up on Facebook. 
And now we hope that this 

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message from God's Word will be 
a blessing to you. 

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I'm going to invite your 
attention to Colossians chapter 

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#3 this morning. 
If you don't know where that is 

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in the Word of God, go to the 
back portion of your Bible. 

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It's near the rear of the New 
Testament, the book of 

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Colossians. 
You have Galatians, Ephesians, 

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Philippians, and Colossians in 
that short little span there. 

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Colossians chapter #3 And the 
title of the message this 

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morning is Obviously This Christ
is All to go along with our 

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theme for 2026. 
You know, we've had 11 different

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themes over the years we've been
here at Liberty. 

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I actually had to go through my 
notes to be able to find them 

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all again because it's amazing 
to me how much of A focus they 

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are for a year. 
But then after a while they kind

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of fade to the back of your mind
as a new theme takes its place. 

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2014, our very first one was 
Triumph in Christ. 

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And to be honest with you, just 
the fact that the church was 

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established and still open after
a year was a triumph. 

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Triumph in Christ first 2015 was
walk worthy 2016 that ye may 

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grow 2017 be found faithful then
launch out and who is on the 

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winning side. 2020 diligently 
seek him 2021 he is worthy 2022 

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set at liberty 2023 one word 
forward and then verse #20 or 

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year 2024 and 2025 add to your 
faith. 

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And I really feel like each of 
these came at just the right 

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time and just the right season 
for us as a church. 

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I particularly think of 2020 and
2021 and 2022 going into 2020 

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could never have imagined that 
diligently seek him would have 

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been so important when people 
were seeking answers from all 

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different places when we didn't 
even know what the questions 

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were, let alone the answers. 
In 2020. 

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I was so glad to be able to have
that mind focused on the fact 

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that the Lord was the one that 
we were to diligently seek. 

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And I think a 2022 set at 
liberty, a time of 

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tumultuousness at our church in 
many ways. 

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And the fact that those who the 
Lord had left remained here set 

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at liberty. 
I could never have imagined how 

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that would have all worked 
together. 

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And then to see how the Lord has
grown this church and to see how

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the Lord has blessed this church
in so many ways has pleased me 

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more than I can possibly say to 
you. 

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You know, the, the process of 
choosing a theme is not a 

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mysterious one. 
It's not that I have some sort 

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of special revelation or 
anything like that. 

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It's just simply through prayer 
and through my own Bible reading

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that I see a phrase or I see 
words that just kind of seem to 

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jump out at me and arrest my 
attention. 

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And it just seems like the 
Lord's leadership is such that 

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this would be something for us 
to be able to focus on. 

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And maybe you'd ask this 
question, you know, Pastor, why 

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are we spending a year on Christ
is all? 

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Why would we spend an entire 
year just thinking about the 

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fact that Christ is all those 3 
little words? 

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Why would we do that? 
How could we do such a thing? 

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Well, I think it's important 
because my fear is not just for 

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you, but really for my own life 
as well. 

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I feel like a lot of us are very
fond of Christ, but we can't say

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that Christ is all. 
I'm not making an accusation. 

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You're all looking at me like 
I'm trying to hurt your 

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feelings. 
All right? 

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I'm not trying to hurt anyone's 
feelings this morning, but I'm 

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just saying this that I feel 
like a lot of us are very fond 

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of Christ. 
I think a lot of us feel that 

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he's very important to us. 
But to say that he is all like 

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the scripture says, it's 
something I think many of us are

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not prepared to be able to say. 
For many, Christ is just part of

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who they are as a complex 
creature. 

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You know, we're many components 
that make up who we are, aren't 

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we? 
You know, I think of the fact we

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live in the Boston area and that
kind of is part of our DNA a 

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little bit. 
Whether you were born in this 

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area and you say you park the 
car in Harvard Yard, but the 

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other way, you know, and you've 
lived in this area or like for a

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transplant like I am in this 
area, I feel like especially 

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when you go to different parts 
of the country, it's part of who

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you are. 
It's a curiosity that people 

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have when you go different 
places. 

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And so that's part of our 
identity. 

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You know, being a parent or 
being a spouse, that's part of 

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your identity and it's who you 
are loving coffee is a part of 

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your identity, at least here at 
Liberty Baptist Church. 

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Amen. 
Like coffee lovers, you know, 

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people love to coffee, they love
the pets, they love dogs, they 

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love cats. 
Yes, people even love cats. 

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Amen. 
I love cats. 

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I know that. 
We got a few in here, all right.

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Everyone else, not so much, all 
right? 

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That's okay. 
It's all part of who we are. 

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It's part of who we are as 
people. 

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But unfortunately, I think for 
many Christians, Christ is part 

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of their identity, like a small 
room in a larger house, but it's

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not their actual identity, like 
the foundation upon which the 

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whole house stands. 
And that's who we are to be as 

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believers, that Christ isn't 
just a small part of the larger 

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whole, but that truly Christ is 
our everything, because Christ 

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is everything. 
Jesus put it this way in Matthew

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7 verses 24 and 25. 
Therefore, whosoever here at 

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these sayings of mine, and do 
with them, I will liken him unto

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a wise man, which built his 
house upon a rock. 

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And the rain descended, and the 
floods came, and the winds blew 

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and beat upon that house, and it
fell not, for it was founded 

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upon the rock. 
Jesus Christ is that rock that 

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we found our life upon. 
Paul put it this way in 

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Philippians chapter 1, verses 20
and 20. 

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One, according to my earnest 
expectation and my hope that in 

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nothing I shall be ashamed, but 
that with all boldness as 

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always, so now also Christ shall
be magnified in my body, whether

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it be by life or by death. 
For me to live is Christ, he 

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says, and to die is gain. 
Paul's not being ambiguous there

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whatsoever. 
He's saying that in his life, 

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whether he lives or he dies, 
Christ is all to him. 

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This morning I want us to 
consider why Christ is all. 

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Then over the Sunday mornings to
come this year, we're going to 

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look at the different 
characteristics of Christ. 

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Why is he all? 
Who is he? 

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Do we understand not just the 
fact that he lived and he 

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ministered and he died and he 
resurrected, but who he was in 

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his earthly ministry and who He 
is today and how that impacts 

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each and every one of us in our 
spiritual lives as well, these 

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characteristics of Christ. 
There's so many more, more than 

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you likely realize, and with so 
many characteristics of Christ, 

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there's no doubt that Christ 
should be all in our lives. 

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Would you stand please for the 
reading of God's Word? 

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We're in Colossians chapter #3 
if you'd stand please for the 

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reading of God's Word. 
We're to read from verse #1 to 

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verse #11 and we'll only be 
really looking at verse #11 

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today, but we'll be looking at 
the whole text next week as 

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well. 
So I think we should start from 

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the beginning where it says 
this. 

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If he then be risen with Christ,
Seek those things which are 

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above where Christ sitteth on 
the right hand of God. 

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Set your affection on things 
above, and not on things on the 

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earth, for ye are dead, and your
life is hid with Christ in God. 

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When Christ, who is our life 
shall appear, then shall ye also

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appear with Him in glory. 
Mortify therefore your members, 

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which are upon the earth, 
fornication, unclean in 

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ordinance, affection, evil, 
concupiscence and covetousness. 

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This which is idolatry, for 
which things sake the wrath of 

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God cometh on the children of 
disobedience, into which He also

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walked sometime when He lived in
them. 

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But now you also put off all 
thieves, anger, wrath, malice, 

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blasphemy, filthy communication 
out of your mouth. 

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Lie not to one another, seeing 
that she had put off the old man

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with his deeds, and have put on 
the new man, which is renewed in

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knowledge after the image of him
that created him. 

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Now look at verse 11. 
Where there is neither Greek nor

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Jew, circumcision nor 
uncircumcision, barbarian, 

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Cynthian, bond nor free. 
But Christ is all and in all. 

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And that last phrase there is 
what I really want us to focus 

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on today. 
But Christ is all and in all. 

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You may be seated as we pray 
together. 

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Heavenly Father, I do thank you 
for this morning and I thank you

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for all that we're here today. 
My heart's desire is that there 

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are those who may be unsaved 
that need to know what it means 

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to be saved. 
Not what religion says or not 

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what a man's opinion is, but 
what does the Word of God say 

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about the gospel? 
I pray that those people would 

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come to a saving faith today. 
And you, I do pray for those who

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are part of our church, that 
each and every one of us not 

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need to just be fond of Christ 
Lord, but that He is our all, as

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He is all and in all. 
Lord, help us all to be able to 

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receive from your Word through 
Your Holy Spirit that which we 

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need today. 
Help me to deliver it in a way 

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that's understandable, that is 
honest to the Scriptures, a Lord

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that magnifies you above all 
else. 

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And I do ask this in Jesus name,
Amen. 

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Colossians 311 is one of the 
more powerful and believe it or 

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not, beloved verses that you'll 
find in all of scripture. 

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It was the favorite. 
I didn't know this until 

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recently. 
It was the favorite verse of Sir

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Isaac Newton. 
The Puritan writers use the 

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verse to confront nominal 
Christianity, meaning this may 

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be Christianity in name only, 
insisting that Christ must be 

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the believers defining reality, 
not merely some added devotion. 

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Matthew Henry, the great 
commentator, said the verse 

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teaches that Christianity does 
not improve the old man, but 

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rather replaces the old man. 
And Charles Spurgeon, perhaps 

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one of the greatest preachers of
all time, that great Baptist 

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preacher of the 1800s in London,
preached on this text at least 

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four different times to 
thousands upon thousands at the 

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Metropolitan Tabernacle. 
Now, as we look at our theme 

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text this morning, there are two
points I want to set out to 

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prove to you in the next few 
minutes. 

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I think the first one won't be 
too hard for us to be able to 

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look at. 
The second one might need some 

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convincing, but these two things
that I want us to see this 

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morning are this first of all #1
mankind has always been divided.

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And #2 Christ is the answer to 
all division. 

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I think #1 we can all agree this
morning, no matter where you are

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or where you've come from, that,
number one, mankind has always 

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been divided. 
Does anyone want to argue with 

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that today? 
I would imagine that wouldn't be

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the case. 
We are the United States of 

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America, but in many ways we are
the divided States of America, 

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aren't we, that we live in 
division? 

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But I would say that division is
not something that just appeared

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in the last 15 or 20 years. 
In fact, I think people 

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sometimes seem to think that it 
just recently arrived on the 

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scene. 
But division has been something 

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that man has been doing well 
pretty much since man has been 

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on this earth. 
It's always been about division,

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dividing from one another. 
Verse #11 talks to that and 

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points to that where it says 
there is neither Greek nor Jew, 

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circumcision nor uncircumcision,
barbarian, Cynthian, bond or 

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three. 
Now, that might not sound too 

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much like something that we 
would understand today, but as 

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Paul is writing this letter, 
this letter to the Colossians, 

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that means it was to the city of
Coloss in Greece. 

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As he's writing of this letter 
to the people of Colossus. 

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They would have understood 
exactly what Paul was talking 

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about when he name checked these
different groups and these 

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different ways of living. 
In fact, one commentary says 

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Colossus had once been a 
significant city, but by the 1st

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century it had declined in 
prominence, overshadowed by 

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nearby Laodicea and Harapolis. 
It's population was ethnically 

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and religiously diverse, 
including native Phrygians. 

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Greeks influenced the by 
Hellenistic culture and a 

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substantial Jewish community. 
This mixture created a setting 

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where ideas from Judaism, Greek 
philosophy, and local folk 

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beliefs all came together. 
And so these people of Colossus 

225
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would have understood who these 
groups were and how Paul was 

226
00:12:17,720 --> 00:12:20,480
trying to say there's neither 
this nor this. 

227
00:12:20,480 --> 00:12:23,800
There's neither this nor this or
these other groups as well. 

228
00:12:24,160 --> 00:12:27,080
And so as he begins the verse, 
he gives some of those contrasts

229
00:12:27,080 --> 00:12:30,080
and he starts with this. 
There is neither Greek nor Jew 

230
00:12:30,360 --> 00:12:32,040
and some other places in the 
word of God. 

231
00:12:32,040 --> 00:12:35,240
Well, you see that word Greek, 
it's also used for Gentile. 

232
00:12:35,240 --> 00:12:39,160
And so Gentile or Greek would 
really be a non Jew and then the

233
00:12:39,160 --> 00:12:42,920
Jew would be, well the Jew. 
So you have the first set of 

234
00:12:42,920 --> 00:12:45,160
contrasts. 
You have the Greeks, the non 

235
00:12:45,160 --> 00:12:47,400
Jews, but then also the Jews as 
well. 

236
00:12:47,680 --> 00:12:51,080
This is talking about ethnic 
identity, immutable traits. 

237
00:12:51,520 --> 00:12:53,320
These are people from this 
group. 

238
00:12:53,320 --> 00:12:56,720
But then there are people from 
this group, but then it mentions

239
00:12:56,720 --> 00:13:00,480
others as well. 
The other contrast of 

240
00:13:00,720 --> 00:13:04,080
circumcision or uncircumcision. 
Now at first we might think of 

241
00:13:04,080 --> 00:13:08,520
that being, well, the same as 
Jews and Greeks, because we 

242
00:13:08,520 --> 00:13:11,720
understand that the Jews were 
given the sign of circumcision 

243
00:13:11,720 --> 00:13:14,000
in the Old Testament. 
It was part of their covenant 

244
00:13:14,000 --> 00:13:17,200
relationship with the Lord. 
It was a sign of that which God 

245
00:13:17,200 --> 00:13:19,280
had promised them. 
And so immediately we might 

246
00:13:19,280 --> 00:13:22,400
think it's just a restating of 
that, which was just said in the

247
00:13:22,400 --> 00:13:24,640
contrast before between Jews or 
Greeks. 

248
00:13:24,840 --> 00:13:26,920
But I actually believe it was 
something deeper than that 

249
00:13:26,920 --> 00:13:30,160
because circumcision was a sign 
for those not only who were 

250
00:13:30,160 --> 00:13:33,840
ethnically Jews, but those who 
also became Jews as well, those 

251
00:13:33,840 --> 00:13:37,400
who became part of the covenant 
relationship of the Jews. 

252
00:13:37,400 --> 00:13:40,240
And so we'd almost look at it 
deeper than that and say when it

253
00:13:40,240 --> 00:13:43,240
talks about the circumcised and 
uncircumcised, it's talking 

254
00:13:43,240 --> 00:13:46,640
about people of different 
religious beliefs, not just the 

255
00:13:46,960 --> 00:13:48,840
immutable traits that were born 
with. 

256
00:13:48,840 --> 00:13:51,280
But it says, you know, there's 
this tension between Jews and 

257
00:13:51,280 --> 00:13:53,680
Greek geeks, but there's also 
this tension of those who 

258
00:13:53,680 --> 00:13:56,760
believe in the Lord, but also 
those who don't believe in the 

259
00:13:56,760 --> 00:13:58,560
Lord. 
There's that natural tension 

260
00:13:58,840 --> 00:14:01,560
that's there as well. 
And then he mentions these other

261
00:14:01,560 --> 00:14:04,600
groups, the Barbarians. 
We're familiar with that term 

262
00:14:04,600 --> 00:14:06,640
Barbarians today. 
And what you're probably 

263
00:14:06,640 --> 00:14:09,640
imagining in your head right now
is exactly what it was. 

264
00:14:09,640 --> 00:14:12,240
It was those who were outside of
the Roman Empire. 

265
00:14:12,280 --> 00:14:15,360
I didn't realize this till I 
studied it out, But the term 

266
00:14:15,360 --> 00:14:18,080
barbarian was for them an 
onomatopoeia. 

267
00:14:18,360 --> 00:14:22,120
That word kind of means a word 
that sounds like what it is. 

268
00:14:22,120 --> 00:14:24,880
And for them, they were looking 
at those who are outside the 

269
00:14:24,880 --> 00:14:27,800
Roman Empire, whose languages 
they didn't understand, and they

270
00:14:27,800 --> 00:14:30,080
would often think that that 
sounded like they were talking 

271
00:14:30,080 --> 00:14:33,440
like bar, bar, bar bar. 
That's what it sounded like 

272
00:14:33,440 --> 00:14:36,200
their unknown language to them. 
And so they called them 

273
00:14:36,320 --> 00:14:38,160
Barbarians. 
They were people who weren't 

274
00:14:38,160 --> 00:14:39,880
part of the Roman Empire. 
They didn't know him. 

275
00:14:40,120 --> 00:14:41,760
And they said, well, we'll call 
them Barbarians. 

276
00:14:41,760 --> 00:14:43,960
And Cynthians, listen to this. 
We're even worse than 

277
00:14:43,960 --> 00:14:47,520
Barbarians. 
They were even Wilder in the 

278
00:14:47,520 --> 00:14:49,840
sensitivities of the Roman 
Empire. 

279
00:14:49,840 --> 00:14:53,320
They were savages in many ways. 
They were crude, they were 

280
00:14:53,320 --> 00:14:56,480
coarse, they were boorish. 
They were savages, they were 

281
00:14:56,480 --> 00:14:59,080
nomads. 
They were warlike people who 

282
00:14:59,080 --> 00:15:02,960
invaded the Fertile Crescent in 
the 7th century before Christ. 

283
00:15:03,120 --> 00:15:06,520
The Synthians were notorious for
their savagery. 

284
00:15:06,640 --> 00:15:09,120
And then it goes on to say 
there's bond and free talking 

285
00:15:09,120 --> 00:15:12,280
about those who are part of the 
slave market and the slave trade

286
00:15:12,280 --> 00:15:15,120
during that time, which in many 
places in the Roman Empire could

287
00:15:15,120 --> 00:15:18,320
have been up to a order in some 
places of those who were living 

288
00:15:18,320 --> 00:15:22,360
or more were slaves that were 
held as slave labor. 

289
00:15:22,360 --> 00:15:25,160
And so there's all of these 
different groups here. 

290
00:15:25,160 --> 00:15:28,120
And many of those groups were at
odds with one another. 

291
00:15:28,400 --> 00:15:32,680
Jews and Greeks, circumcised and
uncircumcised in many ways, all 

292
00:15:32,680 --> 00:15:36,080
of them against the Barbarians 
and the Synthians were against 

293
00:15:36,080 --> 00:15:38,920
everybody. 
And then Bond and Free, it seems

294
00:15:38,920 --> 00:15:42,320
like could there be any unity? 
Could it be anything that they 

295
00:15:42,320 --> 00:15:44,800
have in common? 
No, it seems like more than 

296
00:15:44,800 --> 00:15:48,200
anything, it was just vision. 
They were divided, They were in 

297
00:15:48,200 --> 00:15:50,760
these different camps, and in 
many ways it felt like they had 

298
00:15:51,080 --> 00:15:53,840
nothing in common with one 
another at all. 

299
00:15:54,600 --> 00:15:59,200
But here we are 2000 years 
later, and don't you feel like 

300
00:15:59,200 --> 00:16:01,520
there's a lot of similarities to
where we are today? 

301
00:16:02,960 --> 00:16:06,480
Again, we live in a divided 
nation, which is in the midst of

302
00:16:06,480 --> 00:16:10,800
a divided world. 
See, we as mankind with all of 

303
00:16:10,800 --> 00:16:13,040
our advancements. 
And we've had a lot of 

304
00:16:13,040 --> 00:16:15,400
advancements technologically 
speaking, haven't we? 

305
00:16:15,880 --> 00:16:17,920
But with all of our 
advancements, we still get into 

306
00:16:17,920 --> 00:16:22,240
the age-old debates of being 
divided by all of these 

307
00:16:22,240 --> 00:16:25,600
different things. 
Mankind is divided by race. 

308
00:16:26,120 --> 00:16:30,320
Mankind is divided by color, 
mankind is divided by language. 

309
00:16:30,440 --> 00:16:33,840
Mankind is divided by social 
classes, particularly in other 

310
00:16:33,840 --> 00:16:37,280
nations where some of the social
stratas are still held to today.

311
00:16:37,280 --> 00:16:40,320
And you can't leave the caste 
system of which you were born 

312
00:16:40,320 --> 00:16:42,640
into. 
Those are still around today for

313
00:16:42,640 --> 00:16:46,880
billions upon this planet. 
Mankind is divided by economic 

314
00:16:46,880 --> 00:16:49,760
classes. 
Mankind is divided by education,

315
00:16:49,760 --> 00:16:52,480
where you're college educated, 
where you're part of a trade. 

316
00:16:52,480 --> 00:16:55,040
Did you graduate high school? 
Did you get a GED? 

317
00:16:55,200 --> 00:16:58,360
We break up into all these 
different camps and we even 

318
00:16:58,440 --> 00:17:00,720
break into smaller camps, and a 
lot of them aren't even 

319
00:17:00,720 --> 00:17:03,800
important, but it seems like we 
try to break ourselves into 

320
00:17:03,800 --> 00:17:06,720
smaller groups than that. 
There's the Ford people against 

321
00:17:06,720 --> 00:17:12,119
the Chevy people, there's the 
Duncan people against the 

322
00:17:12,119 --> 00:17:16,160
Starbucks people. 
There's the iPhone people 

323
00:17:17,240 --> 00:17:19,680
against everyone else, the 
Android. 

324
00:17:20,160 --> 00:17:23,440
There's Coke and Pepsi. 
There's early birds and night 

325
00:17:23,440 --> 00:17:24,839
owls and by the way, early 
birds. 

326
00:17:25,240 --> 00:17:26,240
I just want to know how you do 
it. 

327
00:17:26,240 --> 00:17:29,840
That's all I want to know. 
Early birds, night owls, aisle 

328
00:17:29,840 --> 00:17:32,520
seat against window seat, Pats 
against chargers. 

329
00:17:32,520 --> 00:17:33,760
Wait, no, that's tonight. 
Never mind. 

330
00:17:34,440 --> 00:17:37,520
We're divided into all of these 
different groups, and some of 

331
00:17:37,520 --> 00:17:39,400
them important and some of them 
meaningless. 

332
00:17:39,400 --> 00:17:42,480
But it's like we're always 
dividing and trying to find our 

333
00:17:42,480 --> 00:17:45,960
group and define our niche, and 
this is what mankind does. 

334
00:17:45,960 --> 00:17:48,760
And if it was just to find 
people with common belief so 

335
00:17:48,760 --> 00:17:51,200
that then we could reach out to 
other people, that would be one 

336
00:17:51,200 --> 00:17:53,920
thing. 
But mankind divides, and in the 

337
00:17:53,920 --> 00:18:00,280
division we find that they can 
get pretty heated, get pretty 

338
00:18:00,280 --> 00:18:04,040
difficult, and we live in a 
world that bears witness to 

339
00:18:04,040 --> 00:18:07,280
that. 
Mankind is divided by belief 

340
00:18:07,280 --> 00:18:10,080
system. 
We find that all throughout the 

341
00:18:10,080 --> 00:18:12,960
word of God. 
You can go all the way back to 

342
00:18:12,960 --> 00:18:15,960
the first family. 
No, not Adam and Eve, but their 

343
00:18:15,960 --> 00:18:18,520
sons, Cain and Abel, they 
divided. 

344
00:18:19,560 --> 00:18:23,120
One died over the issue of 
whether offering should be made 

345
00:18:23,120 --> 00:18:26,480
with fruits and vegetables or 
the blood of animal sacrifices. 

346
00:18:26,480 --> 00:18:30,000
God commanded Abraham divided 
with his family and moved to a 

347
00:18:30,000 --> 00:18:32,840
promised land of which he didn't
know where it was, but he just 

348
00:18:32,840 --> 00:18:35,920
trusted the Lord to go and 
divided from his family. 

349
00:18:35,920 --> 00:18:39,040
In the old world, Samuel is a 
young man divided from the 

350
00:18:39,040 --> 00:18:42,600
leadership of Israel who we're 
not doing right, and decided he 

351
00:18:42,600 --> 00:18:45,280
would do right in a time of 
great wickedness of Israel. 

352
00:18:45,840 --> 00:18:50,440
Ruth divided from her people in 
Moab when Moab was not serving 

353
00:18:50,440 --> 00:18:53,920
the Lord, but yet she decided to
go back with Naomi to Bethlehem,

354
00:18:53,920 --> 00:18:55,760
Judah. 
And she said in Ruth chapter 

355
00:18:55,760 --> 00:18:59,560
one, verse 16 For whither thou 
goest I will go, and where thou 

356
00:18:59,560 --> 00:19:02,920
largest I will lodge. 
Thy people shall be my people 

357
00:19:02,920 --> 00:19:06,960
and thy God, my God. 
Daniel and his friends divided 

358
00:19:06,960 --> 00:19:09,880
from the leadership of Babylon, 
and we're willing to put their 

359
00:19:09,880 --> 00:19:13,400
lives on the line against the 
false gods and the false 

360
00:19:13,400 --> 00:19:17,280
leadership of Babylon. 
But this division of belief is 

361
00:19:17,280 --> 00:19:19,320
still true today. 
There's Christians, there's 

362
00:19:19,320 --> 00:19:22,880
Jews, there's Muslims that make 
up 4 million or rather 4 

363
00:19:22,880 --> 00:19:26,480
billionth of the world's 
population today, not to mention

364
00:19:26,480 --> 00:19:31,160
over 4000 religions worldwide at
the best estimate of many. 

365
00:19:32,640 --> 00:19:34,280
There's different national 
beliefs. 

366
00:19:35,320 --> 00:19:37,960
There's right and left, 
Conservative and Liberal, 

367
00:19:37,960 --> 00:19:40,640
freedom and socialism, red state
and blue state. 

368
00:19:40,960 --> 00:19:44,160
Do I really need to convince you
how divided we are today? 

369
00:19:44,800 --> 00:19:47,000
I think if there's anything 
today, you'd probably say 

370
00:19:47,000 --> 00:19:48,720
pastor, it's overkill. 
Pastor. 

371
00:19:48,800 --> 00:19:51,640
I understand, Pastor, we live in
a divided world. 

372
00:19:51,760 --> 00:19:53,960
But yes, it's always been a 
divided world. 

373
00:19:54,040 --> 00:19:56,240
The problem has always been 
division. 

374
00:19:56,320 --> 00:19:59,360
Mankind keeps dividing. 
The camps keep getting smaller 

375
00:19:59,440 --> 00:20:02,920
and the camps keep getting more 
vicious every day. 

376
00:20:04,040 --> 00:20:07,320
So let me ask you this. 
With all that division, are you 

377
00:20:07,320 --> 00:20:10,560
unsettled? 
Are you afraid? 

378
00:20:12,200 --> 00:20:17,680
Are you concerned for? 
Yourself, your kids, your 

379
00:20:17,680 --> 00:20:20,960
grandkids. 
Are you like me that there were 

380
00:20:20,960 --> 00:20:24,440
times this week that you just as
your normal habit of life, you 

381
00:20:25,040 --> 00:20:27,640
click online or on your phone to
check the news and maybe you 

382
00:20:27,640 --> 00:20:30,400
said, oh, I don't know that I 
want to look at it because I 

383
00:20:30,400 --> 00:20:31,560
don't know what I'm going to 
see. 

384
00:20:32,920 --> 00:20:35,920
I felt that this week. 
Have you felt that this week? 

385
00:20:37,520 --> 00:20:42,320
Do you have that concern? 
Mankind is divided in your 

386
00:20:42,320 --> 00:20:43,800
heart. 
Are you asking yourself the 

387
00:20:43,800 --> 00:20:46,160
question, Maybe? 
Is there an answer to all of 

388
00:20:46,160 --> 00:20:50,000
this? 
Is there an answer to the 

389
00:20:50,000 --> 00:20:53,360
madness that's around us? 
Is there an answer to the 

390
00:20:53,360 --> 00:20:55,320
divisiveness? 
Is there an answer to the 

391
00:20:55,320 --> 00:20:57,640
problems? 
Is there an answer to sin 

392
00:20:57,640 --> 00:21:01,440
itself, the very root cause, the
very root problem of mankind? 

393
00:21:01,640 --> 00:21:04,240
Could there be an answer? 
Well, as I told you a few 

394
00:21:04,240 --> 00:21:07,720
moments ago, listen, mankind has
always been divided. 

395
00:21:07,720 --> 00:21:11,600
That's clear in verse #11 Greek,
Jew, circumcision, 

396
00:21:11,600 --> 00:21:14,960
uncircumcision, barbarian, 
sentient, bond, or free. 

397
00:21:15,080 --> 00:21:17,360
And you could put any of the 
groups that I just mentioned in 

398
00:21:17,360 --> 00:21:19,640
there and update it for today. 
I'm not talking about changing 

399
00:21:19,640 --> 00:21:22,400
the Word of God, but I'm saying 
the same problems exist today 

400
00:21:22,480 --> 00:21:26,560
day that existed back then. 
But here's the answer that 

401
00:21:26,560 --> 00:21:29,800
Christ is the answer to all 
division. 

402
00:21:30,160 --> 00:21:33,040
If you get nothing else from 
today, understand this that in a

403
00:21:33,040 --> 00:21:38,080
world that is divided, Christ 
has always been the answer to 

404
00:21:38,080 --> 00:21:40,800
all division. 
Don't miss the 1st 4 words of 

405
00:21:40,800 --> 00:21:43,920
this verse. 
Look again at verse #11 it says 

406
00:21:43,920 --> 00:21:48,520
where there is neither, meaning 
this there's an answer to that 

407
00:21:48,520 --> 00:21:51,240
division. 
So there's a place where there 

408
00:21:51,240 --> 00:21:56,560
is neither Jew or Greek, 
circumcision nor uncircumcision,

409
00:21:57,040 --> 00:21:59,200
barbarian, sentient bond nor 
free. 

410
00:21:59,600 --> 00:22:02,520
Where there is neither means 
there's an answer to all of 

411
00:22:02,520 --> 00:22:06,960
that. 
And that word but three simple 

412
00:22:06,960 --> 00:22:11,240
letters. 
BUT the conjunction and many 

413
00:22:11,240 --> 00:22:13,560
times the most blessed word that
you'll find in all of the word 

414
00:22:13,560 --> 00:22:15,640
of God. 
Say, why is that? 

415
00:22:16,080 --> 00:22:22,320
Because upon that small word 
hinges a great change where 

416
00:22:22,320 --> 00:22:25,760
there's division. 
But there is an answer. 

417
00:22:26,000 --> 00:22:28,440
But it's not just an answer, 
it's a very specific answer. 

418
00:22:29,320 --> 00:22:32,600
The specific answer is this 
Jesus Christ. 

419
00:22:32,920 --> 00:22:36,840
Why? 
Because Christ is all and in 

420
00:22:36,840 --> 00:22:40,920
all. 
The answer has always been Jesus

421
00:22:40,920 --> 00:22:43,320
Christ. 
There's two phrases right there 

422
00:22:43,320 --> 00:22:45,800
that we can look at it, and I 
can tell you that in the short 

423
00:22:45,800 --> 00:22:49,360
time I have, there's no way I 
can treat these as well as I 

424
00:22:49,360 --> 00:22:53,480
would like to because there's so
much there in such a small short

425
00:22:53,480 --> 00:22:55,920
phrase. 
Christ is all and in all. 

426
00:22:55,920 --> 00:22:59,960
But first we see that Christ is 
all meaning this. 

427
00:23:00,160 --> 00:23:05,560
He is everything that matters. 
Christ is everything that 

428
00:23:05,560 --> 00:23:08,520
matters in this life when it 
comes to salvation. 

429
00:23:08,640 --> 00:23:11,800
He is everything that matters. 
There is no other name given 

430
00:23:11,800 --> 00:23:15,280
upon man, given under heaven 
whereby man must be saved, but 

431
00:23:15,280 --> 00:23:19,480
in the name of Jesus Christ. 
He is everything that matters. 

432
00:23:19,640 --> 00:23:23,600
He is your identity. 
We're not Bostonians and we're 

433
00:23:23,600 --> 00:23:26,880
not Americans and we're not all 
of these other things first, or 

434
00:23:26,880 --> 00:23:29,320
coffee lovers or cat lovers. 
Apparently not many of those 

435
00:23:29,320 --> 00:23:32,600
today. 
We all those things when our 

436
00:23:32,600 --> 00:23:36,800
true identity comes from Christ,
he first and foremost, you say, 

437
00:23:36,920 --> 00:23:39,160
so I'm not supposed to identify 
with anything else. 

438
00:23:39,160 --> 00:23:40,440
Well, of course you are. 
You can't. 

439
00:23:40,720 --> 00:23:43,760
We live here and this is where 
we are and this is the nation 

440
00:23:43,760 --> 00:23:45,600
we're in. 
And by the way, I'm so glad to 

441
00:23:45,600 --> 00:23:47,600
be an American. 
I'm thankful to be able to live 

442
00:23:47,600 --> 00:23:50,400
in the United States of America,
even with all of its flaws and 

443
00:23:50,400 --> 00:23:52,680
all of its difficulties. 
I'm so thankful that we are 

444
00:23:52,680 --> 00:23:54,800
placed here for such a time as 
this. 

445
00:23:54,800 --> 00:23:57,760
But I will say this, that even 
with all of those identities, 

446
00:23:57,880 --> 00:24:00,920
Christ is the primary identity. 
And as we identify with him, 

447
00:24:00,920 --> 00:24:03,600
listen, he makes us better, 
better and all of those other 

448
00:24:03,600 --> 00:24:06,920
things you say, well, identify 
as a parent. 

449
00:24:06,920 --> 00:24:09,640
That's that's who I am. 
Well, identifying with Christ 

450
00:24:09,640 --> 00:24:13,160
will make you a better parent. 
Well, I'm a spouse. 

451
00:24:13,280 --> 00:24:16,760
That's wonderful. 
Christ will make you a better 

452
00:24:16,760 --> 00:24:19,880
spouse. 1 of Bostonian. 
I can't promise you Christ will 

453
00:24:19,880 --> 00:24:21,080
make you a better driver. 
All right. 

454
00:24:22,120 --> 00:24:23,840
I can't promise you I can get 
upset in traffic. 

455
00:24:23,840 --> 00:24:26,320
All right, That's a that's 
that's between you and the Lord.

456
00:24:26,320 --> 00:24:29,600
All right, But I do know this. 
Listen, He is our identity. 

457
00:24:30,640 --> 00:24:32,400
Christ is all. 
He's our righteousness. 

458
00:24:33,280 --> 00:24:35,280
Our righteousness doesn't come 
within ourselves. 

459
00:24:35,680 --> 00:24:37,840
We're sinners. 
We do wrong. 

460
00:24:37,840 --> 00:24:41,600
We see that in the very division
of which it bounds around us. 

461
00:24:41,720 --> 00:24:44,920
We see that we're sinners. 
But in Christ we are righteous. 

462
00:24:45,120 --> 00:24:46,600
We have righteousness through 
Him. 

463
00:24:46,600 --> 00:24:49,680
In salvation, in Christ, there 
is wisdom. 

464
00:24:50,480 --> 00:24:52,600
Wisdom of the world is fool's 
gold. 

465
00:24:53,440 --> 00:24:56,440
It seems like it will lead you a
certain direction, but that 

466
00:24:56,440 --> 00:24:58,680
direction often times is right 
off a Cliff. 

467
00:24:59,640 --> 00:25:03,440
But the wisdom of the Lord, the 
wisdom of the Lord is what we 

468
00:25:03,440 --> 00:25:05,720
need. 
Christ is all when it comes to 

469
00:25:05,720 --> 00:25:08,000
wisdom. 
Christ is all when it comes to 

470
00:25:08,000 --> 00:25:10,560
purpose. 
Christ is all when it comes to 

471
00:25:10,560 --> 00:25:13,200
hope. 
Christ alone is the source, the 

472
00:25:13,200 --> 00:25:16,000
sum, and the substance of the 
Christian life. 

473
00:25:16,440 --> 00:25:18,320
Now the other side of that is 
this. 

474
00:25:18,560 --> 00:25:23,360
Not only is He everything to us,
listen, He is also everything 

475
00:25:23,760 --> 00:25:27,560
that matters to me. 
Christ is all meaning this, that

476
00:25:27,640 --> 00:25:30,640
that he should be everything in 
my life, but also this he is 

477
00:25:30,640 --> 00:25:34,120
lacking nothing. 
That's why we can say Christ is 

478
00:25:34,120 --> 00:25:36,040
all. 
That's one of the things I want 

479
00:25:36,040 --> 00:25:37,680
us to look at over the next 
several weeks. 

480
00:25:37,800 --> 00:25:40,720
Some of these characteristics, 
consider some of these that Lord

481
00:25:40,720 --> 00:25:42,120
willing, we're going to look at 
that. 

482
00:25:42,120 --> 00:25:45,560
Christ is healer, Christ is 
teacher, Christ is 

483
00:25:45,560 --> 00:25:49,120
compassionate, Christ is meek, 
Christ is omnipotent, He is 

484
00:25:49,120 --> 00:25:52,760
servant, He is holy, He is 
savior, forgiving, prophet, 

485
00:25:52,760 --> 00:25:57,600
eternal, gracious, light, the 
door, shepherd, life, truthful, 

486
00:25:57,600 --> 00:26:02,160
divine, loving, omniscient, 
peaceful, glorious, judge, 

487
00:26:02,160 --> 00:26:06,600
bread, just, sovereign, 
Redeemer, Lord, humble, creator,

488
00:26:06,680 --> 00:26:10,400
wise, patient, victorious, 
merciful, sinless, obedient, 

489
00:26:10,480 --> 00:26:13,280
priest, righteous, faithful, and
king. 

490
00:26:14,720 --> 00:26:16,440
That makes me tired. 
Just saying it all don't make me

491
00:26:16,440 --> 00:26:22,360
say it again, But those all come
from New Testament verses that 

492
00:26:22,360 --> 00:26:24,360
tell us who He is. 
Christ is all. 

493
00:26:24,400 --> 00:26:29,480
He's not just all to you, but He
is all, sufficient and lacking 

494
00:26:29,480 --> 00:26:31,680
nothing. 
Christ is all. 

495
00:26:31,920 --> 00:26:34,520
What else in this world can you 
think of that is 

496
00:26:34,560 --> 00:26:38,400
all-encompassing and all 
powerful like Christ? 

497
00:26:38,680 --> 00:26:42,880
Christ is all. 
But it also says this, that it's

498
00:26:42,880 --> 00:26:46,800
not just that Christ is all, but
Christ is in all. 

499
00:26:47,440 --> 00:26:52,000
Those are the last words of the 
verse, and in all meaning Christ

500
00:26:52,400 --> 00:26:56,040
is in all. 
You realize that when you accept

501
00:26:56,040 --> 00:27:00,640
Jesus Christ as your savior that
he dwells within you the spirit 

502
00:27:00,640 --> 00:27:03,600
of Christ. 
Colossians 127 says Christ in 

503
00:27:03,600 --> 00:27:07,680
you the the hope of glory. 
Because of this, Galatians 327 

504
00:27:07,680 --> 00:27:10,840
through 29 says for as many of 
you have been baptized into 

505
00:27:10,840 --> 00:27:15,240
Christ, have put on Christ. 
There is neither Jew nor Greek, 

506
00:27:15,400 --> 00:27:17,960
nor bond, nor free. 
Does that sound familiar to 

507
00:27:17,960 --> 00:27:19,640
anyone? 
We have Christ within us. 

508
00:27:19,800 --> 00:27:22,600
There's neither Jew nor Creek, 
nor bond, nor free. 

509
00:27:22,680 --> 00:27:26,880
There's neither male nor female.
You're one in Christ Jesus. 

510
00:27:26,880 --> 00:27:29,080
Meaning what? 
Where there was division, now 

511
00:27:30,160 --> 00:27:33,640
there's unity. 
What mankind cannot accomplish, 

512
00:27:34,480 --> 00:27:38,800
only God can accomplish. 
If you be Christ's, then ye are 

513
00:27:38,800 --> 00:27:42,280
Abraham's seed and errors 
according to the promise, 

514
00:27:42,920 --> 00:27:47,160
because He is in all. 
He is the only truly unifying 

515
00:27:47,160 --> 00:27:51,440
factor that you can find in this
world that you can always rely 

516
00:27:51,440 --> 00:27:53,400
on. 
Oh, there's other unifying 

517
00:27:53,400 --> 00:27:55,600
factors. 
I understand that, but they 

518
00:27:55,600 --> 00:27:59,320
don't work 100% of the time. 
Oh, there's some good programs 

519
00:27:59,320 --> 00:28:01,600
out there. 
There's some good thoughts out 

520
00:28:01,600 --> 00:28:04,480
there, there are some 
philosophies out there that 

521
00:28:04,480 --> 00:28:08,360
might steer you in the right 
direction, but if it comes from 

522
00:28:08,360 --> 00:28:11,080
man, listen, it won't work 100% 
of the time. 

523
00:28:11,960 --> 00:28:15,000
But I will tell you this, 
there's only one who is always 

524
00:28:15,040 --> 00:28:18,480
the unifying factor and that is 
Jesus Christ. 

525
00:28:18,680 --> 00:28:21,440
He can heal the vision of this 
world, but listen, most 

526
00:28:21,440 --> 00:28:25,120
importantly, He can heal the 
division of your broken heart as

527
00:28:25,120 --> 00:28:28,400
well. 
He can heal the division of the 

528
00:28:28,400 --> 00:28:34,360
world, and it starts with each 
having their hearts healed from 

529
00:28:34,360 --> 00:28:37,800
the division that comes by sin 
and brokenness. 

530
00:28:38,960 --> 00:28:41,920
He can unify a marriage. 
Christ is in all. 

531
00:28:41,920 --> 00:28:43,400
He can bring unity to a 
marriage. 

532
00:28:44,400 --> 00:28:48,840
He can bring unity to a family. 
Believe it or not, He can bring 

533
00:28:48,840 --> 00:28:52,680
unity to a church. 
Imagine that. 

534
00:28:53,840 --> 00:28:55,000
A group of people. 
Thank you, Ralph. 

535
00:28:55,000 --> 00:28:58,520
All right, imagine that's how I 
feel too about it, brother. 

536
00:28:58,520 --> 00:29:02,040
You know, listen, a bunch of us 
being together, if we all have 

537
00:29:02,040 --> 00:29:05,960
Christ, we should be the most 
united group that you can find 

538
00:29:05,960 --> 00:29:08,560
anywhere. 
But it seems like that's not 

539
00:29:08,560 --> 00:29:10,560
often the case, is it? 
I'm not talking about liberty, 

540
00:29:10,560 --> 00:29:12,000
but I'm just talking about 
churches in general. 

541
00:29:12,560 --> 00:29:15,720
It makes you wonder if that's 
the case in the church isn't 

542
00:29:15,720 --> 00:29:20,280
truly united, then that means 
that Christ isn't all to the 

543
00:29:20,280 --> 00:29:23,760
church because people are 
serving their own selfishness, 

544
00:29:24,760 --> 00:29:27,440
their own thoughts, your own 
sin. 

545
00:29:28,600 --> 00:29:31,480
But where there is not unity, 
that means that Christ is not 

546
00:29:31,960 --> 00:29:38,600
all to unify a nation. 
Say where's the hope for 

547
00:29:38,600 --> 00:29:41,120
America? 
I say to you the hope for 

548
00:29:41,120 --> 00:29:46,840
America's in Jesus Christ for 
Psalm chapter 33 verse 12. 

549
00:29:47,400 --> 00:29:51,960
Blessed is the nation whose God 
is the Lord and the people whom 

550
00:29:51,960 --> 00:29:54,160
he hath chosen for his own 
inheritance. 

551
00:29:54,720 --> 00:29:58,320
Say, Pastor, you trying to make 
this a Christian nation? 

552
00:29:58,320 --> 00:30:00,960
Have you ever heard of the 
separation of church and state? 

553
00:30:01,560 --> 00:30:03,280
Well, I have heard the 
separation of church and state. 

554
00:30:03,280 --> 00:30:06,240
That was written by Thomas 
Jefferson, not in the 

555
00:30:06,640 --> 00:30:08,680
Declaration of Independence of 
the Constitution of the United 

556
00:30:08,680 --> 00:30:12,160
States, but he wrote about it to
a bunch of Baptists in 

557
00:30:12,160 --> 00:30:14,440
Connecticut because they were 
worried about there being a 

558
00:30:14,440 --> 00:30:17,800
state church, as there already 
had been in the colonies turning

559
00:30:17,800 --> 00:30:20,240
into States and as there was in 
Europe from which they were 

560
00:30:20,240 --> 00:30:22,520
trying to escape. 
Do I want this to be a Christian

561
00:30:22,520 --> 00:30:23,920
nation? 
Here's what I want. 

562
00:30:23,920 --> 00:30:26,680
I want everyone to be a 
Christian and then this will be 

563
00:30:26,680 --> 00:30:29,560
a Christian nation. 
That seems to be the simplest 

564
00:30:29,560 --> 00:30:32,240
way to do it, to be able to just
share our faith with as many 

565
00:30:32,240 --> 00:30:35,880
people as possible to tell how 
much Jesus can be a unifying 

566
00:30:35,880 --> 00:30:39,920
factor in a broken heart. 
And Jesus can unify hearts. 

567
00:30:40,440 --> 00:30:44,640
He can unify families, He can 
unify churches, He can unify a 

568
00:30:44,640 --> 00:30:47,400
nation. 
Listen when we humble ourselves 

569
00:30:47,960 --> 00:30:50,480
and realize that when mankind 
gets involved, we divide. 

570
00:30:51,560 --> 00:30:55,720
But when Jesus Christ truly is 
all and in all, he brings unity 

571
00:30:55,720 --> 00:30:59,160
that nothing else could bring. 
Truly, Christ breaks barriers 

572
00:31:00,040 --> 00:31:04,000
and Christ saves sinners. 
I don't try to say that in a way

573
00:31:04,000 --> 00:31:06,320
that sounds flippant. 
Christ breaks barriers. 

574
00:31:06,320 --> 00:31:09,440
Sometimes people say something 
like that and they're trying to 

575
00:31:10,240 --> 00:31:13,240
say that sin is OK, that sin is 
not a big deal. 

576
00:31:13,240 --> 00:31:14,120
That's not what I'm talking 
about. 

577
00:31:14,600 --> 00:31:20,080
The barrier between Jew and 
Greek was broken down by Jesus 

578
00:31:20,080 --> 00:31:23,920
Christ. 
The barrier between circumcision

579
00:31:23,920 --> 00:31:27,000
and uncircumcision was broken 
down by Jesus Christ. 

580
00:31:27,800 --> 00:31:35,360
Barrier, barbarian, sentient 
bond and free broken by Jesus 

581
00:31:35,360 --> 00:31:37,640
Christ. 
Why can I look around today and 

582
00:31:37,640 --> 00:31:41,160
see there's all different shades
of color, people that know 

583
00:31:41,160 --> 00:31:44,600
different languages, people that
come from different backgrounds?

584
00:31:45,520 --> 00:31:48,920
Why can I look at this room and 
look like, then look and think 

585
00:31:48,920 --> 00:31:51,560
that it looks more like a group 
of the United Nations? 

586
00:31:51,560 --> 00:31:55,400
I don't want to be like the 
United Nations, but but why do I

587
00:31:55,400 --> 00:31:58,080
see that? 
Because where the world couldn't

588
00:31:58,080 --> 00:32:03,120
understand that we could be one 
in Christ and speak different 

589
00:32:03,120 --> 00:32:06,120
languages and be of different 
races and know that we're all of

590
00:32:06,120 --> 00:32:08,240
one blood. 
And by the way, we all go back 

591
00:32:08,240 --> 00:32:11,480
to the same ancestors. 
You can go back to the book of 

592
00:32:11,480 --> 00:32:12,520
Genesis. 
You'll find out we're all 

593
00:32:12,520 --> 00:32:19,040
related. 
What do you need today if you 

594
00:32:19,040 --> 00:32:22,360
don't know where you'll spend 
eternity, if you're unsure where

595
00:32:22,360 --> 00:32:26,080
you would spend your life after 
this life is over, and yes, I 

596
00:32:26,080 --> 00:32:29,400
said that correctly, where you'd
spend the next life after this 

597
00:32:29,400 --> 00:32:33,920
life is over. 
I want to implore you, make 

598
00:32:33,920 --> 00:32:37,560
Christ all in your life. 
Understand that you're a Sinner.

599
00:32:38,200 --> 00:32:39,920
Only Christ can save you. 
We're going to have some folks 

600
00:32:39,920 --> 00:32:42,440
there get baptized today. 
They came to a place where they 

601
00:32:42,440 --> 00:32:45,560
understood that they're sinners,
that only Jesus Christ can save 

602
00:32:45,560 --> 00:32:47,960
them, and they called upon 
Christ to save them. 

603
00:32:48,280 --> 00:32:50,680
This isn't a process that you 
take care of when you're a baby,

604
00:32:50,680 --> 00:32:52,280
when your parents take care of 
it with you. 

605
00:32:52,840 --> 00:32:56,080
This isn't a process that you do
because you join a church. 

606
00:32:56,640 --> 00:32:58,760
It's not a process that you do 
because you have to listen to 

607
00:32:58,760 --> 00:33:01,000
the pastor preach 100 hours and 
then you know you're going to 

608
00:33:01,000 --> 00:33:03,720
heaven. 
Somebody say, wow, is that is, 

609
00:33:03,720 --> 00:33:05,280
is that easy? 
That sounds pretty hard actually

610
00:33:05,280 --> 00:33:08,640
to me, all things considered. 
No, it's not about what feat you

611
00:33:08,640 --> 00:33:10,880
could accomplish. 
It's about what Jesus 

612
00:33:10,880 --> 00:33:15,480
accomplished on the cross. 
That's why He is all and in all.

613
00:33:16,360 --> 00:33:19,280
If you're a believer today, you 
know Jesus Christ, your Savior. 

614
00:33:20,320 --> 00:33:21,160
Are you fond of Him? 
Amen. 

615
00:33:24,560 --> 00:33:27,920
Or is He more? 
It's good to be fond of Him. 

616
00:33:27,920 --> 00:33:34,680
That's a good place to start. 
But is He all and in all, you 

617
00:33:34,680 --> 00:33:37,640
say? 
But you mean then Jesus, He 

618
00:33:37,640 --> 00:33:41,200
would be everything. 
Now you're getting it, but 

619
00:33:41,200 --> 00:33:43,600
there'll be nothing left. 
No, the things that would be 

620
00:33:43,600 --> 00:33:47,600
left would be things that would 
honor him and the things that 

621
00:33:47,640 --> 00:33:51,040
your responsibilities in your 
life you would do better because

622
00:33:51,040 --> 00:33:53,960
you would be honoring the King 
of kings and the Lord of Lords. 

623
00:33:54,160 --> 00:33:56,600
No, Christ being all would not 
make you a worse parent and make

624
00:33:56,600 --> 00:33:58,480
you a better parent. 
A worse spouse would make you a 

625
00:33:58,480 --> 00:33:59,800
better spouse. 
You say you've said that already

626
00:33:59,800 --> 00:34:01,120
pastor. 
I just don't think people 

627
00:34:01,120 --> 00:34:05,840
understand it or believe it. 
Yes, it'll make you better when 

628
00:34:05,840 --> 00:34:10,639
Christ is all. 
Thought a lot of thought about 

629
00:34:10,639 --> 00:34:13,760
marriage on my mind, not just 
because it was on our 

630
00:34:13,760 --> 00:34:18,600
anniversary a few weeks ago, but
because two weddings and 13 

631
00:34:18,600 --> 00:34:21,480
months for our family. 
That's a it's a lot. 

632
00:34:22,199 --> 00:34:23,639
It's a lot in the pocketbook 
because they're girls. 

633
00:34:23,639 --> 00:34:27,600
So it's a lot on everything. 
And listen, I'm I'm so thankful.

634
00:34:27,679 --> 00:34:31,239
I'm so thankful for Carter, who 
just married Bethany back in 

635
00:34:31,239 --> 00:34:33,360
May. 
I'm thankful for Casey, who's 

636
00:34:33,360 --> 00:34:35,960
about to marry Kaylee here in 
June. 

637
00:34:36,239 --> 00:34:38,920
I'm thankful for them, but it 
makes me think about our own 

638
00:34:39,000 --> 00:34:42,159
wedding as well, Diane and mine.
And you know, it's amazing. 

639
00:34:42,159 --> 00:34:44,719
All I've said this before, all 
the preparation, the time, 

640
00:34:44,719 --> 00:34:48,639
expense and all that and you get
ready, it all leads up to like 

641
00:34:48,639 --> 00:34:50,280
30 minutes and you're done and 
you're like, that's it. 

642
00:34:51,360 --> 00:34:54,159
Like we need to do that again. 
Like that went by way too fast 

643
00:34:54,159 --> 00:34:56,199
for all the money and all the 
time and all the stuff that 

644
00:34:56,199 --> 00:34:57,200
happened. 
That's incredible. 

645
00:34:57,200 --> 00:34:59,320
I mean, it goes by so very, very
fast. 

646
00:35:00,360 --> 00:35:03,560
But I think about wedding 
relations or marriage 

647
00:35:03,560 --> 00:35:05,920
relationships, I think about the
wedding and there's usually two 

648
00:35:05,920 --> 00:35:09,720
different ways of looking at it.
There are some that that wedding

649
00:35:09,720 --> 00:35:13,320
day, they spend extravagant 
amounts of money on it and for 

650
00:35:13,320 --> 00:35:16,480
them, that's maybe the very best
day of the marriage. 

651
00:35:18,280 --> 00:35:20,320
I'm not judging anyone. 
I'm not saying I'm just using 

652
00:35:20,320 --> 00:35:23,200
this as a way of illustration. 
For some, that may be the very 

653
00:35:23,200 --> 00:35:24,720
best day. 
It is the peak, it is the 

654
00:35:24,720 --> 00:35:27,040
pinnacle. 
And then after that it kind of 

655
00:35:27,920 --> 00:35:30,880
tapers off. 
It's a sad reality. 

656
00:35:31,560 --> 00:35:33,400
It is a reality in some 
situations. 

657
00:35:34,320 --> 00:35:36,000
There are others. 
And I feel this way in my own 

658
00:35:36,000 --> 00:35:39,080
relationship, but I feel like 
the wedding was modest and it 

659
00:35:39,080 --> 00:35:42,000
was, it was wonderful. 
And by the way, I'm not saying 

660
00:35:42,000 --> 00:35:44,240
that the the success of your 
marriage is based on how much 

661
00:35:44,240 --> 00:35:45,840
money you spent on it. 
Please be clear. 

662
00:35:45,960 --> 00:35:50,960
Let me be clear about that. 
But it was modest and we were so

663
00:35:50,960 --> 00:35:53,920
in love. 
And I, I thought then I couldn't

664
00:35:53,920 --> 00:35:55,760
love her any more than I love 
her right now. 

665
00:35:56,560 --> 00:35:58,840
But you know, 22 years later, 
and for some, that's a lot. 

666
00:35:58,840 --> 00:36:00,720
And for some of you are like, 
yeah, your kids, you know, I 

667
00:36:00,720 --> 00:36:05,640
know. 
But 22 years, I think I know I 

668
00:36:05,640 --> 00:36:08,600
love her more now than I did 22 
years ago. 

669
00:36:08,640 --> 00:36:10,080
I couldn't even I couldn't even 
explain it. 

670
00:36:10,480 --> 00:36:12,360
I can't even I don't even 
understood it. 

671
00:36:12,360 --> 00:36:16,160
I just the longer we're 
together, the more I love her. 

672
00:36:16,560 --> 00:36:18,040
By the way, I'm not just saying 
that because she's in here 

673
00:36:18,040 --> 00:36:19,240
because I don't think she's in 
here right now. 

674
00:36:19,240 --> 00:36:21,080
So I mean, don't tell her I said
any of that. 

675
00:36:21,080 --> 00:36:26,840
OK, no, but I feel like as by 
way of comparison, and I know 

676
00:36:26,840 --> 00:36:30,400
this may be a difficult 
comparison to make because as we

677
00:36:30,400 --> 00:36:33,280
consider our relationship with 
Christ, human relationships 

678
00:36:33,280 --> 00:36:36,200
aren't always perfect because 
both people are not perfect. 

679
00:36:36,800 --> 00:36:39,240
Our relationship with Christ is 
different because we're not 

680
00:36:39,240 --> 00:36:43,680
perfect, but he is. 
But follow the illustration for 

681
00:36:43,680 --> 00:36:46,200
a second. 
If the best day of your 

682
00:36:46,200 --> 00:36:51,280
Christian life was the day you 
got saved and that was it, then 

683
00:36:51,280 --> 00:36:53,280
you've missed out what Christ 
has in store for you. 

684
00:36:54,240 --> 00:36:56,520
Was it an amazing day? 
It was a life changing day. 

685
00:36:57,080 --> 00:36:58,920
They became a new creature. 
Old things passed away, all 

686
00:36:58,920 --> 00:37:00,840
things become new. 
You were seated in heavenly 

687
00:37:00,840 --> 00:37:03,600
places. 
You you became a believer, 

688
00:37:03,600 --> 00:37:05,680
adopted into the very family of 
God. 

689
00:37:05,720 --> 00:37:08,960
It was a great day. 
But can I tell you this? 

690
00:37:10,320 --> 00:37:14,920
You ought to love Him more after
years than when you fairly first

691
00:37:14,920 --> 00:37:17,880
met Him. 
And if the day that was the 

692
00:37:17,880 --> 00:37:21,520
greatest, most lovingest day of 
your relationship was a day you 

693
00:37:21,520 --> 00:37:23,720
got saved, then just kind of 
tapered off. 

694
00:37:24,760 --> 00:37:27,800
Christ is not all. 
What's the process? 

695
00:37:28,120 --> 00:37:30,960
It ought to be the other 
marriage where as time goes on, 

696
00:37:30,960 --> 00:37:34,160
it just keeps getting better and
better, sweeter and sweeter. 

697
00:37:35,120 --> 00:37:36,920
Oh sure, there's rough patches 
here and there, there's 

698
00:37:36,920 --> 00:37:38,560
difficulties, there's ups and 
downs. 

699
00:37:38,920 --> 00:37:41,000
And by the way, when there's ups
and downs in our relationship, 

700
00:37:41,200 --> 00:37:42,800
mine with the Lord, it's not his
fault. 

701
00:37:43,960 --> 00:37:48,040
He's faithful, he's true, He's 
good, I'm the one that can 

702
00:37:48,040 --> 00:37:52,600
stray. 
But is he your all in your daily

703
00:37:52,600 --> 00:37:57,040
life as he is? 
And if he is, every day I'll get

704
00:37:57,040 --> 00:37:58,320
a little sweeter than the one 
before. 

705
00:37:59,000 --> 00:38:01,280
And that when the time comes 
that he calls us to glory, 

706
00:38:01,680 --> 00:38:04,360
whether that's through death or 
whether through Jesus coming 

707
00:38:04,360 --> 00:38:07,840
back, it'll just be another 
progression, another step of 

708
00:38:07,840 --> 00:38:10,520
that getting to fellowship with 
him for all eternity. 

709
00:38:10,880 --> 00:38:13,920
Listen, He's going to be our all
for eternity city might as well 

710
00:38:13,920 --> 00:38:17,160
be our all now. 
Christ is all. 

711
00:38:17,760 --> 00:38:21,400
Is he all for you today? 
Thank you for listening to the 

712
00:38:21,400 --> 00:38:24,000
sermon from the pulpit of 
Liberty Baptist Church. 

713
00:38:24,400 --> 00:38:27,600
If this message was a blessing 
to you, or if there's any way we

714
00:38:27,600 --> 00:38:30,720
can serve you, please let us 
know by contacting us at 

715
00:38:30,880 --> 00:38:35,600
info@mylibertybaptist.org. 
Or you can visit us this Sunday 

716
00:38:35,800 --> 00:38:39,520
at 800 Washington St. in Easton,
MA. 

717
00:38:39,760 --> 00:38:42,600
May the Lord bless you as you 
grow in His Word.