1 00:00:00,920 --> 00:00:06,400 Good morning church, we are in Psalm 1:45 today. 2 00:00:10,720 --> 00:00:14,800 If you're using the Bible under your seat, it is page 491. 3 00:00:15,480 --> 00:00:17,960 Bear with me because these pages are thin so I feel like I'm 4 00:00:17,960 --> 00:00:26,880 reading 2 pages at once. I will extol you, my God and 5 00:00:26,880 --> 00:00:29,600 King, and bless your name forever and ever. 6 00:00:30,160 --> 00:00:33,440 Every day I will bless you and praise your name forever and 7 00:00:33,440 --> 00:00:36,360 ever. Great is the Lord and greatly to 8 00:00:36,360 --> 00:00:39,360 be praised, and His greatness is unsearchable. 9 00:00:40,840 --> 00:00:43,920 One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall 10 00:00:43,920 --> 00:00:47,680 declare your mighty acts on the glorious splendor of your 11 00:00:47,680 --> 00:00:51,040 majesty. And on your wondrous works I 12 00:00:51,040 --> 00:00:54,720 will meditate. They shall speak of the might of 13 00:00:54,720 --> 00:00:57,680 your awesome deeds, and I will declare your greatness. 14 00:00:58,640 --> 00:01:02,360 They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness and 15 00:01:02,360 --> 00:01:05,920 shall sing aloud of your righteousness. 16 00:01:09,840 --> 00:01:13,400 The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and 17 00:01:13,400 --> 00:01:18,120 abounding in steadfast love. The Lord is good to all, and His 18 00:01:18,120 --> 00:01:20,800 mercy is over all that He has made. 19 00:01:21,880 --> 00:01:25,520 All your work shall give thanks to You, O Lord, and all your 20 00:01:25,520 --> 00:01:29,200 Saints shall bless you. They shall speak of the glory of 21 00:01:29,200 --> 00:01:32,800 Your Kingdom and tell of Your power to make known to the 22 00:01:32,800 --> 00:01:35,680 children of man Your mighty deeds and the glorious splendor 23 00:01:35,680 --> 00:01:39,280 of Your Kingdom. Your Kingdom is an everlasting 24 00:01:39,280 --> 00:01:42,040 Kingdom, and Your dominion endures throughout all 25 00:01:42,040 --> 00:01:45,240 generations. The Lord is faithful in all His 26 00:01:45,240 --> 00:01:50,320 words and kind in all His works. The Lord upholds all who are 27 00:01:50,320 --> 00:01:53,480 falling and raises up all who are bowed down. 28 00:01:54,280 --> 00:01:57,680 The eyes of all look to You, and you give them their food. 29 00:01:57,680 --> 00:02:00,840 In due season you open your hand. 30 00:02:01,280 --> 00:02:03,920 You satisfy the desire of every living thing. 31 00:02:04,960 --> 00:02:09,400 The Lord is righteous in all His ways and kind in all His works. 32 00:02:09,960 --> 00:02:14,080 The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him. 33 00:02:14,080 --> 00:02:18,000 In truth, he fulfills the desire of those who fear Him. 34 00:02:18,560 --> 00:02:21,000 He also hears their cry and saves them. 35 00:02:21,800 --> 00:02:26,320 The Lord preserves all who love Him, but all the wicked He will 36 00:02:26,320 --> 00:02:29,520 destroy. My mouth will speak the praise 37 00:02:29,520 --> 00:02:33,840 of the Lord, and let all flesh bless His holy name forever and 38 00:02:33,840 --> 00:02:35,400 ever. This is the word of the Word. 39 00:02:39,920 --> 00:02:43,640 Good morning. Hey, what's funny is I guess it 40 00:02:43,640 --> 00:02:47,040 was on and then I turned it off thinking I was turning it on. 41 00:02:47,480 --> 00:02:50,240 Y'all need me to repeat any of that stuff though, OK, I figured 42 00:02:50,240 --> 00:02:51,520 y'all were good. I figured y'all were good. 43 00:02:53,360 --> 00:03:00,480 So Speaking of of a team and of a a wife who who helps me out in 44 00:03:00,480 --> 00:03:02,480 in moments like this, y'all have a picture of my family back 45 00:03:02,480 --> 00:03:03,800 there? Nope. 46 00:03:03,800 --> 00:03:08,000 All right. Well, most of my family's up 47 00:03:08,000 --> 00:03:09,320 here. Y'all raise your hands. 48 00:03:09,920 --> 00:03:11,960 Leland's. Hey Leland's new favorite song 49 00:03:11,960 --> 00:03:14,920 lately is Praise the Lord. So he was he was back there just 50 00:03:14,920 --> 00:03:18,240 building it out. Leland is 6 loves dinosaurs. 51 00:03:18,400 --> 00:03:23,200 Josie is 5 loves unicorns. Cohen I assume is back Yonder. 52 00:03:23,200 --> 00:03:25,120 He's three. He now loves to use the potty. 53 00:03:25,440 --> 00:03:29,240 So we give thanks for that. So first, first time in like 6 54 00:03:29,240 --> 00:03:30,800 years. We don't have a kid in diapers 55 00:03:31,160 --> 00:03:34,240 in our house. Been married to my wife Molly 56 00:03:34,520 --> 00:03:38,680 for 11 years. Proverbs 1822 says he who finds 57 00:03:38,680 --> 00:03:42,800 a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord and 58 00:03:42,800 --> 00:03:45,480 that's my story. She's the glue of our family. 59 00:03:45,480 --> 00:03:49,640 She's my aspiration to use my Planet Fitness membership. 60 00:03:51,120 --> 00:03:53,160 I think you'll have a burn boot camp here in Norfolk. 61 00:03:53,760 --> 00:03:57,760 Molly is she's in to burn down in down in high point. 62 00:03:58,240 --> 00:04:03,360 Thankful thankful for for my family and for the the church 63 00:04:03,360 --> 00:04:07,000 family that God is is starting to put together we're we're 64 00:04:07,000 --> 00:04:13,120 going to be called declaration from this Psalm from Psalm 145 65 00:04:13,480 --> 00:04:16,640 verse verse 4 and I hope you're already turned there to it. 66 00:04:17,240 --> 00:04:23,240 A few weeks ago 9 pieces of crown jewelry were stolen from 67 00:04:23,240 --> 00:04:27,800 the Louvre Art Museum over there in Paris in broad daylight. 9 68 00:04:27,800 --> 00:04:30,040 pieces. One of them was recovered later 69 00:04:30,040 --> 00:04:33,280 that day, but it was damaged pretty badly and in the news 70 00:04:33,280 --> 00:04:37,400 coverage about it, the very first robbery at the Louvre was 71 00:04:37,400 --> 00:04:41,760 all the way back in 1911. Anyone know what was stolen from 72 00:04:41,760 --> 00:04:46,520 that inaugural robbery? The Mona Lisa? 73 00:04:46,800 --> 00:04:51,240 The Mona Lisa was stolen all the way back in 1911. 74 00:04:51,240 --> 00:04:56,160 Leonardo da Vinci painted the Mona Lisa in the early 1500s, 75 00:04:56,160 --> 00:05:01,080 and in 1911 an Italian handyman stole it from the Louvre by 76 00:05:01,080 --> 00:05:05,280 hiding inside the museum overnight and then walked out 77 00:05:05,280 --> 00:05:08,360 the next morning in broad daylight with the painting under 78 00:05:08,360 --> 00:05:10,480 his clothes. He pulled a pretty much a 79 00:05:10,480 --> 00:05:12,400 Nicolas Cage from National Treasure. 80 00:05:12,560 --> 00:05:16,280 In real life, he he claimed that he wanted to return the 81 00:05:16,280 --> 00:05:22,200 masterpiece to Italy, where it had return it yet to Italy. 82 00:05:22,400 --> 00:05:24,480 He thought it had been wrongfully taken by France. 83 00:05:24,480 --> 00:05:27,800 The painting was recovered a couple years later. 84 00:05:27,800 --> 00:05:32,880 It rocked the world because it was already regarded as a 85 00:05:32,880 --> 00:05:37,800 masterpiece at that time and it's theft made it an icon to 86 00:05:37,800 --> 00:05:44,560 the extent that it's it's been regarded as by by most, if not 87 00:05:44,640 --> 00:05:47,800 all, as the greatest work of art. 88 00:05:48,160 --> 00:05:52,920 So much so in 1962 it was making its rounds around the world and 89 00:05:52,920 --> 00:05:55,560 when it came to the United States, the French government 90 00:05:55,560 --> 00:06:00,480 insured it for 100 million U.S. dollars, which is over a billion 91 00:06:00,480 --> 00:06:04,280 dollars today. Now I'm not at all advocating 92 00:06:04,280 --> 00:06:08,880 for it to be stolen again, but if it were to be, I'm also not 93 00:06:08,880 --> 00:06:12,320 saying that I wouldn't accept a tie from it to Declaration 94 00:06:12,320 --> 00:06:16,520 Church as we as we get started in a little under a year from 95 00:06:16,520 --> 00:06:19,720 now. If if the Mona Lisa is the 96 00:06:19,720 --> 00:06:24,600 greatest work of art, then I want us to consider for a few 97 00:06:24,600 --> 00:06:27,600 moments together this morning what the greatest work of our 98 00:06:27,600 --> 00:06:29,760 God is. We're going to do that from 99 00:06:29,760 --> 00:06:32,520 Psalm 145. It's already been read in its 100 00:06:32,520 --> 00:06:34,760 entirety. Let's read the first few verses 101 00:06:35,080 --> 00:06:38,040 together again or look at them together again, verse one. 102 00:06:38,400 --> 00:06:42,520 I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name 103 00:06:42,520 --> 00:06:47,560 forever and ever every day. I will bless you and praise your 104 00:06:47,560 --> 00:06:52,240 name forever and ever. Great is the Lord. 105 00:06:52,880 --> 00:06:55,240 How many of you know in your life that the Lord is great? 106 00:06:55,880 --> 00:07:01,040 Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised, and His greatness is 107 00:07:01,040 --> 00:07:04,800 unsearchable. One generation shall commend 108 00:07:04,800 --> 00:07:09,760 your works to another. And shall what Leland, declare 109 00:07:10,280 --> 00:07:13,440 your mighty acts? One generation to another shall 110 00:07:13,440 --> 00:07:15,720 declare your mighty acts. Here's the big idea that I want 111 00:07:15,720 --> 00:07:20,320 to hand you from Psalm 145. The gospel is simply the 112 00:07:20,320 --> 00:07:25,040 greatest work of God. The gospel is the greatest work 113 00:07:25,040 --> 00:07:26,840 of God. This is the last Psalm that's 114 00:07:26,840 --> 00:07:31,600 attributed to King David, and it's also the last of the eight. 115 00:07:31,600 --> 00:07:35,760 What are called acrostic psalms, the beginning of each line or 116 00:07:35,760 --> 00:07:38,280 lyric. The psalms were the original 117 00:07:38,280 --> 00:07:41,520 hymn book. The beginning of each line of an 118 00:07:41,520 --> 00:07:45,800 acrostic Psalm begins with the next letter in the Hebrew 119 00:07:45,800 --> 00:07:48,600 alphabet. One commentator called Psalm 145 120 00:07:48,840 --> 00:07:53,920 the alphabet of praise because of how it calls us to praise God 121 00:07:53,920 --> 00:08:00,440 both for who He is and for what He does, To praise God for His 122 00:08:00,440 --> 00:08:07,160 greatness and for His goodness, To praise Him for His worth and 123 00:08:07,600 --> 00:08:12,200 His works. Halloween being being over for 124 00:08:12,200 --> 00:08:16,720 our family means we are we we we listen to Christmas music on our 125 00:08:16,720 --> 00:08:21,400 drive up this weekend. Judge us if you want, but that 126 00:08:21,400 --> 00:08:24,320 means Christmas season in the Suits house. 127 00:08:24,320 --> 00:08:27,760 And to be honest with you, Christmas in the Suits house 128 00:08:28,160 --> 00:08:32,080 will also mean at some point sooner than later, Christmas 129 00:08:32,080 --> 00:08:34,320 vacation, at least when the kids go to bed. 130 00:08:34,320 --> 00:08:36,480 And we will do the edited version, all of that stuff. 131 00:08:36,799 --> 00:08:43,000 The the thing about Chevy Chase is he's known for not living up 132 00:08:43,000 --> 00:08:48,040 to the the family man Clark Griswold persona that he he 133 00:08:48,040 --> 00:08:54,840 plays in in those movies. In fact, by many that he's done 134 00:08:54,840 --> 00:09:00,680 movies with, to be honest with you, he's kind of regarded as as 135 00:09:00,680 --> 00:09:03,600 a jerk. That's what many of his many of 136 00:09:03,600 --> 00:09:07,440 his other actors and actresses say. 137 00:09:08,080 --> 00:09:13,840 On the other hand, the most famous man in High Point, where 138 00:09:13,840 --> 00:09:18,520 I'm from, where we've lived the past few years, the most famous 139 00:09:18,520 --> 00:09:21,040 guy in High Point is a man named Nito Qubane. 140 00:09:21,600 --> 00:09:26,040 He is the president of High Point University and Doctor 141 00:09:26,040 --> 00:09:31,040 Cobain may or may not give out king size candy bars on 142 00:09:31,040 --> 00:09:34,120 Halloween. And we may or may not know that 143 00:09:34,120 --> 00:09:36,560 that's the case because his house is the first one we hit up 144 00:09:36,880 --> 00:09:41,000 every year. So his what he does kind of 145 00:09:41,000 --> 00:09:46,520 lives up to his reputation. And what this Psalm shows us is 146 00:09:46,520 --> 00:09:51,800 that our God lives up to the praise that he's worthy of 147 00:09:51,800 --> 00:09:54,720 receiving. Verse 3 says that he is great, 148 00:09:55,000 --> 00:09:57,520 that he's greatly to be praised. Why? 149 00:09:57,840 --> 00:10:00,840 Look at verse 4 again. One generation shall commend 150 00:10:00,840 --> 00:10:06,640 your what your works to another and shall declare your mighty 151 00:10:06,960 --> 00:10:10,520 acts. Growing up as as a Jew and being 152 00:10:10,520 --> 00:10:14,720 immersed in what was their law, what's the first five books of 153 00:10:14,720 --> 00:10:17,440 our Old Testament? King David would have been 154 00:10:17,440 --> 00:10:23,080 familiar with things like creation, the flood, God 155 00:10:23,080 --> 00:10:27,680 providing a ram in place of Isaac, O Mount Moriah, the 156 00:10:27,680 --> 00:10:31,120 plagues of Egypt, the Exodus, the parting of the Red Sea, the 157 00:10:31,120 --> 00:10:34,640 battle of Jericho, and even in his own life, he would have been 158 00:10:34,640 --> 00:10:39,480 familiar with the works of God. He had killed a lion some time 159 00:10:39,480 --> 00:10:41,640 before. He killed Goliath with just one, 160 00:10:41,960 --> 00:10:44,960 one stone. God had spared his life from 161 00:10:44,960 --> 00:10:47,640 King Saul. David knew what it was like for 162 00:10:47,640 --> 00:10:51,560 his sin, his sin with Bathsheba to be redeemed. 163 00:10:51,560 --> 00:10:56,760 In other words, David both knew historically and culturally and 164 00:10:57,000 --> 00:11:00,960 personally about the mighty acts of God. 165 00:11:01,880 --> 00:11:06,960 But as incredible as those displays of God's power were, 166 00:11:07,360 --> 00:11:11,840 they were not the be all, end all of what God was actually 167 00:11:12,280 --> 00:11:13,840 doing. It's here's what I mean. 168 00:11:14,120 --> 00:11:18,880 It's easy to think that the Red Sea is all about God making a 169 00:11:18,880 --> 00:11:21,480 way through a difficult situation. 170 00:11:21,480 --> 00:11:25,480 And it's easy to think of Goliath as being about God, us 171 00:11:25,480 --> 00:11:29,520 having faith in God to overcome giants in our lives. 172 00:11:29,520 --> 00:11:33,040 Don't hear me say that there's not application in in those 173 00:11:33,040 --> 00:11:37,000 areas of our lives, but they're not the point. 174 00:11:37,280 --> 00:11:43,320 The point, the point wasn't so much about what God could do as 175 00:11:43,320 --> 00:11:46,680 much as it was about what God would do. 176 00:11:47,080 --> 00:11:48,800 Another way of saying that is this. 177 00:11:48,800 --> 00:11:52,720 The point was who they pointed to. 178 00:11:54,040 --> 00:11:58,600 God created us to be in relationship with Him. 179 00:11:59,200 --> 00:12:02,920 But sin has ruined that. Sin has wrecked that. 180 00:12:02,920 --> 00:12:08,880 The sin that we inherited from Adam and Eve separates us from 181 00:12:08,920 --> 00:12:10,800 God. That that's not because God is 182 00:12:10,800 --> 00:12:14,280 some divine version of Clint Eastwood and Gran Torino telling 183 00:12:14,280 --> 00:12:18,680 us to get off his lawn. It's because our God is holy, 184 00:12:18,920 --> 00:12:22,280 say holy. It's because our God is holy, 185 00:12:22,280 --> 00:12:28,840 and anything less than who God is cannot be in relationship 186 00:12:29,120 --> 00:12:32,440 with Him. It's also why the world is so 187 00:12:32,440 --> 00:12:34,880 incredibly broken. It's why we have things like 188 00:12:35,400 --> 00:12:40,560 hurricanes that that devastate places not too far from from the 189 00:12:40,560 --> 00:12:42,200 United States. That's why we have government 190 00:12:42,200 --> 00:12:44,760 shutdowns. And it's why we have politicians 191 00:12:44,760 --> 00:12:48,600 who frankly, are less mature than Leland, Josie, and Cohen. 192 00:12:48,600 --> 00:12:54,320 As as God was pronouncing the curse, he told Adam that the 193 00:12:54,320 --> 00:12:59,800 ground would produce thorns and thistles, which is a good 194 00:12:59,800 --> 00:13:03,240 picture of a sin cursed broken world. 195 00:13:03,480 --> 00:13:09,320 But right before God told, God told the serpent or God told 196 00:13:09,320 --> 00:13:14,360 that he told the serpent who attempted Eve to eat from the 197 00:13:14,360 --> 00:13:15,560 forbidden tree. He told them. 198 00:13:15,920 --> 00:13:18,200 He told the serpent this in Genesis 315. 199 00:13:18,200 --> 00:13:22,120 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your 200 00:13:22,120 --> 00:13:26,760 offspring and her offspring. He shall bruise your head and 201 00:13:26,760 --> 00:13:29,480 you shall only bruise his heel. That's Genesis 315. 202 00:13:29,480 --> 00:13:33,560 That's what theologians call the proto evangelion, the first 203 00:13:33,880 --> 00:13:40,760 gospel, the first promise of Jesus and the rest of the Old 204 00:13:40,760 --> 00:13:45,280 Testament is, is God basically creating a people to bring about 205 00:13:45,280 --> 00:13:48,760 the one person of Jesus, to bring about Jesus. 206 00:13:48,760 --> 00:13:53,200 And 1000 years later after David wrote this Psalm, Jesus, who was 207 00:13:53,200 --> 00:13:58,480 his great grandson about 28 times over, was born in his 208 00:13:58,800 --> 00:14:01,400 hometown that night in the little town of Bethlehem. 209 00:14:01,400 --> 00:14:05,280 Luke chapter 2 says that an Angel appeared to a ragtag group 210 00:14:05,280 --> 00:14:08,400 of shepherds who are hanging out in a field keeping watch over 211 00:14:08,400 --> 00:14:11,120 their flock by night. The Angel told them this, this 212 00:14:11,120 --> 00:14:16,560 fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great what, of 213 00:14:16,560 --> 00:14:19,680 great joy, which will be for all people. 214 00:14:19,840 --> 00:14:21,800 And then the Angel looks them in the eye. 215 00:14:21,800 --> 00:14:26,280 And this is a singular you, he says, For unto you is born this 216 00:14:26,280 --> 00:14:29,320 day in the city of David, a Savior. 217 00:14:29,320 --> 00:14:32,520 Who is what? Who is Christ the Lord. 218 00:14:32,760 --> 00:14:37,120 The end of chapter 2 says that Jesus grew in wisdom and in 219 00:14:37,120 --> 00:14:41,240 stature and in favor with God and man to the extent that he 220 00:14:41,240 --> 00:14:47,800 lived the sinless holy life that you and I could not live because 221 00:14:47,800 --> 00:14:52,360 of our sin, that He died the death on the cross, that you and 222 00:14:52,360 --> 00:14:55,920 I deserve to die. In fact, you remember what what 223 00:14:55,920 --> 00:14:59,840 God told Adam would be a sin, a symbol of a sin. 224 00:14:59,840 --> 00:15:02,240 Cursed world, Thorns and thistles. 225 00:15:02,480 --> 00:15:04,960 What did the soldiers place on Jesus's head? 226 00:15:04,960 --> 00:15:08,600 A crown of thorns. They did that to mock him. 227 00:15:08,600 --> 00:15:11,080 What they didn't know is that they were putting on his head a 228 00:15:11,080 --> 00:15:14,320 very symbol of the curse that he had come to reverse. 229 00:15:14,480 --> 00:15:17,080 He lived the sinless life that we couldn't live. 230 00:15:17,080 --> 00:15:20,320 He died the death. He took sin on himself. 231 00:15:20,560 --> 00:15:23,840 He took God's punishment for our for our sin that we deserve to 232 00:15:23,840 --> 00:15:26,000 die. And three days later, his body 233 00:15:26,000 --> 00:15:27,720 wasn't stolen like a piece of art. 234 00:15:27,720 --> 00:15:32,880 He rose from the dead to give us life that we otherwise couldn't 235 00:15:32,880 --> 00:15:36,840 have, because only a living Savior can give us life. 236 00:15:36,840 --> 00:15:40,520 That's the gospel. Anybody know what the word 237 00:15:40,520 --> 00:15:45,000 gospel means? It means good news, good news. 238 00:15:45,000 --> 00:15:49,720 It's the good news that Jesus has done everything necessary 239 00:15:49,720 --> 00:15:52,800 for our salvation and everything. 240 00:15:52,800 --> 00:15:57,240 Everything in the Old Testament pointed to that. 241 00:15:58,000 --> 00:16:00,520 It's why Jesus told a group of religious leaders in John 242 00:16:00,520 --> 00:16:03,520 chapter 5 verse 39. He said you search the 243 00:16:03,520 --> 00:16:06,240 scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal 244 00:16:06,240 --> 00:16:11,280 life, that it is they that bear witness or testify about me. 245 00:16:12,120 --> 00:16:16,560 In other words, every work of God in the Old Testament that 246 00:16:16,560 --> 00:16:21,800 spanned thousands of years, they were a shadow of what he would 247 00:16:21,800 --> 00:16:27,920 do in a span of three days. The gospel is the greatest work 248 00:16:27,920 --> 00:16:30,520 of God. Want to hand you three things 249 00:16:30,520 --> 00:16:34,400 about the gospel into your life from Psalm 145? 250 00:16:34,400 --> 00:16:39,360 The first thing is this, in the gospel you and I are saved. 251 00:16:39,960 --> 00:16:45,720 In the gospel we are saved. Look at verse 8 again, Says the 252 00:16:45,720 --> 00:16:52,720 Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in 253 00:16:52,720 --> 00:16:56,040 steadfast love. Some translations say 254 00:16:56,600 --> 00:16:59,880 compassionate instead of merciful in the first part of 255 00:16:59,880 --> 00:17:02,640 the verse. Some say mercy instead of 256 00:17:02,640 --> 00:17:07,200 steadfast love in the second part of the verse. 257 00:17:07,200 --> 00:17:11,560 Whatever your translation says, it's clear that in this verse 258 00:17:11,560 --> 00:17:15,400 God is both gracious and merciful. 259 00:17:15,960 --> 00:17:21,720 Grace is getting something good. You don't deserve mercy is not 260 00:17:21,720 --> 00:17:25,319 getting something bad. You what you do deserve. 261 00:17:25,319 --> 00:17:30,280 We always read at at bedtime with with our kids and a couple 262 00:17:30,280 --> 00:17:34,320 weeks ago, I know it's going to be hard to imagine, but these 263 00:17:34,320 --> 00:17:38,200 two up here, we're cutting a rug at toward bedtime. 264 00:17:38,640 --> 00:17:45,360 And I told them you don't deserve to read tonight, but 265 00:17:45,360 --> 00:17:48,880 you're going to get to anyways. And that's called grace? 266 00:17:49,920 --> 00:17:51,520 Leland asked. Daddy, what's grace? 267 00:17:52,000 --> 00:17:56,160 So, dude, it's getting something good that you don't deserve. 268 00:17:56,160 --> 00:18:01,280 In our sin, we don't deserve to be in relationship with God. 269 00:18:01,560 --> 00:18:06,400 In our sin, we don't deserve eternal life in a real place 270 00:18:06,400 --> 00:18:09,200 called heaven. We don't deserve abundant life 271 00:18:09,480 --> 00:18:12,000 now. Until then, we don't deserve 272 00:18:12,000 --> 00:18:14,400 joy. We don't deserve purpose. 273 00:18:14,400 --> 00:18:18,120 We don't deserve hope. What we deserve is eternal 274 00:18:18,120 --> 00:18:23,360 separation from God. We deserve to be abandoned to 275 00:18:23,360 --> 00:18:25,280 our sin. Again, that's not because God 276 00:18:25,280 --> 00:18:28,920 doesn't like you. It's because God would cease to 277 00:18:28,920 --> 00:18:34,680 be God if he accommodated sin. Anybody dislike mayonnaise? 278 00:18:36,160 --> 00:18:43,560 I can't stand mayonnaise. I cannot accommodate mayonnaise. 279 00:18:44,160 --> 00:18:50,840 God cannot accommodate sin. He would cease to be God if he 280 00:18:51,200 --> 00:18:54,120 accommodated sin. The thing about sin, Romans 623 281 00:18:54,120 --> 00:18:57,200 says that the wages of sin is what is death. 282 00:18:57,760 --> 00:19:00,080 About a year at that. Well, going on two years ago, I 283 00:19:00,080 --> 00:19:02,200 had a Fender Bender that was 100% my fault. 284 00:19:04,040 --> 00:19:06,080 Fortunately, like a good neighbor, State Farm was there 285 00:19:06,080 --> 00:19:10,200 for me, but somebody had to pay for the damage. 286 00:19:12,040 --> 00:19:16,520 If if State Farm didn't cover it, maybe Larry Walker Body Shop 287 00:19:16,520 --> 00:19:20,560 on Sarat Drive and and you know, South high point, maybe they 288 00:19:20,560 --> 00:19:22,680 would have said don't worry about it. 289 00:19:23,200 --> 00:19:27,600 But had they said not to worry about it, the the price would 290 00:19:27,600 --> 00:19:30,200 have still been absorbed by The Body Shop. 291 00:19:30,200 --> 00:19:33,760 Sin has a cost. Sin has a price. 292 00:19:33,760 --> 00:19:37,680 It has to be paid. And God would cease to be God if 293 00:19:38,040 --> 00:19:40,680 if he just accommodated sin and you all. 294 00:19:40,680 --> 00:19:42,480 That's what makes the gospel such good news. 295 00:19:42,480 --> 00:19:45,760 That's what makes the gospel the mightiest act, the greatest work 296 00:19:46,040 --> 00:19:48,880 of God. Because not only did Jesus enter 297 00:19:48,880 --> 00:19:52,560 our sin, but on the cross he took the punishment that we 298 00:19:52,560 --> 00:19:56,000 deserve. And in his resurrection we get 299 00:19:56,000 --> 00:19:58,080 eternal life that we don't deserve. 300 00:19:58,080 --> 00:20:03,400 He's gracious and he's merciful. In the moment that we lean our 301 00:20:03,400 --> 00:20:06,400 God-given faith on the resurrected crucified Lord 302 00:20:06,400 --> 00:20:10,160 Jesus, the Bible says that we are saved, say saved. 303 00:20:10,960 --> 00:20:14,520 Paul said in Romans, Romans 10/9 that if you confess with your 304 00:20:14,520 --> 00:20:17,640 mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God 305 00:20:17,640 --> 00:20:21,120 raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 306 00:20:21,520 --> 00:20:25,760 That that is saved from and eternity of being abandoned to 307 00:20:25,760 --> 00:20:31,320 our sin and saved to the abundant life that only comes by 308 00:20:31,320 --> 00:20:34,200 faith in Jesus. The abundant life that starts 309 00:20:34,200 --> 00:20:38,040 the moment we get saved and culminates in seeing Jesus face 310 00:20:38,040 --> 00:20:40,400 to face. It's why earlier in Romans 311 00:20:40,400 --> 00:20:43,880 chapter 1, Paul said, I'm not ashamed of the gospel for it is 312 00:20:43,880 --> 00:20:48,720 the power of God to salvation to everyone who believes The word 313 00:20:48,720 --> 00:20:53,680 in Greek is dunamis dunamis. Alfred Nobel originally called 314 00:20:53,680 --> 00:20:58,400 his invention Nobel's blasting powder, but he thought the Greek 315 00:20:58,400 --> 00:21:00,680 word had more of a bang to it, if you will. 316 00:21:00,680 --> 00:21:07,640 So he simply called it dynamite. The gospel dunamis, the power of 317 00:21:07,640 --> 00:21:12,360 God that saves us. Milton Vincent says outside of 318 00:21:12,360 --> 00:21:17,160 heaven, the gospel, excuse me, The power of God in its highest 319 00:21:17,160 --> 00:21:20,000 density is found inside the gospel. 320 00:21:20,560 --> 00:21:24,520 Nothing else in all of Scripture is ever described in this way 321 00:21:24,520 --> 00:21:28,520 except for the person of Jesus Christ. 322 00:21:28,920 --> 00:21:34,240 The Red Sea wasn't about God making a way, wasn't about God 323 00:21:34,240 --> 00:21:38,280 making a way through difficult situations as much as it pointed 324 00:21:38,280 --> 00:21:42,560 to how the Son of God would make the only way through the waters 325 00:21:42,560 --> 00:21:44,680 of our sin. The the point of David and 326 00:21:44,680 --> 00:21:48,680 Goliath wasn't about having faith to overcome giants, but it 327 00:21:48,680 --> 00:21:52,320 pointed to how David's great grandson would defeat our 328 00:21:52,320 --> 00:21:56,320 greatest giant of sin and death on the cross and in the empty 329 00:21:56,320 --> 00:21:59,080 tomb. In the gospel we are saved. 330 00:21:59,520 --> 00:22:02,640 Secondly, in the gospel we are sustained. 331 00:22:03,400 --> 00:22:07,640 We are sustained. Verse 14 in Psalm 145, it says 332 00:22:07,640 --> 00:22:14,240 the Lord upholds all who are falling and raises up all who 333 00:22:14,240 --> 00:22:19,560 are bowed down. Yesterday we spent about an hour 334 00:22:20,360 --> 00:22:25,080 on the beach and it reminded me last year at the beach, our 335 00:22:25,080 --> 00:22:29,160 family vacation. Josie and I were standing at the 336 00:22:29,160 --> 00:22:31,920 the water's edge. She was holding my hand. 337 00:22:32,560 --> 00:22:36,920 She was jumping over over the waves as they came, came rolling 338 00:22:36,920 --> 00:22:41,520 in, did it for a solid 10 minutes and each each time a 339 00:22:41,520 --> 00:22:47,360 wave came in, she giggled no less than the time before that 340 00:22:47,840 --> 00:22:51,880 just had the the absolute time of her life jumping over those 341 00:22:51,880 --> 00:22:54,040 waves. About 10 minutes into that, 342 00:22:54,640 --> 00:22:58,560 after jumping over a wave, she looked up at me and said, Daddy, 343 00:22:58,560 --> 00:23:01,480 I'm doing it all by myself, holding your hand. 344 00:23:06,120 --> 00:23:13,600 In the Gospel, you and I are held by the hands of our Father. 345 00:23:14,280 --> 00:23:17,240 We're held by the hands of the living God. 346 00:23:17,240 --> 00:23:22,840 And that means in Christ Jesus you can endure whatever God and 347 00:23:22,840 --> 00:23:25,880 His sovereignty allows to crash into the boat of your life. 348 00:23:26,200 --> 00:23:31,040 It means you can endure the waves of trouble and difficulty. 349 00:23:31,040 --> 00:23:35,720 You can endure pain because you know that your pain is not the 350 00:23:35,720 --> 00:23:38,720 end of the story. You can endure uncertainty 351 00:23:39,080 --> 00:23:41,480 because your future is secure in Christ. 352 00:23:41,480 --> 00:23:45,200 You can endure betrayal because betrayal is what got Jesus on 353 00:23:45,200 --> 00:23:47,440 the cross. It makes me think of if y'all 354 00:23:47,440 --> 00:23:49,240 sing leaning on the everlasting arms. 355 00:23:49,240 --> 00:23:52,000 Maybe some of you are familiar with with Dottie Rambo. 356 00:23:52,240 --> 00:23:55,560 Makes me think of an old Dottie Rambo lyric that says so let the 357 00:23:55,560 --> 00:23:58,080 storms rage high, the dark clouds rise. 358 00:23:58,080 --> 00:24:03,320 They don't worry me, for I am sheltered, safe within the arms 359 00:24:03,720 --> 00:24:06,680 of God. In the gospel we are sustained. 360 00:24:06,680 --> 00:24:11,160 We are held and we can jump over the waves of whatever God allows 361 00:24:11,160 --> 00:24:14,840 to come into our life. We are saved #3 we are 362 00:24:15,280 --> 00:24:19,440 satisfied. In the gospel, we are satisfied. 363 00:24:20,080 --> 00:24:24,520 Look at verse 15 again. The eyes of all who look to you 364 00:24:26,760 --> 00:24:29,800 and you give them their food in their due season. 365 00:24:29,800 --> 00:24:36,120 You open your hand and you satisfy the desire of every 366 00:24:36,720 --> 00:24:39,520 living thing. Every living thing. 367 00:24:40,240 --> 00:24:46,520 See, desire is universal. You don't have to learn to want. 368 00:24:47,480 --> 00:24:53,800 Everyone naturally does it. From the the newest born baby to 369 00:24:53,800 --> 00:24:56,160 someone born before the Great Depression. 370 00:24:56,160 --> 00:25:00,680 Desire is both universal and natural. 371 00:25:01,320 --> 00:25:05,240 King size candy bar bars from Doctor Cobain may satisfy sweet 372 00:25:05,240 --> 00:25:08,120 tooth. Netflix may satisfy some 373 00:25:08,120 --> 00:25:13,280 boredom. Sleep may satisfy weariness. 374 00:25:13,520 --> 00:25:19,560 But only the living God can satisfy our soul and he does 375 00:25:19,560 --> 00:25:25,000 that in and through the gospel. Not long after Jesus said what 376 00:25:25,000 --> 00:25:28,040 he did to those religious leaders about you search the 377 00:25:28,040 --> 00:25:30,600 scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal 378 00:25:30,600 --> 00:25:32,960 life. But it's they that testify about 379 00:25:32,960 --> 00:25:35,400 me. Chapter later John chapter 6 380 00:25:35,800 --> 00:25:41,040 verse 35 Jesus said I am the bread of what of life. 381 00:25:41,400 --> 00:25:45,800 No one comes to me, no one who comes to me will ever be hungry. 382 00:25:45,800 --> 00:25:52,200 No one who believes in me will ever be thirsty Again y'all 383 00:25:52,200 --> 00:25:57,200 praise God he didn't say I'm the salad of life or I'm the rice 384 00:25:57,200 --> 00:26:01,080 cakes of life. The word of God under the 385 00:26:01,080 --> 00:26:04,880 inspiration of the Holy Spirit says I'm the what I'm the bread 386 00:26:05,400 --> 00:26:10,040 of life. See the the world, the world 387 00:26:10,040 --> 00:26:14,120 promises a good time. It promises peace and purpose. 388 00:26:14,120 --> 00:26:19,680 It promises hope and happiness. But it's only in the gospel that 389 00:26:19,680 --> 00:26:24,000 we can actually have any of those things in their truest 390 00:26:24,000 --> 00:26:25,640 form. You can say it like this. 391 00:26:26,080 --> 00:26:30,520 Jesus over delivers on what the world under promises. 392 00:26:31,560 --> 00:26:37,600 David said you open your hand and satisfy the desire of every 393 00:26:37,600 --> 00:26:39,680 living thing. Y'all you can draw a straight 394 00:26:39,680 --> 00:26:44,680 line from that verse to a public execution on a Friday afternoon 395 00:26:44,680 --> 00:26:47,400 outside the city walls of Jerusalem where the bread of 396 00:26:47,400 --> 00:26:51,640 life opened his hands on the cross and when he pushed up on 397 00:26:51,640 --> 00:26:54,720 his nail pierced feet, he said it is finished. 398 00:26:54,880 --> 00:26:58,680 That meant that every desire that you and I could ever have 399 00:26:58,680 --> 00:27:03,920 would be fulfilled in Him. So by way of application, kind 400 00:27:03,920 --> 00:27:08,840 of A2 sided coin this morning, the gospel number one or letter 401 00:27:08,960 --> 00:27:10,200 A. However you want to chalk it up, 402 00:27:10,360 --> 00:27:14,320 the gospel is worth declaring to others. 403 00:27:14,760 --> 00:27:16,720 The gospel is worth declaring to others. 404 00:27:16,720 --> 00:27:21,560 Look at verse 41 more time. One generation shall commend 405 00:27:21,560 --> 00:27:26,440 your works to another and shall declare your mighty acts. 406 00:27:27,280 --> 00:27:31,840 January 8th, 1815, General Andrew Jackson, before he was 407 00:27:31,840 --> 00:27:38,320 President, LED American forces to victory over the British in 408 00:27:38,720 --> 00:27:42,760 the Battle of New Orleans. And what's ironic is that the 409 00:27:42,760 --> 00:27:48,360 War of 1812 had already been officially over for a couple of 410 00:27:48,360 --> 00:27:52,320 weeks at that point. The the treaty that ended it had 411 00:27:52,320 --> 00:27:57,480 been signed in what is today Belgium on Christmas Eve 1814, 412 00:27:58,120 --> 00:28:01,320 but news hadn't hadn't reached the United States yet. 413 00:28:02,040 --> 00:28:05,160 So they were fighting the battle even though the war had already 414 00:28:05,160 --> 00:28:09,720 been won. Every generation, every person 415 00:28:10,000 --> 00:28:15,800 in every generation in some way, fights for something they feel 416 00:28:15,800 --> 00:28:19,760 they lack. Generally speaking, the Silent 417 00:28:19,760 --> 00:28:24,720 Generation fights for stability. Baby boomers fight for success. 418 00:28:24,720 --> 00:28:27,640 Gen. X fights for independence. 419 00:28:27,640 --> 00:28:31,160 Millennials like me, we fight for purpose. 420 00:28:31,480 --> 00:28:33,920 Gen. Z fights for significance. 421 00:28:33,920 --> 00:28:39,000 The alpha generation is growing up fighting for security. 422 00:28:39,320 --> 00:28:42,640 None of those things are bad in and of themselves. 423 00:28:42,640 --> 00:28:47,160 But see, here's the thing. The Gospel reframes those 424 00:28:47,160 --> 00:28:49,800 things. Because at the cross and at the 425 00:28:49,800 --> 00:28:54,360 empty tomb, Jesus one. Listen, Jesus won the war for 426 00:28:54,360 --> 00:29:00,360 each one of them, and that means the gospel changes everything 427 00:29:00,680 --> 00:29:04,600 for every generation. It's why the gospel must be 428 00:29:04,800 --> 00:29:07,760 declared. That's why it must be declared. 429 00:29:07,760 --> 00:29:11,440 Because people all around us, people in your lives, people in 430 00:29:11,680 --> 00:29:15,320 your classes, people in your neighborhoods, people at work 431 00:29:15,320 --> 00:29:18,720 with you, people in your families, people all around us 432 00:29:18,880 --> 00:29:23,880 are fighting battles that they don't need to fight. 433 00:29:24,720 --> 00:29:27,720 They're fighting for belonging by looking for love in all the 434 00:29:27,720 --> 00:29:30,000 wrong places. They're fighting for approval by 435 00:29:30,240 --> 00:29:33,160 trying to get as many likes and follows as possible. 436 00:29:33,160 --> 00:29:38,760 They're fighting for identity by mutilating their bodies. 437 00:29:38,760 --> 00:29:44,000 They need to hear that the war has already been won, y'all. 438 00:29:44,000 --> 00:29:49,760 They need to hear the gospel. And the thing about news, like a 439 00:29:49,760 --> 00:29:55,640 war being won, it's never communicated in whispers or a 440 00:29:55,640 --> 00:29:59,400 secret code. It's always communicated 441 00:29:59,440 --> 00:30:05,240 urgently and clearly and boldly. In fact, the word declare at the 442 00:30:05,240 --> 00:30:09,440 beginning of verse four, one generation or the word commend 443 00:30:09,760 --> 00:30:12,040 shall commend your works to another. 444 00:30:12,040 --> 00:30:16,360 That word, some translations say declare there it means to praise 445 00:30:16,720 --> 00:30:21,720 or to triumph. So the good news of what Jesus 446 00:30:21,720 --> 00:30:26,600 has done for us isn't something we tell discreetly because we're 447 00:30:26,600 --> 00:30:29,200 ashamed of it. It's something we declare 448 00:30:29,400 --> 00:30:34,320 because we treasure it. Tony Marita says we commend what 449 00:30:34,320 --> 00:30:39,640 we cherish. We should cherish the gospel. 450 00:30:39,640 --> 00:30:42,080 I'm not ashamed of the gospel, Paul said. 451 00:30:42,080 --> 00:30:45,680 It's why we send missionaries to places all around the world 452 00:30:45,680 --> 00:30:50,520 where our sending pastor, Pastor Andrew says, where the sun rises 453 00:30:50,520 --> 00:30:53,520 and sets but no one knows who to give the credit to. 454 00:30:53,520 --> 00:30:57,040 People around the world and in unreached places can walk for 455 00:30:57,040 --> 00:31:01,400 miles and miles and days, days after days, and never come in 456 00:31:01,400 --> 00:31:04,160 contact with someone who follows Jesus. 457 00:31:04,160 --> 00:31:09,640 It's why we send missionaries to declare the gospel in those 458 00:31:10,040 --> 00:31:12,560 places. It's why we raise our kids as 459 00:31:12,560 --> 00:31:16,880 arrows to be sent out, not accolades to be shown off. 460 00:31:16,880 --> 00:31:20,960 It's why we plant these things called churches. 461 00:31:21,520 --> 00:31:25,240 Sometimes we say the church is God's Plan A to reach the World. 462 00:31:25,600 --> 00:31:27,560 But what does having a Plan A imply? 463 00:31:27,560 --> 00:31:28,720 That there's a plan. What? 464 00:31:29,200 --> 00:31:32,080 There's a Plan B in the economy of God's Kingdom. 465 00:31:32,080 --> 00:31:35,360 There's no Plan B in the Kingdom of God. 466 00:31:35,360 --> 00:31:39,040 There's just God's plan to reach the World. 467 00:31:39,360 --> 00:31:44,160 And so if the church is God's plan to reach the World, then 468 00:31:44,160 --> 00:31:47,400 big cities like Norfolk or small towns like Bowie's Creek, North 469 00:31:47,400 --> 00:31:49,880 Carolina, big cities are small towns. 470 00:31:49,880 --> 00:31:53,880 If the church is God's plan, then the world simply needs more 471 00:31:54,080 --> 00:31:57,160 churches. I admit, before COVID I was a 472 00:31:57,160 --> 00:31:58,640 lead pastor at a church in Boone. 473 00:31:58,640 --> 00:32:01,160 I was one of those curmudgeons who thought that the American 474 00:32:01,160 --> 00:32:04,760 South had enough churches and the the struggling churches just 475 00:32:04,760 --> 00:32:08,360 needed to be revitalized, replanted. 476 00:32:09,520 --> 00:32:12,360 There's some truth to that. There's some truth about that to 477 00:32:13,000 --> 00:32:17,040 to churches who are struggling. And I can't pinpoint a certain 478 00:32:17,040 --> 00:32:21,720 conversation or conference talk or interaction with someone. 479 00:32:22,080 --> 00:32:26,200 But God in his grace just started to to change my heart 480 00:32:26,440 --> 00:32:31,320 about church planting and then a few months later is when the 481 00:32:31,320 --> 00:32:33,440 Lord brought Mercy Hill into our life. 482 00:32:33,720 --> 00:32:37,160 He called our family there almost four years ago, four 483 00:32:37,160 --> 00:32:40,280 years ago to get healthy. I was dealing with some burnout, 484 00:32:40,280 --> 00:32:44,320 came to get some more tools in my tool belt, came to see to to 485 00:32:44,360 --> 00:32:46,960 see what what God might be calling our family to do in 486 00:32:46,960 --> 00:32:51,200 terms of planting a church. And in all of that before Mercy 487 00:32:51,200 --> 00:32:54,800 Hill came into our life and certainly after coming on staff, 488 00:32:54,800 --> 00:32:59,480 the bottom line in my soul has has has become that there is no 489 00:32:59,480 --> 00:33:02,520 place. No place has enough gospel 490 00:33:02,520 --> 00:33:06,840 centered churches including including Harnett County. 491 00:33:07,640 --> 00:33:12,200 Those who study missions and church planting say that to to 492 00:33:12,200 --> 00:33:16,080 really begin to change the culture of a community, you need 493 00:33:16,080 --> 00:33:21,760 one church for every 1000 people from 2020 to 2040. 494 00:33:22,080 --> 00:33:25,960 Harnett County, which is in between Raleigh and Fayetteville 495 00:33:26,040 --> 00:33:30,360 bedroom community of both of those places, 2020 to 2040, the 496 00:33:30,360 --> 00:33:33,320 county's projected to grow by 50,000 people. 497 00:33:35,160 --> 00:33:37,320 I know it's Sunday morning, but let's let's see how we do with, 498 00:33:37,320 --> 00:33:41,640 with our math 50,000 people need one church for every 1000 people 499 00:33:41,640 --> 00:33:44,520 to to really put to start to put a dent in the culture. 500 00:33:44,680 --> 00:33:47,440 So how many new Gospel Center churches is Harnett County going 501 00:33:47,440 --> 00:33:49,680 to need? We're going to need 50 new 502 00:33:49,680 --> 00:33:55,200 churches just to just to put a dent in the culture of that 503 00:33:55,200 --> 00:33:57,080 community. Statistically, most of those 504 00:33:57,080 --> 00:34:00,800 50,000 people that are moving there for lower cost of living, 505 00:34:00,800 --> 00:34:03,880 their work, they're moving there to work in Raleigh and and 506 00:34:03,880 --> 00:34:05,400 Fayetteville, but they're living there. 507 00:34:05,400 --> 00:34:08,880 Statistically, most of those people are not followers of 508 00:34:09,000 --> 00:34:11,239 Jesus. And on top of that, just a few 509 00:34:11,239 --> 00:34:15,360 miles from a lot of that growth is Campbell University. 510 00:34:15,360 --> 00:34:20,000 Pastor Tanner said not only yes, he's right in the camels, he's 511 00:34:20,000 --> 00:34:21,600 half right in calling them the camels. 512 00:34:21,800 --> 00:34:25,159 But somebody know what the mascot technically is the not 513 00:34:25,159 --> 00:34:27,960 just the camels, but the fighting camels. 514 00:34:28,639 --> 00:34:32,320 No other Division One school in the United States, their mascot 515 00:34:32,320 --> 00:34:36,760 is the fighting camels. Statistically, I think there's a 516 00:34:36,760 --> 00:34:40,480 Division Three school that they're, they're the camels, but 517 00:34:40,480 --> 00:34:42,520 they're not even a real school because they're Division Three. 518 00:34:42,520 --> 00:34:45,639 OK, just kidding, just kidding. If you went to AD 3 school, I'm 519 00:34:45,639 --> 00:34:48,239 just kidding, just kidding. They're the they're the Fighting 520 00:34:48,239 --> 00:34:50,040 Campbells. If you're familiar with Campbell 521 00:34:50,040 --> 00:34:54,920 University, historically they're a Baptist college. 522 00:34:56,679 --> 00:35:00,320 But I don't know. I say this back home and it 523 00:35:00,320 --> 00:35:02,120 clicks. I know a lot, a lot of you 524 00:35:02,440 --> 00:35:05,920 planted out of North Carolina, so this might click with you. 525 00:35:06,720 --> 00:35:10,040 Campbell is about as Baptist as High Point University is 526 00:35:10,040 --> 00:35:12,680 Methodist. OK, do it another way. 527 00:35:13,240 --> 00:35:16,880 Campbell is about as Baptist as Duke University is Methodist. 528 00:35:17,600 --> 00:35:20,360 All right. So yes, there are, there are 529 00:35:20,360 --> 00:35:23,680 some students who who follow Jesus, who go there. 530 00:35:23,680 --> 00:35:28,080 A lot of them who follow Jesus, they drive 30 to 45 minutes to 531 00:35:28,080 --> 00:35:31,040 go to church because they haven't connected with with the 532 00:35:31,040 --> 00:35:34,040 church closer to campus. And I don't say that like we're 533 00:35:34,040 --> 00:35:37,120 going to be the Messiah to go in and turn Bowie's Creek upside 534 00:35:37,120 --> 00:35:40,160 down per SE, but we do want to turn the world upside down like 535 00:35:40,160 --> 00:35:42,200 they did in the Church of Acts. OK, so we're not going to limit 536 00:35:42,200 --> 00:35:44,200 God in what he can do in and through us either. 537 00:35:44,560 --> 00:35:47,640 But even though historically Campbell is a Baptist college, 538 00:35:47,640 --> 00:35:53,360 plenty, plenty of students who go there do not follow Jesus. 539 00:35:54,080 --> 00:35:57,360 And y'all we, we got to pray do we got to prayer walk Old 540 00:35:57,360 --> 00:36:00,880 Dominion yesterday? And, and I was reminded even 541 00:36:00,880 --> 00:36:03,320 doing that maybe you've sensed this. 542 00:36:03,320 --> 00:36:06,720 I hope you have. The Holy Spirit is doing 543 00:36:06,720 --> 00:36:11,240 something unique on college campuses in this day. 544 00:36:12,480 --> 00:36:16,920 So we feel like it's a strategic time in a strategic place to 545 00:36:16,920 --> 00:36:20,600 plant a new gospel centered church as close to Campbell 546 00:36:20,600 --> 00:36:22,480 University. Yes, we want to reach those 547 00:36:22,800 --> 00:36:26,320 thousands of new families and be 1 of dozens of new churches to 548 00:36:26,320 --> 00:36:28,680 reach those families and the young church families who are 549 00:36:28,680 --> 00:36:31,640 already there. And we want to reach Campbell 550 00:36:31,640 --> 00:36:33,640 University. And so Pastor Tanner's already, 551 00:36:34,320 --> 00:36:37,640 he's already said it. I'm coming here with a fishing 552 00:36:37,640 --> 00:36:43,440 license if if God's leading you to join our team to plant 553 00:36:43,440 --> 00:36:46,040 Declaration Church. We love to have a conversation 554 00:36:46,040 --> 00:36:48,880 with you and Pastor Tanner and your pastors would probably like 555 00:36:48,880 --> 00:36:51,600 to have that conversation with you as as well. 556 00:36:51,800 --> 00:36:54,520 But if that's not in God's cards for your life. 557 00:36:54,520 --> 00:36:57,680 I hope you'll be praying for us. Our kids are probably going to 558 00:36:57,680 --> 00:37:00,880 make sure that no person leaves here without a magnet of our 559 00:37:00,880 --> 00:37:05,160 family. So if you have 3 by 5 inches of 560 00:37:05,160 --> 00:37:08,480 of space on your fridge, I hope you'll slap us on there and and 561 00:37:08,600 --> 00:37:12,680 pray for us when you see when you see that magnet, whatever 562 00:37:12,680 --> 00:37:16,200 that looks like for you though, whatever you and declaration 563 00:37:16,200 --> 00:37:19,400 looks like, I'm confident that there are people in your life 564 00:37:19,880 --> 00:37:24,360 right now who are close to you but far from God. 565 00:37:25,760 --> 00:37:32,440 So live with your heads up. Don't keep the the goodness of 566 00:37:32,440 --> 00:37:38,200 the chicken biscuit to yourself. The psalmist says taste and see 567 00:37:38,200 --> 00:37:41,440 that the Lord is good. And then in in Matthew chapter 568 00:37:41,440 --> 00:37:46,280 5, we're the salt of the earth and the light of the world. 569 00:37:46,280 --> 00:37:48,480 As we taste and see the goodness of God. 570 00:37:48,480 --> 00:37:52,400 Let's live as salt and light. You live a salt in life in the 571 00:37:52,400 --> 00:37:55,160 place where God is called you. Who are the people that you 572 00:37:55,160 --> 00:37:57,920 know, who are close to you but far from God? 573 00:37:57,920 --> 00:38:01,680 Is God stirring you? Stirring in you to leverage your 574 00:38:01,680 --> 00:38:04,800 life to live among an unreached people group where they have 575 00:38:04,800 --> 00:38:06,840 little to no access to the gospel? 576 00:38:06,840 --> 00:38:08,360 What does that look like in between? 577 00:38:09,000 --> 00:38:10,360 In between, kind of fill in the blank? 578 00:38:10,360 --> 00:38:15,200 What does it look like for you to declare the gospel to others? 579 00:38:15,840 --> 00:38:19,520 Live lives with your heads up. The gospel is worth declaring to 580 00:38:19,520 --> 00:38:21,320 others. The other side of that coin is 581 00:38:21,320 --> 00:38:24,840 the gospel is worth declaring to ourselves. 582 00:38:25,760 --> 00:38:28,360 Look at verse 5 and then I'm done. 583 00:38:29,400 --> 00:38:32,520 Not only are we to declare your mighty acts one generation to 584 00:38:32,520 --> 00:38:36,560 another, verse 5 says on the glorious splendor of your 585 00:38:36,560 --> 00:38:41,320 majesty and on your wondrous works, I will what? 586 00:38:41,960 --> 00:38:49,000 I'll meditate. If verse 4 is outward, verse 5 587 00:38:49,480 --> 00:38:53,080 is inward. On the glorious, on the glorious 588 00:38:53,440 --> 00:38:59,440 works, your deeds, I will. Your wondrous works, I will 589 00:38:59,720 --> 00:39:01,720 meditate. I will think about. 590 00:39:02,120 --> 00:39:06,080 I'll ponder. If you're standing in front of 591 00:39:06,080 --> 00:39:10,080 the Mona Lisa, you're probably not going to rush by it. 592 00:39:11,040 --> 00:39:12,960 You're going to stop and stare a while. 593 00:39:14,200 --> 00:39:18,960 You would linger. You would let the the weight of 594 00:39:18,960 --> 00:39:23,680 the greatest work of art just kind of hit you. 595 00:39:24,440 --> 00:39:29,800 You'd sit there in that moment, just look at it. 596 00:39:30,880 --> 00:39:35,720 That's what you and I should do with what Jesus has done for us. 597 00:39:36,440 --> 00:39:41,720 We should stop and stare. We should let it capture our 598 00:39:41,720 --> 00:39:46,840 souls again and again, over and over. 599 00:39:47,080 --> 00:39:51,280 Paul David Tripp says no one is more influential in your life 600 00:39:51,280 --> 00:39:55,560 than you are because no one talks to you more than you do. 601 00:39:57,160 --> 00:40:01,760 He says declaring the gospel to ourselves is self consciously 602 00:40:02,120 --> 00:40:06,400 and intentionally reminding ourselves. 603 00:40:06,760 --> 00:40:12,320 Of the person and the presence and provisions of Jesus. 604 00:40:13,560 --> 00:40:19,160 Some of you need to be captured by the gospel for the very first 605 00:40:19,160 --> 00:40:24,080 time today. And I pray if that's your case, 606 00:40:24,520 --> 00:40:28,560 I know if it is your case, then God doesn't have you here by 607 00:40:28,560 --> 00:40:31,720 accident. He has you here to hear the 608 00:40:31,720 --> 00:40:36,480 gospel and I pray that this day would be your day to lean your 609 00:40:36,480 --> 00:40:40,160 God-given faith on what Jesus has done for you. 610 00:40:40,160 --> 00:40:44,480 It's as simple as ABC. Admit to God that you need him. 611 00:40:44,880 --> 00:40:48,560 Admit that you're a Sinner. Believe that Jesus has done 612 00:40:48,560 --> 00:40:51,000 everything necessary for your salvation. 613 00:40:51,280 --> 00:40:55,440 Confess that He is the Lord of your life, that he's going to 614 00:40:55,440 --> 00:40:57,920 call the shots from now on. I pray that this day would be 615 00:40:57,920 --> 00:41:04,680 your day to believe the gospel if your faith is in Jesus. 616 00:41:05,640 --> 00:41:09,760 It's not a a super action oriented sermon more than as 617 00:41:09,760 --> 00:41:12,480 much as it's a belief oriented sermon. 618 00:41:12,480 --> 00:41:16,600 If your faith is in Jesus, I pray that you would stop and 619 00:41:16,600 --> 00:41:20,120 stare at the gospel even in the next few moments. 620 00:41:20,560 --> 00:41:24,720 I believe we're celebrating the Lord's Supper as we do that, as 621 00:41:24,720 --> 00:41:30,480 we sing together. Stop and stare at the greatest 622 00:41:30,480 --> 00:41:31,880 work of God. Linger. 623 00:41:32,440 --> 00:41:36,480 Let your soul linger at the foot of the cross. 624 00:41:36,840 --> 00:41:42,400 Let the gospel capture your heart anew and afresh this day. 625 00:41:43,400 --> 00:41:46,760 So, Father, take your word. It's your word. 626 00:41:47,240 --> 00:41:55,200 God, I pray, Lord, I pray as we, as we've received it, that your 627 00:41:55,200 --> 00:42:02,240 spirit would give, God would give joy as we take a next step. 628 00:42:05,240 --> 00:42:07,760 Lord, for those whose faith is in Jesus, I pray it would be a 629 00:42:07,760 --> 00:42:11,960 time for for us to to linger at the gospel. 630 00:42:13,560 --> 00:42:16,800 And if there's someone here today who's yet to place faith 631 00:42:16,800 --> 00:42:20,680 in Jesus, I pray that today would be his or her day, that it 632 00:42:20,680 --> 00:42:22,840 would be their day of salvation. Father, your spirit will 633 00:42:22,840 --> 00:42:25,600 continue to draw them to yourself as the seed of your 634 00:42:25,600 --> 00:42:27,800 word has been planted. I pray that your spirit alone 635 00:42:28,680 --> 00:42:35,120 would give the increase be glorified as we respond to your 636 00:42:35,120 --> 00:42:37,080 word. And this time I pray in Jesus 637 00:42:37,080 --> 00:42:38,440 name, Amen.